Ghostbusters: Roz Venkman

The Library

Rosalind "Roz" Venkman walked into the New York Public Library. Roz was looking for her brother Peter at Columbia University when a professor in the Psychology department told her that he left with Ray to go to the New York Public Library because of a ghost. Roz has been looking out for her brother since they were kids. One would think it would be the other way around since Peter is the oldest.

Roz works at Columbia in the Psychology department with her brother Peter, Ray, and Egon. She would occasionally help them with their paranormal studies. But she also works in the Science, Mythology, History, Engineering, and Physics departments due to her several doctorates. Between her and Peter, Roz got the brains. Roz passed high school with her brother despite only being almost four years younger.

As Roz walked further into the New York Public Library, she spotted her brother Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler, Ray Stanz, a middle-aged man, and a little old librarian lady lying on a table in an office.

"I don't remember seeing any legs, but it definitely had arms because it reached out for me," The librarian told them.

"Arms?! I can't wait to get a look at this thing!" Ray said excitedly.

"Alice, I'm going to ask you a few standard questions, okay? Have you or any of your family ever been diagnosed schizophrenic, mentally incompetent?" Peter asked the librarian.

"My uncle thought he was St. Jerome," She answered.

"I'd call that a big yes. Uh, are you habitually using drugs, stimulants, alcohol?"

"No!"

"No, no. Just asking. Are you, Alice, menstruating right now?"

"What has that got to do with it?" The man asked Peter.

"Yes, Peter, what does a woman's cycle have to do with her seeing ghosts?" Roz asked as she walked into the room.

"Back off, man. I'm a scientist," Peter told the man before turning to his sister, "And to answer your question, my sweet baby sister: you ever know."

"Ray, it's moving," Egon informed, "Come on."

The three followed Egon out of the office and down to the basement. One by one, Peter, Ray, Roz, and Egon come down the tightly winding, old iron staircase. Egon is in front, guiding them to the ghost with a PKE meter in hand. Ray has a video camera and is behind Egon.

Roz and Peter are in the back, following the two others. While Roz is curious, Peter is a boring stiff. He starts making scary gestures at Ray as they walk past the bookshelves. They stop when they come to a tall tower of books.

"Look," Ray said.

They walk closer to the tall stack of books, almost reaching the ceiling.

"This is hot, Ray," Egon noted as he scanned the books.

Ray films the stack of books, "Symmetrical book stacking, just like the Philadelphia mass turbulence of 1947."

"You're right. No human being would stack books like this," Peter sarcastically pointed out.

"Listen!" Ray exclaimed. Everyone went quiet, waiting for a sound, "You smell something?"

Roz gave Ray an are-you-serious look and lightly smacked him on the back of the head. Egon looks at the PKE and moves it in another direction before they follow him to a card catalog covered in slime with several draws sticking out.

"Talk about telekinetic activity! Look at this mess!"

"Raymond, look at this," Egon gestures to the slime.

"Ectoplasmic residue."

"Venkman, get a sample of this," Egon holds out a petri dish.

"Which Venkman?" Roz asked.

"Peter."

"It's the real thing!" Ray excitedly said.

"Somebody blows their nose, and you want to keep it?" Peter questioned.

"I'd like to analyze it," Egon clarified.

"There's more over here!" Ray points out. He and Egon continue walking.

"I'm getting stronger readings here, this way," Egon said as he and Ray turned a corner.

"Come on," Ray said, hurrying Peter up before disappearing behind the bookshelf.

Roz stays behind and watches Peter scrape slime into a dish and get it all over his hands. Roz laughs while Peter groans and grunts in disgust. Peter flicks the slime away and wipes his hands on the books. They turn a corner, and Peter gives Egon the petri dish of ectoplasm slime.

"Egon, your mucus."

A bookshelf behind them falls with a crash and almost crushes them under tons of books. They stare at the fallen bookshelf, standing still in shock.

Peter turns to Ray and asks, "This happen to you before?" Ray shakes his head no, "Oh, first time?" Ray nods his head yes.

They continue following Egon, but then he holds his arm in front of them to stop them as his PKE meter goes nuts as they get closer to something. They continued walking and then turned.

"It's here," Egon said.

In front of them, they saw a legless librarian ghost with greyish-purple skin hovering between the stacks about four feet off the ground and reading a book.

"A full torso apparition. And it's real," Ray said.

"So, what do we do?" Peter asked. Ray, Egon, and Roz just looked at each other, "Could you come over here and talk to me for a second, please?" Peter pulled Ray by the ear back to where they had just come, and Egon and Roz followed, "Could you just come over here for a second, please? Right over here. Come here, Francine! Come here. What do we do?"

"I don't know. What do you think?" Ray asked Egon.

Egon takes a calculator out of his pocket, but Peter slaps it out of his hands.

"Stop that!" Peter told him.

"We've got to make contact. One of us should actually try to speak to it," Ray said.

"Good idea," Egon agreed.

Egon, Ray, and Peter look at Roz, causing her to groan in realization.

"Why do I have to talk to her?" Roz questioned

"You're a woman, and she's a woman. Do a little girl talk," Peter told his sister.

Roz groans and walks out to the ghost, and Ray is taking pictures.

"Hello. I'm Rosalind," She introduced herself to the spirit as Ray continued to take pictures, "Where are you from? Originally."

The elderly woman's ghost turns to him and holds a finger to her lips, "Ssh."

Roz turns around and goes back as she says, "All right. Okay, that didn't work as we'd hoped."

"Okay, I have a plan. I know exactly what to do," Ray told them. They walk out from the bookshelves closer to the ghost with Ray in front and Peter, Egon, and Roz behind him, "Now stay close, stay close. I know. Do exactly as I say. Ready, ready, get her!"

The ghost turns into a raging demon-like specter and scares them. They run as fast as possible out of the basement and eventually out of the library. The head librarian rushes out the door after them and chases them down the steps.

"Did you see it? What was it?" He asked.

"We'll get back to you!" Peter told him.