Post by wileyk209 on Jun 5, 2017 12:47:11 GMT -5
Here is a new Scooby fanfic I did that is pretty much a follow-up to the 1973 New Scooby Movies episode "The Exterminator," where the Mystery Inc. gang returns to the home of famous horror actor and "man of a million faces," Lorne Chumley, whose career is now being threatened. Some of it is also based off that "Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet the Groovie Goolies" TV movie I posted about years ago, which also featured a similar Lon Chaney spoof and was done in a Scooby-Doo -esque manner. This features the Mystery Inc. gang as their classic selves, and is in the style of what could be either "The Scooby-Doo Show," or those "13 Spooky Tales" mini-movies...
SCOOBY-DOO: THE MULTI-MASKED MYSTERY
By Wileyk209
The Mystery Machine was driving through the countryside. A sign showed that the Mystery Incorporated crew was driving closer to Horror Hill. Inside, Shaggy and his dog Scooby-Doo were once again nervous…
“Like, I can’t believe we’re going back to that creepy old mansion on Horror Hill,” Shaggy said. “That’s where that kooky old horror movie star Lorne Chumley lives!”
“Yes,” Velma pointed out. “Lorne Chumley, the ‘Man of a Million Faces.’ And he’s our client for this case!”
“Gee, who would’ve thought?” Fred grinned, driving up to Horror Hill. “Actually getting hired by a movie star?”
Daphne was uncertain. “You mean he’s an old movie star.”
“Yeah,” Shaggy agreed, “and old people can be pretty creepy!” He did a nervous chuckle.
“Ryeah! Reepy old ree-ple!” Scooby said, shuddering.
“But Lorne Chumley has been making quite the comeback lately,” Velma told her peers. “Lots of movie studios and directors are hiring him again, and he’s won quite a few awards.”
“That’s right,” Fred agreed. “And Lorne is facing some kind of trouble that could put his career at stake, unless we can solve the mystery. He’s rumored to be stealing all his old films to eliminate them, and has been robbing banks in his numerous disguises.”
Daphne was skeptical. “But why would a famous old movie actor want to destroy his own films?”
Velma grinned. “That’s what we’re going to find out, and I’m betting someone is attempting to frame him and give him a bad image, to ruin his career.”
…
A little while later, the van pulled up to Lorne Chumley’s mansion on top of Horror Hill. “Well, here goes,” Fred said, and he knocked.
The door opened, and a rather creepy-looking old bald man with a monocle answered the door. “Oh, you must be the mystery solvers. I am Otto, the butler to Mr. Chumley.”
“We remember you,” Daphne said. “From when we were here with that exterminator.”
“Yes, quite right,” Otto said. “Come with me.”
The gang and their dog followed Otto into the house, and into the foyer. But once they had gotten in, a lavender-colored gargoyle with pointy ears, a bald head, glowing eyes and gleaming fangs greeted them, wearing a spotless white tuxedo and holding a cane. He chuckled deviously, and said “Mmmmyeeeees?”
Naturally, Shaggy yelled “ZOINKS!” and Scooby yelped and leaped into Shaggy’s arms.
“Relax,” Velma told the two. “This is just Lorne Chumley in one of his many disguises.”
“I see there’s no fooling some of you…” the gargoyle grinned. He tossed the cane aside, tugged off his rubber gargoyle gloves, and then grabbed his forehead and pulled upward, letting the latex gargoyle mask stretch a bit before popping off, revealing Lorne Chumley’s face underneath: an older guy with white balding hair. He laughed in his true voice. “Yes, I’ve still got it! I, the immortal Lorne Chumley, the man of a million faces!”
Fred and Velma clapped slowly, and Scooby climbed out of Shaggy’s arms.
“Like, I knew all the time that was just a phony-baloney costume,” Shaggy said, feigning innocence. “It didn’t fool me one bit.”
“Ruh-ruh!” Scooby shook his head in agreement.
“So, how have things been going since we last saw you?” Daphne asked.
“Splendid!” Lorne proudly said. “After my comeback film was made, thanks to the help of you kids and your dog, I, the immortal Lorne Chumley, am back on the silver screen! Numerous movie directors and studios have hired me, and I have been in nine pictures, each one a grand performance!”
“In each one, he plays a ghoulish creature, with such a flourish,” Otto added.
“My resurgence has also led to the DVDs and Blu-Rays of my old movies selling stronger than ever! I can’t thank you kids enough, and once again, I need your help,” Lorne said.
“What is it this time?” Fred asked.
“Someone is out to take all my films and obliterate them,” Lorne explained. “He has also been wearing disguises like I do, and has so far robbed two banks posing as one of my monster characters. He is most likely trying to give me a bad name and sabotage my career! Which is why I have called you all here.”
“You can count on us!” Velma said.
Scooby walked over to the empty rubbery gargoyle mask that was still in Lorne Chumley’s right hand, and sniffed it. “Rhuh?” he asked, and grabbed its’ snout to stretch it out a bit.
“Do you like it?” Lorne asked Scooby. “It’s just one of my many faces! Behold…”
And with that, he grabbed below his jaw, and peeled off his own face! Underneath it was a greenish Frankenstein-esque monster. Scooby yelped, and then the “monster” peeled off that face to reveal a blue vampire head with black slicked hair and sharp fangs. He hissed a bit at Scooby, and then grabbed his face to pull off that mask, revealing a brown hairy wolf-man head with sharp teeth and amber eyes, and snarled a bit. Then he reached below his chin and removed yet another mask, this time revealing another Scooby-Doo underneath, complete with dog collar and tag.
“Rhuh?” the real Scooby said, perplexed by this and getting up on his hind legs.
“Rhuh?” Lorne said back, imitating Scooby’s voice and pulling off the same puzzled look the real Scooby was giving.
Shaggy put his hand to his forehead. “Oh no, not this again!” as both Scoobys sniffed each other.
“Well gang, let’s get this mystery solved,” Fred announced.
“Very well,” Otto said. “I shall be on the lookout for anything suspicious. And believe me, I know what can really be suspicious here…”
The four teen sleuths started off, and Shaggy called out “Come on, Scoob!”
“Roming, Raggy!” both Scooby-Doos said in unison.
“Er, the REAL Scooby, the one not wearing the tux,” Shaggy said.
The real Scooby was glad to oblige, and followed Shaggy. Gathering up the other masks he had removed, Lorne said in his real voice from behind his Scooby-Doo face, “Just a little parlor trick! I shall be in my… dressing room.” Then he imitated Scooby’s laugh and walked off, still wearing the Scooby mask over his head.
…
On the second floor, the Mystery Inc. gang was still looking around. “I forgot how creepy this place was,” Daphne said.
But then a small group of bats flew down the hall. Daphne and Shaggy both shrieked and began trying to shoo them away.
“Stop it!” Velma told them. “Don’t you remember? Mr. Chumley raises bats, and has also trained them. They won’t hurt us.”
As the bats flew away to leave them, Shaggy pointed toward something, “Yeah, but will HE?”
They turned and saw a ghoulish-looking character with lavender skin and dark red hair, dressed in a formal outfit with a purple-lined cape and black top hat. He chuckled evilly and said, “You fools! You think you can outsmart me, the Phantom of the Flickers! I plan to destroy every frame of film Lorne Chumley has ever made. Sorry Lorne, but that’s show biz!” He wrapped his cape around himself and spun around, and disappeared in a puff of smoke!
“Ruh-roh!” Scooby said, standing up on his shaking hind legs.
“Zoinks!” Shaggy added, leaping into Scooby’s arms.
Daphne thought for a bit, before realizing something. “Jeepers! Wasn’t the Phantom of the Flickers one of Lorne Chumley’s characters?”
“You’re right,” Fred noted. “And given how he pulled all that off, I wonder if maybe that was Lorne himself, pulling a fast one?”
“But, like, I thought he wanted us to help him, and why is he now scaring us away?” Shaggy asked, getting out of Scooby’s arms.
“This sure is suspicious,” Velma noted. “Lorne Chumley could be trying to cover up his crime, by acting all friendly with us, and claiming there is another disguise artist in this house so we won’t suspect it’s really him.”
“It still doesn’t make sense,” Daphne insisted. “WHY would Lorne Chumley want to destroy his own movies and cause trouble?”
“It could be a publicity stunt,” Velma said. “Getting into trouble over things like this would cause him to be more relevant.”
Shaggy pointed out, “And didn’t he say he wanted to destroy all of Lorne’s films? Surely that would be impossible, as there are probably millions of copies of them on DVD or whatever. Billions, even!”
“Ryeah! Rillions and rillions!” Scooby agreed.
Fred snapped his fingers. “I got it! I bet whoever this Phantom is wants to destroy the original film reels of Lorne’s movies. And I remember reading that Lorne kept them in his home for safekeeping.”
“Only they’re not safe here right now,” Daphne said.
“Like, why don’t we already split up and look for clues?” Shaggy asked.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking!” Fred grinned. “Daphne and I will check the upper floors, while you, Velma and Scooby check this floor and the lower one.”
“At least you’re not just sending me and Scooby off on our own,” Shaggy said, relieved.
“Naw,” Fred said. “For a mystery like this, you two may need some extra help.”
…
Sometime later, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby were looking around the house. “Gee, so far we found nothing on this case!” Shaggy complained.
“Reah! Ret’s go!” Scooby added.
“We can’t,” Velma said. “Not until we find at least one thing that can prove if Lorne Chumley is innocent or not.”
“Looking for something?” a low female voice was heard. The three turned to the direction of it, and saw a slightly portly brunette woman in a light blue maid’s outfit and with a feather duster. “Can I help you?”
“I don’t remember Lorne Chumley having a maid,” Velma said. “Who are you?”
But the maid just brushed her feather duster over the them all, covering them in a huge cloud of dust, causing Shaggy, Scooby and Velma to cough and sneeze.
“I’m sorry. I can’t understand a word you’re sneezing,” the maid said, and then dashed out of the dust cloud, except her body and clothes were left behind, deflating to the ground.
Once the dust settled, Scooby sneezed again, and pointed over to the empty maid suit. “Raggy! Relma! Rook!”
“I should’ve known,” Velma said. “She was a disguise all along!”
“Like that’s great,” Shaggy said. “Everyone else we come across here will not really be that someone!”
“Don’t be so sore about it Shaggy,” Velma told him. Then she picked up the maid costume and mask. “It looks like we’ve found our first clue! Let’s go tell Daphne and Fred.”
…
Meanwhile, Fred and Daphne were investigating a hallway with various portraits of Lorne Chumley’s various roles. They found one of the Phantom of the Flickers. “Look!” Daphne said. “See? It’s like I said! Lorne Chumley as the Phantom of the Flickers!”
“You do have a point,” Fred thought out loud. “It could be Lorne Chumley, or it could very well be an impostor that has gotten access to his disguises.”
Just then, Shaggy walked in. He said in a somewhat strained voice, “Uh, like, Velma and Scooby and I have caught the Phantom!”
“Wow, so fast?” Daphne asked.
“Yup!” Shaggy grinned. “And you’re right; it was indeed Lorne Chumley. Velma is, like, calling the police. She and Scoob and I will, like, help apprehend Lorne, and you two can just head on home!”
“Wait a minute!” Fred noticed. “We always apprehend the culprit together. Why can’t we do so? Let’s go over to Velma and Scooby.”
“Uh, like, that’s not necessary,” Shaggy said nervously. “Velma’s pretty busy!”
Daphne noticed something odd. “Wait, your voice…”
“Like, uh, I have a sore throat!” Shaggy tried to explain.
“You’re not Shaggy at all!” Fred accused, and then grabbed Shaggy’s hair, pulled it upward, and the whole latex mask came off easily, revealing the ghoulish red-haired face of the Phantom of the Flickers!
“Curses!” the Phantom said out loud. Daphne and Fred began to run after him, but before they could pounce, the Phantom made a gesture as if he dropped something, and vanished in a puff of smoke once again.
“This Phantom seems pretty hard to catch,” Daphne said.
Fred noticed a detail from the Phantom’s exit. “I noticed that the Phantom apparently dropped something right before the puff of smoke appeared, so I don’t think he really ‘disappeared.’”
“You mean,” Daphne said, “he uses a smoke screen to make it look like he’s disappearing?”
“Right,” Fred said. “And I’ve got a hunch that Lorne Chumley really IS innocent…”
…
The whole gang reunited again, and told each other about what they saw.
“So it CAN’T be Lorne Chumley trying to sabotage his own career,” Velma concluded.
“Right,” Fred noted. “But whoever it is apparently is just as good at disguises as Lorne is.”
Then they heard another moaning sound, and saw a figure approaching with a tatter brown jacket, a pale-yellow face and long white hair.
“Yikes!” Shaggy said, and he and Scooby began to run off, but Fred and Velma held them back.
“You’re STILL not used to seeing all these creepy characters in this house, are you?” Velma asked.
“B-but-but-but,” Shaggy stammered, “it could be the Phantom of the Flickers in disguise again!”
“Nope, not this time,” the strange man said, and he removed his mask and wig to reveal Lorne Chumley underneath.
“Lorne Chumley!” Fred said, surprised. “YOU are also going around the house in your disguises?”
“Of course,” Lorne said. “I often enjoy staying in character, and it helps keep my acting skills fresh in my mind.”
Daphne rolled her eyes. “Boy, THAT’s going to help a lot in figuring things out.”
“Wait a minute,” Shaggy said. “Like, how do we know that’s not just the Phantom in a Lorne Chumley mask?” He reached out and grabbed Lorne’s scalp, only for it to pull on his real skin.
“Ouch!” Lorne yelped in pain.
“Oops, sorry,” Shaggy said, grinning sheepishly. “But we saw you removing a rubber mask of yourself earlier!”
“Yes, I do have such a mask, as you have seen,” Lorne admitted, “but I always keep it with me for safekeeping. It’s in my pocket right now. See?” And with that, he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out an empty sagging rubber mask of his own likeness. “Especially with that Phantom roaming around, I don’t want to take chances and have him end up using the mask to impersonate the real me! Then things would be much worse.”
Fred also wondered about something else. “Lorne, don’t you have more than one copy of some of your disguises, like the monsters and villains you’ve played in your movies?”
“Why yes,” Lorne said. “But something happened recently before the Phantom showed up. Come with me…”
…
Lorne Chumley led the Mystery Inc. gang over to his dressing room, where he had numerous costumes, masks, makeup and wigs stored. He pointed to his door. “The lock to this room was broken by someone. See the cracks near the knob?”
Velma investigated that with a magnifying glass. “It appears that someone was able to break in from the outside.”
“I never allow anyone else in my dressing room without me tagging along,” Lorne explained. “Not even my butler, Otto.” They went over to one of the racks in the dressing room, and Lorne folded through some of the costumes, until he found something. “Just as I suspected.” He pulled out a costume of the Phantom of the Flickers and showed it to the gang. “My extra costume of the Phantom has been stolen! Normally I have two, but only this one is in here.”
Fred grinned. “This helps add quite a bit to the mystery! We’re getting a little closer than before. So, gang…” He turned around, but saw Shaggy approach with the head of a handsome European-looking man with a thin mustache and dark brown hair.
“Bonjour!” Shaggy said in a heavily-exaggerated French voice. “I am Pierre De Pew, from ze maintenance! I heard zere was trouble with a broken lock, no? Uh-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!” he laughed in a fake snooty French style.
“That’s not how the French really sound,” Daphne muttered under her breath.
“I’ll have it fixed before you can say ‘Chevrolet-é Coupé,’” the fake Frenchman said.
“Don’t fool around with my faces!” Lorne angrily ordered.
Shaggy pulled the latex mask off by the hair. “Like sorry, but this stuff looks like so much fun!” He laughed.
“Ryeah!” Scooby said, wearing a lizard mask over his head.
Velma looked at them, and told Lorne “At least THEY know to use your disguises for fun, unlike the Phantom.”
“The funny thing is,” Lorne noted, “in my movie, the Phantom didn’t even wear any disguises!”
Velma thought a bit. “Whoever is doing this has to know you pretty well. I know! It could very well be your butler, Otto!”
“My own butler?!” Lorne gasped.
Scooby took off the lizard mask and asked, "Ra butler?”
“Well yeah,” Shaggy said. “In the movies, it’s always the butler who did it.”
“Maybe he’s envious of your fame,” Daphne suggested, “and wants you out of the picture.”
“Hmmmm,” Lorne thought. “It’s a possibility.”
…
A little while later, the Mystery Inc. gang continued investigating around the mansion.
“So, we know that the Phantom’s maid disguise did not come from Lorne Chumley,” Velma was explaining, “so the Phantom must also come up with his own disguises.”
“And with the evidence we’ve seen so far,” Fred added, “we know Lorne is innocent, and this Phantom is attempting to frame him!”
Velma thought. “Maybe we should find Otto and ask what he knows so far…”
They went over to Otto’s room, and found the door unlocked. They slowly opened the door and peeked in, to find Otto ironing something. Then they crept in, still unnoticed until Daphne asked, “Uh, Otto…”
Otto looked up from his ironing with a scowl on his face. “What are you kids doing in here?!”
“We did some investigating,” Fred reported, “and we’ve so far concluded that Lorne Chumley is indeed being framed.”
“That’s what I told you,” Otto said, not amused.
“But we haven’t heard from your side yet,” Velma said, beginning to look around the room.
“Hey, no!” Otto cried out angrily. “Don’t touch any of my stuff!”
Shaggy then said, “But we think you could be the one framing Lorne Chumley!” Fred glared at Shaggy, whom sheepishly chuckled and said “Oops!”
“GET OUT OF MY ROOM!!!” Otto bellowed, and kicked them out of his room and slammed the door, locking it.
...
On the second floor, the Scooby gang was still pondering. “Otto the butler wouldn’t tell us anything,” Fred pointed out.
“And he sure didn’t want us checking his room” Daphne added. “What a grump!”
“I think we need to find more clues elsewhere,” Velma said. “But so far, we know Lorne Chumley is indeed innocent, and is NOT the Phantom of the Flickers we are going after.”
With that, the Phantom of the Flickers swooped into the hall, and cackled. “So, you finally figured it out! But that won’t stop me, the Phantom of the Flickers, from eliminating all of Lorne Chumley’s films! Ta-ta!”
Just as the Phantom seemed to disappear in another puff of smoke, Daphne pulled out her portable personal fan, switched it on and aimed it at the smoke cloud, blowing it away. As the magic smoke cleared, they saw the Phantom running away.
“After him!” Fred commanded, and they gave chase. The hallway twisted and turned, and then the Phantom seemed to disappear around a corner. When the gang approached, a big purple fish-like monster leaped out from a door and stuck its’ tongue out at them. Shaggy and Scooby began to turn around to run away from it, but Fred and Velma grabbed them both. “We’re going after that monster!” Fred told them. They began easing toward it, and the fish monster, realizing what was going on, began to run away from them. The chase led them towards an elevator, where the monster got in and closed the door before the gang could reach him.
“It’s going down. To the stairs!” Fred ordered, and they hurried to the stairwell and ran down the two flights, ending up in the basement of the mansion, which was quite dusty and creepy-looking, even with daylight pouring in from the windows. The elevator was already there, but the Phantom was gone, and his fish monster costume lay in a pool of purple rubber on the floor.
“Just great!” Daphne fumed. “We finally are able to go after the phantom, and he loses us again!”
“Don’t worry, Daphne,” Fred reassured her. “It’s not a total loss. Look!” He pointed to a couple large bags of money wedged in an open cupboard. “This is where the phantom has been hiding his loot!”
Velma was checking out the surroundings. She noticed one of the basement windows did not have a screen over it, and went to check it out. Upon closer inspection, she noticed the screen had been torn out, and the lock broken. “Jinkies! A clue!” she exclaimed.
“C’mon guys, Velma found something,” Fred said, and they walked over to the window.
“Look at this window,” Velma pointed out. “Someone apparently broke into the mansion through here. The screen was torn out, and the lock was damaged.” She demonstrated on how the window wouldn’t stay closed.
“So, I guess the butler may NOT be our culprit,” Shaggy noted.
“That’s a possibility,” Fred said. “And now it’s time to come up with a plan!”
…
Shaggy and Scooby were walking around the mansion by themselves. “Like, I hate how we’re always made the bait!” Shaggy complained.
“Ryeah! Rit’s not fair!” Scooby agreed.
Then Daphne followed behind them. “Hey Shaggy! Scooby!” she called in a rather scratchy-sounding voice. “I’ve come to help you be the bait.”
“Like thanks, Daphne,” Shaggy said. “Good to see someone else accompany us in luring the villain, even if she is danger-prone.”
“Uh, actually,” Daphne said, “I’m not the danger-prone one…” Then with one hand, she ripped off her purple outfit, and in another she peeled off her rubber mask and wig, revealing once again, the Phantom of the Flickers! “YOU are!” he roared in his true voice.
“Rikes!” Scooby yelped.
“And zoinks!” Shaggy agreed. “Here we go again!”
They ran off, and of course the Phantom chased them, until he lost sight of the two. He stood in a hall, wondering where they went. Suddenly, a green dragon-like creature leaped out at the Phantom, snarling. The Phantom gasped and ran away from it, only to find a wolf-man, vampire and Frankenstein-esque monster also looming towards him. His teeth began to chatter and he started shivering, and tried running away from them, but then came across the purple fish creature, hissing and sticking out its’ tongue at him.
“No… no!” the Phantom said, his voice trembling.
Then he turned around, and came face-to-face with himself! His doppelganger moaned, “I am the REAL Phantom of the Flickers, and you’re in so much trouble!”
“HELP! SAVE ME!” the evil Phantom cried out, and began running, but his lookalike was also chasing him. The wolf-man was watching, and he pulled a cord, causing both phantoms to be snagged in a large net!
The wolf-man removed his mask, revealing Fred underneath! “We did it! The old net trap works every time!”
The vampire, monster, dragon and fish monster walked up and took off their masks, revealing Daphne, Velma, Scooby and Shaggy, respectively. “Yes,” Daphne said, “but we ended up capturing both phantoms.”
“Well, two phantoms are better than none,” Fred grinned. “It was great that Lorne Chumley was able to help us in catching the crook. Let’s take them out into the foyer. The police should be here any minute.”
…
Out in the foyer, a police sheriff had arrived. The Mystery Inc. gang had removed their monster costumes, and had both phantoms still in the net, with their heads poking through the top.
“Nice work, kids,” the sheriff said, “but which Phantom is which?”
“Like, even I can’t tell them apart!” Shaggy noted.
Otto walked into the foyer and said, “Well it sure isn’t me! Sure, I’m not as talented as my master, but I would never get him in trouble, nor do I want anything happening to him. But what I really want to do is direct,” he admitted.
“So, who is our crook really?” Daphne asked.
One of the Phantoms could reach his hand out of the net, and he grabbed his face and tugged the mask off, revealing he was indeed Lorne Chumley, with his costume’s top hat still on. “I’M the good one,” Lorne announced. “I just donned this disguise to help capture the Phantom who has been trying to steal my films.”
“Then that means…” Velma said, as she reached for the other Phantom, removed his top hat, and grabbed the top of his head and pulled the mask off, revealing a dark gray gorilla’s face.
“A gorilla?!” Velma, Fred, Daphne and Shaggy all said in unison.
“It can’t be!” Fred said, reaching for the gorilla’s face and tugging it off, this time revealing a gruesome zombie face with wisps of gray hair and rotting sagging skin.
Shaggy groaned. “Like, not another one of these!”
Fred pulled the zombie’s mask off, revealing a growling lion. Then he grabbed the lion’s mane and tugged the furry rubber mask off, revealing a snarling tiger underneath.
“Just how many layers of masks is this guy wearing?” Daphne asked, sounding somewhat annoyed as she slipped the tiger’s mask off, revealing a fierce-looking rhinoceros.
“Wait a minute!” Lorne Chumley called out. “I recognize some of those faces! They’re from my rival, the Great Rains! He’s a magician who is adept at disguise.”
“That’s right,” the “rhino” said. “I am just the ‘man of million faces’ as you are, Lorne Chumley!” He slipped his hands underneath his rhino neck and lifted the latex mask off, revealing a skull underneath. Then as he tugged on the skull’s cheekbone he said “You see? This skull head is also a mask, but I don’t feel like going through all my faces right now.” He let go and the rubber skull face snapped back into place.
“That’s a relief,” Shaggy said.
“Nobody has been coming to see my shows anymore,” the Great Rains explained. “And with Lorne Chumley’s big comeback, everyone prefers HIS disguising skills over mine. So, I thought I’d try and destroy his career and his films, and I could be the top disguise artist again.”
“Are you sure?” Daphne asked. “It might be impossible to completely destroy his film. Thanks to digital duplication, numerous copies of them are out now.”
“Well, I figured as long as the original master reels were destroyed, that would prevent more from being made,” the Great Rains skull said.
Velma explained, “He was able to break into Lorne Chumley’s mansion through the basement, gain access to his dressing room and steal some of his disguises.”
“He also used the basement to hide the money he stole from those banks,” Fred added. “If the police were to come and search, the Great Rains could get out, and Lorne Chumley would’ve been blamed for the stolen money.”
“And I’d have gotten away with it too…” the Great Rains began.
“We know,” Shaggy interrupted, “if it weren’t for us meddling kids and our dog.”
“Hey, how’d you know I was going to say that?” the Great Rains asked.
“You seem pretty talented,” Velma said, “but you still committed a crime, so you have to go to jail.”
…
After the Great Rains had been apprehended, the Mystery Inc. gang stood in the dressing room with Lorne Chumley and Otto. Lorne said, “I can’t thank you kids enough for saving my old films, and my career.”
“No problem,” Fred said. “And Otto, we’re sorry we accused you of being the phantom.”
“It’s quite all right,” Otto said. “I guess I can appear to be non-trustworthy at times.”
“I’ve been thinking,” Lorne said. “After all you’ve done for me, I’d like to repay you by letting you be in my next movie!”
Daphne gasped in delight. “You really think so? Wait, I’m not going to play another monster, am I?”
Lorne laughed. “No, my dear, if you don’t want to. You’re all a great team, and you may just be right for this. I actually wrote my first screenplay, and it goes into production next week, and I want you to all be in it!”
“Wow! Like, that’s groovy!” Shaggy grinned.
Scooby-Doo nodded excitedly, saying “Ryeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah!”
Lorne chuckled, “And you can be in it as well, Scooby. I’ve heard you are quite adept at dressing up as well!”
“Ryup!” Scooby said. He jumped into an open costume chest, and came out wearing a purple cape, black top hat and a red wig like what the Phantom of the Flickers was wearing. “Ra-da!” he sang.
“As I always say,” Velma grinned, “what a ham.”
“Although he’s also got some competition,” Lorne pointed out. He reached into one of his costume racks, and in a swift motion he slipped into his full-body Scooby-Doo costume and mask, and did Scooby’s laugh again. “Ee-HEE-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee!”
“Correction,” Shaggy said, “make that TWO hams!”
Scooby and his costumed double both said “Scooby-dooby-dooooooooo!” together, and the rest of the gang and Otto laughed.
END
(AUTHOR’S NOTE: Yes, I really do enjoy dressing up/cosplaying as Scooby-Doo. It’s not a problem I have… is it?)
SCOOBY-DOO: THE MULTI-MASKED MYSTERY
By Wileyk209
The Mystery Machine was driving through the countryside. A sign showed that the Mystery Incorporated crew was driving closer to Horror Hill. Inside, Shaggy and his dog Scooby-Doo were once again nervous…
“Like, I can’t believe we’re going back to that creepy old mansion on Horror Hill,” Shaggy said. “That’s where that kooky old horror movie star Lorne Chumley lives!”
“Yes,” Velma pointed out. “Lorne Chumley, the ‘Man of a Million Faces.’ And he’s our client for this case!”
“Gee, who would’ve thought?” Fred grinned, driving up to Horror Hill. “Actually getting hired by a movie star?”
Daphne was uncertain. “You mean he’s an old movie star.”
“Yeah,” Shaggy agreed, “and old people can be pretty creepy!” He did a nervous chuckle.
“Ryeah! Reepy old ree-ple!” Scooby said, shuddering.
“But Lorne Chumley has been making quite the comeback lately,” Velma told her peers. “Lots of movie studios and directors are hiring him again, and he’s won quite a few awards.”
“That’s right,” Fred agreed. “And Lorne is facing some kind of trouble that could put his career at stake, unless we can solve the mystery. He’s rumored to be stealing all his old films to eliminate them, and has been robbing banks in his numerous disguises.”
Daphne was skeptical. “But why would a famous old movie actor want to destroy his own films?”
Velma grinned. “That’s what we’re going to find out, and I’m betting someone is attempting to frame him and give him a bad image, to ruin his career.”
…
A little while later, the van pulled up to Lorne Chumley’s mansion on top of Horror Hill. “Well, here goes,” Fred said, and he knocked.
The door opened, and a rather creepy-looking old bald man with a monocle answered the door. “Oh, you must be the mystery solvers. I am Otto, the butler to Mr. Chumley.”
“We remember you,” Daphne said. “From when we were here with that exterminator.”
“Yes, quite right,” Otto said. “Come with me.”
The gang and their dog followed Otto into the house, and into the foyer. But once they had gotten in, a lavender-colored gargoyle with pointy ears, a bald head, glowing eyes and gleaming fangs greeted them, wearing a spotless white tuxedo and holding a cane. He chuckled deviously, and said “Mmmmyeeeees?”
Naturally, Shaggy yelled “ZOINKS!” and Scooby yelped and leaped into Shaggy’s arms.
“Relax,” Velma told the two. “This is just Lorne Chumley in one of his many disguises.”
“I see there’s no fooling some of you…” the gargoyle grinned. He tossed the cane aside, tugged off his rubber gargoyle gloves, and then grabbed his forehead and pulled upward, letting the latex gargoyle mask stretch a bit before popping off, revealing Lorne Chumley’s face underneath: an older guy with white balding hair. He laughed in his true voice. “Yes, I’ve still got it! I, the immortal Lorne Chumley, the man of a million faces!”
Fred and Velma clapped slowly, and Scooby climbed out of Shaggy’s arms.
“Like, I knew all the time that was just a phony-baloney costume,” Shaggy said, feigning innocence. “It didn’t fool me one bit.”
“Ruh-ruh!” Scooby shook his head in agreement.
“So, how have things been going since we last saw you?” Daphne asked.
“Splendid!” Lorne proudly said. “After my comeback film was made, thanks to the help of you kids and your dog, I, the immortal Lorne Chumley, am back on the silver screen! Numerous movie directors and studios have hired me, and I have been in nine pictures, each one a grand performance!”
“In each one, he plays a ghoulish creature, with such a flourish,” Otto added.
“My resurgence has also led to the DVDs and Blu-Rays of my old movies selling stronger than ever! I can’t thank you kids enough, and once again, I need your help,” Lorne said.
“What is it this time?” Fred asked.
“Someone is out to take all my films and obliterate them,” Lorne explained. “He has also been wearing disguises like I do, and has so far robbed two banks posing as one of my monster characters. He is most likely trying to give me a bad name and sabotage my career! Which is why I have called you all here.”
“You can count on us!” Velma said.
Scooby walked over to the empty rubbery gargoyle mask that was still in Lorne Chumley’s right hand, and sniffed it. “Rhuh?” he asked, and grabbed its’ snout to stretch it out a bit.
“Do you like it?” Lorne asked Scooby. “It’s just one of my many faces! Behold…”
And with that, he grabbed below his jaw, and peeled off his own face! Underneath it was a greenish Frankenstein-esque monster. Scooby yelped, and then the “monster” peeled off that face to reveal a blue vampire head with black slicked hair and sharp fangs. He hissed a bit at Scooby, and then grabbed his face to pull off that mask, revealing a brown hairy wolf-man head with sharp teeth and amber eyes, and snarled a bit. Then he reached below his chin and removed yet another mask, this time revealing another Scooby-Doo underneath, complete with dog collar and tag.
“Rhuh?” the real Scooby said, perplexed by this and getting up on his hind legs.
“Rhuh?” Lorne said back, imitating Scooby’s voice and pulling off the same puzzled look the real Scooby was giving.
Shaggy put his hand to his forehead. “Oh no, not this again!” as both Scoobys sniffed each other.
“Well gang, let’s get this mystery solved,” Fred announced.
“Very well,” Otto said. “I shall be on the lookout for anything suspicious. And believe me, I know what can really be suspicious here…”
The four teen sleuths started off, and Shaggy called out “Come on, Scoob!”
“Roming, Raggy!” both Scooby-Doos said in unison.
“Er, the REAL Scooby, the one not wearing the tux,” Shaggy said.
The real Scooby was glad to oblige, and followed Shaggy. Gathering up the other masks he had removed, Lorne said in his real voice from behind his Scooby-Doo face, “Just a little parlor trick! I shall be in my… dressing room.” Then he imitated Scooby’s laugh and walked off, still wearing the Scooby mask over his head.
…
On the second floor, the Mystery Inc. gang was still looking around. “I forgot how creepy this place was,” Daphne said.
But then a small group of bats flew down the hall. Daphne and Shaggy both shrieked and began trying to shoo them away.
“Stop it!” Velma told them. “Don’t you remember? Mr. Chumley raises bats, and has also trained them. They won’t hurt us.”
As the bats flew away to leave them, Shaggy pointed toward something, “Yeah, but will HE?”
They turned and saw a ghoulish-looking character with lavender skin and dark red hair, dressed in a formal outfit with a purple-lined cape and black top hat. He chuckled evilly and said, “You fools! You think you can outsmart me, the Phantom of the Flickers! I plan to destroy every frame of film Lorne Chumley has ever made. Sorry Lorne, but that’s show biz!” He wrapped his cape around himself and spun around, and disappeared in a puff of smoke!
“Ruh-roh!” Scooby said, standing up on his shaking hind legs.
“Zoinks!” Shaggy added, leaping into Scooby’s arms.
Daphne thought for a bit, before realizing something. “Jeepers! Wasn’t the Phantom of the Flickers one of Lorne Chumley’s characters?”
“You’re right,” Fred noted. “And given how he pulled all that off, I wonder if maybe that was Lorne himself, pulling a fast one?”
“But, like, I thought he wanted us to help him, and why is he now scaring us away?” Shaggy asked, getting out of Scooby’s arms.
“This sure is suspicious,” Velma noted. “Lorne Chumley could be trying to cover up his crime, by acting all friendly with us, and claiming there is another disguise artist in this house so we won’t suspect it’s really him.”
“It still doesn’t make sense,” Daphne insisted. “WHY would Lorne Chumley want to destroy his own movies and cause trouble?”
“It could be a publicity stunt,” Velma said. “Getting into trouble over things like this would cause him to be more relevant.”
Shaggy pointed out, “And didn’t he say he wanted to destroy all of Lorne’s films? Surely that would be impossible, as there are probably millions of copies of them on DVD or whatever. Billions, even!”
“Ryeah! Rillions and rillions!” Scooby agreed.
Fred snapped his fingers. “I got it! I bet whoever this Phantom is wants to destroy the original film reels of Lorne’s movies. And I remember reading that Lorne kept them in his home for safekeeping.”
“Only they’re not safe here right now,” Daphne said.
“Like, why don’t we already split up and look for clues?” Shaggy asked.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking!” Fred grinned. “Daphne and I will check the upper floors, while you, Velma and Scooby check this floor and the lower one.”
“At least you’re not just sending me and Scooby off on our own,” Shaggy said, relieved.
“Naw,” Fred said. “For a mystery like this, you two may need some extra help.”
…
Sometime later, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby were looking around the house. “Gee, so far we found nothing on this case!” Shaggy complained.
“Reah! Ret’s go!” Scooby added.
“We can’t,” Velma said. “Not until we find at least one thing that can prove if Lorne Chumley is innocent or not.”
“Looking for something?” a low female voice was heard. The three turned to the direction of it, and saw a slightly portly brunette woman in a light blue maid’s outfit and with a feather duster. “Can I help you?”
“I don’t remember Lorne Chumley having a maid,” Velma said. “Who are you?”
But the maid just brushed her feather duster over the them all, covering them in a huge cloud of dust, causing Shaggy, Scooby and Velma to cough and sneeze.
“I’m sorry. I can’t understand a word you’re sneezing,” the maid said, and then dashed out of the dust cloud, except her body and clothes were left behind, deflating to the ground.
Once the dust settled, Scooby sneezed again, and pointed over to the empty maid suit. “Raggy! Relma! Rook!”
“I should’ve known,” Velma said. “She was a disguise all along!”
“Like that’s great,” Shaggy said. “Everyone else we come across here will not really be that someone!”
“Don’t be so sore about it Shaggy,” Velma told him. Then she picked up the maid costume and mask. “It looks like we’ve found our first clue! Let’s go tell Daphne and Fred.”
…
Meanwhile, Fred and Daphne were investigating a hallway with various portraits of Lorne Chumley’s various roles. They found one of the Phantom of the Flickers. “Look!” Daphne said. “See? It’s like I said! Lorne Chumley as the Phantom of the Flickers!”
“You do have a point,” Fred thought out loud. “It could be Lorne Chumley, or it could very well be an impostor that has gotten access to his disguises.”
Just then, Shaggy walked in. He said in a somewhat strained voice, “Uh, like, Velma and Scooby and I have caught the Phantom!”
“Wow, so fast?” Daphne asked.
“Yup!” Shaggy grinned. “And you’re right; it was indeed Lorne Chumley. Velma is, like, calling the police. She and Scoob and I will, like, help apprehend Lorne, and you two can just head on home!”
“Wait a minute!” Fred noticed. “We always apprehend the culprit together. Why can’t we do so? Let’s go over to Velma and Scooby.”
“Uh, like, that’s not necessary,” Shaggy said nervously. “Velma’s pretty busy!”
Daphne noticed something odd. “Wait, your voice…”
“Like, uh, I have a sore throat!” Shaggy tried to explain.
“You’re not Shaggy at all!” Fred accused, and then grabbed Shaggy’s hair, pulled it upward, and the whole latex mask came off easily, revealing the ghoulish red-haired face of the Phantom of the Flickers!
“Curses!” the Phantom said out loud. Daphne and Fred began to run after him, but before they could pounce, the Phantom made a gesture as if he dropped something, and vanished in a puff of smoke once again.
“This Phantom seems pretty hard to catch,” Daphne said.
Fred noticed a detail from the Phantom’s exit. “I noticed that the Phantom apparently dropped something right before the puff of smoke appeared, so I don’t think he really ‘disappeared.’”
“You mean,” Daphne said, “he uses a smoke screen to make it look like he’s disappearing?”
“Right,” Fred said. “And I’ve got a hunch that Lorne Chumley really IS innocent…”
…
The whole gang reunited again, and told each other about what they saw.
“So it CAN’T be Lorne Chumley trying to sabotage his own career,” Velma concluded.
“Right,” Fred noted. “But whoever it is apparently is just as good at disguises as Lorne is.”
Then they heard another moaning sound, and saw a figure approaching with a tatter brown jacket, a pale-yellow face and long white hair.
“Yikes!” Shaggy said, and he and Scooby began to run off, but Fred and Velma held them back.
“You’re STILL not used to seeing all these creepy characters in this house, are you?” Velma asked.
“B-but-but-but,” Shaggy stammered, “it could be the Phantom of the Flickers in disguise again!”
“Nope, not this time,” the strange man said, and he removed his mask and wig to reveal Lorne Chumley underneath.
“Lorne Chumley!” Fred said, surprised. “YOU are also going around the house in your disguises?”
“Of course,” Lorne said. “I often enjoy staying in character, and it helps keep my acting skills fresh in my mind.”
Daphne rolled her eyes. “Boy, THAT’s going to help a lot in figuring things out.”
“Wait a minute,” Shaggy said. “Like, how do we know that’s not just the Phantom in a Lorne Chumley mask?” He reached out and grabbed Lorne’s scalp, only for it to pull on his real skin.
“Ouch!” Lorne yelped in pain.
“Oops, sorry,” Shaggy said, grinning sheepishly. “But we saw you removing a rubber mask of yourself earlier!”
“Yes, I do have such a mask, as you have seen,” Lorne admitted, “but I always keep it with me for safekeeping. It’s in my pocket right now. See?” And with that, he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out an empty sagging rubber mask of his own likeness. “Especially with that Phantom roaming around, I don’t want to take chances and have him end up using the mask to impersonate the real me! Then things would be much worse.”
Fred also wondered about something else. “Lorne, don’t you have more than one copy of some of your disguises, like the monsters and villains you’ve played in your movies?”
“Why yes,” Lorne said. “But something happened recently before the Phantom showed up. Come with me…”
…
Lorne Chumley led the Mystery Inc. gang over to his dressing room, where he had numerous costumes, masks, makeup and wigs stored. He pointed to his door. “The lock to this room was broken by someone. See the cracks near the knob?”
Velma investigated that with a magnifying glass. “It appears that someone was able to break in from the outside.”
“I never allow anyone else in my dressing room without me tagging along,” Lorne explained. “Not even my butler, Otto.” They went over to one of the racks in the dressing room, and Lorne folded through some of the costumes, until he found something. “Just as I suspected.” He pulled out a costume of the Phantom of the Flickers and showed it to the gang. “My extra costume of the Phantom has been stolen! Normally I have two, but only this one is in here.”
Fred grinned. “This helps add quite a bit to the mystery! We’re getting a little closer than before. So, gang…” He turned around, but saw Shaggy approach with the head of a handsome European-looking man with a thin mustache and dark brown hair.
“Bonjour!” Shaggy said in a heavily-exaggerated French voice. “I am Pierre De Pew, from ze maintenance! I heard zere was trouble with a broken lock, no? Uh-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!” he laughed in a fake snooty French style.
“That’s not how the French really sound,” Daphne muttered under her breath.
“I’ll have it fixed before you can say ‘Chevrolet-é Coupé,’” the fake Frenchman said.
“Don’t fool around with my faces!” Lorne angrily ordered.
Shaggy pulled the latex mask off by the hair. “Like sorry, but this stuff looks like so much fun!” He laughed.
“Ryeah!” Scooby said, wearing a lizard mask over his head.
Velma looked at them, and told Lorne “At least THEY know to use your disguises for fun, unlike the Phantom.”
“The funny thing is,” Lorne noted, “in my movie, the Phantom didn’t even wear any disguises!”
Velma thought a bit. “Whoever is doing this has to know you pretty well. I know! It could very well be your butler, Otto!”
“My own butler?!” Lorne gasped.
Scooby took off the lizard mask and asked, "Ra butler?”
“Well yeah,” Shaggy said. “In the movies, it’s always the butler who did it.”
“Maybe he’s envious of your fame,” Daphne suggested, “and wants you out of the picture.”
“Hmmmm,” Lorne thought. “It’s a possibility.”
…
A little while later, the Mystery Inc. gang continued investigating around the mansion.
“So, we know that the Phantom’s maid disguise did not come from Lorne Chumley,” Velma was explaining, “so the Phantom must also come up with his own disguises.”
“And with the evidence we’ve seen so far,” Fred added, “we know Lorne is innocent, and this Phantom is attempting to frame him!”
Velma thought. “Maybe we should find Otto and ask what he knows so far…”
They went over to Otto’s room, and found the door unlocked. They slowly opened the door and peeked in, to find Otto ironing something. Then they crept in, still unnoticed until Daphne asked, “Uh, Otto…”
Otto looked up from his ironing with a scowl on his face. “What are you kids doing in here?!”
“We did some investigating,” Fred reported, “and we’ve so far concluded that Lorne Chumley is indeed being framed.”
“That’s what I told you,” Otto said, not amused.
“But we haven’t heard from your side yet,” Velma said, beginning to look around the room.
“Hey, no!” Otto cried out angrily. “Don’t touch any of my stuff!”
Shaggy then said, “But we think you could be the one framing Lorne Chumley!” Fred glared at Shaggy, whom sheepishly chuckled and said “Oops!”
“GET OUT OF MY ROOM!!!” Otto bellowed, and kicked them out of his room and slammed the door, locking it.
...
On the second floor, the Scooby gang was still pondering. “Otto the butler wouldn’t tell us anything,” Fred pointed out.
“And he sure didn’t want us checking his room” Daphne added. “What a grump!”
“I think we need to find more clues elsewhere,” Velma said. “But so far, we know Lorne Chumley is indeed innocent, and is NOT the Phantom of the Flickers we are going after.”
With that, the Phantom of the Flickers swooped into the hall, and cackled. “So, you finally figured it out! But that won’t stop me, the Phantom of the Flickers, from eliminating all of Lorne Chumley’s films! Ta-ta!”
Just as the Phantom seemed to disappear in another puff of smoke, Daphne pulled out her portable personal fan, switched it on and aimed it at the smoke cloud, blowing it away. As the magic smoke cleared, they saw the Phantom running away.
“After him!” Fred commanded, and they gave chase. The hallway twisted and turned, and then the Phantom seemed to disappear around a corner. When the gang approached, a big purple fish-like monster leaped out from a door and stuck its’ tongue out at them. Shaggy and Scooby began to turn around to run away from it, but Fred and Velma grabbed them both. “We’re going after that monster!” Fred told them. They began easing toward it, and the fish monster, realizing what was going on, began to run away from them. The chase led them towards an elevator, where the monster got in and closed the door before the gang could reach him.
“It’s going down. To the stairs!” Fred ordered, and they hurried to the stairwell and ran down the two flights, ending up in the basement of the mansion, which was quite dusty and creepy-looking, even with daylight pouring in from the windows. The elevator was already there, but the Phantom was gone, and his fish monster costume lay in a pool of purple rubber on the floor.
“Just great!” Daphne fumed. “We finally are able to go after the phantom, and he loses us again!”
“Don’t worry, Daphne,” Fred reassured her. “It’s not a total loss. Look!” He pointed to a couple large bags of money wedged in an open cupboard. “This is where the phantom has been hiding his loot!”
Velma was checking out the surroundings. She noticed one of the basement windows did not have a screen over it, and went to check it out. Upon closer inspection, she noticed the screen had been torn out, and the lock broken. “Jinkies! A clue!” she exclaimed.
“C’mon guys, Velma found something,” Fred said, and they walked over to the window.
“Look at this window,” Velma pointed out. “Someone apparently broke into the mansion through here. The screen was torn out, and the lock was damaged.” She demonstrated on how the window wouldn’t stay closed.
“So, I guess the butler may NOT be our culprit,” Shaggy noted.
“That’s a possibility,” Fred said. “And now it’s time to come up with a plan!”
…
Shaggy and Scooby were walking around the mansion by themselves. “Like, I hate how we’re always made the bait!” Shaggy complained.
“Ryeah! Rit’s not fair!” Scooby agreed.
Then Daphne followed behind them. “Hey Shaggy! Scooby!” she called in a rather scratchy-sounding voice. “I’ve come to help you be the bait.”
“Like thanks, Daphne,” Shaggy said. “Good to see someone else accompany us in luring the villain, even if she is danger-prone.”
“Uh, actually,” Daphne said, “I’m not the danger-prone one…” Then with one hand, she ripped off her purple outfit, and in another she peeled off her rubber mask and wig, revealing once again, the Phantom of the Flickers! “YOU are!” he roared in his true voice.
“Rikes!” Scooby yelped.
“And zoinks!” Shaggy agreed. “Here we go again!”
They ran off, and of course the Phantom chased them, until he lost sight of the two. He stood in a hall, wondering where they went. Suddenly, a green dragon-like creature leaped out at the Phantom, snarling. The Phantom gasped and ran away from it, only to find a wolf-man, vampire and Frankenstein-esque monster also looming towards him. His teeth began to chatter and he started shivering, and tried running away from them, but then came across the purple fish creature, hissing and sticking out its’ tongue at him.
“No… no!” the Phantom said, his voice trembling.
Then he turned around, and came face-to-face with himself! His doppelganger moaned, “I am the REAL Phantom of the Flickers, and you’re in so much trouble!”
“HELP! SAVE ME!” the evil Phantom cried out, and began running, but his lookalike was also chasing him. The wolf-man was watching, and he pulled a cord, causing both phantoms to be snagged in a large net!
The wolf-man removed his mask, revealing Fred underneath! “We did it! The old net trap works every time!”
The vampire, monster, dragon and fish monster walked up and took off their masks, revealing Daphne, Velma, Scooby and Shaggy, respectively. “Yes,” Daphne said, “but we ended up capturing both phantoms.”
“Well, two phantoms are better than none,” Fred grinned. “It was great that Lorne Chumley was able to help us in catching the crook. Let’s take them out into the foyer. The police should be here any minute.”
…
Out in the foyer, a police sheriff had arrived. The Mystery Inc. gang had removed their monster costumes, and had both phantoms still in the net, with their heads poking through the top.
“Nice work, kids,” the sheriff said, “but which Phantom is which?”
“Like, even I can’t tell them apart!” Shaggy noted.
Otto walked into the foyer and said, “Well it sure isn’t me! Sure, I’m not as talented as my master, but I would never get him in trouble, nor do I want anything happening to him. But what I really want to do is direct,” he admitted.
“So, who is our crook really?” Daphne asked.
One of the Phantoms could reach his hand out of the net, and he grabbed his face and tugged the mask off, revealing he was indeed Lorne Chumley, with his costume’s top hat still on. “I’M the good one,” Lorne announced. “I just donned this disguise to help capture the Phantom who has been trying to steal my films.”
“Then that means…” Velma said, as she reached for the other Phantom, removed his top hat, and grabbed the top of his head and pulled the mask off, revealing a dark gray gorilla’s face.
“A gorilla?!” Velma, Fred, Daphne and Shaggy all said in unison.
“It can’t be!” Fred said, reaching for the gorilla’s face and tugging it off, this time revealing a gruesome zombie face with wisps of gray hair and rotting sagging skin.
Shaggy groaned. “Like, not another one of these!”
Fred pulled the zombie’s mask off, revealing a growling lion. Then he grabbed the lion’s mane and tugged the furry rubber mask off, revealing a snarling tiger underneath.
“Just how many layers of masks is this guy wearing?” Daphne asked, sounding somewhat annoyed as she slipped the tiger’s mask off, revealing a fierce-looking rhinoceros.
“Wait a minute!” Lorne Chumley called out. “I recognize some of those faces! They’re from my rival, the Great Rains! He’s a magician who is adept at disguise.”
“That’s right,” the “rhino” said. “I am just the ‘man of million faces’ as you are, Lorne Chumley!” He slipped his hands underneath his rhino neck and lifted the latex mask off, revealing a skull underneath. Then as he tugged on the skull’s cheekbone he said “You see? This skull head is also a mask, but I don’t feel like going through all my faces right now.” He let go and the rubber skull face snapped back into place.
“That’s a relief,” Shaggy said.
“Nobody has been coming to see my shows anymore,” the Great Rains explained. “And with Lorne Chumley’s big comeback, everyone prefers HIS disguising skills over mine. So, I thought I’d try and destroy his career and his films, and I could be the top disguise artist again.”
“Are you sure?” Daphne asked. “It might be impossible to completely destroy his film. Thanks to digital duplication, numerous copies of them are out now.”
“Well, I figured as long as the original master reels were destroyed, that would prevent more from being made,” the Great Rains skull said.
Velma explained, “He was able to break into Lorne Chumley’s mansion through the basement, gain access to his dressing room and steal some of his disguises.”
“He also used the basement to hide the money he stole from those banks,” Fred added. “If the police were to come and search, the Great Rains could get out, and Lorne Chumley would’ve been blamed for the stolen money.”
“And I’d have gotten away with it too…” the Great Rains began.
“We know,” Shaggy interrupted, “if it weren’t for us meddling kids and our dog.”
“Hey, how’d you know I was going to say that?” the Great Rains asked.
“You seem pretty talented,” Velma said, “but you still committed a crime, so you have to go to jail.”
…
After the Great Rains had been apprehended, the Mystery Inc. gang stood in the dressing room with Lorne Chumley and Otto. Lorne said, “I can’t thank you kids enough for saving my old films, and my career.”
“No problem,” Fred said. “And Otto, we’re sorry we accused you of being the phantom.”
“It’s quite all right,” Otto said. “I guess I can appear to be non-trustworthy at times.”
“I’ve been thinking,” Lorne said. “After all you’ve done for me, I’d like to repay you by letting you be in my next movie!”
Daphne gasped in delight. “You really think so? Wait, I’m not going to play another monster, am I?”
Lorne laughed. “No, my dear, if you don’t want to. You’re all a great team, and you may just be right for this. I actually wrote my first screenplay, and it goes into production next week, and I want you to all be in it!”
“Wow! Like, that’s groovy!” Shaggy grinned.
Scooby-Doo nodded excitedly, saying “Ryeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah!”
Lorne chuckled, “And you can be in it as well, Scooby. I’ve heard you are quite adept at dressing up as well!”
“Ryup!” Scooby said. He jumped into an open costume chest, and came out wearing a purple cape, black top hat and a red wig like what the Phantom of the Flickers was wearing. “Ra-da!” he sang.
“As I always say,” Velma grinned, “what a ham.”
“Although he’s also got some competition,” Lorne pointed out. He reached into one of his costume racks, and in a swift motion he slipped into his full-body Scooby-Doo costume and mask, and did Scooby’s laugh again. “Ee-HEE-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee!”
“Correction,” Shaggy said, “make that TWO hams!”
Scooby and his costumed double both said “Scooby-dooby-dooooooooo!” together, and the rest of the gang and Otto laughed.
END
(AUTHOR’S NOTE: Yes, I really do enjoy dressing up/cosplaying as Scooby-Doo. It’s not a problem I have… is it?)
