Brother's Loyalty

Recovery

"You wanna talk about it?" Gadd asked.

"No, thank you." Off of the Professor's look, Luigi amended, "Maybe later."

"Looks like you've caught a lot of ghosts," said Gadd. "Let's put them through the Portrificationizer, shall we?"

Luigi emptied the Poltergust and then flopped onto the sofa as the Portrificationizer did its work. When he saw the Elh portrait, he shivered. He hoped never to encounter someone like that again.

Next, Gadd fussed over Luigi's wounds. In addition to the bruises and mild papercuts, there were slashes to his abdomen and side from his fight with Elh, plus mild burns from the scrap with Mr. Luggs and the lightning strikes. But Luigi wanted a shower more than anything, so once Gadd finished patching him up, that was where he went.

He stood, hands pressed against the tiled wall, as cool water poured over his body, rinsing the stink and that nagging dread from him. Taking care to avoid his more serious injuries, he took a soapy shower pouf and washed everything away, everything that had happened to him from the first moment he set foot in that mansion, washing the way the image of that headstone, even it if was just an illusion. He couldn't stop the hot tears from falling, though, mixing with the shower water as he cried silently.

He can't die in there, he thought, because if he does, then I'll feel like that's on me. I don't need that on my conscience.

Why didn't I suspect anything? It's not everyday that someone wins a mansion in a contest. I should've smelled a rat, but I didn't. Because I was stuck in my own little world—

He choked back a sob, turned the water temperature to as cold as he could bear and rinsed off the soap and the racing thoughts right along with it. He'd gotten himself and Mario into this situation, and now he was gonna get them out. When he stepped out of the shower, dried himself off and slipped into some clean clothes, he felt like a new plumber.

Gadd was waiting for him with some snacks and more sweet wine.

"Now, can you please tell me what's plaguing you?" asked the professor once he'd filled Luigi's glass. "Trust me, it'll help you feel better."

Luigi sighed. "Might as well, because you'll find out eventually," he said. "The Boos—they may look cute, but on the inside, they're sadistic little monsters. I was in the graveyard when it happened. They—they made me think—I was too late..."

"To save Mario?" asked Gadd.

"Yes," said Luigi. "I saw a headstone with his name on it, and at first, it was working. I really thought he was..." He trailed off. "Then, they further taunted me by writing on the headstone, saying that he begged for his life, that I could've saved him. But when they tried to goad me into—doing something rash, I figured it out. Because Mario isn't one to beg from a villain. He'd stand tall until his last breath."

"You mean—they tried to make you...?"

Luigi nodded. "They must really hate us. And what bothers me is that I almost fell for it..."

"But you didn't," Gadd said gently. "You know your brother more than them, and that's what made you see through their charade."

"That's not all, though," said Luigi. "After suffering through that illusion, I had to fight this creature named Elh. And every time he and his shadows came near me, I felt..." He swallowed. "I felt so many doubts clutching at me, trying to..."

"Elh?" repeated Gadd.

"That's the name I saw on that headstone," said Luigi.

"Oh. He goes by another name, then?"

Luigi frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"The creature you fought is the product of this mansion's fear and despair, which was why you were feeling such negative emotions," said Gadd. "According to my findings, he's commonly known as Bogmire."

"Bogmire," repeated Luigi. "Then why was he hiding in a grave marked 'Elh'?"

"That was probably his original name," theorized Gadd.

"So, you're telling me that this Elh—or Bogmire—is the living personification of fear and horror?" asked Luigi. "And I beat him?"

"You did," said Gadd.

"Whoa," breathed Luigi.

"If you can beat what's considered fear incarnate," Gadd went on, "then those Boos severely underestimated you."

Luigi took a sip of wine, weighing Gadd's words.

"Perhaps they did," he said finally.

Downing the wine, he stood up and grabbed his Poltergust. "All right. I'm going back in."

"See? I told you talking to me about this would help," said Gadd.

And indeed, a huge burden alighted itself from Luigi's shoulders as he strode out of the lab, the Poltergust feeling almost weightless.

"I'm on my way, Big Bro," he murmured. "I'm on my way back to you."