Super Mario Bros.® Trapped in the Perilous Pit

WIP This is the Golden Storybook and Tape called, Super Mario Bros.® Trapped in the Perilous Pit. It was written by Jack C. Harris and the pictures were done by art Kim Ellis. Whenever you hear this sound you will know that it's time to turn the page.

A long, long time ago (sometime last monday) two apprentice plumbers from Brooklyn, New York, were hard at work. Their names were Mario and Luigi and everyone called them the Mario Brothers. On this particular day the brothers were trying to clean a clogged sure right underneath a gypsy fortune teller shop.

Perhaps some magic leaked down from the shop or maybe the Mario Brothers turned the wrong pipe. Whatever happened the Mario Brothers suddenly found themselves being washed through a drain pipe and into the Warp Zone.

After falling through time and space they eventually ended up in the magic land of Princess Toadstool's Mushroom People. Since they couldn't find a bus back to Brooklyn, they set up their own local plumbing business to keep busy until they could make their way home.

Princess Toadstool was a super-nice person and friendly ruler of the Mushroom People. One day way down deep underneath her palace Mario and Luigi were busy putting plenty of puzzling pipes in their proper places.

"This sure is hard work," said Luigi, "but I'm always happy to do work for Princess Toadstool". "It's only hard work for plumbers with hard heads" said Mario.

"My head may be hard," said Luigi, "but at least my stomach's normal. I don't eat disgusting stuff like mushroom and jelly sandwiches! Yecch!"

"Oh no." cried Mario, ignoring his brother and searching through his lunchbox. "I've run out of fresh mushrooms"

"I know," said Mario, "I'll bet there's some fresh mushrooms growing further down." And he went looking for mushrooms which as we all know grow in dark damp places.

Suddenly he heard a strange sound. Mario was horrified to see evil King Koopa and his Koopa Troopas invading the castle.

"Great gods of purple pasta," thought Mario. "King Koopa is up to no good. What can I do?"

All of a sudden mario looked down at his feet and saw the answer to his question—magic Red Mushrooms. Eating mushrooms is very, very dangerous unless you know which ones are safe to eat. Luckily Mario knew that these mushrooms were safe. He knew that these mushrooms had the power to make anyone change into a giant!

"Now I'll scare those Koopa Troopas," He said as he gobbled down a Red Mushroom

Out from behind the pipes came a giant Mario yelling, "Fee, fi, fo, fat! You better run or I'll squash you flat!"

The frightened koopa troopas ran screaming in every direction.

But evil King Koopa wasn't fooled as easily as his Koopa Troopas.

"That is no giant monster," he snarled as he waved his hands majestically at the pipes. "it is only one of those stupid Mario Brothers who are always getting in the way. My menacing magic can squeeze him down to size! Watch and see! Ha, ha, ha!"

Unknown to either King Koopa or Mario, Luigi was nearby. After picking flowers for the princess, he went searching for his brother Mario.

"Oh no," he thought. "I knew Mario was taking too long but i had no idea he was getting into trouble!

"Wait a minute maybe i can help after all these aren't ordinary flowers these are magic Fire Flowers!"

Out from behind the pipes Luigi charged at the Koopa Troopas, furiously firing a Fire Flower!

"Flee! Flee!" cried the frighted Koopa Troopas. "The fire from the Fire Flower will fry our flesh!"

"Hurry, hurry", called Mario. "The Koopa Troopas won't remain started for so long, and we have to save the princess!"

Racing though the passageway beneath the castle, Mario and Luigi tried to escape the Koopa Troopas. But the villains chased them right into a hidden trapdoor.

"Yeow! That was quite a step," yelled Luigi as he fell.

"That was no step, you humbler," said Mario. "We've fallen into a trap! How are we going to warn the princess now?"

While one squadron of Koopa Troopas captured the Mario Brothers, a second squadron continued up through the castle pipes to Princess Toadstool's throne room.

"EEEEKKK!" screamed the princess as the Koopa Troopas grabbed her and her guards. "Oh goodness gracious!" cried the princess as the Koopa Troopas carried her off.

Deep down in the dark, damp, perilous pit, the helpless Mario Brothers heard the princess's cries.

"What can we do?" wailed Luigi. "My Fire Flower can't burn us out of here."

"So true." cried Mario. "And my magic Red Mushrooms can't help. It's even too deep for a giant to climb out."

"That's funny," said Luigi. "The princess's screams seem to be getting louder."

"There's nothing funny about that," said Mario. "King Koopa is throwing her down here with us!"

"Oh, goodness gracious," said the princess as she landed on the floor of the pit with a hard bump. "King Koopa is closing the door! We're going to run out of air"

"Oh, no," cried Luigi. "King Koopa will loot the castle while we're held helpless down here. Even with our magic objects we can't seem to stop him."

"But you can," cried Princess Toadstool as she noticed the flower and the mushrooms. "All you have to do is work together!"

"Together! That's it!" cried Mario. He ate his last magic Red Mushroom. In an instant he began to grow!

Held high by the giant Mario, Luigi carefully aimed the last Fire Flower at the wooden trapdoor.

"It's working!" he cried. "I couldn't have reached it without your help."

"And I couldn't have opened it without yours," said Mario graciously.