It was like any other Sunday night in the apartment shared by the Mystery Inc. gang. Velma was doing some work on her laptop, Daphne was reading a magazine, Fred was watching TV and Shaggy was in his room with Scooby ordering tonight's dinner.
It had been a year since the gang had graduated from high school and they had all moved into an apartment together which, although adequate, was nothing posh. But then, with the money they earned, they couldn't exactly afford to live like royalty. Since their graduation, there had been a severe shortage of mysteries, so they'd had to give up their lives of detective work and find some alternative means of occupation. Fred did odd jobs in construction, Daphne was training as a hairdresser, Velma worked in a library and Shaggy was a shelf stacker at a local grocery shop.
They were off work on Sunday and, being too tired to cook after their long week, it was agreed that Sunday night would be takeaway night. Shaggy, as the biggest food-lover of the group, was appointed the task of ordering all takeaway meals. Tonight he had decided to order from Pizza Paradise, their favourite pizzeria. However, on this particular night, the ordering was proving more challenging than usual, a fact indicated by the screams coming from Shaggy's room.
"WELL THEN, DON'T ADVERTISE THE CHOICE OF SELECTING YOUR OWN FREAKING TOPPINGS IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO FACILITATE THAT OPTION!"
A loud thud followed this outburst, suggesting that Shaggy had thrown the phone on the ground in frustration. Meanwhile, everyone else gave a collective sigh. Clearly the ordering process hadn't gone to plan. Barely a moment later, Shaggy came storming out of his room followed by Scooby, both looking equally outraged.
"Like, we sure as heck won't be ordering from that place again!" Shaggy declared, sitting down on the couch next to Fred.
"Reah! Never again!" Scooby agreed as he sat down on the floor by Shaggy's feet.
Velma rolled her eyes and concentrated on the screen in front of her. Sometimes she wondered if it would be worth the time and trouble consulting a psychiatrist to look into Shaggy's serious food issues. Several times, she had actually taken the liberty of researching psychiatric specialists in their area but, unfortunately, they were all way too expensive for her budget.
As Velma continued to examine the screen of her laptop, a news article suddenly caught her eye. Upon reading it, she gasped. "Guys, you might want to see this."
Immediately, everyone rose to their feet and went to heed Velma's call, wondering what could be so interesting. Had she finally found a new mystery in need of solving?
"What is it, Velma?" Fred asked as the gang crowded around Velma's chair. Velma pointed to an article from some online newspaper she had opened up on her laptop screen entitled Munster Murder Mystery. Beneath this headline, the following article read:
County Cork in the Irish province of Munster is famous for its enchanting scenery and its calm and pleasant atmosphere. Or, at least, it was until now. In the past few months, a string of mysterious murders have occurred in and around the grounds of Kavanagh Castle, once a home to some of the county's most distinguished aristocratic families, now a hotel for visiting tourists eager to experience some old-world charm.
Shaggy gulped, all hints of his previous anger now gone. "Zoinks! Like, that is freaky, man!"
"Do they know who's responsible for the murders?" Fred asked.
Velma frowned at him. "It's called a murder mystery for a reason, Fred."
"Wait a second" Daphne said. "Kavanagh Castle? I know that place. My cousin Ruth owns it. She converted it into a hotel a while back."
Everyone stared at her.
"You have a cousin in Ireland who owns her own castle?" Shaggy asked.
Daphne nodded. "Yeah. She's from my mother's side of the family. We haven't seen each other since we were kids."
Shaggy was surprised. "Like, I didn't know you had relatives in Ireland, Daphne."
"Actually, Shaggy, lots of Americans have Irish heritage" Velma told him. "You see, during the 1840s, a terrible famine struck Ireland which was caused by potato blight which ravaged many potato crops. This was disastrous because the majority of the population was dependent on these crops. Things got so bad that many families emigrated to the United States in hopes of a better life."
"My mother's family was one of them" Daphne pointed out.
"Over the years," Velma continued, "the children of the Irish immigrants married into American families which is why so many Americans today have Irish ancestry."
Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, Fred began jumping up and down in excitement. "How can you guys discuss history at a time like this? Don't you realise what this means?! After so long of waiting, we finally have a new mystery on our hands!"
As this information registered in Velma and Daphne's heads, both girls squealed and clapped their hands in delight.
"Oh goody! At last!" Velma cried.
"I'll get to see my cousin!" Daphne squeaked excitedly.
"Oh no!" Shaggy said. "No, no, NO! Uh-uh! Not happening! I have had enough mysteries to last me a lifetime!"
"Reah! Re too!" Scooby agreed.
"Like, you guys are NOT roping me or Scoob into this one! No way, no how!"
A week later…
Shaggy slouched in his plane seat with his arms folded and a scowl plastered across his face. Scooby sat on the floor next to him, his head drooping like a wilted daisy. Shaggy looked down at his canine pal and sighed. "Like, how do we get ourselves into these things, Scoob?"
"Ri don't know, Raggy" the dog replied, giving a soft whine.
Meanwhile, Fred, Velma and Daphne sat behind them, exchanging quiet high-fives and beaming triumphantly.
"Scooby Snacks" Velma whispered. "Works every time."