Author´s note: YES! I did it again! I have decided and the sequel of "A Voice from Beneath" is this: Music from the Grave. Our friends from Mystery Incorporated are going to have a very scary experience with REAL monsters. Huhuhuhu. Will our friends will be able to help them? Oh, and don´t worry. This DOES have something to do with the previous story although I wasn´t going to go straight into it. An episode in between is always nice. This one is set after "Where Walks Aphrodite".
Ow, dear me! I´m having very weird days. Anyway, welcome aboard!
1. Once a Year
The storm of love caused by Aphrodite is slowly going down but Scooby can only think about what Pericles did. After what happened in the nest, the dog has been doing some thinking about these strange characters that surround the gang: Mr E, Angel and Pericles. Do they have something in common? Why are they so interested in them?
Oh, well. Here comes Velma with a letter. She´s been acting rather strange since they captured Amanda Smythe.
"Hey, gang! Guess what"
"Like what?" they all gather around the sofa. They have been in Fred´s house all afternoon and all news are great news.
"It arrived this afternoon at my house. Is from someone called Monsieur Noir who says that he has a job for us"
"Roir?" Scooby remembers then that Shiva, Carusso and the others were sent by someone like that. Why would he hired them?
"Never heard the name before" Fred shrugs.
"Wait a sec. I have" Daphne picks up the newspaper. "Monsieur Noir or the Man in Black is a philanthropic millionaire who helps those in need and is member of the Azimut Council"
"Like, the what?" Shaggy´s lost.
"It´s a team of people that watches over the world but only acts when is necessary. They also keep some of the biggest secrets in history"
"Wow! So like, we´ll be hired by a man who can pay us well"
"Doesn´t mention any money here" bummer! "He says: My dear MI, I would like you to do something for me if it doesn´t take any of your precious time. I´ve just got a call from my old friend D. Jones who needs someone to help him see what´s wrong with this year´s Night of the Fireflies. All his colleagues are in serious need of you. If you come to their aid, I shall help you any way I can and Davy will keep an eye so no harm goes to you. The responsibles of the Night of the Fireflies are already warned of your presence and they will be open to your questions. Good luck! Signed: Monsieur Noir"
"Night of the fireflies, like, what´s that?"
"According to my computer, is the night when people say goodbye to the souls of their beloved that fly to the skies as fireflies. It is a beautiful and very popular festival"
"Like, wait a sec. I smell ghosts in that"
"Ghosts are the hosts of the event. Or to be more precise, creatures from the World of the Spirits"
"What´s that?" they all watch the screen where a large tree appears.
"According to mythology, the universe is divided in Seven Kingdoms plus the Upper Havens on top, the voids between the diferent worlds and an eighth one in the middle of all of them. The world of the Spirits is where gods, supernatural beings and ghosts meet in between the realm of the living and the death. Is simple"
"And they are the ones who organize the festival?" asks Fred.
"Yep. There are books in the library where I can look for information"
An e-mail. Who could that be?
"Hello, Mystery Incorporated, I knew you would say yes" the gang goes pale. Is M. Noir but how did he know that? "I thank you in advance and to help you, I will give you some hints that you must keep in mind at all times. First, Davy and Happy, a good friend, will come tomorrow to start the investigation and will help you with a disguise so that you don´t get too flashy among the participants. Second, do NOT throw away any possible clue. Remember that everything can be useful if you make the right questions. Third, spirits are nice but stay near Davy and Happy, you´ll thank me for this later. And finally, stay away from Hiccup, Teigne and Fright, they are nothing but trouble, but specially from Baubau, and I stress this last one. In the place of spirits, nothing is what it seems. Good luck. N"
"Wuoh!" they are all speechless.
"That guy surely never leaves anything in the air" Velma blinks. "OK. So we have until tomorrow night to get ready. I´ll search for information about the spirits"
"I´ll ask my dad about the festival" Fred smiles.
"I´ll think on the clothes although Noir has already said that his friends would help us, perhaps I´ll ask Angel about it"
"And like, what do we do?"
"You and Scooby could go check the place where the festival takes place. During daylight, you´ll see no ghosts"
"Great! Like, what say you, Scoob?"
"Reah reah" the dog nods.
"OK, gang. We will meet at the K-Ghoul in two hours. Anything you find, bring it here"
"Got that" they all nod and go to their tasks.
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Meanwhile, Angel is at the phone.
"This can´t be a coincidence" the woman has also received a letter from Noir. "The festival is held by the spirits themselves in Crystal Cove every hundred years"
"And they surely are aware that is not a good moment to do so. Not with Pericles on the loose and the pieces around" E has noticed. "Maybe one of them is trying to delay the festival so that Baubau or that winged rat don´t try anything"
"What can we do?"
"We keep an eye on the kids but keeping the distances"
"Why? Do you think they suspect anything?"
"Not think, I´m sure of it" Ricky glances at his many screens. "Fred, Daphne and Shaggy may not suspect too much but Velma is a different matter. And Scooby did saw me a little during the nest business"
"You shouldn´t worry too much"
"The kids are the least of our problems. I´m more worried about the adults"
"You mean Jones Sr? Do you still think he has something to do with the Freak?"
"Let´s just say that I have a hunch about it" E glances at the screen showing the town hall. "Fred Jones Sir is untrustworthy, that I can tell"
"Ricky, please. We all would like to catch the Freak for what he did to us but, this is bigger than that"
"If this festival is my chance to do so, I will"
"E!" she snaps. "Listen to me, this is no game. If you fail, Jones can get you and the gang, oh mamma, they will get you the wrong way!"
"... I did nothing when Aphrodite hit, why should I stay back now? You heard Pericles"
"You stay safe and that´s good enough for me, babe. You send me to get the gang to safety and Ed showed the kids the message. You did a lot"
"I did not. And that will not happen again. I don´t mind staying aside when not needed but this is diferent!"
"Why you...? E! Just do what I say for once, ok? This is not you speaking, is your rage and if ye don´t snap out of it, we´re both in trouble and so is the gang!" Angel sighs. Why is he not listening? "Noir has asks us to help not to put our heads in the line"
"Speaking about heads, the Chichaburra is one of the spirits of the festival" Ricky is not paying attention to her or at least not as much as he should.
"The Head Hunter? Well, at least I know Davy from when I saw the festival in Coolsville" she smiles. "And I am not going to let you go all revenge like and straight into the grave"
"Jones would not send me to a grave, that is for sure"
"Wou´d you just...? Ricky, I know you want to squeeze Pericles hard but now is not a good moment"
"It is and if I can proof that Jones is the Freak, so be it"
"Ricky Owens, you..." he has hung up. "Why is he taking things this way?" hm? Someone´s knocking the door. Is the gang! "Hey, baby dolls! What´s up?"
"We have received this" they show her the letter and the mail.
"I see. Well, I can give you a hand with it. I´ve been to this festival before"
"Like, you have?" Shaggy is breathless.
"Yes, is quite nice. There are games, theatre, stories and at midnight, they all walk into the open country with lanterns and when the fireflies appear, they turn out the lights and you see thousands of little stars flying around"
"Wow"
"Like, we´ve got to see that"
"Reah! Roh, rand ri rood?" Scooby wags his tail.
"The food is real good"
"Res" he shakes with his best friend.
"Spirits know what a hungry guy is"
"And the mystery?" Fred cares little about that.
"Again, I can give you a hand. All ye need, am yer girl"
"Can not stop the desire
Of a thousand fireflies
Filling up the night of joy,
Overwhelmed, elegant
Colored stars on the street.
And I believe, wholeheartedly,
The world turns carefree
While a dream cradles him.
Nothing is what it seems.
And I believe, wholeheartedly,
That this darkness is made of colors
Because I am tired of living loudly,
As my dreams fly around.
A thousand colored fireflies."
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Pericles is in the street reading the huge billboard with the festival that they have put so that many tourists come to see it. But the parrot cares not about how much mass can Jones gather, he´s more interested in the fact that this a special occasion. The spirits are coming back to Crystal Cove and that he cannot ignore. Perhaps even Mr. E is going to make his move after what happen with the love potion. The very coward probably stayed indoors and away from the effects but this time, he won´t.
This time, Mr. E will fall and the game will be two sided until he finally gets rid of Mayor Jones. The kinder are just pawns after all and will be easy to pull away from the board.
"Hey, look who´s here!" says a boy´s voice. He is dressed all in black and white.
"It´s him!" another child one but a bit more shy belonging to a round boy dressed in green and purple.
"Baubau was right, see?" and one of a girl´s, dressed in ghostly white. "He said the bird was in town"
"Gutën tag, mein kinder. You must be Vauvau´s henchmen"
"Indeed. He told us to find you"
"I see. Vell, de thing is dat I haf a great proposition for him" Pericles has heard about Baubau, of course. And maybe he can help him capture Mr. E.
"What a coincidence! He has one for you!" smiles the girl.
"Den mayve is a good time for a heart to heart"
"Doubtful, Bau has no heart!" the three start laughing like crazy. "But yes, let´s go see him"
"We better not make him wait"
"Or he will eat us away" they finish the sentences of the other. The parrot follows and they get lost into the darkness not noticing a small figure that has seen and heard it all.
"Mr. Noir will LOVE to hear this" his squeaky voice follows him as he runs up the walls to see his master.
First chapter and we´re already on fire!
Yes!
What is going on at the festival? Who´s Davy Jones?
Will E really go catch Pericles and the Mayor?
And what about Baubau and the bird?
Next Clue: Pumpkin King