Brother's Loyalty

Welcome to Our Mansion

MK

October 2001

Dear Valued Customer,

Congratulations! We are thrilled to inform you that you're the lucky winner of our mansion giveaway contest! Enclosed is a map with directions to your new property. Hurry—you have 60 days to claim your prize!

Thank you,

K.B.

Luigi turned the letter over and over in his hands. He didn't recall entering a contest. How did he have the time, in between plumbing jobs and helping Mario defend the MK against Koopa over the past sixteen years? But that didn't mean he wasn't excited at the prospect of owning a mansion.

Deciding that you only live once, Luigi crossed the room to his phone and dialed Mario's number.

"Hello?" answered Mario's voice.

"Hey, Bro," greeted Luigi.

"Luigi! How are you?"

"I'm great. Listen, you won't believe what's just happened."

"What?"

"I just won myself a big mansion in a contest!"

"Dio, that's wonderful! When did you enter this contest?"

"That's the thing—I don't even remember entering any contest," said Luigi, "but who am I to pass up something like this?"

"Hm. You're right," said Mario.

"They're giving me 60 days to claim my new mansion," said Luigi. "Meet me there, and we'll celebrate—what do you say?"

"Sounds like a plan," said Mario. "See ya in a jiff."

"See ya," said Luigi before hanging up.

He glanced out his window. The sun had just set, and the sky was quickly darkening.

Better get a move on, thought Luigi as he grabbed his trusty flashlight and set out, carefully following the map's instructions.

This map took him to a wooded locale he knew all too well—Boo Woods. Who in their right mind would build a mansion here? A slight shiver ran through Luigi as he trekked through the eerie forest, his flashlight the only source of light. The wind moaned through the gnarled, leafless tree branches and seeped under Luigi's coveralls and shirt, making him shiver more. He put some more speed under his boots—the sooner he was out of this place, the better.

Barren earth crunched under his feet as a sepulchral fog materialized in the woods, weaving through the trees and beginning to swirl around him. This whole environment symbolized lifelessness and imminent death, and Luigi didn't like it one bit. Gripping his flashlight, he walked faster and faster, until he was almost running. He thought he heard sinister chuckling as he journeyed on, and his heart began to beat double-time in his chest.

Luigi shuffled to a stop when he saw the building in front of him. A grim, three-story mansion with black-gray walls and a greenish-colored roof. This roof was arched in three places, the left and right arches closely resembling devil horns. All of the mansion's windows were dark, save for the front two windows on the second floor. It was almost as if the mansion was glaring at Luigi—