#booshful

Boommer blinked, not used to being brushed off so quickly. Usually King Boo would try and challenge their claim, say that there had to be something out there… Maybe even call them idiots and insist on looking himself. Having all the Boos turn to stone… It really affected his motivation.

“But what?” Booshful prompted. “Is something the matter?”

“They’ve been really quiet.” King Boo. “I haven’t checked on them yet, but they would have made some noise by now. I highly doubt Douboole would even like to look through books for this long.”

“How much trouble could they get into in a library?” Boommer said with a shrug. He didn’t really see any reason to worry. They were just kids. They never did anything absolutely dangerous.

“We’ll see.” King Boo muttered, vanishing through the wooden beams. Booshful and Boommer followed close behind, emerging among the duty rows of bookshelves. Many shelves were full of tattered and molding books, so there would be little to find there. In the back of the room, however, were the newest and least damaged books. This is where the kids were likely to have started searching, so the three older Boos made their way back there.

When they arrived, however, the area was abandoned. There were no children, and the only sign that they were ever there was a pile of books on the floor. Upon seeing this, King Boo stopped suddenly in the air, causing Booshful and Boommer to swerve to avoid him.

“They’re not here!” King Boo cried, looking around wildly for any sign they might be hiding. “How is that even possible?”

Boommer began to float around the area, peeking into various corners and empty shelves the children could be hidden in. Finding nothing, he simply shrugged.

Booshful, on the other hand, looked down at the various books that had been piled on the ground. Perhaps they could provide a clue as to what the kids were up to…

“Hang on!” He said, picking up the book on the very top of the pile. It was bound in purple, and the cover was faded almost to the point of obscurity. “Magic… Most… Malicious. One of the pages is dog-eared. Let’s see here…”

King Boo looked expectantly at Booshful, but didn’t say anything. He was doing his best not to panic, but his pacing back and forth proved that his efforts were in vain.

When Booshful looked over the page that had been marked, he let out a small gasp.

“Your Spookiness! This book... Has the spell that the Magikoopa used! Right down to the letter!” He turned the book so the king could see it better: On the marked page was an illustration that showed many Goombas frozen in place--petrified just like the Boos were. Under the illustration read:

Permanent Petrification. This spell turns all targets to stone. It cannot be reversed unless the one who cast it chants the reversal incantation.

“Only the one who cast it…” King Boo mumbled, letting the reality of the situation sink in. Not only was there no spell to reverse what had happened without the caster… But this meant the children…

“They must have gone off to find the Magikoopa themselves.” Boommer said, saying what King Boo did not dare to think. Trouboole, Douboole, Ribboon… They had all gone out into the world just to find the Magikoopa. Who knows how long ago they left.

“We’ve got to find them!” Booshful said, slamming the book shut and snapping King Boo from his shock. “They’ve never even been past the forest of the valley! They could get lost or hurt…”

“Exactly, which is why I’ll be looking for them.” King Boo finally said, crossing his arms. Boommer and Booshful looked as if they were about to protest, but the king waved for them to be silent.

“I was supposed to keep an eye on them. I failed in doing that. Besides, we cannot leave everyone alone in the mansion. They need somebody to look after them. You two are in charge of the mansion while I’m gone.” King Boo floated back down to the second floor, not even waiting for the other two to make an objection.

Where could the three have even gone? King Boo wasn’t sure. His best bet was to pick a random direction and stick with it. Perhaps he could try to ask whoever he came across if they had seen the three young ones.

But… He would have to find out how to do that discreetly. He couldn’t exactly float up to just anyone and strike up a conversation. Even if the stranger didn’t know who he was, he would still be rather intimidating…

“I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.” He told himself, though he noticed doubt soaking into his voice.