Scooby-Doo and the Curse of Samhain

[chauliodus]

    I actually started writing this story about three or four years ago and worked on it in bits and spurts whenever I had time. It represents a movie that would serve as a direct sequel to both Zombie Island and Witch's Ghost. It's definitely a darker, scarier story than the movies that have come out recently, but certainly no more so than the original Zombie Island or Mystery Incorporated. It consists of a cold open, 15 acts, and a very brief post-credits scene. It's a mixture of prose and script notes (on music, camera angles, etc.) which will be contained in brackets to distinguish from the main story. I'll try to post a new section every day. It's Halloween oriented so I couldn't have finished at a better time. This is the first time I've ever done anything like this, so here's to hoping it doesn't suck. Anyways, here's the cold open: 


---Cold Open--- 

{The scene opens with the same spooky music that opened Witch’s Ghost as the opening credits roll in white letters.}

 The bright, green-tinged autumn moon is completely full. Dark, ominous clouds began to slowly engulf it. A lone figure moves through the dark; a young girl, no more than 16, fair-skinned and with dark brown hair. She creeps nervously out the back door and onto the porch. The wind chimes jingle and the rocking chair creaks and sways back and forth in the wind. She passes the old well, where a great-horned owl has perched itself and it turns its head all the way around to watch her as she passes. She passes the large, delipidated old thresher, which had been abandoned by the corn field by some previous owners many, many years ago. She continues on past the corn field, passing the creepy dark scarecrow in the middle of the field. She makes her way into the ramshackle old barn and enters. The girl takes an old oil lantern off the wall and lights it, then ventures further inwards.

    As she creeps through the darkness, a hand strikes out from the shadows and grabs her wrist. Startled, she whips around to see her boyfriend, Derek. He is a few years older than she is, and just starting his senior year. He is tall and muscular, with the same brown hair as her.

    “Derek! What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack? If I had screamed, he might have heard us. You know Daddy can’t find out about us!”

    “I know, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted to get your attention. I see you got my note.”

    “Would I be out in the barn at midnight otherwise? What was so important that you had to meet me in the dead of night?”

    “I got it. The sports scholarship, that is. I’m in, Kimmie. I can afford it now. I’m actually in. I just found out tonight and I had to tell you in person.”

    “Oh Derek, that’s great news. You totally deserve it. I’m so proud of you. You worked so hard and now—”

    She is interrupted by a loud creak, followed by a thunderous slam as the barn door bangs shut. The room grows eerily quiet. She holds up her lantern to see if she can see anything, but there is no movement aside from the shadows dancing on the walls.

    “H-h-hello? Is anyone there? D-daddy, is that you?” There is no answer.

    Derek grabs a small grubber off the wall to use for defense. He grabs her by the shoulders and says “Wait here. I’m going to go check it out.”

Brandishing the grubber, he creeps forward through the barn, making his way towards the door. He slowly opens the door and peers outside, but sees only the empty lawn, which appears completely still in the night. He makes a cursory glance around the barn itself then walks back towards Kimberly.

    “Well, I didn’t see anything. Some imaginations, huh? It must have been the win—”

Suddenly, two arms burst through the window behind him. They grab Derek and rapidly drag him through the window. Kimberly screams at the top of her lungs and falls backwards.

    “Derek!!!”

    She runs to the window, but he is gone. There is no sign of him. Then she notices a sudden movement on the edge of the corn field, as though someone ran through it. Realizing it must have been the man who took Derek, she grips her lantern tight and runs out of the barn.

She sees a light turn on in their farmhouse and realizes that her parents must have heard her scream. But she doesn’t have time to go get them—she has to go help Derek. She runs at full speed into the corn field, pushing deeper and deeper into the menacing stalks. She quickly realizes that she has gotten herself lost and runs franticly through the corn, but succeeds only in disorienting herself further. Suddenly, she hears Derek scream and runs off in that direction.

Kimberly soon finds herself in a small, circular clearing. She recognizes it immediately, having been here a few times since her family moved in, but a chill suddenly runs down her spine when she sees the barren hitching post.

    The scarecrow isn’t there!

    Before she has a chance to ponder the meaning of this, a hand grabs her ankle. She lets out a small scream and whips herself around. She is disturbed to see Derek lying on the ground, his right arm outstretched, desperately pulling at her pant leg. Several vine-like tree roots have wrapped around his legs, torso, and left arm.

    “Help me, please. Please! Help meeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

    His final word extends into a scream as he is suddenly dragged backward along the ground through the corn and into the darkness. Immediately afterwards, she hears a raspy hiss come from the corn right in front of her. Kimberly feels her breath catch in her throat as a tall, menacing figure materializes in the dark behind the corn, where Derek had just disappeared.

    It was the scarecrow!

    Crooked, misshapen and standing at almost 7 feet tall, he is dressed in a dusty brown overcoat and wears an ancient, dark brown capotain on his head. A mane of golden straw shoots out the back of his head under his hat. His stitched mouth is ragged and torn, giving him the illusion of fangs. His eyes glow a demonic red. His jacket is torn on both shoulders and several small twigs poke out of the corners. In his left hand, he holds a scythe that is practically as tall as he is.

    Giving a loud and terrifying shriek, he raises the scythe and lunges straight at her!

[chauliodus]

---Scene 1--- 

{The scene opens with a single street sign, silhouetted in darkness, on an empty road by the forest. Lightning flashes and the sign can now be read: BRAY Rd. We pan in through the dark, ominous forest filled with frightening trees, many of which appear to have monstrous faces on them. Lightning flashes again, revealing a shredded net—the remains of Fred’s (unsurprisingly) failed trap. The camera then changes to show Shaggy and Scooby running at full speed through the forest. A dark shape darts through the trees behind them.} 

They run into a small, abandoned, one-room log cabin. Shaggy locks the door behind them, and Scooby hands him all the furniture he can find to help barricade the door. They quickly lock the windows and close the curtains, and then huddle in the center of the cabin, shivering with fear. They are startled when they hear a slamming on the door, which causes some of the barricaded items to fall down. The monster outside continues to pound against the door, but eventually gives up. Everything seems quiet until they suddenly see a silhouette of a wolf’s head pass by the window. An eerie red glow begins to shine through the glass. Realizing the monster can easily break through the window, Shaggy and Scooby quickly unbury the door and run out. As they begin to run into the forest, a dark shape leaps onto the roof, stands up fully on its hind legs, and is fully illuminated for the first time:

    It is a massive werewolf covered in thick, dark gray fur. Despite its immense size, it appears bony and emaciated. Its bony arms seem overly long, as do the claws that extend from its fingers. Its razor-sharp yellow fangs are so large that it cannot fully close its drooling mouth. Its eyes glow an unearthly red.

    It stands up to its full height and howls at the moon. Then it leaps off the roof, landing almost directly behind Shaggy and Scooby, and proceeds to give chase. 

{At this point, a rock cover of the classic Scooby-Doo theme (similar to the Third-Eye Blind cover in Zombie Island) will begin to play as the werewolf chases Shaggy and Scooby.} 

Shaggy and Scooby dodge and weave through the thick cluster of trees, but the werewolf remains in close pursuit. They come upon a particularly thick tangle of dead trees with only a very small gap to pass through. Shaggy and Scooby squeeze through the tiny opening and shake hands on the other side, confident that they have lost the monster. Immediately, the werewolf smashes right straight through the trees, not even remotely slowed down, causing the fearful duo to jump back in terror and continue running. They continue running, but when they turn back to see how close the werewolf is, they don’t notice that they have walked off the side of a muddy embankment, and slide on their stomachs all the way down. The werewolf attempts to follow but loses its footing and tumbles clumsily down the edge, landing face first in the mud on the bottom. Shaggy and Scooby make a beeline for the abandoned sawmill at the bottom of the embankment. They make their way through the mill, avoiding the rusted, but still dangerous, machinery, with the werewolf hot on their heels. Shaggy and Scooby attempt to climb up a pile of log to escape from the werewolf, but the beast starts climbing after them. The pile gives out from under them, causing all three to go log rolling across the mill in an avalanche of falling logs. Just before they go off the edge of a small balcony, Shaggy and Scooby grab a large lumber hook that was fixed to the ceiling and pull themselves to safety. The werewolf goes off the side of the balcony and is subsequently buried beneath the logs that fall over after him, pinning him to the ground and effectively trapping him.

 {With the monster trapped and the chase over, the Scooby-Doo theme concludes.} 

Fred, Daphne, and Velma arrive and make their way into the sawmill and head over to the captured villain. Shaggy and Scooby get down off the hook and go over to join them.

    “Good job, guys!” Daphne congratulates. “You caught the werewolf!”

    “Like, Scoob and I had it handled the whole time. We weren’t scared of this phony monster for one minute!”

    The werewolf let out a large snarl, causing Shaggy and Scooby to both yelp and Scooby to jump into Shaggy’s arms.

    At that moment, a siren blares throughout the mill and three police officers walk in. The sheriff, a middle-aged man with graying hair, walks over to congratulate them.

    “Good work, kids. You caught the werewolf! We’ve been trying to get to the bottom of this mystery for months. But who is this?”

    “Allow me, Sheriff Michaels,” Fred proclaims, yanking on the creature’s mask. “The Beast of Bray Road is none other than…”

    “George Crowley!” they all proclaim in unison as the mask is pulled off. Beneath it, a sour-faced middle-aged man with long dark hair, a scraggly beard, and sunglasses is revealed.

    “Of course,” Velma continued. “We suspected George from the very beginning. When we first met him, his boots were coated in saw dust that could only have come from this old mill. The werewolf dropped the same sawdust the second time it chased Shaggy and Scooby. And those weird machine parts we found in his garage were actually spare parts from the machines that he used to make his werewolf costume work. He and a few cronies had been using this abandoned sawmill to smuggle illegal drugs. He brought the legend of the Beast of Bray Road to life to frighten away anyone who got too curious.”

    “Bah! And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids!”

    The Sheriff and the other two officers lead George away. The gang make their way back to the mystery machine.

    “Like, man am I starved! Getting chased by a werewolf sure brings out an appetite. I think a saw a burger joint just outside of town.”

    “Rmmm mmmm, burgers!” Scooby agrees.

    Before they can get in, they are stopped by someone shouting out to them. They turn to see a man holding a flashlight, dressed in a bright blue rain poncho.

    “Excuse me,” he calls out, panting. “Excuse me, but are you folks Mystery Inc. by any chance?”

    “Yes. That’s us,” Daphne confirms. “Can we help you?”

    “My name is Wendell Travers. I am a private investigator from the small town of Maple Creek, in Vermont. I was hired by the Campbells, a family from my home town, to find you and deliver a message. They desperately need your help. Their daughter disappeared mysteriously from their farm a few nights ago. They asked that you come to Fox Grove Farm in Maple Creek to hear them out.”

    “Halloween in New England sounds like a good deal to us. Scooby and I don’t mind going as long as there are no monsters, ghosts, or aliens to ruin our trick or treating candy collecting.”

    “Fox Grove Farm, you said? I’ve heard of that place,” Velma says. “It’s supposed to be the most haunted property in the entire United States! There have been around a hundred different disappearances around there, dating all the way back to the days of the original thirteen colonies.”

    “Zoinks!”

    “Rost haunted? Ro way!”

    “Well, would you do it for a Scooby Snack?” Velma offers.

    “Ruh uh,” Scooby protests.

    “That goes double for me, Velma. Like, there’s no way you’re getting me to go to the ghost capital of the world!”

    “How about the whole box of Scooby Snacks?”

    This one tempts them for a moment. The whole box was typically the best prize available and would have won them over in any other circumstance. But a singular box, shared between the two of them, was still not enough to get them to visit the most haunted place in America and they hesitantly shook their heads no.

    “All right then. How about a whole box of Scooby Snacks for each of you?”

    “Rokay!”

    “Like, we’ll do it!”

    Velma hands each of them their own box and they immediately begin to dig in. With Shaggy and Scooby now on board, it seemed to Fred as though they were officially heading to Maple Creek.

    “Well gang, it looks like we have a mystery on our hands!” 

--------------------------------------
So ends the first scene. I should have some extra time later today so I'll try and post the next scene. No guarantees though. 

[chauliodus]

---Scene 2---

{The next scene begins with a short montage, accompanied by some colonial sounding fife music, as they drive through the beautiful New England countryside, passing fields of lush green grass and produce, and fields full of cows and horses. They drive by a scenic old railway station. They pass forests full of trees in all colors; gold, orange, green, red, and purple. They drive through a quaint New England town, passing all of the colonial and Georgian houses. They pass a little white chapel and cross through an old covered bridge. They pass an elaborate corn maze and a large pumpkin patch. Finally, they arrived at their destination.} 


“Well, there it is gang,” Fred proclaims. “The town of Maple Creek!”

    They pass a worn old sign with a picture of a giant orange maple leaf and a bright red barn in the background. The sign reads: “Welcome to Maple Creek. Est. 1669.”

    As they drive through town, they notice it has been completely decorated for Halloween. There are pumpkins, hay bales, and cartoonish scarecrows everywhere. Fake ghosts, spiders, and bats hang from every tree and from many buildings. Inflatable monsters, black cats, and Jack O’ lanterns have been erected all over town. Fake spiderwebs adorn all the buildings and many of the trees. Coffins, cauldrons, and gravestones pop up in various, and often unexpected, places.

    “Like wow!” Shaggy exclaims, genuinely impressed. “Dig this, Scoob. These people take Halloween really seriously. I bet we can get some serious candy here!”

    “Ruh huh,” Scooby agrees. “Randy! Rum yum.”

    “Travers said to look for the water tower,” Velma says. “The Campbells are supposed to meet us in a restaurant right near there.”

    “There it is!” Daphne shouted, pointing up ahead.

    Sure enough, a massive wooden water tower comes into view. The same picture that had been on the town sign is also painted on the front of the water tank. The tower appears to be well taken care of as, despite its very old age, it still looks to be in great shape, with only some light fading on the paint.

    Right next to the tower is the restaurant, which is located in a massive old grist mill. The two-story wooden building is painted bright red with white edges. It is nestled away in some beautiful fall trees and situated on the side of a bustling, glistening river. The water wheel turns endlessly in the rapids. An ornate wooden sign hangs out front. It’s golden calligraphic lettering read: “Perkin’s Family Restaurant.”

    They walk inside to find a quaint old restaurant, completely furnished with handcrafted antique wooden furniture. The entire place is covered in fall decorations. There are cornucopias, fake leaves, pumpkins, gourds, pinecones, fall wreathes, and much more. They glance around and then hear a shout from the back. They head in that direction and find an older, middle-age couple waving at them at a booth in the back corner. They take their seats with the couple, whose table is situated by a large window that overlooks the rushing waters of the creek.

    The man looked several years older than his wife. Despite being in his late fifties, his hair had already gone white. He was dressed in overalls and a flannel shirt. The woman had long sandy blonde hair, tied in the back into a long-braided ponytail. She had gray-blue eyes and wore an old white dress with large faded green polka dots.

    “You must be Mystery Inc.,” the man says with a smile, though there is a notable trace of sadness behind it. “I’m Brandon Campbell and this is my wife, Elizabeth. I’m so glad you agreed to help us. It means so much to us.”

    “It’s not like we could say no,” Daphne responded warmly. “When we heard what happened, we just had to come!”

    The waitress comes over to take each of their orders. Unsurprisingly, Shaggy and Scooby order three of everything on the menu. The others place their orders and the waitress heads back to the kitchen.

    “Well, we’re very grateful that you came, nevertheless,” Elizabeth states. “We are very familiar with your skills. In fact, you came very highly recommended. You see, we aren’t really from around here. We were originally from Oakhaven.”

    “That’s right,” Brandon continues. “We lived in Oakhaven all our lives, but it was becoming too loud and crowded for us. Between the swarms of Hex Girls fans and the tourists coming to see Gobblezilla, the world’s largest turkey, or to tour Ravencroft Manor, there was suddenly no more room left for us townsfolk. So, a little over a year ago, we went in search of a new place to call home. We found Maple Creek not long after, and it reminded us so much of home that we know that this was the place for us.

    “Unfortunately, we are just humble farmers and don’t make very much money. We had great difficulty finding a nice place we could afford. Then we found Fox Grove Farm. It was perfect, but it was also dirt cheap. We thought it had to have had something wrong with it, but when we checked the place out it seemed to be in pristine condition. We asked the locals about it and they told us that the place was haunted and that over a hundred people had gone missing there over the years. We thought it was all hogwash and bought it right afterwards. Well, it didn’t take long for some strange things to start happening. Objects would move from where you just put them. Doors would open and close by themselves. We started hearing footsteps and strange voices. Most of the ‘disturbances’ happened around our daughter, Kimberly, and she was the first to notice them. They had been a right bit peculiar, I’ll give you that, but they certainly weren’t enough to convince us the place was haunted. That all changed 10 nights ago. I was awoken in the dead of night by Kimberly’s scream. I grabbed a flashlight and ran out of the house as fast as I could. I got out just in time to see her run into the cornfield. She never came back out. We searched the entire field but there wasn’t a sign of her. Our little girl had completely vanished.”

    “As you can imagine, we were distraught,” Elizabeth adds. “The police did a cursory investigation, but they barely checked around the property. They were convinced she was just up to typical teenager malarkey and would probably come back on her own. But we know our daughter. She wouldn’t just leave without telling us. So, we decided to take matters into our own hands, but all of our efforts to find her were in vain. We were at wit’s end and had no idea what to do. Then, out of the blue, we got a phone call from Mayor Corey himself. Apparently, word of our plight had gotten back to Oakhaven and he called us the moment he found out. He immediately recommended us to you. He said you guys had experience in this kind of thing and if anyone could help us you could. So, we sent Travers to track you down and you know the rest.”

    “Please, please help us find her. She’s all we have left.”

    “Don’t worry, Mr. and Mrs. Campbell,” Fred says confidently. “With Mystery Inc. on the job, you’ll be seeing your daughter again in no time.”

    The waitress returns with their food. They had half finished their meal when a man approaches their booth. He was older, somewhere in his late sixties or early seventies, with gray hair and a goatee. He wore a fancy black turtleneck with gray slacks.

    “Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Campbell,” he began, “but I was wondering if I could…”

    “For the last time, Des” Brandon snapped. “We are not selling the farm!”

    “No! Heavens no. That wasn’t what I was going to ask. I was going to ask if there was anything I could do to help. I heard about what happened to your daughter and I would like to offer my resources to help you find her.”

    “That’s very kind of you, Des. We appreciate it. But Elizabeth and I already have it covered.”

    “Like, hold everything,” Shaggy exclaims excitedly. “You’re Des Krogan, the famous horror movie director! Scoob and I have seen all your movies. They’re, like, the best!”

    “Well, thank you. You’re too kind for saying so. It’s always fantastic to get to meet real fans.”

    “Excuse me, Mr. Krogan,” Velma interrupts, “but what is such a successful filmmaker like you doing in Maple Creek.”

    “It’s quite simple really,” he explains. “I recently retired from filmmaking and heard about Maple Creek. Being so steeped in the supernatural, it seemed like the perfect place for me to put down roots. Of course, I was really interested in Fox Grove Farm and I approached the Campbells many times about buying it.”

    “But the Campbells wouldn’t sell,” Daphne observes.

    “You called it. I approached them several times about buying it, upping my offer each time, but they refused me every time. I’m disappointed, in all honesty. However, I do respect their decision. It truly is a beautiful place and I know I wouldn’t want to give it up if I was in their shoes. As long as they appreciate the history of the house, then I’m glad they have it and…. Oh my, look at the time! It really was nice meeting you kids. And Brandon, don’t be too proud to consider my offer, you hear me? I would be only too happy to help.”

    The gang quickly finishes the remainder of their dinners. When they are mostly finished (Shaggy and Scooby still have a dozen platefuls to go), Brandon stands up and says: “If you folks are ready, we can lead you back to the farm. There should be enough time to show you around before the others arrive.”

    “Others?” Fred asks. “What others?”

    “You didn’t think you were the only ones we called to come help us, did you?” Elizabeth answers. “We hired two other teams of paranormal experts to help us.”

    “Well, I for one am anxious to get a look at this infamous farm,” Velma adds.

    “Ruh uh,” Scooby protests. “Rot ready.”

    Shaggy and Scooby quickly pile every remaining bit of food between two slices of bread, creating four-foot-tall sandwiches. They open their mouths inhumanly wide, and slide the whole thing in, eating it one quick gulp.

    “Okay, now we’re ready,” Shaggy proclaims. “Farmyard of fear, here we come!”

[chauliodus]

Turns out I had more time than I thought. Here's the next scene: 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

---Scene 3--- 

The Campbell’s beat up old pickup truck trundles down the old dirt road to their farm, with the Mystery Machine following in behind. They arrive at the farm, which is much larger than the gang had envisioned. In the center of the farm is the farmhouse. It is an old, wooden, classic-style New England farmhouse with a wraparound porch. It has two stories, with a basement and an attic. It is painted white with green and red trimmings. While the paint was slightly worn, the building itself appears to be in good shape. To the north is the barns, one of which is much larger than the other. The smaller barn has the classic red and white paint scheme, with a large silver silo. The larger barn is not painted, and is currently being used as a stable for the animals. To the west is the cornfield, while the wheat field lies to the south. To the east is the woods and beyond that is the grist mill and the creek.

    “Well, here we are everyone,” Brandon announces. “Welcome to Fox Grove Farm!”

    “Jeepers!” Daphne exclaims. “It’s beautiful.”

    “It certainly took our breath away when we first saw it,” Elizabeth concurs.

    “The red barn up ahead was where Kimberly’s scream seemed to come from,” Brandon explains. “The cornfield to the west there is where I last saw her run into.”

    They all take a glance at the cornfield, hoping to see something out of the ordinary. Even in the daytime, it is an ominous sight. The stalks tower above them and the rows are filled with shadows.

    “Zoinks!” Shaggy shouts in terror. “That’s the creepiest scarecrow I’ve ever seen!”

He points out into the cornfield. Sure enough, the scarecrow is back on its hitching post, staring down at them insidiously.

    “We never cared for it either,” Brandon agrees. “We believe it came from some previous owners. It was likely put up in the early nineteen-hundreds, judging by its clothes. It came with the land when we bought the place.”

    “It’s been around a lot longer than that,” a gruff, menacing voice says from behind them. “It was originally an effigy built by the early settlers to honor the god of the harvest. Then, in 1907, some upstart got it in his fool head to desecrate it and turn it into a scarecrow to keep the critters away.”

    They all turn to see a tall, gaunt man. He has a skeletal face with deep, sunken eyes, each rimmed with dark circles. His wavy gray hair is starting to get long. He is dressed in a yellow and red plaid shirt, overalls, and black rubber galoshes.

    “Kids, this is Jonas,” Brandon introduces. “He’s our farmhand. He also came with the land when we bought the place!”

    “You brought more kids, here?” Jonas says, flabbergasted. “I told you it’s not safe. It’s too close to Samhain. The spirits will be restless. Whatever happens to them, will be on you!” With that he turns and walks back to the barn, leaving everyone very much on edge.

    “Excuse me, Mr. Campbell, but what was he talking about?” Velma asks.

    “Oh, don’t mind old Jonas. He’s just very old-fashioned and superstitious. His family has been working this land since the beginning. He still holds the old ways to a high value. You see, the crop hasn’t been too good this year. Everything keeps rotting and it’s left Jonas on edge. He thinks we’ve angered the spirits somehow and need to appease them.”

    “Don’t get the wrong impression of him, though,” Elizabeth chimes in. “He’s really a very sweet man. We would never have been able to take care of this place without him. He cares about this land so much; he just doesn’t want to see anything bad happen too it. Unfortunately, he’s a little too superstitious for his own good and tends to suspect ‘evil spirits’ for every little thing that goes wrong.”

    They continue onwards, but Scooby stays behind. Something in the sky catches his eye. A single large, black crow swoops through the air. It lands on the scarecrow’s hitching post and fixes its beady red eyes on Scooby. It lets out a loud “kaw!” before taking to the air again and disappearing behind the farmhouse. Just then, the scarecrow’s head turns towards Scooby and it lets out a frightening hiss. Scooby yelps in fear and runs back towards the gang.

    He quickly catches up with the gang and desperately tries to tell them what he saw. He points frantically in the direction of the scarecrow. Unfortunately, he is too scared to speak and is only able to spit out bits of gibberish. The others, unable to decipher what he’s trying to say, decide to move on and continue with the tour.

    The Campbells lead them into the small red barn and over to the broken window. “Well, this is where we first heard the scream. From the looks of this window, I’d say she tried to jump out of here to get away from someone.”

    “I don’t think so, Mr. Campbell,” Velma replies, getting down on her knees to examine something on the ground. “The shards of glass are on the inside. Something broke in, not out. And look at this,” she continues pointing at something on the floor. “These scuff marks on the floor under the window seem to indicate that someone was dragged through. Come on, let’s take a look outside.”

    They all run outside to examine the window from the other side. Sure enough, there are faded drag marks through the dirt leading into the cornfield.

    “Well, this doesn’t make any sense,” Brandon proclaims. “I saw her run into the field. She wasn’t dragged.”

    “Then there must have been someone else here,” Fred concludes. “The other person must have been grabbed from that window and pulled into the field. Then, your daughter ran in after them. Can you think of anyone she would have been meeting out here at that time of night?”

    “I bet it was the Perkins’ boy, Derek. He must have asked her to meet him out here and they were attacked,” Elizabeth responds.

    “Who’s Derek?” Daphne asks.

    “Kimberly’s boyfriend that she thinks we don’t know about,” Brandon responded. “They’ve been dating for a few months now. I guess she thought we wouldn’t approve so they tried, and failed, to keep it from us. The funny thing is, we’re good friends with the Perkins and have come to know Derek quite well. He’s kind, honest, and responsible—the kind of boy we would want our daughter to go out with.”

    “But if he was here, then this is worse than we realize,” Elizabeth adds. “This would mean two people have been abducted. I have to call Amanda right away. I was talking to her the other day and she never once mentioned that her son was missing too.”

    They all race back to the farmhouse. They are all startled to see an elderly woman with gray hair, tied back in a bun, standing on the porch with a large metal milk jug. Elizabeth stops a second, clearly wishing to speak with her, but decides otherwise and rushes into the house. Brandon on the other hand steps up and greets her warmly.

    “Edna, it’s great to see you! How have been?”

    “Just fine, thank you. I just stopped by to return this and thank you for letting us borrow it. I couldn’t find what Earl did with ours and I’m very grateful to you for lending me this spare.”

    “Kids, this is Edna Plunkett, our next-door neighbor. She’s been very kind and welcoming to us ever since we moved in. She runs the town library and museum, and is the town’s resident historian.”

    “That’s right. When you get to be an old fossil like me, you get to know a lot about history,” she chuckles. “Of course, if you ever have any questions about the town’s history come ask me. I would be happy to answer all your questions. Oh, by the way, what was with Elizabeth. Is she alright?”

    “Oh my, yes. She’s just fine. She just had to make a very important phone call, is all. I’m sorry she couldn’t stop to chat. Say, we’re having guests over this evening and my wife is cooking a big dinner. Would you care to join us?”

    “One less dinner that I’d have to cook myself? I couldn’t possibly refuse. I just have a few errands to run back home, but I’ll be back before dinner.”

    With that, she turns and marches back home. The others enter the farmhouse to go check up on Elizabeth. Before the can enter, Shaggy and Scooby are stopped by Brandon.

    “I hate to ask this, but could you two do us a favor? Could you fetch us a pail of water for dinner for tonight? Our kitchen faucet has been acting up lately, so it’s easier to use the old water pump. It’s on the side of the house. It’s right by the old oak tree we tied the clothesline too. You can’t miss it.”

    “Like, no problem, Mr. C. Scoob and I are always happy to aid the cause of food!”

    They make their way around the house to the water pump. It is just where Mr. Campbell had said it would be. The old water pump is positioned against the side of the house. The clothesline extends from the corner of the house to the old oak tree. White sheets had been hung up to dry and now blow around gently in the breeze.

    Shaggy places the bucket beneath the spout and begins pumping the handle. As he does so, Scooby is startled by a loud “kaw!” He looks up and sees a large black crow swoop overhead and land on the roof. It is the followed by another, and then another. They each look down from their perch, fixing their red eyes on the two best friends below. A much louder “kaw!” from behind him forces Scooby to turn around. Five more crows have landed in the oak tree, each staring sinisterly at Scooby and Shaggy.

    Shaggy finishes pumping just as the wind began to pick up and blow the sheets around a bit more violently. Shaggy picks up the bucket as they are about to leave, but both yelp in fear as a gust of wind blows back the sheet closest to them, revealing a young woman in a white dress with long dark hair standing behind it. Her clothes and hair look to be completely drenched. Her skin is gray and translucent. However, the scariest thing about her is her eyes, or rather her lack thereof. Instead, she has two black, hollow eye sockets. She opens her mouth inhumanly wide in a silent scream and reaches her arm out towards them.

    Suddenly, the wind blows the sheet back, obstructing their view of her once more. When the sheet blows forwards again, the ghost is gone. Shaggy and Scooby both shriek in terror, with Shaggy’s hair shooting out in every direction.

    “Rikes!” Scooby shouts, horrified.

    “Feet, make like a rocket and, like, now!”

    They turn and run back towards the house.

[chauliodus]

---Scene 4--- 

The gang is waiting patiently in the living room for Elizabeth to get off the phone. Brandon is in the kitchen preparing for dinner. Jonas had finished working outside and had come in for a break and now sits on the couch reading the newspaper. While they are all waiting, Velma decides to look around for potential clues. Something by the fireplace draws her eye. Resting atop the mantel is a small wooden figure of a hairy man with a large rack of deer-like antlers.

    “Jonas, you’re very knowledgeable of the history of this land and the local folklore, aren’t you?” she asks. “Do you know what this statue is supposed to be?”

    Jonas sets down his newspaper and walks over to see what she’s looking at. He only takes a quick glance at it before responding. “That there is Cernunnos. He’s a Celtic deity who embodies the hunt, the wilderness, and the harvest. Many of the early settlers here would pray to him every year during the festival of Samhain for a bountiful harvest. This statue was actually carved by my ancestor during the colonial period. It has been placed in the house to grant good fortune to the land. It’s one of few things that remains from the old property. I reckon this room, the kitchen, and the cellar are all that remain from the original building. It’s a good thing, though. This statue might just get us through the festival safely.”

    “Interesting. The town looks like it really embraces Halloween. Samhain is a big part of that holiday’s origin. Is there anyone in town who still celebrates it?”

    “Not many of us, I’m afraid. It used to be a vital part of the community. Every year we held a grand festival of Samhain, that was a core part of our town’s identity. But as time went on, they traded the deep-rooted traditions of Samhain for the commercialization of Halloween. The town has forgotten the old ways. That’s why the crops are dying. That’s why those two kids were taken. The spirits are angry. The Gods of the Old World have not received proper tribute, so they are taking one for themselves.”

    “When you say tribute, what do mean? What do these ‘old gods’ want with—”

    Shaggy and Scooby burst into the room, interrupting Velma’s question. They sputter frightened gibberish between pants, desperately trying to tell their friends what they saw. Brandon runs out to see what all the commotion is. Eventually Shaggy manages to find the words: “Like, there’s a dead a girl out there!”

    “Reah,” Scooby quickly agrees. He makes himself look more bedraggled, rolls his eyes back into his head, opens his mouth as wide as possible and reaches a paw out toward the gang, imitating the ghost.

    “Jeepers! The hauntings have started already,” Daphne exclaims.

    “I warned you all that this would happen!” Jonas jumps up. “You’ve angered the spirits. Now they’re coming for you all! I have to go make an offering. Maybe I can appease them before another horrible catastrophe occurs!” He dashes out the door without giving them a second look.

    “Well, he’s sure cheery,” Fred observes sarcastically.

    Elizabeth quickly jogs out of the kitchen.

    “I just got off the phone with Amanda. We were right. She said Derek disappeared right around the time Kimberly did.”

    “How come she hasn’t told anyone or called the police?” Brandon asks, very much confused.

    “She was going to, but one night she got a phone call from an unknown number. When she picked it up, a voice warned her not to tell anyone about Derek’s disappearance or terrible things would happen. She was so scared that she’s kept it to herself all this time!”

    “That’s terrible!” Daphne exclaims.

    “Did she recognize the voice?” Velma asks.

    “No. She said it was distorted so it could have been anyone.”

    “Well, I sincerely doubt that the ghosts of Fox Grove Farm make too many phone calls,” Velma observes. “So, we know at least one living, breathing person had a hand in the kidnapping.”

    “But that doesn’t get us any closer to solving this mystery,” Fred points out. “For all we know, it could be anyone.”

    At that moment, a car engine blares up and then dies back down. They hear a car door slam and then hear another vehicle arrive.

    “Well, that must be the remainder of our guests,” Elizabeth exclaims, darting out the door to meet them with everyone else in tow.

    Outside, an old black Lincoln is parked and two brown-haired young women have just gotten out. One of the women has long hair and is wearing a dark blue jacket. The other has shorter hair and is wearing a tan jacket over a plaid shirt.

    “You must be the Colchester sisters,” Brandon observes, welcoming them forward and extending his hand in greeting.

    “That’s right,” the shorter haired woman says. “I’m Samantha and this is my sister Diane.”

    As Brandon speaks with the sisters, Elizabeth makes her way to the second vehicle. It is a large black van with the letters “B.U.M.P.S.” written in white letters on the sides. Three men and a woman get out of the van—a large man with a goatee, a short man with dark hair, a wiry man with glasses, and a woman with curly brunette hair.

    “You must be Elizabeth,” the large man says. “I’m Jackson. This is Ted, Louis, and Meghan. We’re with B.U.M.P.S. Let me just say, that we’re all terribly sorry to hear about your daughter, but I am confident we can find out why the spirits took her and get her back.”

    “Would you show us the main places you’ve experienced disturbances?” the short man, Ted, asks. “We’d like to get our equipment set up as soon as possible.”

    “Certainly, but there will be plenty of time for that later. I’ve prepared a large feast for you all tonight and it should be just about done now.”

    “Reast? Roh boy!” Scooby exclaims happily.

    “Now, when you say a large feast, how much food are we talking about exactly?” Shaggy asks.

    “Oh, don’t worry. There are a lot of people coming for dinner tonight so I made sure to cook a surplus of food. There should be more than enough for everybody.”

    “Oh, I don’t know, Elizabeth,” Velma chuckles. “If you’re lucky, you might just have enough for Shaggy and Scooby!”


They all gather in the dining room. A folding table and several additional chairs had been placed at the end of the dining room table. True to her word, Elizabeth had indeed prepared a plethora of food for her guests. Turkey, biscuits, homemade macaroni and cheese, potatoes and gravy, salads, corn on the cob, apple and pumpkin pie, and clam chowder were just some of the many dishes she had prepared. The Campbells and their new hired sleuths are joined by Wendell, Edna, and a new gentleman that the gang had not yet met. Tall and gaunt, the man has short cropped gray hair and wears a light brown tweed suit.

    “Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to Mason Walsh,” Brandon announces. “Mason owns the town’s general store. He’s an old friend of the family and part of the reason we moved here. It was his recommendation of the town that convinced us to have a look at it.”

    “That’s right. My family has been here for generations. In fact, we’re probably the oldest family in Maple Creek.” Mason looks down and his face grows somber. “And it’s my fault your daughter’s missing. If I hadn’t suggested you come here, none of this would have happened.

    “Now Mason, don’t you go saying that!” Elizabeth scolds. “This was not your fault and you know it! Now let’s all stop fussing and eat this delicious meal I’ve prepared.”

    Of course, Shaggy and Scooby need no encouragement to eat. They grab one of everything and pile it into a giant mountain of food. They open their mouths wide and, defying all laws of physics, swallow the stack whole.

    “Relicious!” Scooby proclaims, licking his lips.

    “So, what can you tell me about the history of the house?” Jackson asks.

    “Not much, I’m afraid. We really don’t know too much about it to be perfectly honest,” Brandon answers.

    “I can answer that,” Edna interjects, wiping her upper lip with a napkin. “The farm was originally built in the early 1600s by Finnegan O’Malley, one of the town’s founding fathers. He was a devout follower of ancient Irish traditions and still worshiped the old Celtic deities. He was pivotal to introducing Samhain as a crucial part of our town’s identity. However, he discovered the very first year after settling here that the land was horribly unfertile. All of his crops died, leaving Finnegan and his family with nothing to store for winter. Indeed, that winter proved to be the most brutal one Maple Creek had ever experienced and his whole family perished. Overwhelmed with grief, he sealed himself inside his home and refused to come out for nearly a full year. That is, until the next Autumn, when the corn stalks miraculously grew to amazing heights. Finnegan walked into the corn field and disappeared, never to be seen again. Several other owners have tried to settle here over the years, but many fell victim to mysterious disappearances of their own. The ones that didn’t fled in terror, so horrified that they refused to ever speak to anyone of what they had experienced. Of course, the person you should be talking to is Jonas. His family has worked on this property for as far back as anyone can remember. He knows the history of this place better than anyone!”

    “Where is Jonas, anyway?” Daphne inquires. “Won’t he be joining us for supper?”

    “Not likely, no,” Elizabeth replies. “He usually cooks his own dinner down at his cabin.”

    Fred is picking at his plate when he notices Diane, who’s sitting to his right staring intently at him.

    “So, you chase ghosts too, right?” she asks, locking eyes with him. “That must mean you’re pretty brave and strong, huh?”

    “Well, I don’t know about that. I- “

    “Ugh, seriously,” Samantha groans, rolling her eyes at her sister. “You think maybe we should focus on the matter at hand. You know, like saving the girl who’s been taken by evil spirits?”

    “Fine. But you’re no fun Sammy, you know that?”

    A phone chime rings out, and Mason quickly reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. He answers the phone and his features harden as he listens to the person speaking on the other end. “Very well. I’ll be right there.” He puts his phone away and turns to face the other dinner guests. “I’m afraid I have to leave early. It was a lovely meal but I have…uh…important work business. Yes, that’s right. I have some things I have to take care of at the store right away. It was a pleasure meeting all of you. Please come visit me at my store anytime. I look forward to seeing you all again.” With that, he quickly turns and scampers out the door.

    “Well, that was odd,” Fred notes to himself.

    Soon, everyone has finished their meals. Elizabeth takes the dishes to wash them. Many of the guests follow her to offer their assistance. With the all of the extra help, the dishes are cleaned in no time. Elizabeth turns to Shaggy and Scooby.

    “Would you two mind taking these extra dishes and putting them in the shed out back for me?”

    “Like, sure Mrs. C. We’d be happy to help. Let’s go, Scoob!”

[chauliodus]

---Scene 5--- 

As the sun sets and the sky turns an ominous red-orange, Shaggy and Scooby make their way to the back shed with the extra dishes. Passing by the cornfield, they stop and look out at the empty hitching post.

    “Like, Scoob, wasn’t there a scarecrow on that post an hour ago?”

    “Ruh-huh.”

    “That’s super creepy, man!”

    “Reah. Real creepy.”

    A red-eyed crow lands in a dead tree right next to them and lets out a sinister “kaw!” Shaggy and Scooby turn and bolt, racing into the shed and slamming the door behind them. The small shed is filled with all manner of junk that the Campbells didn’t have space to put elsewhere. Spotting some empty shelving, Shaggy and Scooby rush over and quickly load up the shelves with the extra dishes. When they have finished, they back up and Scooby knocks over an old steamer trunk.

    “Raggy. Rook!”

    “Like, check it out man. Look at all these groovy costumes!”

    Shaggy and Scooby are so entranced by the vintage clothing in the trunk, that they fail to notice the silhouette of the scarecrow pass by the window behind them.

    “Rook at me!” Scooby proclaims, now dressed in a dusty old suit and leaning on a cane. “Rose kids today!”

    “Ha ha. Check this out!” Shaggy exclaims, donning a brown trench coat and an old deerstalker cap. “Like, elementary my dear Scooby!”

    Suddenly, the room grows very cold. The shed darkens as dark, menacing clouds blot out the sun. Eerie winds whip around outside, carrying with them an unnerving, high-pitched whistling sound that Shaggy and Scooby knew they had heard before, but couldn’t place where. They turn to leave but then quickly freeze in place. The scarecrow is leaning motionlessly against the wall by the door, its head tilted down as though it was looking at its chest.

    “Uh, Scooby, was he always there?”

    They slowly creep up on the inanimate man of straw. The closer they get, the more nervous they become, but they know they must pass it to go out the door. Nervously, they creep closer to the door. A loud “kaw!” causes them both to jump and whip around. Just outside the window, several red-eyed crows have perched in a gnarled, dead tree. Laughing nervously, they turn back around and continue creeping towards the door. The scarecrow’s collar and straw hair blow around in the air as though a cold breeze just passed through. Shaggy holds a finger to the air but can feel no breeze himself. They both look at one another and gulp, then continue walking forward. They reach the door and look over anxiously at the scarecrow. Scooby waves a paw back and forth. The scarecrow doesn’t move. He taps the scarecrow’s shoulder and its head droops lifelessly to the side. Breathing a sigh of relief, Shaggy reaches for the door. Suddenly, the scarecrow’s hand whips out and closes around his wrist. Shaggy recoils in terror, pulling the scarecrow’s straw-covered hand off with him.

    “Zoinks!” Shaggy yells, his hair standing on end.

    He quickly pries off the hand and tosses it back at its owner’s feet. The scarecrow picks up the hand and places it backwards onto his wrist. He articulates the long pointy fingers before twisting the hand back around the right away. Shaggy and Scooby back up, desperately trying to get as far away from the monster as possible, despite being trapped in the small shed. The scarecrow, making low hiss-like breathing noises, reaches down for the curved sickle fastened to his waist. He drags the sickle across a few sheets of sheet metal that were propped against the wall. The ominous scraping sound of metal on metal fills the air as the scarecrow steps menacingly towards them. Shaggy and Scooby continue to back up until they hit the back wall of the shed. Reaching the end of the sheet metal, the scarecrow raises the sickle above its head and steps closer towards the cowardly duo. This proves too much for them as Shaggy and Scooby quickly turn around and run straight through the wooden wall, leaving holes in the shape of their fleeing forms as they do so.


Ted quickly makes the last adjustments to the equipment, then turns and joins the rest of the B.U.M.P.S. team in the living room. He informs Jackson, who walks over to the Campbells. “Our equipment is all set up. We can start recording right away. If there’s any ghostly activity tonight, we’ll catch it.”

    “Like, I’ve got some ghostly activity for you,” Shaggy yells as he and Scooby run into the room. “Your scarecrow is alive and he’s after us.”

Brandon looks out the window and shakes his head. “Are you sure about that Shaggy? It seems pretty lifeless to me.”

    “Huh?” Shaggy and Scooby both exclaim in unison and look out the window themselves. Sure enough, the scarecrow is back up on its post. It flops around limply as it is blown about by the wind.

    “Well, it was alive a minute ago, and it sure wasn’t skipping down the yellow brick road!”

    “It sounds like you kids had quite a scare,” Brendan nods. “I’ll tell you what, just to show my appreciation for all you’re doing for us, I’ll take you all out tomorrow morning to go fishing at the creek. Nothing like a relaxing bit of fishing to calm your nerves.”

    “Unfortunately, we can’t,” Diane says sadly. “Sammy and I are going to go visit the hall of records to learn more about the previous owners.”

    “And we’re going to have to stay and go through all of our recordings,” Ted explains.

    “I wanted to go pay a visit to Edna at the library. I’m hoping she’ll be able to tell me more about this town and its connection to Samhain,” Velma adds.

    “And I wanted to pay a visit to Des Krogan. It seems a little suspicious that a horror legend wants to buy the house at the same time as the hauntings,” Daphne points out.

    “And speaking of suspicious, there was something off with Mason’s departure tonight. I wouldn’t mind dropping by his store to pay him a little visit,” Fred declares.

    “Oh dear,” Elizabeth exclaims. “Sounds like you have a busy day ahead of you tomorrow. You’d best get a good night’s sleep!”

    “Sleep? You’ve gotta be nuts! There are ghosts out there, man!”

    “Well do try dear. I’ll have a big breakfast prepared for you in the morning.”

    “Reakfast? Roh boy!” Scooby says happily, licking his lips.

    “You know, suddenly, I’m not scared at all. Like, pleasant dreams here I come!” 


That night, Scooby, who is sleeping at the foot of Shaggy’s bed, is awakened by the sound of his own stomach growling. He looks at the door and considers going back downstairs to the kitchen. Just then, he hears the sound of heavy footsteps walking up the stairs. Knowing that everyone had already turned in for the night and were all sleeping upstairs, Scooby realizes that no one he knew could have been making those footsteps. He immediately jumps under the covers next to Shaggy and begins shaking uncontrollably.

    “Uh, what’s going on, Scoob?”

    It was at that moment that he heard the footsteps as well. Wasting no time, he dives under the covers with Scooby and also begins shaking in fright. The footsteps draw closer and are now walking down the hallway.

    “M-maybe one of the others got up while we were asleep?”

    The footsteps walk right up to their door and then stop. For a few moments, there is dead silence. Shaggy and Scooby peak their heads out from under the covers. The doorknob to their room begins to turn with a quite squeak. The door pushes itself open slowly with a frightening creak. Shaggy and Scooby look out into the dark empty hallway. A shadowy figure darts past their door. Gulping, they walk over and peak their heads out the door. The hallway is empty. There are no signs indicating that anyone was ever there. Right as they start to calm down, the footsteps start again from the other end of the hallway. They are moving rapidly and right in the direction of Shaggy and Scooby. The footsteps are very clearly coming from the hallway and they can even see the floorboards bend with each step, but there is no one walking in the hall.

    “Yow!” Shaggy yelps while he and Scooby dive under their bed, shaking twice as hard as they were before. The footsteps get louder as the invisible entity walks into the room. They hear the menacing footsteps walk right up to the edge of their bed. Shaggy and Scooby cower silently as they anticipate the ghostly visitor. However, nothing happens. Scooby takes a risk and peeks his head out from under the bed and looks around. The room is empty. With a sigh of relief, Scooby ducks back under to let Shaggy know that the coast is clear. It is at that moment that a spectral figure rises through the floor under the bed with them. It is off-white and completely transparent. It appears to be the ghost of a cleanshaven, middle-aged man with messy hair. The ghost has no eyes, only empty black sockets. Like the ghostly woman they encountered earlier, the ghost opens its dark mouth inhumanly wide and reaches towards them.

    “Leave this place,” the spirit wheezes. “Leave this place while you still can!”

    Screaming, Shaggy and Scooby bolt out from under the bed and jumped into Fred’s bed at the other end of the room. Fred instantly sits bolt upright, wide awake.

    “Hey, what’s the big idea, you guys? Can’t a guy get some sleep?”

    “L-like, there’s a ghost under our bed!”

    “What?”

    Fred immediately gets up, turns on the light, and walks across the room. He crouches down and looks under the bed. “Well, there’s nothing there now guys…Hey, wait a minute! What’s this?”

    Fred reaches out and grabs something that was tucked between the back leg and the wall. He holds it out to show Shaggy and Scooby. It’s a small pouch tied with a string. He opens it up and empties the contents into his hand. The contents include several polished stones with Celtic runes carved into them, some small gems, and a little faceless doll made out of dried corn leaves.

    “Rhat is it?”

    “I don’t know, but I’ll show Velma in the morning. In the meantime, try and go back to bed…And your own bed this time.”

    He turns out the light and climbs back into bed. Shaggy and Scooby reluctantly get back into their beds. They huddle together, shivering, and pull the covers up to their noses. They glance around the room anxiously, waiting for the next ghost to show up.

[chauliodus]

---Scene 6--- 

Shaggy and Scooby follow Brandon through the woods, being the only ones who did not have anywhere else to be that morning. Therefore, after finishing the massive breakfast prepared by Elizabeth, they were all too happy to go with Brandon. While the rest of the gang were off investigating a spooky mystery, they would be taking it easy. After all, there were few things more relaxing than a nice calm fishing trip.

    “You boys will love it!” Brandon beams. “Maple Creek has some of the best fishing in all of New England! In fact, we host a major Pro fishing tournament every august!”

    As they walk, Scooby hears a twig snap. He looks backwards and sees a tall shadowy figure dart between the trees. He gives a frightened yelp and sticks closer to Shaggy, walking faster.

    “If you’re lucky you might even catch Murry!” Brandon chuckles.

    “Uh, who’s Murry, Mr. C?”

    “Some folks around here claim to have seen a giant monster fish in these waters. They’ve taken to calling him Maple Creek Murry!”

    “Ronster fish?” Scooby cries out in shock.

    “Ha ha, don’t worry Scooby. It’s nothing more than a good old-fashioned big fish story. We do have some prize bass, but that’s about it.”

    Eventually, the woods open up into a small clearing. They stop and stare at the beauty of the scene in front of them. The grass all around them is the richest green they have ever seen and the breathtaking fall foliage makes the trees look as though they are crackling with fire. The sunlight beams through the opening of the trees, striking the pristine blue water of the creek and making it glisten with light. The running water flows smoothly down the creek, occasionally breaking against some stones. All in all, it really is the perfect fishing spot.

    “Well, here we are fellas. The best fishing in all of Maple Creek. Let’s get started!” Brandon props the fishing poles against a nearby tree, letting Shaggy and Scooby pick their own. He places a tin can down by the bank. The can is filled with soil and several large nightcrawlers. He plucks one out of the can and effortlessly sets it on his hook. He casts his line into the water and Shaggy and Scooby soon follow suit.

    “We really lucked out with this spot. It has some of, if not the, largest fish in all of Maple Creek. You can imagine my excitement when I found that it was private land tied to our property, so we have this perfect spot all to ourselves.”

    Almost immediately after he said that, Brandon watches his bobber suddenly get dragged beneath water. He wastes no time in setting the hook and begins reeling in with all his might. After a very brief fight, Brandon reels in his prize: a massive four-and-a-half foot long northern pike!

    “Ha! See what I mean? This is the biggest pike I’ve ever seen!” Careful not to get bitten by the fish’s sharp teeth, he gently lowers it back into the water and watches it swim off.

    Scooby feels a nibble on his line and reels it in to find his whole worm gone. He walks over to the can to get another worm and quickly lets out a quiet yelp of fear. Far off in the tree line, Scooby sees the scarecrow peering at them from behind a tree, its eyes blazing with malice

    “Raggy! Rook! Rook!”

    “Oh yeah, Scoob. You’re right. That’s the best fall foliage I’ve ever seen.”

    “Ruh?” Scooby mumbles in confusion. He glances back and is surprised to see that the scarecrow is gone.

    He is quickly distracted by his best friend, as Shaggy suddenly feels a powerful tug on his line. The pole bends almost in half. The fish on the other end drags him back and forth as it fights back. After a prolonged struggle, Shaggy finally manages to reel the fish in.

    “Like, huh?”

    Wriggling on the other end of the line is a tiny little four-inch yellow perch!

    “Re he he he,” Scooby snickers.

    “Oh, hardy har har. Well, let’s see you try it then!”

    Eagerly accepting the challenge, Scooby casts his line into the water. Almost immediately, he feels a tug on the end of his line. Suddenly, a tremendous force grabs hold of the line, sending him flying into the creek. Scooby sinks down, down, down, as the water gets darker and darker. Terrified, Scooby looks around him. He fights to hold back a scream when he sees a dark shape swim slowly towards him.

    As it swims closer, Scooby can finally discern the details. It is an absolutely massive fish, at least eighteen feet long! The monster vaguely resembles a tremendously scaled up cross between a walleye and a largemouth bass, only with much longer and spikier fins. Its large eyes are crimson red and its mouth looks big enough to swallow Scooby whole. It gapes its mouth wide, revealing its sharp, hooked teeth.

It drifts slowly and menacingly towards him and then, when it is only a few yards away from him, the giant fish surges towards him. Terrified, Scooby shoots up out of the water, swims through the air, and crashes back on land.

    “Ronster!” he warns. “Ronster!”

    “Spoken like a true fisherman, Scooby” Brandon chuckles. “The one that got away is always a monster!”

    Shaggy, however, immediately recognizes the look of fear in his best friend’s eyes. “I don’t know, Mr. C. I think he did see something. What was down there, Scoob?”

    “Rurry,” spreading his arms out, trying to show the size of the enormous fish.

    “Like, you saw Murry?” Shaggy stammers, suddenly frightened himself. Now, fishing didn’t seem quite so relaxing with the thought of a giant monster fish lurking just beneath the water.

    Despite his own skepticism of Murry’s existence, Brandon can clearly see how scared Shaggy and Scooby are. “Well, you boys look mighty frightened. Come on, let’s head back to the house. You can have some of Elizabeth’s homemade apple pie!”

    At the thought of some delicious apple pie, Shaggy and Scooby temporarily forget their fear and excitedly follow Brandon back to the house. On the way, they can’t help but wonder how the rest of the gang is faring.

[chauliodus]

Scene 7 is far and away the longest scene in the whole story, so I'm going to separate it into 3 posts. Here's the first one: 
-----------------------------------------

---Scene 7---

Daphne walks into Maple Creek’s old performing arts theater. The theater had been closed for a couple of decades, but the town had decided to use it for the haunted house for their annual Halloween festival. Daphne had been told that Des Krogan was helping to oversee the construction.

    Daphne is immediately startled by a door to her right swinging closed. “Mr. Krogan, is that you?” Letting her curiosity guide her, Daphne opens the door. It leads down a dark stairway, barely illuminated by a single flickering bulb. Daphne descends down the stairs and soon finds herself in the theater’s basement. The basement is filled with old props and costumes. She is disgusted to find the floor is coated in green slime.

    “Well, there go my new shoes,” she complains as she wades further in. “Who’s down here?” she asks.

    Just as she makes it about halfway across the room, a figure drops down from the ceiling. It is dressed like the phantom of the opera with a black suit, flowing cape and white half mask. It has sickly grey-blue skin, red eyes, and a pair of vampiric fangs.

    “Jeepers!” Daphne turns and runs back up the stairs, the phantom in close pursuit. Tearing up the stairs, she runs right back into the lobby. She whirls around, trying to find the best place to hide. A low growl from behind her makes her whip around.

    There, peering at her from behind the concession stand, is an olive-green ghoul in a torn up red usher’s uniform. Its skin is all shriveled up like a rotten apple. The ghoul has long stringy, matted gray hair. The creature’s empty sockets are illuminated by an eerie yellow glow.

    With a snarl, it reaches out an arm to grab her. Daphne recoils in fear, and bumps into something cold and clammy. She spins around to see that the phantom from the basement has followed her into the lobby. At the same time, the ghoul shambles from around the corner of the stand and stalks its way towards her. It reaches a rotted hand towards her as the phantom swipes at her from behind. She leaps backwards and runs into the auditorium, slamming the doors behind her. She runs down the aisle and tucks into a row of chairs, crouching down low. The doors swing open as the phantom and ghoul stride into the room, glancing around. The ghoul walks down the center aisle while the phantom walks up and down the rows of chairs. She pokes her head up and takes a good look around.

    OK. Their backs are turned. If I move fast enough, I might be able to slip right by them and get out of here!

    Daphne is interrupted from her thoughts by a loud shriek. There, up on the rafters above the stage, is a hideous stone gargoyle. Its head is crowned in a pair of curved demonic horns. It’s beak like maw is lined with razor sharp teeth. It locks its glowing eyes onto hers and spreads its draconic wings. It leaps up and swoops down towards her, reaching its hooked talons out toward her face.

    All of a sudden, the gargoyle stops, frozen in midair just inches in front of her. “Huh?” she mumbles in confusion, reaching a hand out to grab the creature. To her surprise, her hand passes right through it.

    “Alright boys, I think she’s had enough.”

    Des Krogan steps onto the stage as the two monsters remove their masks, revealing a pair of teenage nerds.

    “We met yesterday, didn’t we?” the old director asks, stepping off the stage and walking towards her. “You’re one of the investigators that the Campbells hired to help find their daughter, right?”

    “That’s right. My name is Daphne Blake. I was hoping I could ask you a few questions.”

    “Certainly. I’d be happy to help… Daphne Blake… You had that tv show a little while back, right? Coast to Coast with Daphne Blake, as I recall. I greatly enjoyed that program. I’m sorry it got canceled.”

    “Thank you. It’s always nice to meet fans, especially now that people seem to have forgotten all about my show…”

    Daphne closes her eyes for a moment and lets the memories of her time filming her program flow through her. It had been an amazing experience. She had gotten to meet some truly tremendous people and share their stories. She had visited beautiful places she likely never would have been to otherwise. She had made some fantastic new friends that she had come to miss. Yes, she did enjoy the time she spent filming the show, but she also recalled how she spent much of the time missing her friends. She had had a wonderful time and was thankful for the experience, but she was happy to be back with the people she cared about most, solving mysteries once more.

    “I know how that feels,” Des nods in understanding. “On one hand, it’s nice to have the peace and quiet that comes anonymity. On the other hand, there’s a part of you that would do anything to get the fame back…So, you had some questions you wanted to ask me?”

    “Right. First one: What is all this?”

    “Ah, an excellent question. The short answer is that this is my ticket back into the limelight!”

    “With a small-town haunted house?”

    “Well, this is just a prototype. I’m planning on building the world’s biggest scream park and I figured I could use this to help test some things out. You see, I have invented some new special effects that will completely fool the senses. That gargoyle there is just a prototype of one of my new innovations. When its complete, the hologram will be so complete that it will be able to completely fool the brain. You’ll be able to feel it. It opens up all manner of avenues that were previously closed to live performers.”

    “Well, it’s plenty realistic already. And those monsters, I honestly thought they were real.”

    “Ah yes, I have to give a lot of credit to Horace and Rudy. They pull off those roles perfectly. Of course, by the time I’m done we’ll have over a dozen more actors. All with the same quality costumes as the ones you’ve just seen. You see, I’ve reached out to some of my Hollywood contacts in the makeup and costuming world to help me produce the most high-quality and realistic costumes possible. Not only that, but I have designed and ordered some animatronics that utilize robotics so advanced that they look like they came straight out of a science-fiction movie.”

    “That’s very impressive, Mr. Krogan, but may I ask why?”

    “Because I want to create a fully immersive experience the likes of which no one has ever seen before. I don’t want to create just another haunted house attraction where people in masks pop out from around a corner and say ‘Boo!’ The way I see it, if people aren’t scared by just watching horror stories anymore, the logical next step would be to have them experience one!”

    “That’s quite an ambitious plan, Mr. Krogan. I hope it works out for you.”

    “Thank you, Ms. Blake, but I’m not so sure anymore. You see, I had the absolute perfect location for my park planned but I’m afraid it has recently become unavailable. Losing that property has been a considerable setback.”

    “This property wouldn’t happen to be Fox Grove Farm, would it?”

    “Ah, ever the intuitive investigator. Yes, young lady, as a matter of fact it is. That place would have been perfect. Imagine, the most haunted place in America used as a haunted attraction. It would add a whole new level of terror! The guests would have no way of knowing whether the ghosts are real or some of our scare actors…But unfortunately, we’ll never know. The Campbells own the property, and they won’t sell it to me.”

    Des looks down and checks his watch. “Oh my, I’m afraid I don’t have any more time. I have to put the final preparations in place for tonight. Tomorrow’s Halloween you know! I hope I was able to answer all your questions.”

    “Yes. You’ve been a tremendous help. Thank you.”

    “You’re absolutely welcome, Miss Blake. I do hope you succeed in finding the Campbell’s daughter.”

    With that, the two of them part ways. Daphne smiles knowing she just learned a fair deal of knowledge about their first suspect.

[chauliodus]

Fred walks into the old general store. Looking around for Mason, he walks up to the clerk at the front counter. “Excuse me, but do you know where I can find Mr. Walsh?”

    “This time of year? He’s always down at his other place. He owns the little novelty shop next door. If you want to talk to him, he’ll probably be there.”

    “Thanks. I’ll go there then.”

    Fred walks out and heads into the store next door. He is taken aback by the sheer amount of stuff in the first room. All of the old wooden shelves are stacked with masks and small Halloween decorations. Larger decorations hang from the ceiling by strings. The small room off to his right is filled with racks upon racks of Halloween costumes. The next room was filled with much larger decorations, animatronics, and props. Finally, Fred walks into the back room which features premium costumes on display. Each of the monster costumes are extremely detailed and realistic. Fred immediately finds himself drawn to a costume in the middle of the room. It’s a tall cloven-hoofed satyr-like creature with shaggy brown fur. Upon its head, the creature has a giant rack of deer-like antlers.

    Fred is startled away from his investigation by a sinister cackle. He looks up to see the Grim Reaper himself flying in the air. The phantasm is shrouded in a long, black torn cloak. The chest is exposed to reveal the bones of the spirit’s exposed ribcage. It’s skull face came complete with glowing red eyes and a pair of vampiric fangs. Two giant raven-like wings burst out from its back and beat slowly, keeping it suspended in the air. Its skeletal hands tightly clutch a long, curved scythe.

    Fred gasps in fear, then tumbles backwards. He turns around and runs, only to collide face first with another grim reaper on the ground. They both tumble to the ground and the specter’s mask slides of his face.

    “Mr. Walsh?” Fred exclaims, very much confused.

    “Yes, it’s me Fred. I was just testing out a new costume. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

    “But that other grim reaper up there—”

    “Merely a projection. I used an old technique called ‘Pepper’s Ghost” to cast my image up there and make my reaper look as though it was flying. It’s an old stage trick that utilizes smoke, light, and mirrors to cast the formless image of an actor or object into a location of your choosing. The trick has been around for centuries and it’s still used today to create realistic ghosts.”

    “That’s really neat, Mr. Walsh. I didn’t know you knew so much about special effects.”

    “Oh my, yes. You see, before I took over the general store here, I was actually a special effects artist. My friends in LA used to say I was the renaissance man of special effects. I could do it all—props, costumes, makeup… I learned it all from my father. He had been a professional makeup artist himself and taught me everything he knew. I picked up the trade after he had his accident.”

    “His accident?”

    “When I was in college, my father and I went up to visit the Campbells, since our families had been friends for ages. Brandon was a few years younger than I was, so he was only just starting to learn how to drive. My father and I agreed to let him take us out driving to show us what he’d learned. Anyways, he was trying to impress us so he was showboating and driving riskier than he probably should have been. A car came speeding around a corner, not looking where it was going, and crashed into us. No one was ultimately hurt, but the shock of the crash changed my father. He was never the same after that. He wasn’t able to create anymore and was subsequently forced into early retirement. I was angry at Brandon for the longest time and blamed him for what happened to my father. I was convinced that if he had been more attentive and careful, and hadn’t been acting so foolhardy, that that crash might have been avoided. Over time, however, I came to see the accident as exactly that, an accident. I forgave Brandon and reached out to him and apologized for my bitter behavior. He accepted my apology with open arms and we have remained the best of friends ever since. That’s why I feel so terrible about Kimberly’s disappearance. I’m the one who convinced them to come here. I had just fixed things with Brandon and now it feels as though I’ve put him and his family in danger.”

    “I’m sure the Campbells don’t see it that way. They were pretty adamant last night that you shouldn’t blame yourself… By the way, I wanted to ask you: What’s that costume supposed to be?” Fred asks, pointing to the satyr-like creature.

    “Ah, good question. As you can see, I haven’t completely retired from the makeup world. I still make a few signature costumes every year at my store to sell. I make them to the highest possible film standards and occasionally even throw in a few extra details, like the mechanical wings on this grim reaper costume. At the Halloween festival, I give one away as a prize every year. That costume over there is to be this year’s prize. It is meant to be a depiction of Cernunnos, the Horned God. I felt it was appropriate given his connection to the town’s history.”

    “How so, Mr. Walsh?”

    “Well, as you know the town has a long history of celebrating Samhain. My own ancestors were pivotal in implementing that. In the old days, the villagers here would pray to him and make offerings for a bountiful harvest during the festival of Samhain. Nowadays most people have forgotten that custom, but there are still a few of us that hold on to the old ways.”

    “And I take it you’re one of those people?”

    “Certainly. My family was one of the first to begin the tradition and we’ve held onto it to this very day. It’s just a shame that so many others have forgotten what makes us who we are.”

    “Well. Thank you for your time, Mr. Walsh. You’ve given me a lot of information that might be useful in this case.”

    “Anytime Fred. I’m only too happy to help. Please, feel free to stop by if you have any more questions.”

    With that, Fred left the old Halloween store, having just gleaned some very interesting information about their second suspect.

[chauliodus]

Velma walks into the Maple Creek Town Library. It is a fairly large library, as far as small towns go. The library is dimly lit with only the glow of several antique lamps by tables and chairs providing a warm, cozy place to read. The library consists of two floors of book cases and several seating areas. Each of the book cases is marked with a particular section or sections relating to the genre of books contained on the shelves.

    Noticing a small section on town history, she ascends the spiral staircase to the second floor. To her dismay, the section only fills one shelf on the bookcase. She flips through some of the books but finds nothing of use in those. Her attention is quickly drawn towards a couple of books entitled Maple Creek’s Dark History. Velma takes the two books to a table and flips through them. The first book reveals that the town fell victim to a particularly brutal occupation of British and Hessian forces in the months leading up to the Revolutionary War, one which led to a devastating battle once the war broke out. The second book explores the town’s relationship with Samhain and how the festival helped shaped the town’s identity and values. Reaching the end of the book, Velma is surprised to see a listing for a third book in the series about the history of Fox Hollow Farm. She hurries back to the bookcase and puts the two books away. To her chagrin, she discovers that the third book is missing.

    “Velma? Velma, is that you dear?”

    Velma whips around to see Edna Plunkett pushing a cart of books

    “Yes, it is. I was just looking at the books on the town’s history. Unfortunately, one of the books I wanted to read appears to be checked out already.”

    “That’s odd. Nobody ever checks those books out. The townsfolk already know all about the local history and the few tourists we do get don’t tend to come in here much. Come with me, dear. Let’s see who’s checked it out.”

    Velma follows Edna back down the stairs to the front desk. Edna steps behind the desk and types something into her computer.

    “Ah, here we are. It seems that book was loaned out to… Des Krogan.”

    “Hmm. He’s sure been focusing on the farm, hasn’t he? Oh well. I’ll just have to check out the other books.”

    “If you were looking into the local history, I’d be happy to help. The town museum is located right in the back of the library. I’d be more than willing to show you around and answer your questions.”

    “Thank you, Mrs. Plunkett. That would be very helpful.”

    “Please, call me Edna. And I’m only too happy to help! It’s not every day I get young people coming in here, excited to learn about history.”

Velma followed her into the back room. It was filled with glass cases, each containing all manner of artifacts: clothes from throughout the centuries, old farming tools, an antique printing press, an old spinning wheel and more. Framed on the walls were old newspaper clippings, vintage photographs, and a few old paintings. Velma immediately found herself drawn to a case containing a few faceless dolls made of dried corn leaves.

    “The festival of Samhain appears to be popping up quite frequently during this investigation. I must confess, I don’t know as much about it as I should. Would you mind telling me more about it?”

    “Oh, certainly. Samhain is an ancient Celtic festival that originated in Ireland centuries ago. The name Samhain is actually Gaelic for “Summer’s End.” The festival is meant to mark the division between the light half of the year and the darker half. Consequently, though not originally intended as such, it also came to celebrate the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter preparations. This was especially true here in Maple Creek where it came, in large part, to celebrate the end of a successful harvest. The townsfolk would even make offerings to the Horned God, Cernunnos, for another healthy harvest next year. Given its association with the end of the harvest, it was also a time for people to hold a grand feast and partake in some of their hard-grown crops.

    “It was also said that Samhain took place at the time of the year when the division between our world and the otherworld was at its thinnest, a time when spirits could pass back and forth freely. Returning family ancestors were welcomed back with open arms and honored. Great bonfires were lit to guide them on their way. Of course, not all of the spirits were so benevolent. Dark spirits and monsters were also known to cross through. To keep themselves safe, people would often dress up as these creatures to move safely among them. The bonfires also helped to repel harmful spirits. When the fires began to die out, they were placed in hollowed out turnips and gourds to keep the dark forces at bay. Over time, this tradition evolved into what is now carving jack-o’-lanterns.

    “Another common practice during Samhain was mumming and guising. People would dress up in costumes and travel door to door, singing, dancing, playing instruments, and reciting stories or poetry. In return, they were often granted meager rewards, typically in the form of food. I suspect that it is this custom that ultimately evolved into trick-or-treating. Anyway, the festival of Samhain eventually merged with the Christian holiday of All Hallow’s Eve to become the holiday we now know as Halloween.”

    “I hadn’t realized just how crucial Samhain was to the formation of Halloween. It certainly makes more sense why Halloween is such a big deal here. It incorporates much of the festival that helped form the town.”

    “Yes, but unfortunately all they recognize now is that modern commercialized knockoff. It’s disgraceful! I try to educate the townsfolk in hopes that they’ll return to it, but they’re not interested. They have completely abandoned their roots. It makes me sick! Well, I’ll tell ya, one of these days they’re going to come to regret it and I hope I’m there that day to see it!”

    Interesting, Velma concludes. She sure seems pretty upset that people here aren’t embracing their heritage. I wonder just how far she would go to get people to return to it…

    Rather than give an indication to her suspicions, Velma pointed to one of the displays. “Those little corn husk dolls…Are they a part of Samhain as well?”

    “Traditionally no. However, it was a local custom here in Maple Creek to make them out of the newly harvested corn and offer them up to the Horned God as tribute. How did you know?”

    “I didn’t. It was just a hunch. The guys found one back at the farm last night.”

    “Well, I’m not surprised. The original owner of the property was a devout practitioner of the festival. He likely made several during his lifetime.”

    Hmm. They found that doll in their bedroom upstairs. That part of the house is new. What would a centuries old corn husk doll be doing in a part of the house that had only been constructed a few decades ago?

    “In fact, if you look at that painting to your right, you’ll see a depiction of him in front of the original house.”

    Velma looked over to see an aged oil painting depicting three men standing in front of a white colonial building. The stocky man in the middle was slightly shorter than the other. He wore a black tricorn cap, a light brown jacket, gray trousers, long white stockings and black shoes. The man on the left looked a little older than the other two, but not by much. He wore a brilliant blue jacket with gold trimmings, a golden yellow waistcoat, black breaches, long white stockings, a pair of black buckled shoes with golden buckles, and a white powdered wig. The man on the right was the tallest of the three. He was extremely gaunt, with long stringy brown hair and a sour expression on his face. He wore a long brown coat, a dirty white undershirt, brown trousers, tall black boots and a dark brown capotain upon his head.

    “That man in the middle is Finnegan O’Malley, the original owner of Fox Grove Farm. On the left is Sir Patrick Walsh, his best friend and cofounder of the town, and on the right is his lead farmhand, Jeremiah Salt.”

    Velma looks closer at Jeremiah’s face. Suddenly, something clicks. “Jinkies. He looks just like Jonas!”

    “He should. That’s Jonas’s ancestor. I told you his family had been there since the beginning.”

    “So, his family was working on the farm during all of the disappearances?”

    “That’s right. If you ask him about it, I’m sure he’ll regale you with all of the tales of the strange things his family has encountered on that farm over the centuries. There are far more bizarre happenings on that farm than just the disappearances and hauntings. For example, did you know that despite being situated on the least fertile ground in all of Maple Creek, it is somehow the most productive farm in town. Here, take a look for yourself.”

    Edna pulls out an ancient, cracked, leather-bound book from the display case directly below the painting. She flipped through the crumbling yellow pages until she found what she was looking for. “Here we go, these pages show a record of each of the local farms’ production by year. As you can see, each and every year Fox Grove Farm’s production was significantly greater than all of the other local farms. And have a look at this…” She pointed out a few key years in particular. “As you can see, on these years all of the other farms were able to grow next to nothing. That’s because on those particular years a blight of one form or another hit the town, killing all of the crops in town. All of the crops, that is, except for those at Fox Grove Farm, where they were able to produce the same level of productivity as all of the other years!”

    “That is strange,” Velma agrees as she quickly racks her brain for possible scientific explanations.

    At that moment, a middle-aged woman poked her head through the door. “Excuse me. Edna? There’s a man at the front desk who needs help finding some books for his research.”

    “Alright. I’ll be right there.”

    The woman left as Edna turned to Velma. “I’m so sorry Velma. I’m afraid I have to go. I hope I was able to help you in your investigation.”

    “Yes, thank you. I think you’ve given me some valuable information that should help me with this mystery!”

    Velma smiles as she exits the library, having gained several important clues and a potential new suspect…

-----------------------------------------
Wow. That was a long one, huh? I'll try and post scene 8 later today. 

[chauliodus]

---Scene 8--- 

Everyone had just finished eating, except Shaggy and Scooby of course, who are still on their third helping of desert. They both have a giant, triple-decker, homemade apple pie in front of them. Scooby quickly swallows his pie whole, and Shaggy goes to do the same. Right before he takes his bite, Mrs. Campbell walks up behind him.

    “Good heavens, are you boys still eating?”

    “We can’t help it, Mrs. C. You’re cooking is delicious. And Scoob and I know our cooking!”

    “Well, I’m just glad that you like it. Help yourself to all the leftovers you want!”

    While Shaggy is distracted talking to Elizabeth, Scooby inhales with all his might, sucking in all the apple filling out of Shaggy’s pie and leaving nothing but the crust behind. He swallows it happily and licks his lips.

    “Rmm mmm.”

    Shaggy bites down into his pie and chews thoughtfully. “Well, the crust is delicious but, like, you can hardly taste the apples!”

    “Re he he he he.”

    Shaggy and Scooby finish their last round of desert and join the others in the living room. Velma is typing away furiously on her laptop.

    “Take a look at this!” Velma announces. “I’ve been digging into the history of our P.I. friend Wendell, and I found something very interesting. He was relatively unheard of before this whole thing and his business was failing fast. But now he’s gained a lot of notoriety since taking the case and, according to his website, he’s become completely backed up with new propositions.”

    “Hmm, do you think he staged this whole kidnapping just to get some attention for his business?” Fred ponders. “It’s certainly turned out to be excellent publicity and he sure would look like a hero if he ‘found’ the girl he kidnapped in the first place.”

    “Well, if you ask me, I’d say our culprit is Des Krogan,” Daphne interjects. “He’s completely determined to make a big comeback in his career and would do anything to get his hands on this property. Plus, he’s got the special effects capabilities to pull off all of these hauntings.”

    “So does Mason,” Fred points out. “And he has intimate knowledge of the property. He may not have actually forgiven Brandon for what happened to his father and decided to kidnap Brandon’s daughter for revenge. And he also is a devout practitioner of Samhain, which seems to be popping up all over the place during this investigation.”

    “So is Edna,” Velma adds. “She seemed pretty upset that people in town don’t celebrate the festival anymore. I wonder if she’d go so far as to stage a Samhain-related disappearance just to force people to pay attention to it.”

    “Let’s not forget about creepy old Jonas,” Shaggy says. “He gives Scooby and I the willies, right Scooby?”

    “Reah, willies!”

    “Fair enough, but I don’t know if being creepy warrants him a place on the suspect list,” Velma comments. “However, he is a devout practitioner of Samhain and knows the property better than anyone. Even more, he has unrestricted access here which would make it pretty easy for him to set up a haunting. I wonder…”

    “Hey, you kids. You gotta hear this!”

    They turn to see the B.U.M.P.S. team rushing in. Ted carries his laptop over and drops it down next to Velma’s.

    “We finished going through all the EVPs and you’ll never believe what we recorded. It will blow your minds.”

    “Like, BLTs? I’ll go for that!”

    “Not BLTs, Shaggy,” Jackson explains. “EVPs. It stands for electronic voice phenomena. Ghosts can make vocalizations we can’t hear. This equipment can record these vocalizations. Case in point…”

    He hits a button on his computer and a crackly recording begins to play. The gang jump in their seats when the first vocalization plays. “Leave this place,” a wheezy voice whispers. “Leave this place!”

    “And that’s not all. We also got this one.”

    The next recording is just as crackly as the first, only this time the voice is much more faded. They can clearly hear the same voice speaking, but it was far too low to make out what exactly it was saying.

    “Now look what happens when we make some simple adjustments…”

    He clicks a few buttons on the screen and then plays the recording again. The sound is much clearer now and the volume has been raised just enough to hear what the voice is saying. The message they hear makes everyone in the room’s hair stand on end.

    “The horned god is watching…”

    “Any idea what that means?” Jackson asks.

    “The Horned God is definitely a reference to Cernunnos. Beyond that, I’m not sure,” Velma answers.

    “You’re not actually suggesting that an ancient Celtic God took the kids are? That’s ridiculous. It sounds like something out of The National Exaggerator!”

    “Of course not. I’m just saying there seems to be some kind of connection.”

    “Of course, it could be an alias the kidnapper is using. They could have hidden cameras here and could be watching us right now,” Daphne adds.

    “But that doesn’t explain the recording. Why would the kidnapper stage a fake haunting and have one of their ghosts confess that they hid cameras? It just doesn’t make any sense,” Velma ponders.

    “Unless they’re trying to get inside our heads and trip us up,” Fred points out. “We could make some risky decisions and possibly make some mistakes if we thought someone was watching us, or waste valuable time if we go searching for cameras that aren’t even there. One way or another, we have to be extra careful. If we make one wrong move here, Kimmy and Derek could be put in serious danger!”

    “Wait ‘till you all see what we found,” a female voice calls out, interrupting their conversation. Samantha and Diane enter the room and join the others. Samantha places a photocopy of some papers down on the table in front of them. Diane wedges herself in between Fred and Daphne. “I’ll just squeeze in here...”

    Samantha shakes her head in frustration. “We went to the hall of records and found that there have been over a hundred unsolved disappearances in Maple Creek, most of which occurred on or around Fox Grove Farm. They each took place right before Samhain every year. Take a look for yourself!”

    Velma takes the papers and flips through them. “There’s something familiar about these dates... Jinkies! These are all on the same years as those big famines, when Fox Grove Farm was the only farm to produce crops!”

    “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Diane asks her sister.

    “Yeah. I think—”

    “Everyone! Come quick!”

    They all turn to see Elizabeth burst into the room.

    “There’s a strange man outside, creeping around in the yard!”

    They all run to follow her. She joins her husband by the kitchen window and points outside. They all peer outside and, sure enough, there is a dark figure dressed in red robes slowly slinking across the lawn.

    “Who do you suppose that is?” Brandon asks.

    “I don’t know, but I intend to find out,” Fred responds. “Come on!”

    They all rush outside but there is no sign of the mysterious figure.

    “He could have gone anywhere. We should split up and look for him. We’ll be able to cover a lot more ground that way.”

    “I agree. Elizabeth and I will check the cornfield!” Brandon says and heads off with his wife.

    “Sam and I will check the barn. Good luck Fred…” Diane teases before dashing into the cornfield with her sister.

    “Ted and I will check the stables,” Jackson announces. “Louis and Meghan will check the wheat field.” The members of B.U.M.P.S. dispersed to their respective locations.

    “Looks like that just leaves us gang. Daphne, Velma, and I will all check the woods. Shaggy and Scooby, that leaves you with the old grist mill.”

    “Ah man. How do we always end up with the spooky old mill?”

[chauliodus]

---Scene 9--- 

“Like, this is the place Scoob, but it’s so dark in there…”

    They stand in front of the old grist mill. Its wood is worn and the paint has long since chipped away, but the structure stands strong. The old waterwheel turns slowly through the dark waters of the creek.

    “If he’s in there, he could be waiting for us to walk through the door so he can grab us. Let’s check and see if there’s another way in around back."
    Shaggy and Scooby creep around to the back. There are no doors but there is a series of windows not too high above them.

    “I wonder if we could get up to those windows. What do you think Scoob? Scoob? Scooby-Doo, where are you?”

    Scooby is distracted by an otter peering at him from the water’s edge. Scooby peaks his head over the dock to get a better look.

    “Rello.”

    The otter gives a playful squeak and swats Scooby on the nose with its paw. It swims off a few feet to his left and then dives under the water. Scooby dashes over and peers over the dock at the spot where his new playmate just vanished. The otter resurfaces in the same spot it was originally, jumps onto the dock, and scrambles up behind Scooby. It gives his tail a playfully tug, causing him to twirl around. It backs up a few feet and gives another happy squeak. Scooby runs to it but it dashes under him and pops up behind him, giving his tail another playful tug. Squeaking happily, it dives into the water and disappears beneath the surface. Scooby follows it to the dock’s edge and looks down at the dark water.

    He lets out a frightened yelp as the ghosts of two teenage boys dressed in Amish clothes begin to float up to the surface towards him. The older of the two raises its left hand up towards him.

    “Raggy! Rhosts!”

    “No, no. Not more ghosts!”

    Immediately after saying that, a pale, wet hand grabs the dock right next to him. The ghost of a much older Amish man hoists itself up. His clothes are completely soaked and he’s covered in seaweed. His transparent skin is milky white and waterlogged. The ghost’s empty eye sockets glow with eerie white light. Its long dark beard lay drenched and matted against its chest. The terrifying phantasm reaches an arm out towards them. It opens its mouth to speak, but its words are gargled as water pours out its mouth like a waterfall.

    “Let’s get out of here!”

    Shaggy and Scooby run back towards the front of the mill. The drenched, wheezing spirit slowly shambles along behind them, followed by the ghosts of the two boys, who have just climbed their way onto the dock. Shaggy and Scooby run into the old grist mill and slam the door behind them.

    “Looks like we lost them, old buddy. Might as well look around while we’re in here.”

    The room is extremely dark and dusty. The centuries old circular grinding mechanism sits unmoving in the center of the room, having not been used for several decades. Bags upon bags of flower lie abandoned, particularly on the balcony on the far wall where they had been piled up in stacks nearly five feet tall.

    “Raggy, look! Corn!”

    Scooby stands over a few broken stalks and bushels of corn that have been scattered on the ground in front of the ladder leading up to the balcony.

    “Hey, like, you’re right Scooby. This is corn. What’s it doing here? The cornfield has to be at least a mile away…”

    They are interrupted from their thoughts by a loud ominous wind. Above them, they hear an eerie wooden creak followed by a sinister laugh. They look up to see the cloaked figure peering at them from the balcony. He is dressed in all-red robes with intricate Celtic designs on the edges. His hands are completely wrapped in bandages and he wears a deer skull over his face.

    “You should have never followed me here,” he says in a frightening, screechy voice. “Now you shall pay the price!”

    They both yowl in fear and run for the door, throwing it open. They scream in terror and jump back a few feet. There, standing in the doorway, is the scarecrow, scythe in hand. Shaggy and Scooby step back and look behind them. The hooded figure has disappeared. They look back towards the scarecrow. With a raspy hiss, it leaps towards them. 

{At this point, some rock music (like the Skycycle songs in Zombie Island) would begin to play as the chase begins…} 

Shaggy and Scooby dash up the ladder with the scarecrow right behind them. They quickly scramble up one of the piles of flower bags, hoping they’ll be too far up for the scarecrow to grab them. Instead, he swings his scythe and cuts the stack down, sending Shaggy and Scooby tumbling backwards and falling through the open window. The scarecrow leaps out and lands behind them, continuing to give chase. They look back and notice that they haven’t managed to put any distance between themselves and their pursuer. A quick glance down reveals that they have landed on the water wheel and are all essentially running in place. They jump off the water wheel and plunge into the creek below. Shaggy and Scooby shake hands as they sink down to the bottom, confident that they have just lost the monster.

    At that moment, a massive dark shape drifts towards them, eyes glowing red and razor-sharp teeth gleaming. They both let out a scream as the giant fish shoots toward them. They swim away just as the massive jaws clamp down right where they were. They swim away at full speed as Murry speedily follows in behind. Needing a place to hide, they swim back towards the mill. They squeeze through a small a crevice and hide behind the water wheel. The immense fish charges at them, but only manages to get its head stuck in the crevice, trapping it and causing it to get repeatedly beaten senseless by the water wheel as the paddles continuously slap against its skull.

    They climb back up on the dock, only to be immediately set upon by the scarecrow. They dash through the forest with the scarecrow in hot pursuit. Before they know it, they’re back in the farmyard. Looking for a place to hide, they spot the perfect location just as the scarecrow exits the forest. They dive into the well and the scarecrow runs right past them. As they climb back out of the well, the scarecrow turns around and spots them. Terrified, they jump into the pen holding the sheep. The scarecrow picks through the flock to find them as they secretly crawl under the sheep and come out the other side. Seeing a fully loaded hay wagon parked out in the yard, they jump in. They let out a sigh of relief, believing themselves to be safe. They are startled when a set of four extremely sharp metal prongs stab down into the hay. The scarecrow is standing on the top of the haystack, thrusting a pitchfork down into the hay. Shaggy and Scooby roll around in horror, desperately trying to avoid the sharpened points.

    They burst back out of the haystack and run into the stable, slamming the barn doors behind them. They jump into a stable and hide with the sleeping horse. The scarecrow walks in and looks around. He smiles wickedly as he notices Scooby’s tail sticking out from under the stable door. The scarecrow walks over to the door and rootlike tendrils burst out from his back, wrapping around Shaggy and Scooby. He lifts them up and draws them closer as they kick and flail, trying to pry the roots off of them. As he tries to free himself, Scooby accidently kicks the horse’s hindquarters. Startled, it kicks out with its hindlegs, striking the scarecrow hard with its hooves. The scarecrow’s tendrils release them as it goes flying backwards, striking the ground and breaking in half into legs and torso. To their horror, the torso begins rapidly crawling towards them at an impossible speed as the legs run after it. They run out of the barn and into the farmhouse, slamming the door behind them. 

{At this point, the music concludes as the chase scene ends.}

Fred, Daphne, and Velma rush out of the woods and onto the lawn, having followed the sounds of Shaggy and Scooby’s screams. They are soon joined by the other members of the search party. Everyone gasps as dozens of ghosts pop up around them. More and more materialize until the lawn becomes completely filled with misty spirits.

    “They’re real,” Jackson whispers in terror. “They’re actually real…”

    To their surprise, the spirits seem to ignore them completely and instead drift silently towards the farmhouse. It was then that they notice the scarecrow trying to break down the door. Turning around, the scarecrow notices the advancing spirits and hisses. With a frightening screech, it leaps straight up and onto the roof, vaults over the side, and disappears into the mist. Upon reaching the doorstep, each of the ghosts dissolve and disappear, as though they had never been there in the first place.

    Everyone races up to the porch. Brandon turns the handle and pulls open the door. They all yelp and jump back as the tower of furniture comes tumbling out the door. Stepping over the mess, they find Shaggy and Scooby still huddled up on the floor, whimpering pathetically.

    “It’s ok guys, the ghosts are gone!” Daphne informs them.

    “Phew,” Scooby says, relieved.

    Shaggy looks down at their fallen tower and frowns. “Well, that was totally useless.”

    “I wouldn’t worry about it Shaggy,” Fred chuckled. “That scarecrow wasn’t smart enough to try the knob first.”

    “Like, if he only had a brain, eh Scoob!”

    “Reah. Re he he he he.”

    “What I want to know is how anyone could fake that many ghosts. It seems a little implausible,” Daphne observes.

    Velma shakes her head in disbelief. “Guys,” she says softly, “I think it’s time to consider the possibility of a real haunting…”

[chauliodus]

---Scene 10---

The next morning, the gang gathers around the dinner table with the Campbells, the Colchester sisters, and Wendell Travers. As they eat their breakfast, they discuss the events of the previous night.

    “I don’t get it,” Velma ponders. “We have all of these clues but I still don’t see how they fit together. Everything we encountered last night suggests we’re dealing with an actual haunting, but that cloaked figure and the threatening call to Mrs. Perkins suggest a human crime. I just don’t see how it all connects. The only thing I do know is that it somehow connects to Samhain and the history of this property. Jonas seems to know the most about those things. I say we speak to him next.”

    “I agree,” Fred says. “Today is Halloween, which is also the day of Samhain. Whatever our culprit is planning, I have a feeling its going down tonight.”

    “It would have been a lot easier if we could have caught that scoundrel last night,” Brandon adds. “Say, Wendell, where were you last night? We could have used your help to catch him!”

    “I wish I had been there. I was doing some digging in the Hall of Records all day and lost track of time. I left pretty late at night and then got some dinner, but by the time I got back I had missed out on everything. Now if you’ll excuse me, I found a lead yesterday that I’d like to follow up on right away.”

    With that, he wipes his upper lip with his napkin, stands up, and rushes out the door. The Colchester sisters knit their eyes together as they watch him leave. Then they turn back to the gang and lean in.

    “Alright, that guy,” Diane says, pointing with her thumb towards the door, “is full of bogus.”

    Samantha nods her head in agreement. “We were at the Hall of Records all day yesterday too, and he definitely wasn’t there.”

    “Well, if he wasn’t at the Hall of Records, where was he?” Elizabeth thought aloud, suddenly suspicious of the man she’d recently come to consider a trustworthy friend.

    “This mystery is getting more and more complicated by the minute,” Fred observes. “Come on gang, let’s go talk to Jonas and get some answers!”


They found Jonas coming out of the cornfield, pushing a wheelbarrow loaded with corn. With his boots covered in mud and his overalls splattered with paint, he looked like he had been working since sunrise.

    “Good morning, Jonas,” Fred greets him. “Mind if we ask you a few questions?”

    “I’m busy,” he grumbles, clearly annoyed. “But I doubt that will stop you, so you might as well ask them anyways so we can get this over with and I can get back to work.”

    “Gee, thanks… Say, what are you working on anyway.”

    “Well, this wheelbarrow is filled with corn so I guess I’m… harvesting the corn! As you saw the other day, it’s starting to rot. I’ve started to harvest as much of it as I can, before the entire crop spoils. But I know that you didn’t come out here to stop me from doing my job just to ask me what it was that you stopped me from doing, so what are you really after?”

    “We were hoping you could tell us about how Samhain relates to the history of Fox Grove Farm,” Velma responds quickly.

    “Aw, that I can help you with,” he says, wiping his hands with an old handkerchief. “Samhain has been celebrated at this farm from the very beginning. Finnegan O’Malley, the property’s original owner, was a devout follower of the old ways. He observed the festival every year. They would have a great feast with family, friends, and neighbors. There would be games and singing, and they would dance long into the night. Then, at midnight, the real ceremony would begin. They would build an effigy of the horned god in the cornfield and place offerings beside it. Then they would set it all aflame and pray to Cernunnos for a bountiful harvest. This tradition continued from one owner to the next and lasted until the mid-1800s when the Christians threatened us to abandon our ‘Pagan’ ways. Now our ancient ways have been all but forgotten, with only a small number of us desperately trying to keep the tradition alive… Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve wasted enough time here. I have to get back to work.” Whistling to himself, he pushes past them and makes his way towards the barn.

    “Well, that was rude, but at least he gave us an important clue,” Daphne comments.

    “Right,” Velma agrees. “We now know how the horned god, Samhain, and Fox Grove Farm tie together: with a ceremony in the cornfield at midnight. Whatever our masked man is planning, I’m betting that’s when and where he’ll do it!”

    “So that’s where we’ll set our trap,” Fred announces. “Let’s head back to the house and get ready.”

    The teens turn and walk back to the farmhouse. Coming around the side, Velma notices something unusual about the cellar doors. Stuck between the two wooden doors is a scrap of red cloth. Velma picks it up and examines it.

    “Jinkies. This is a piece of that cloaked figure’s robe. He must have gone through here last night.”

Just as Velma states her observation, they notice a small, lithe figure in the cornfield, which immediately retreats deeper into the corn upon realizing it had been noticed.

    “Who was that?” Fred wonders aloud.

    “It could be our mystery man,” Daphne says. “We should investigate!”

    “Alright,” Fred says nodding his head in agreement. “Let’s split up, gang! Daphne and I will search the cornfield. Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby, you guys can check the basement.”

    With that, the two groups go their separate ways. 


Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby creep down the old, slightly rotten steps and into the basement, a crumbling root cellar. The basement is very dark and it is difficult to see anything. Velma feels along the wall and flips on a switch, illuminating a single light bulb hanging over their heads. The room contains several shelves and crates loaded with fresh produce, a wheelbarrow, some additional gardening equipment, a hot water heater, and other miscellaneous junk.

    “No clues here Velma,” Shaggy observes optimistically. “Why don’t we just go back up and get ready for Halloween?”

    “Reah. Rick or treat!”

    “Oh, come on you big scaredy cats. We haven’t even looked around ye—”

    At that exact moment, the light goes out. There, directly across the room from them, is a pair of glowing white eyes. In the gloom they are able to faintly make out the silhouette of a man standing against the back wall. The eyes stare unblinkingly at them until they disappear when the light comes back on. Shaggy and Scooby quickly breathe a sigh of relief, then the light flickers back off. Instantly the eerie figure is back, only this time it seems a few inches closer. The light flickers back on and the apparition once again disappears. The light continues to flicker on and off, with the glowing eyed phantom drawing slowly closer every time the light goes out. The ghost is soon halfway to them. The light flickers on and off again. This time, however, when the light goes out, the figure does not reappear. They wait in silence, with baited breath. When the light flickers back on, the ghost is right in front of them. The spirit is now clear to see and Velma quickly identifies it as the ghostly white, transparent figure of Finnegan O’Malley. The formerly glowing eyes were now empty black pits.

    “Get out!” the spirit screeched.

    Not having to be told twice, Shaggy and Scooby immediately turn and run screaming back up the stairs and out of the basement.


Fred and Daphne walk through the towering rows of corn. The stalks rise far overhead, casting deep, inky black shadows. Suddenly they see a dark figure dash through the corn in front of them. They race to follow, but when they reach the spot that the figure ducked into, they find nobody there. They immediately hear a rustling behind them and turn just in time to see someone tuck back into the corn. They follow, clearly able to see a figure just beyond them, but never able to make out who it is. In an instant, the figure disappears and they find themselves lost between the rows. Panicked, they tear their way through the corn, desperate to find a way out. After a few minutes of circling and backtracking, they find their way back onto a path. Ahead of them is an opening to a clearing, and standing in the clearing are the two ghostly Amish boys that Shaggy and Scooby had encountered the night before.

    “You shouldn’t be here,” the first spirit warns.

    “He’s watching you. Leave before it’s too late,” the second adds, before they both fade away.

    “Jeepers. Where those ghosts real, Fred?”

    “I don’t know, but I have a feeling our answers lie in that clearing. Come on!”

    Entering the clearing, they find it to be the sight of the of the scarecrow’s hitching post. The scarecrow itself is nowhere to be seen, but a crude stone altar had been constructed in front of the post. The altar has been covered in freshly painted Celtic symbols. Fresh crops, a bowl of water, and two empty candlesticks had also been placed on the altar The clearing has been greatly widened, now measuring about a half-mile in every direction.

    “Looks like someone’s been busy,” Daphne comments. “I’ll bet this is where they’re going to do whatever it is they plan to do tonight.”

    “Then this is where we’ll set our trap!”


Velma now finds herself alone in the old root cellar. She was understandably shaken. She was a skeptic by nature and needed absolute proof that a supernatural entity was real. After all, she had enough experience with hoaxes to justify her skepticism. That was not to say she was in denial. Her experiences in Moonscar Island and Oakhaven had done more than enough to convince her of the existence of the supernatural. In truth, the concept fascinated her. She was, above all else, a scientist, and the scientific questions posed by the existence of ghosts were thrilling to her. She would never admit it, but there was a part of her that hoped that every haunting they investigated was real so she could unlock a bit more of that mystery and open up a whole new field of study to science.

    Swallowing down her nerves she takes a closer look at the spot where the ghost had disappeared. There, in the muddy floor, is a set of footprints starting from the stairs and leading to the spot where the ghost had first appeared. Following the footprints, she finds that they pass underneath one of the shelves. Crouching down, she notices a series of scuff marks in an arc in the dirt in front of the shelving unit.

    “I wonder…”

    She grabs hold of the shelf and pulls. Just as she suspected, it swings out easily, as if on hinges. Behind the shelf is an ancient wooden door. She pushes the door and it swings open with ease, revealing another set of stairs, illuminated by flickering torches. Velma quickly notes that the presence of lit torches must mean that someone has been down here recently. She makes a mental note to be extra careful, just in case whoever it was decides to come back.

    Descending down the stairs, Velma enters the subbasement. The walls are constructed in crumbling old brick. Ancient rotting wooden shelves on the walls contain wood carved idols, jars of strange ingredients, poultices, corn husk dolls, and other creepy occult objects. Across the room is a worn stone altar, covered with various knickknacks.

    “Jinkies! This must be a part of the original structure of Fox Grove Farm.”

    She walks to the altar to take a better look, but stops as something catches her eye on the shelf of idols. One of them immediately draws her attention. It is of an upright humanesque figure with a cat head holding a bowl. She’s seen it before; there was a much larger version of it carved from stone in Simone’s ritual chamber on Moonscar Island. It was supposed to be a depiction of the settlers’ cat god. But what was it doing here in Maple Creek?

    She continues to the altar, glancing at its contents. On its surface were various items: crushed plants, crystals, a mortar and pestle, an ancient bronze goblet, an equally ancient brass handbell, candles, a crooked dagger, and an old leather tome. What immediately drew her attention was a golden statue. It was a much larger replica of the statue of Cernunnos in the living room, only this version was made of gold and adorned in jewels. It was clearly well polished and delicately cared for, but very old, likely even older than this property. Believing she had gathered all the clues she could from this hidden shrine, she was about to turn to leave when she notices something alarming on the old tome. Fixed on the cover of the ancient text is an embossed image of a fanged skull. It is an exact replica of Sarah Ravencroft’s spell book.

[chauliodus]

---Scene 11--- 

Once the gang has met back up in the house, they settle in the dining room to compare notes.

    “But that’s impossible!” Fred exclaims. “We saw that old spell book burn up ourselves. It couldn’t possibly be in the basement.”

    “I looked through it myself,” Velma explains. “I might have only seen a few pages in Oakhaven, but what I did see didn’t seem to match what was in that book. It’s only appears to be a replica on the outside.”

    “Still, it has to be some kind of clue,” Daphne affirms. “You found it on an old stone altar similar to the one Fred and I found in the clearing.”

    “Right, and that clearing is a clue in and of itself,” Velma agrees.

    “I don’t see what the big deal is, Velma,” Shaggy responds. “We saw Jonas this morning. He said he’d started harvesting the corn.”

    “Right Shaggy,” Fred acknowledges. “He said he’d started harvesting the corn. If he just started this morning, he couldn’t possibly have cleared out that whole area. To have cleared out that much corn, it would have taken a couple of days at least.”

    Fred is suddenly interrupted by Jackson and the other members of B.U.M.P.S. They are storming towards the door, with Diane and Samantha following in close pursuit.

    “But you can’t just leave,” Samantha pleads. “This is what you signed up to do!”

    “No, what we signed up to do was investigate an allegedly haunted house for our TV show,” Jackson counters. “We were only going to film some creepy locations and rig some spooky happenings for our viewers. We’ve been trying to do a show on this farm for years, but we were never able to get permission from the owners. When the Campbells came to us for our ‘ghost hunting skills’, we knew we just had to take the opportunity. But all of those ghosts in our show… They’re all fake. Every ghostly possession, moving chair, blurry figure on the thermal cameras—those are all our production crew. We didn’t sign up to face real ghosts! This is way beyond our paygrade. We’re out of here!”

    With that, they turn and leave, slamming the door behind them.

    “Aw, let them go! We don’t need ‘em!” Diane says, visibly annoyed. “They were a bunch of hacks anyways!”

    “Well, we’re not going anywhere, right gang?”

    “Like, speak for yourself, Fred. Scoob and I are getting as far away from this creepy place as we can. I hear Australia is lovely this time of year.”

    “Reah. Rooby-dooby-kangaroo!”

    “Why don’t you two chickens go out trick-or-treating?” Velma suggests. “All that candy ought to calm your nerves. We can’t spring our trap until later tonight anyways.”

    “Candy? Oh boy. I’m sold,” Shaggy proclaims excitedly. “Now we just need some costumes…”

    “If it’s costumes, you’re looking for, you might want to check upstairs,” Brandon suggests, walking into the room. “Since Halloween is so big in this town, we have a whole collection of decorations and costumes from previous owners. We’ve stored most of it in the attic.”

    “Let’s check it out, Scooby, old pal. Oh, I can almost taste the candy now.”

    “Rmm-hmm. Relicious!”

    As Shaggy and Scooby head upstairs to look for costumes, Fred turns his attention to his other three friends. “Let’s get back to that clearing. I want to set that trap up before it gets dark.”

    “Mind if we come along?” Samantha asks. “Diane and I want to set up some traps of our own.”

    “Sure. If we work together, that mystery man won’t know what hit him!” 


Shaggy turns the handle, opening the attic door with a loud creak. The room is almost completely dark. Only a sliver of light from the setting sun, peaking through the small circular window on the opposite end of the room, provides any light at all.

    “Man, is it dark in here. Help me find a switch Scooby!”

    They feel along the walls for a light switch. They grumble as they both bump into each other and the other junk in the attic. Eventually, Shaggy feels around and his hand hits a cord dangling from the ceiling.

    “Hold on, I think I found it.”

    Shaggy pulls the switch, and the room is illuminated. They both give out a yelp as they find themselves face to face with a grinning skeleton. Shaggy’s hair stands on end as Scooby jumps in his arms. A few seconds later, Shaggy lets out a laugh as he lets Scooby back down.

    “Like it’s just a dummy, ya big dummy. Brandon said this is where they stored the Halloween decorations. Imagine, you being scared of a cheap plastic skeleton!”

    “Re?!” Scooby says incredulously. As he recalled, his friend was just as scared.

    Indeed, the attic was filled with old Halloween decorations: plastic pumpkins, fake spiderwebs, Styrofoam gravestones, and much more were crammed in and around the other junk that cluttered the attic. Old Halloween costumes were interspersed on the rows of clothing racks with previous farm owners’ old clothes. Old furniture, lamps, paintings, mannequins, bicycles, toys, and sporting goods, among other things were all crammed together in heaping piles of junk, making the attic a kind of labyrinth of forgotten curios.

    “Well, we might as well look around. There’s bound to be some good costumes in here someplace.”

    They both split up and start looking through the attic. Scooby quickly spots a pile of old costumes. Among them are a ghostly white robe and a cheap zombie mask. Scooby snickers to himself as an idea forms in his mind.

    Shaggy, meanwhile, combs through one of the old clothing racks. “You know, a man’s liable to get lost around here. They should really take their spring cleaning more seriously!”

    Scooby, donned in the costume he found, puts his paw on Shaggy’s shoulder and lets out a low moan. Shaggy turns and sees the zombie-faced specter. With a yelp, he leaps into the clothing rack, hiding in an old trench coat. Snickering, Scooby takes of the zombie mask and pulls down the hood of his white cloak.

    “Rit’s only me!” he announces gleefully.

    Shaggy sticks his head out of the clothing rack, an annoyed expression on his face. “Hey. Like, what’s the big idea?”

    Shaggy gets out of his hiding place and takes a quick look around before turning back to Scooby. “Will you quit clowning around and help me find a costume?”

    Still snickering, Scooby-Doo removes his ghost costume before following his best friend.

    Shaggy puts on a lab coat and some oversize glasses. “Look at me, Scoob! I’m a mad scientist. Like, Dee-Dee, get out of my lab-bore-atory!”

    “Raggy. Rook at me!”

    Scooby has wrapped himself in toilet paper and has put on an ancient Egyptian costume.

    “Ha -ha. Good one, Scooby-Doo. You look like the spitting image of Pharaoh Ascoobis himself! Wait. I’ve got a better one. Check this out!”

    He dresses in a fancy black suit with a long red cape. He slicks his hair back and puts in a pair of fake fangs. “Like, I’m count Shagula!”

    They both laugh over their costumes before turning their attention to an old wardrobe in the back corner.

    “I bet there’s some good costumes in there. Go take a look Scooby.”

    “Ruh-uh. Roo spooky!” Scooby says defiantly, shaking his head.

    “Too spooky?” Shaggy turns his head, taking a closer look at the old wardrobe. Cast in shadows, the run-down old wardrobe did indeed look rather spooky. There was no telling what could be hiding in there. He laughs nervously to himself. “Well I’m not opening it. It’ll just have to be you.”

    “Ro, you!”

    “Oh no, you. I insist!”

    “Ro way!”

    Shaggy sighs. “Well, how about we both do it together. On the count of three?”

    Scooby thinks about it and nods. “Rokay!”

    Shaggy laughs nervously. “Here goes nothing! One for the money…two for the show…three to get ready…”

    Closing their eyes and gritting their teeth, they both pull their respective handles, opening the doors of the wardrobe. After nothing happens, they open their eyes to find the wardrobe filled with nothing but dusty old clothes.

    “Huh. Now how do you like that? Let’s see if there’s anything good in here.”

    He begins flipping through the clothes, trying to find a good costume. He pulls back some of the clothes briefly exposing the back end of the wardrobe. When he does, they find themselves greeted by the screaming, eyeless, transparent face of an old crone. The spectral figure has a bony, angular, hatchet shaped face with wild grey hair and lots of deep wrinkles. Her knobby form is draped in rags. The ghostly old woman begins to crawl out of the wardrobe, reaching towards them.

    “Like, let’s get out of here!”

    Without any further comment they both turn and bolt out of the attic.


Fred puts the finishing touches onto his trap.

    “There. Shaggy and Scooby will pop out from behind the altar; when the cloaked figure gives chase, he’ll trip over this rope and land in the wheelbarrow. At the same time, the broken rope will drop this suspended bag of grain onto the bellows. The bellows will release a blast of air that will push the wheelbarrow forward. It will hit this log and send him catapulting forward into this chicken wire. He’ll get tangled up in the wire and we’ll have him! What do you think?”

    Samantha raises an eyebrow. “Honestly? I’m still a little curious how a pair of antique fireplace bellows could generate enough force to push a wheelbarrow with a full-grown adult in it, let alone with enough force to flip it over once it hits that log, but I’ll take your word for it. This is your area of expertise, after all. Diane, how are we doing with our trap?”

    “Done and done. That kooky trap of his was so complex that I finished drawing our chalk binding circle and had time enough to spare to line it with salt for good measure before he was done with his.”

    Velma crosses her arms in contemplation. “I’m still not 100% convinced that what we’re dealing with here is supernatural, but it’s good to be prepared just in case.”

    “Right,” Daphne agrees. “Now all we need is the bait. Where are Shaggy and Scooby anyways?”


With the sun having finally dipped over the horizon, Shaggy and Scooby, clad in their vampire and mummy costumes, ring the doorbell of their first house.

    “Trick or treat!” Shaggy announces, as they hold out their potato sacks for candy.

    They are met by an exhausted looking middle-aged couple who look at them and frown.

    “Don’t you think you’re a little old to be trick or treating?” the woman asks.

    “Like yes, yes we are.”

    “Well, if you want us to give you treat, you’re going to have to do a trick.”

    “Umm…umm… I command this dog to speak!”

    “Rick or treat!” Scooby says happily.

    “Wow! A talking dog! That’s amazing! Here, take our candy. Take all our candy!”

    The couple dumps their entire candy supply into Shaggy and Scooby’s bags. The duo thanks the couple before departing towards the next house.

    “’Ya know, I’m surprised that worked. Normally people are completely unfazed by a talking dog.”
-----------------------------------------
 That's all I've got for tonight. Tomorrow: the culprit revealed! Stay tuned... 

[chauliodus]

---Scene 12--- 

Shaggy and Scooby had returned from trick-or-treating, removed their costumes, and assumed their places behind the altar in the cornfield. Fred, Daphne, Velma, Samantha, and Diane all hid in the cornfield, keeping their eyes on the trap. The old scarecrow was mysteriously back on its hitching post. A quick examination confirmed there was nothing inside but straw. The trap was set. Now all they needed was their culprit.

    It was just ten minutes before midnight when the cloaked figure arrived with a bound and gagged Kimberly and Derek. He forces them to kneel before the altar, then turns towards it. He places the golden statue of the Horned God on the altar, then places a circle of gemstones around it. Next, he places two black candles on the left and right of the statue and lights each one with a match. He mumbles some words in Old Irish and the gemstones begin to glow a golden orange color. He pulls out a pouch from his cloak and removes a pinch of dark blue powder. He tosses them into the flames, causing them to swell and turn green. All at once, the Celtic symbols that had been painted on the sides of the altar begin to glow white. He places the pouch back on the altar, then turns back to his two captives.

    “The all-powerful Cernunnos has heard my prayer. Behold! The Horned God rises!”

    Perfectly on que, Scooby rises from behind the altar with Shaggy, still crouched behind the altar, shining a light in behind him to give him a godlike glow. Scooby is dressed in a long robe with two tree branches tied to his head like antlers.

    Shaggy, using his ventriloquism skills, speaks for Scooby: “It is I. The great Horned God. You have angered me with your villainous schemes. Release your captives or, like, face the consequences!”

    Immediately, the cloaked figure growls, lunges forward, and pulls off the fake antlers, snapping them with his fists. He glares down at Scooby and snarls.

    Shaggy pops up next to him and gulps. “He saw through that faster than they normally do!” Shaggy observes frightenedly.

    Thinking fast, Scooby grabs the powder and tosses it in the villain’s face. He coughs as a cloud of blue smoke envelops his head. Shaggy and Scooby take advantage of this temporary distraction and leap over the altar, running towards the trap. The cloaked figure swats the last of the smoke away and turns to give chase. He quickly closes the gap, grabbing ahold of Scooby’s collar and the back of Shaggy’s shirt. At that exact moment, Shaggy and Scooby accidently trip over the rope, causing all three of them to fall forward. They topple into the wheelbarrow just as the severed rope drops the bag of grain. The heavy bag lands on the bellows, releasing a burst of air that sends the wheelbarrow shooting forwards. It hits the log and flips, sending all three of them flying forward. They crash into the chicken wire and are quickly tangled up.

    “Well, I’ll be doggone,” Samantha whispers in astonishment. “That crazy contraption actually worked.”

    “True,” Diane agrees. “But they did catch their own teammates.”

    “That’s ok,” Daphne responds as she, Fred, and Velma help untangle their friends. “We catch Shaggy and Scooby all the time.”

    Once the two had been freed, they free the villain’s captives.

    “Thank you, thank you, thank you…” Kimberly repeats, tears in her eyes, as she hugs each of her rescuers.

    “That crazy freak had us locked up in his basement,” Derek explains. “He said the town had forsaken their traditions and that we would pay for their sins. I didn’t think we would ever get out of there.”

    The gang turn their attention to the cloaked figure.

    “Now, let’s see who’s really behind all this!” Fred announces as he pulls the deer skull mask off his face. The disgruntled face of the Campbells’ farmhand is revealed underneath.

    “Jonas!” everyone exclaims in unison.

    Velma nods her head. “Just as we suspected.”

    “Wait. Hold up,” Diane exclaims, making the time-out symbol with her hands. “None of the clues my sister and I gathered suggested he had anything to do with this. How could you possibly have known?”

    “It’s actually quite simple. It became quite obvious pretty early on that the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain was integral to this mystery. While Des Krogan and Wendell Travers may have known of the festival, they didn’t have the intimate familiarity of it that the clues seemed to suggest. That left Jonas, Mason, and Edna. A series of clues we found recently directed us to Jonas. First, when I was exploring the basement, I discovered a set of footprints in the mud leading to the cloaked figure’s lair. When we saw Jonas a few minutes earlier, he had fresh mud on his boots. He also had fresh paint splattered on his overalls, which was an exact match to the paint on this altar. He said he just started harvesting corn this morning, but that was a lie. He’s been slowly harvesting corn from this clearing for the last two weeks. He used the hauntings as a distraction so he could clear out the corn in secret. He stored the extra corn in the abandoned grist mill, hiding them in old burlap sacks where they would be disguised as bags of flower. We were only able to see through his deception because Shaggy and Scooby found some of the corn that spilled out of a ripped sack last night when they were exploring the mill. He staged the kidnapping so people would be forced to acknowledge the old ways. By preparing this elaborate ritual before conveniently letting them escape, he knew they would spread the word of what happened. He hoped that the ensuing panic would make the town reassess the importance of the traditional festival of Samhain. He refused to let his fellow townsfolk forget their roots and abandon a centuries-old tradition that helped shape the identity of the town itself. What I haven’t been able to figure out is how he was able to fake all of these hauntings…”

    Much to the disturbance of all, Jonas begins to laugh. “You still don’t understand what’s actually going on here, do you? You have no idea what you’ve stumbled into.” The metal wiring that binds him suddenly glows red hot and melts, freeing him. He dissolves into inky purple smoke and reforms in front of the altar. With a wave of his hand, a wall of fire erupts around the circumference of the clearing. A simple snap of his fingers and a pair of massive tree roots erupt from the ground, wrapping around Derek and Kimberly.

    “You fail to comprehend the powers with which you are meddling. This isn’t some fake haunted house. This is true dark magic! You have interrupted a centuries old ritual, but now you will become a part of it!

    “You see, this all began with my ancestor, Jeremiah Salt. As the lead farmhand on the original property, he quickly came to realize that the land was infertile and any prospect of farming here was hopeless. The first winter was brutal and his family barely survived. His employer’s family had not been so lucky. Jeremiah knew he would have to take action himself to ensure that the next year’s harvest would not be so barren and thus, his family would not suffer the same fate as the O’Malley’s.

    “But my ancestor was no mere man. He had powers uniquely suited to solving this problem, for he was, in fact, a witch! He was a member of a powerful coven: a trio of witches who had pledged themselves to Cernunnos, along with Sarah Ravencroft and Melissa Wilcox. In return for their loyalty, the Horned God granted each of them a grimoire that would bestow upon them a portion of his power. However, that power alone would not be enough to save his family and so he prayed to his god to help him. The Horned God agreed, but at a price. He would make the land grow lush and fertile, and provide them with a bountiful feast, in return for proper tribute. He instructed Jeremiah to bring people before him, as many as could be gathered, on the night of Samhain so he could drain them of their souls. The more souls that were drained, the more lucrative the harvest. Jeremiah agreed and lured several townsfolk into the cornfield. Once they were drained, their spirits became bound to the property. Cernunnos instructed Jeremiah to scry into the mirror every year on the Autumnal equinox. If he did so, he would be shown a vision of the next year’s harvest. Should that year’s harvest be unsatisfactory, the old god would offer the same deal. True to his word, Cernunnos blessed the land and the next year brought with it a harvest unlike anyone had ever seen before. Unfortunately, Finnigan O’Malley learned of what Jeremiah had done and threatened to have him arrested. Regrettably, he was forced to offer Finnigan up to protect himself.

    “Since then, the grimoire has been passed down from generation to generation and with it the ritual to summon the Horned God and protect the land. After countless generations, the righteous duty has fallen to me. I have looked into the mirror and seen next year’s harvest. We are to be hit by a blight unlike any that have come before. That is why I have taken these two as tribute. I will save this land!”

    “You’re insane! You’ll never get away with this!”

    Jonas smirks, quickly stifling a laugh. “You seem to be under the impression you can do something about it. Make no mistake, it is already too late!”

    With a wave of his hand, the cornfield comes alive. The stalks writhe and grow, elongating into thrashing tendrils. The stalks wrap and twist around the shocked teens, ensnaring them in place. Suddenly, a familiar whistling sound fills the air, as dark clouds engulf the night sky.

    “At last! The Horned God arrives! Behold his fearsome majesty.”

    A pale green energy twists and swirls through the sky, snaking its way through the air until it strikes the golden idol on the altar. The flames of the candles on the altar flare up and rise off their wicks. The glowing flames circle around the idol faster and faster until they appear to become a singular ring of fire. Neon green bolts of spectral energy strike the ring, turning the flames a sickly yellow-green. The green ring stops circling the idol and becomes one ball of green fire. The fire ball shoots up into the sky, burning a hole through the top of the clouds. Wispy grey orbs of ghostly smoke rise from the ground, each with a different horrifying face. The orbs ascend into the air, vanishing through the hole in the clouds. For a moment, everything is silent. Then the sky seems to open up as a pillar of green fire descends from the heavens and strikes the ground in front of the altar. From within the flames a dark figure slowly emerges. Once the Horned God has fully emerged, the pillar dissipates.

    The Horned God is incredibly tall, standing at least ten feet in height. It is incredibly wiry and emaciated, with each of its ribs visible under the thin layer of shriveled dark grey skin. His lower body is that of a deer, with cloven hooves and dark brown fur. A patch of fur of the same color runs down the top of both of its forearms, as well as down its back and across its shoulders. Its elongated arms reach nearly to its knees. Its massive hands could easily close around a person’s head and each of its long bony fingers are tipped by a ten-inch talon. Four long, thin, curved spikes, resembling the horns of a Texas longhorn, stick out from its back. Its grey skin is stretched so tightly on its head that every feature of its skull is clearly defined and visible. It has no eyes or nose, only empty holes where its facial features should be. An infernal red glow shines out from its empty eye sockets. It’s long, crooked, rotting teeth are cracked and broken, it’s cuspids more than double the size of the rest of its teeth and tipped in sharp points like a vampire. Its long messy hair falls down loosely to its upper back. A rack of sharp pointed antlers adorns its head.

    The Horned God inhales deeply, then grins. At last, he speaks: “Ah, to once again walk this earth!” His voice is deep and guttural, almost like a growl. He walks calmly over to the bound Kimberly and Derek. Gently, he uses the tip of the talon on his left index finger to brush aside a strand of hair that had fallen over Kimberly’s face. “So, these are the mortal souls you have collected to satiate me this evening… Yes, they will do nicely.” He turns back to Jonas. “You have done well and you shall be rewarded.” Then he turns his attention to the others. “And an additional gift of troublesome interlopers. Tonight, I shall dine upon nine souls and my power shall grow!” He looks closer at the gang. “I know you… We have met once before…”

    “That’s impossible,” Daphne cries. “We’ve never seen you before today.”

    While Cernunnos is focused on her, Shaggy and Scooby start chewing through their restraints. It is corn after all…

    “Not in this form, perhaps, but we are already acquainted...”

    His form suddenly shifts into a cat headed figure with a human body.

    “Simone’s cat god…” Velma realizes, recognizing the image from the statue in the ritual chamber beneath Moonscar Mansion.

    The Horned God shifts back to its original form. “Indeed. For centuries, Moonscar Island served as a steady supply of souls until you meddling kids ruined it! How fortunate for me that you would end up here and become offerings yourselves.”

    “What do you want?” Fred demands.

    “What everyone wants. Pure, unlimited power. The more souls I absorb the more powerful I become. After millennia of feasting upon this earth, I have power enough to become a god. My ascension shall be glorious. A pity you won’t be around to witness it…”

    With a wave of his taloned hand, the ground begins to rumble.

    “For such a grand occasion I shall need an audience. Rise my brethren and join me on this most hallowed of nights!”

    One by one, horrible ghosts and monsters claw their way out of the ground.

    The first to emerge is the evil Irish spirt, the sluagh. It appears as a spectral figure in a tattered brown cloak, fettered in chains. Beneath is hood is an empty space were its eyes and nose should be. Its mouth is lined with needlelike teeth and its long bony hands are tipped by four inch-long, sharp hooked nails. Its seemingly dead flesh is a moldy green.

    Next up is the legendary banshee, the infamous Irish wailing ghost. Her eyes are empty white, to match her flowing white hair, which moves through the air as though she was underwater. Her skin is light grey with feintest of purple hints. She is wearing a tattered, moth-eaten 17th century white dress. Her mouth opens impossibly wide as she lets out a billowing scream.

    Third was the Irish spirit of famine, the fear gorta. It is a tall emaciated zombie with grey flesh and long white hair. Its eye sockets are empty black pits and it wears a crème-colored tunic whose sleeves had long since rotted away.

    Then came the fuath, the Scottish water demon. Resembling the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the monster is half man and half fish and covered in green scales. It has three sail-like fins running down its back. Its webbed fingers are tipped in massive six-inch-long claws. Its long, needle-like fangs are so large that the creature cannot fully close its mouth.

    The fifth ghost to emerge is the headless Irish spirit, the Dullahan. It is dressed in medieval armor with tattered cape. Green flames shoot out of the hole where its head should be. In its hand, it clutches a broadsword and in the other it carries its ghostly head which it holds by the hair. It sits perched atop a skeletal horse.

    Next is the “grey man”, the fear liath from Scotland. It looks like a towering sasquatch-like creature with glowing red eyes. Its face looks similar to a werewolf in the beginning stages of its transformation. Its semi-opaque body appears to be partly made from mist.

    It is followed by the puca, the Irish trickster spirit. It appears to have the body of a wolf, the tail of a longhaired cat, the arms of a primate, and a horse skull for a head. Its eyes glow a pale green-yellow and its fur is jet black.

    Last is the most terrible of all, the savage Scottish demon, the Nuckelavee. It has the body of a decaying zombified corpse of a horse with glowing yellow eyes. Attached to its back, as if sowed on by a deranged taxidermist, is the grey shriveled upper body of a humanoid zombie. Its head is little more than a skull with a shock of grey hair and crooked, rotten fangs. Its arms are freakishly long, at least six feet, and its hands are tipped in long sharp claws.

    The Horned God smiles wickedly. “And now, let the feast begin!”

    A glowing green energy surrounds the gang, the Colchester sisters, Derek, and Kimberly. The same green energy forms around the Horned God as tendrils of energy began to flow off his captives and into his fanged maw as he inhales. The gang feels themselves getting weaker as all of their energy begins to drain away. Their skin begins to prune as the evil entity drains their souls.

    Suddenly, a woosh fills the air as white foam extinguishes a patch of the ring of fire around them. The Horned God’s concentration is broken and he stops draining his victims. Instantly, they go back to normal. Everyone turns to see Wendell Travers holding a fire extinguisher. Des Krogan stands beside him.

    At that precise moment, Shaggy and Scooby finish chewing through the corn stalks, causing them to drop and freeing the gang and the demon hunting sisters.

    “Come on,” Des yells. “Don’t just stand there. Follow us!”

    The kids need little convincing. They run through the newly opened gap and follow their rescuers into the cornfield.

    Jonas’ hand glows green and he fires a bolt of energy at them. It misses by a couple feet, landing just behind them as they exit the clearing.

    Pleading, Jonas looks up at Cernunnos. “Please master. Let me retrieve them. Allow me to correct my mistake.”

    “No. You have failed me once already. I do not give second chances.” His yellow eyes flared and the scarecrow jumped down and joined the other monsters.     “I’m afraid you’re no longer of use to me.”

    He clenches his fist closed and pulls upward. A massive tree root bursts from the ground and wraps around Jonas.

    “Please, master. I can still be of service. I swear I can!”

    “Too late.”

    With a dismissive wave of his hand, the tree root drags the terrified Jonas down below the earth. The Horned God turns to the Scarecrow and the other monsters he summoned. “Find those kids. Bring them to me. I need to drain all of them at once. Go!”