Jason - Castle

M. Esposito to L. Esposito, Bowserton County, July 30th, 1985.

Since I left Mushroom Kingdom, I have travelled between seven and eight worlds, and have been engaged in one of the most unusual conflicts on record. We met the enemy initially two miles above Buried Castle, on the 1st day of this month, and drove them, after a sharp contest, lasting all day, beneath Pyramid Hill, beyond the pipes, distant about half a mile. During the next morning, nothing more than skirmishing occurred, until about two and a half P.M. When I dropped upon the Goomba's left, and commenced engaging him in his fortified position on the 'Catacombs.' In about half an hour, the fight became general. I would advance and then fall back, again and again, in succession, seeming to drop back to my point of entrance until about six o'clock, when a desperate charge dislodged the Enemy from his position.

Just at this time, the sun being lost from our vantage, our Goal was obscured as I dropped, with some haste, into a hidden chamber. It was under there I witnessed the thickest swarm of coins I ever experienced, which I gathered to support our cause. Darkness soon put an end to the operations, and the night passed off very quietly. This night and the night previous, the great shelled Enemy spent in fortifying his positions, already very strong from the nature of his home in the ground.

I slept inside a brick structure, and no sound was audible, except continuous din of the enemy's tools, and the awful groans of the wounded and dying who had come before. The building was a portal back to the surface on the edge of the Mushroom Fields. The next sun brought the daunting 3rd. day of my sojourn. Everything remained quiet 'till about 12 1/2 P.M. (through the window I saw) when a Red Koopa we began stalking my position. On both sides I think there must have been between 350 and 400 Goombas and Koopas in action. And after the most intense jumping of the conquest, and lasting about one hour and ten minutes, we silenced all the Koopa-kind. They report that we killed and disabled nearly all their red shelled defenders, and they were compelled to get detachments from their other ranks to man their place. The crossing was terrific, and I never expect to see anything to compare with it. I dispatched them and they were in an elevated and fortified position, and I had no works at all. The distance was about 1 1/4 miles, over an open fungal canopy. Because of my delay the Enemy had time to prepare for the charge before our final descent.

A very oppressive heat, like the vapors of Hell breathed upon me, reminding me of my fatigue caused by the work of the two days previous. If not before now, I was now exposed all the time to the Enemy's fire. The most of my reserve expended, I could not do much towards moving into the lair of Bowser himself. However, I advanced slowly and steadily, but I fear with too feeble determination. On my second attempt I made it to the vortexes of fire and of course it blistered my skin and I wished all the more for your support. This being the case, my hope was nearly routed, and chasms of lava almost forced my retreat, spoiling the whole affair. It was then I saw the whole of the potential, the view was open from my position, to the Enemy's works, in the Final Chamber. The lines moved right through my vision, and I feared at the approach of the great balls of fire from the beast. Then the deed was done. Bowser had fled and Princess Toadstool approached and I heard her say, '’Thank you, Mario,' but her words didn’t stop, 'but our princess is in another castle.' Exhausted and burned and mislead. It was an awful affair altogether.