Chapter Eleven: Night in the Le Ficent Castle

Chapter Eleven: Night in the Le Ficent Castle

October 1999

The airport in Paris, France bustled with activity, as many people from overseas arrived from a wonderful flight. Three of these people were students from Columbia University, a New York college; two of them sat down near the large window that had a view of the plane they came in outside. J.G. Stantz read a traveler’s guide on the wonderful sites to see in Paris. Of all the spots that he found out about, a place known as “Maurice’s Shop of Inventory” intrigued him the most. He wondered why most Columbia U. students didn’t embrace extracurricular activities like this all the time; then again, most students weren’t attending college at fifteen years of age like him. It was just one of those special gifts to being a “super-genius” by the age of twelve.

            The 17-year-old Sean Spengler, who just started his first semester at Columbia U. that season, already proving he to be as equal a genius as J.G., sat to the left of the teenager. Unlike J.G., however, he was more indulged in his laptop, looking up information on some of the most “haunting” sites of Paris—a habit he was known for having back in the States. He came across one site that looked very familiar to him, mostly because it was the spot where they were staying during their time there.

            “Jay, listen to this,” Sean said. “The Le Ficent castle was once the site for practices of dark magic. Several of the residents were subjected to methods of torture and experimentation that would kill even the most average human being. And it’s believed that some of these practices still exist there today.”

            J.G. looked at him in shock. “Really?” Then a smile grew on his face as he excitedly added, “That’s so awesome! I can’t wait ‘til we get there!”

            Sean shook his head and chuckled while the third member of their small group approached after coming out of the bathroom. It was Natalie Venkman, the college sophomore and best friend of J.G. and Sean. Even though she had been attending Columbia U. since she was Sean’s age, she hadn’t quite contributed to her academic duties as most students, mostly depending on her two pals to help get her through getting a degree in psychology.

            At the moment, she looked a little pale, holding her stomach and even sweating a little. “Oh, man,” she uttered, “I feel terrible.”

            “Maybe you’ll think twice before eating airplane food, Nat,” Sean advised. “You had almost twelve servings of that se dégonfler sur un baton.”

“Can I help it if that chicken was so good?” Natalie said just before muffling a belch that made J.G. and Sean shake their heads. She then directed her focus elsewhere as a young, handsome Frenchman wearing a black suit and tie passed their way. “Bonjour, magnifique! I think I’m ready for seconds!”

J.G. and Sean glanced at the man she was gawking over and noticed that he was holding a sign in front of him. When the man stopped and faced in their direction, the three got a better look at what was on his sign: all three of their last names (Venkman, Stantz, and Spengler) written in big, black letters that were readable from a distance.

“That’s our limo driver, Nat,” J.G. indicated. “He’s here to pick us up.”

Natalie seemed very surprised by this. “I never knew we ordered a limo driver to take us to Le Ficent.”

“As a matter of fact,” J.G. said upon realization, “Neither did I.”

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An hour later, the three youths arrived at Le Ficent Castle. It rested high on top of an enormous hill in the forest with the tallest tower reaching above the clouds. On that particular night, there was a fierce thunderstorm. There were moments when the castle would be struck by certain bolts. Between the night atmosphere and the lack of lighting within it, the castle gave a heavy, ominous appearance on the hill (if its bizarre history wasn’t already enough to terrify everyone).

Natalie, Sean, and J.G. showed themselves in after getting out of the limo and into the rain. Natalie made sure she gave her number to the limo driver before he headed back to civilization. If she had noticed the disinterested look on his face as he drove away, she would’ve figured as much (French guys dig those tanned, tall model gals…go figure). As they approached the large front door, J.G. was just about to knock on it, until the door suddenly opened on its own; it creaked in a way that seemed cliché and yet eerie to them. Of course, what more could they’ve expected from a haunted castle?

Walking into what they assumed was the foyer, they could barely see much in the dimly lit place. Then there was a small, lime-green light that shined straight ahead, coming towards them. The light grew brighter and larger as it neared, illuminating Natalie, Sean, J.G., and everything around them. The three suddenly realized that the light was being emitted from a lantern carried by a very slim-looking woman with pale skin and long, flowing black hair; she wore a long black dress that hid much of her slim figure and, perched on her shoulder, was an orange-beaked raven.

Natalie couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but there was something very familiar about this woman. “Uh...hi there,” she managed to say aloud. “You must be the caretaker of this ‘little’ place.”

“I am Madison Le Ficent,” the woman said with a voice that sounded creepy and somewhat sultry at the same time. “This castle has been passed down through generations of my family. I was born here...and shall die here.”

The three college students stared at her blankly after that last declaration. “Well, uh...that’s good to know...I guess,” remarked J.G. “Uh, Miss Le Ficent? Was it you who ordered the limousine that brought us here?”

“Why, of course,” she replied. “I couldn’t let such fine young future scientists arrive here in some primitive vehicle like a taxi.”

“Ya live in New York long enough, ya get used to it, girlfriend,” Natalie joked, even though Le Ficent wasn’t laughing all that much. She kept that eerie frown on her face the whole time they stood there, facing her. Her pet raven was just the same, looking very serious. It seemed to mimic just about every emotion she had (if she had much more than the one she was displaying then).

Le Ficent turned and faced the stairway that she descended from. “Come. I shall take you to your rooms,” she offered. “You must be very uncomfortable with those wet clothes on.”

“That’s not the only thing,” murmured Natalie as they followed her upstairs.

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Moments later, the three students changed out of their wet clothes and into their individual nightwear. J.G. and Sean had on black undershirts and boxers, whereas Natalie wore a cropped blue t-shirt and gray sweatpants. While J.G. was already resting in one of three beds in the bedroom they shared, Sean sat on his and fiddled with a small, rectangular-shaped handheld device that displayed graphs and numbers on an LED display. Coming out from the bathroom across the hall, Natalie brushed her teeth as she walked into the bedroom; she noticed what Sean was doing and asked (through a mouth full of toothpaste), “What’s this?”

“I’m detecting the P.K.E. levels in this building,” he remarked. “And from what I’m getting here, they’re way off the charts.”

After brushing for what felt like minutes, Natalie spat out the toothpaste in her mouth into the nearest spittoon she could find; there were several all over the castle, located in the corner of each room, usually right beside the door. Just after doing so, she told Spengler, “Can’t you relax long enough to enjoy yourself? You’re always so focused on playing ‘ghost catcher.’”

“This is research, Venkman,” Sean contradicted. “It’s not meant to be fun.”

Natalie chuckled. “No kidding.” She passed by J.G.’s bed and noticed how peaceful he looked as he slept with a copy of Tobin’s Spirit Guide sitting on his chest. “Awww! Look at the little tyke,” she mockingly said. “At least one of you geeks knows when to take a load off.”

As she made her way into her bed, Sean got off of his and started making his way towards the door. The device in his hands beeped so loud that it woke up J.G. and began to drive Natalie crazy. Sean’s eyes widened as he glanced at the measurements displayed on the device. “I’m getting very intense readings.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me with this!” Natalie yelled. “It’s two o’clock in the flippin’ morning, man!”

J.G. wiped his eyes and glanced over at Sean. “What is it?”

“A Class 5 Vapor,” he answered. “And it’s somewhere in the highest level of this castle.”

J.G. nearly tumbled over himself as he dashed over to Spengler. “Whoa! A Class 5? That’s huge.”

“Yeah, Sean. That’s hardcore.” Natalie dispassionately commented. “And you know what’d be even cooler?” She then planted her head on the pillow and pretended to fall asleep, even mimicking a snore.

“This is serious, Nat,” Sean stated. “All the research we’ve been dedicating ourselves to has led up to this moment. We’ve longed to search for a real apparition, and we’ve got it.”

“Yeah, c’mon, Nat,” J.G. added. “Ya wouldn’t want to miss out on this, would ya?”

Natalie’s closed eyes scrunched up in immense frustration; she then began to remove the covers off her body and angrily get out of bed. “I can’t believe it takes some dumb ghost to get my butt out of bed this early in the morning!”

Before they all had stepped out of the bedroom, Natalie grabbed a flashlight to help guide them through the dark hallway; but it was really Sean’s ghost-detecting device that guided them through every nook and cranny of the Le Ficent castle. They wandered for an hour, searching for the source of the strong levels of ghostly energy. Soon Natalie’s complaining began to resurface. “Alright, enough of this! Sean, is your ‘Ghost Boy’ busted or what?”

Spengler scratched his head while gazing upon the readings. “I don’t understand. According to the graph, this very spot we’re standing upon is where our ghost should precisely be.”

“Well, unless he’s Claude Rains, I don’t see a darn thing around here,” said Natalie as she gazed around at the hallway filled with tapestries and other valuable antiques, including rows of knight armors that stood at opposite sides of the hall.

J.G. rubbed his chin, also looking upon the tapestries; they all seemed to be hung within seven feet from each other, except for two particular ones that hung within two feet. These particular tapestries were right near the spot they stood – where Spengler’s readings went into overdrive. “I think I might have an idea of where our ghost could be.” J.G. approached one of the two tapestries near them and grabbed onto it. As he had done so, something bizarre occurred that none of the three youths even noticed: the “heads” of the knight armors began to turn and look in the direction that they were standing. The armors “watched” J.G. tear down the tapestry, letting it hit the floor with a soft thud; revealed beneath it was a wooden door.

Venkman’s curiosity suddenly replaced her agitation upon seeing the unusual secret. “Hmm...Now why would Miss Le Ficent hide something like this?”

“How ‘bout we go in and check out?” J.G. suggested, and he opened the door outward, allowing Natalie and Sean to walk in before he did. As soon as they were gone from the hallway, the knight armors move their helmets back into their original position, facing each other.

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The wooden door led to a spiral stairway that seemed to take forever to reach the very top of; by the time they had, they were totally out of breath (Natalie most of all), coughing and hacking while collapsing onto the cold, stoned floor. “I really need to start my diet plan soon,” she sputtered.

“You’re not the only one,” J.G. acknowledged.

“Judging from the length of the stairs and minutes that it had taken for us to get up them, I’d say we had, in the least, lost twenty-five percent of our body fat,” Sean said, wiping some sweat from his brow. “Or thirty-five, depending on the amount of perspiration.”

Natalie rolled her eyes, as she desperately picked herself up off the floor. “Gee, thanks, Spengler. You totally took my mind off the fact that I’m close to having a heart attack.”

Just as the boys got to their feet as well, they all gazed around the room, which had a sort of dome-shaped quality to it; circular, with five windows that overlooked the entire forest that surrounded the castle. A bed was at the center, which was currently occupied by a young woman (close to J.G.’s age) with blonde hair, lips that were as red as a rose, and wearing both a golden tiara and a dress that magically changed from pink to blue at the most random times.

“Is it just me or is there something oddly familiar about this?” Natalie inquired.

J.G. slowly walked up to the girl and approached the bed, looking down upon her with a sense of familiarity that matched Venkman’s. It was then that it suddenly dawned upon him. “Oh, wow! This is Princess Aurora!”

“You mean from Sleeping Beauty?!” a befuddled Natalie exclaimed.

“Jay, do you realize how improbable that sounds?” Sean asked.

“I know, but...” He looked closely at the “sleeping beauty” in front of him with the actual scent of roses seeping into his nostrils and instantly captivating him, “...it’s really her! Even smells like her!”

Natalie raised an eyebrow. “Smells? She was a cartoon character when you last saw her. How the heck can you go on a smell?”

“I can’t explain it, Venkman. I just know that...” J.G. never once took his eyes off of Aurora; he even sat down beside her sleeping form, getting ever so close to her inert face. “Man, is she gorgeous!”

Watching the unusual attitude that Stantz was displaying in front of them, Natalie and Sean exchanged awkward glances. Sean’s ghost-detecting device then began beeping wilder than ever. It was pointed directly on Princess Aurora and J.G., and there was only one deduction that Spengler could make from this: “JAY! SHE’S THE GHOST! GET AWAY FROM HER!”

Suddenly, there was a chilling tight grasp over J.G.’s left arm, as he watched the eyes of Princess Aurora snap open. Instead of the lovely shade of blue that he remembered them from the 1959 Disney classic, they were a frightening shade of yellow, similar to the eyes of the story’s villain, Maleficent. A wicked cackle emerged from within “Princess Aurora” as J.G. tried to fight off the tight grasp she had over his arm; once he was able to, he backed away from her and regrouped with Venkman and Spengler. The three watched in shock as “Aurora” got up from the bed while slowly morphing into the form of Maleficent, still letting out that eerie cackle.

“I knew there was something that freaked me out about this chick,” shouted Natalie.

Maleficent sneered at J.G. “Still believing in pointless fairy tales, Mister Stantz? Always the hopeless romantic? You’ll soon learn the hard way that no one ever gets a happy ending in the real world!”

“You’re one to talk, considering that you’re right out of a fairy tale yourself,” Natalie clarified. “One with a happy ending, I might add, with you getting a sword lunged into your heart.”

“Silence, you pathetic, little wench!” Maleficent bellowed.

Natalie frowned, her eyes suddenly filled with rage. “Oh, no she did not just call me a wench!”

She was about to advance on her until Sean held out an arm in front of her to hold her back. “You cannot possibly be the real Maleficent,” he said. “You must be a shape-shifter of some kind or a specter that can manifest itself into different images that it observes.”

“You are wrong, Mr. Spengler,” Maleficent retorted. “For I am the Maleficent that you know from your feeble retelling of Princess Aurora’s story…only I am much more dangerous than the way Walt Disney interpreted me.”

Venkman scoffed. “Oh, really? Well, from where I’m standing, girlfriend, you’re the same stupid witch that I remember being scared of when I was three.”

Maleficent glared at Natalie. “Heed my warning, children! You shall witness the true nature of my powers when your world comes to an unforeseen end. And you shall know the real difference between fairy tales and reality when you fall victim to death itself!”

There came another wicked cackle from Maleficent, and then the light from the top of her staff detached itself and hovered in the air; it suddenly sucked her entire form up into it and afterwards imploded into nothingness. A squawking noise echoed through the room, and the three youths spotted Maleficent’s pet raven, Diablo, flying around the room and then out through one of the windows.

Venkman, Stantz, and Spengler all exchanged precautious glances after the bizarre encounter. And, out of all that had happened in the short span of time, all Natalie had to say for it was, “I wonder how we’re gonna get back to town.”

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Present Day

Mickey and the others sat down at the desks inside of Sean Spengler’s classroom, listening closely to him as he told the whole story of his encounter with the “real” Maleficent. “So...you think that she’s staying true to her word now?” asked the mouse.

Sean gazed at the spinning wheel that was brought into the room (via forklift) for study. “If she is, then she’s not proving herself to be more dangerous than she was in the fairy tale.” He gestured to the object itself. “This is the same trick she used on Aurora, only I’m not hypnotized from its power like she was.”

“For a while, we thought you were,” said Christina, “When you were gawkin’ at it for so long.”

“It just brought back a lot of memories.” Spengler stated. “Maleficent was the first ghost we had ever encountered. And now she’s back.”

“How do you know it’s her?” Genevieve asked. “It could be some prankster. Someone who knew about your history with her and thought it’d make some nice and yet stupid joke to pull off on you.”

Sean walked over to his desk at the front of the room, reached inside one of the drawers, and pulled out his P.K.E. meter. “I’m certain it’s her, because I’m getting the exact same readings I had the last time we crossed paths.” He pointed the device to the spinning wheel, and it made loud and rapid beeping noises while its winged arms on top had risen in response to the psycho-kinetic energy that the object gave off. “This wheel has practically got her fingerprints all over it.”

“You think she could try and get herself involved in all that Hades got going on right now?” Christina inquired.

Spengler adjusted his glasses as he responded, “If her motive is to assure the end of the world, then yes. My theory is that her power grows stronger the closer we get to possible Armageddon.”

Genevieve let out a deep sigh as the weight of the situation seemed to have increased upon her shoulders. She got up from the desk she sat in and walked up to Sean. “Dr. Spengler, we know there’s not much you can do technical-wise for this situation,” she indicated, “but your expertise in this field could still be of great help to us.”

Sean looked up and down at Genevieve, noting the tattered jumpsuit that once belonged to Natalie Venkman on her. For someone who had only begun her time of ghost-busting a couple of days ago, she already had the look of a professional. And, as odd as it sounded to him, seeing her this way gave him a sense of hope for this seemingly hopeless situation. “Alright,” he said. “But we must try to get Jay involved. It’s of the upmost importance that we get him to come back to the team. Without him, I don’t know if there’s a chance we could stand against Hades, Jafar, or Maleficent altogether.”

Genevieve grinned upon saying, “Maybe with two more Ghostbusters, the odds won’t seem so overwhelming.”

Spengler raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Who will be approaching next for this mission?”

            In response to his question, Genevieve looked down upon the jumpsuit she was wearing with a big smile on her face. She then looked back at Spengler, who rolled his eyes and shook his head in exasperation. She could possibly be the hardest one to convince in coming back, he thought to himself.