TWO:

Monster Mash

Trees swayed in the October wind, which rattled Shaggy Rogers' bedroom window as he sat upright in bed. He yawned and stretched.

"Rhaggy! It's Rhalloween, Rhaggy!"

Shaggy smiled as Scooby's voice trailed down the hallway and into his room. Indeed, the dog was right; today was Halloween, and Scrappy, Scooby's bratty nephew, was coming to visit.

"Zoinks! Like, you're right, Scoob! Let's get ready for that party!" Shaggy enthused, flinging himself out of bed. Scooby met him at the doorway.

"Rharty? When?" the Great Dane wondered, wagging his tail in excitement. Shaggy patted him on the head.

"Like, its tonight, Scoob, before all of the trick-or-treaters get here!" he reminded the dog, changing into his green t-shirt after he tossed his pajamas into his closet. Much to his mother's dismay, his room was always a mess.

"Rhappy's coming, too! Roh, roh!" Scooby recalled in horror.

"Yeah, so we've got to be, like, prepared. Let's go!" Shaggy cried. He was about to walk out the door when he heard the window creak again. At first, he thought it was just the wind once more but Scooby started to whimper.

"Yikes! It's that fairy princess, Scoob!" Shaggy croaked, dashing to the window. "I'll get her out in a sec…" The rest of his sentence was lost in a series of grunts and groans that continued until he finally pried the window open. Princess Willow, who had been waiting on him patiently, fluttered into the room.

"Oh, thank you so much! It sure is good to see you guys again!" she crowed with joy, flying up to Scooby and Shaggy to give them both a kiss on the cheek. Shaggy blushed.

"Like, thanks, I guess, Princess! But I would hate to make your old man mad again!" He shuddered.

"Aw, don't worry about him! Some friends of mine are keeping everything under control," she assured them, taking a look around the room. "Say, how about something to eat?"

"I'm right with you, sister!" Shaggy concurred. He ran out of the room with Scooby and Willow trailing after him.

When they got in the kitchen, Shaggy asked Willow, "Like, what made you come back here, princess? I thought you had it made in that big spooky castle."

Willow ran her fingers through her short, blond hair.

"I had to see you guys again. I was going crazy in that castle" she admitted after a few moments of thought. Shaggy stared at her quizzically.

"Why?" he asked. Willow hung her head.

"It's my father. Ever since my mother disappeared he's had a tight reign on me. Since last year he's control has gotten worse. You've got to help me, Shaggy!" she cried.

"Like, what can we do for ya?" Shaggy asked as Scooby began to raid the refrigerator.

"I need to find my mother. I know she's still alive out there somewhere! There's something father isn't telling me…he…he isn't himself," Willow nearly wailed over the noise Scooby was making. Agitated, Shaggy reached over and tugged on the dog's collar.

"Keep it down, Scoob! Willow's trying to tell us something. She needs help, man!" he hissed. Scooby cocked his head.

"Rhelp?" he asked Willow, concerned. The Princess nodded.

"Yes. I need to find mother! There's a slight problem, though…I don't know where she could be!" she choked, strangling back sobs. She would not cry.

"Aw, jeez, Willow, don't worry! We'll help! You might have to wait until after tonight but we'll help," Shaggy quickly promised. Scooby inclined his head affirmatively.

"Rheah, party! Cheer rhup, Willow!" the dog urged the fairy. Willow sniffed.

"Thanks guys," she whispered. There was nothing else said after that.


Scrappy came later that day. It was after lunch when the bratty pup walked through the door.

"Hide me!" Willow screeched, ducking behind Shaggy's shoulders.

Shaggy glanced over at her through the corner of his eye. "Like, what's wrong Princess?"

Flapping her wings anxiously, Willow hissed, "My father wiped your friends' memories of me and that magical night for a reason! We can't let anyone else know I'm here!"

Shaggy shrugged. "Like, don't worry, Princess, we'll keep quiet."

Willow darted away from Shaggy and into a back room. She didn't emerge again for a very long time.

"Hey, guys! How's it going?!" Scrappy greeted them, waving his trick or treat bag as he trudged into the house. Scooby narrowed his eyes at the pup.

"What's the matter Uncle Scoob? This is just my costume! I'm wearing it tonight! I'm going as a vampire!" he said, showing his teeth playfully as he dangled his costume bag before Scooby's face. The older Dane growled.

"Like, chill out Scoob! I'm sure Scrappy will be good. Besides, the gang will be here before long. We're going to need all the help we can get!"

"Do I have to? 'Scrappy asked fearfully. Scooby growled again. Shaggy rolled his eyes. This was going to be a long party.


Fred tightened his grip on the steering wheel. His pirate costume was making him itch. The urge to scratch the red bandanna that wrapped around his blond head was very great. The only thing keeping him from scratching was Daphne.

Daphne. She was staring at him, her beautiful eyes sparkling with love and longing. He was afraid to look at her. He kept his eyes on the road.

"Slow down, Freddie! You're about to go over the speed limit!" Velma warned from the backseat, and Fred quickly lifted his foot slightly off the accelerator. He swallowed.

"Thanks, Velmster," he breathed, blinking. "I don't know what came over me!"

"Is it your costume? Mine feels a little tight," Daphne complained, fingering with her Wonder Woman costume. She had dyed her hair black for the occasion and Fred wasn't sure he liked the color on her. He much preferred the fiery red head she truly was.

"I don't know about you guys, but I like my costume! It makes me look even more smart and sophisticated!" Velma said, making Fred sigh. The quirky girl had dressed up as Sarah Palin, senator John McCain's Alaskan running mate. Secretly, Fred thought Velma was already like Miss. Palin but he didn't say anything. He decided to keep his mouth shut and his eyes on the road.

Having driven from Coolsville High, it didn't take them much longer to get to Shaggy's parents' house. When Fred pulled the van into the driveway of the Rogers' home, he and the girls got out of the van.

"Are Shaggy's parents home?" Daphne asked, looking around nervously. Fred figured that the costume was still bothering her.

"They shouldn't be. If I remember correctly, Shaggy said his parents were out for the rest of the holiday," Velma said, matter-of-factly, as she straightened her Pallin hairdo.

Fred adjusted the belt around his broad waist. "In that case, I guess we're free to party!" He sneezed.

"Blush you, Fred," Daphne said, winking at him. Fred blushed and followed the girls up to the house.

"Hello, anybody there?" Fred called, knocking on the front door. When it opened, he saw himself staring at a breathless Shaggy.

"Like, hi guys! It's about time you got here!" Shaggy gasped, wiping his dirty hands on his apron. "Scoob and I have been cooking all day! We could use some help!"

"I'm helping!" a small voice squeaked, and Fred looked down.

"Scrappy! What are you doing here?" Daphne demanded, nonplussed. She was not on friendly terms with Scrappy. The puppy grinned.

"I came for the party! It'll be in a few hours now that you're here! Let's get cooking!" he shouted before fleeing back into the house. Fred shook his head.

"I guess its time to get busy," he said. No one protested.


"Say, where were you guys?" Shaggy asked the gang as he worked on the pumpkin pie with Scooby.

From the table, where he was mixing some juice with Daphne, Fred answered, "The school was having its own haunted house party. It's not until tonight but we went early so we could see the decorations being put up."

"You could tell they were fake. The kids were pretty lazy," Velma put in. Scrappy was helping her make a banner.

Shaggy didn't say anything. He was glad that the gang was all there but he was worried about Princess Willow. He hoped she was all right.

"Is something wrong, Shaggy?" Daphne asked. Shaggy turned toward her and smiled.

"Its okay, Daph. Everything is, like, cool with me," he lied, twirling his hand around the inside of the pumpkin. As he did, Shaggy thought of Jack and felt guilty. The talking jack o' lantern wouldn't be too overjoyed if he learned that his heroes were mutilating a fellow pumpkin.

"Oh, gosh, guys! It's getting late!" Velma realized, shocked. She had taken a random glance out of one of the kitchen windows and saw that the sun had gone down. It only felt like they had been working for a few hours but now it was completely dark. The trick-or-treaters would be making their rounds soon.

"Like, time sure does fly by when you're carving pumpkins!" Shaggy said, trying to be cheerful. He and Scooby had just finished the pie.

"I'll go get the treats and hand them out. Is that okay, Daphne?" Fred asked his high school crush.

"Yeah, that'll be great! I'm almost finished with the punch," Daphne said. Fred watched in amusement as she dipped a spoon into the punch bowl and took a sup.

"Mmm…delicious!" She smacked her lips and went to the sink to get a fresh spoon.

Grinning like an idiot, Fred left the kitchen and walked into the living room. He grabbed a bowl of treats that had been placed on the sofa and strolled to the door. He waited.

"Hey, Uncle Scoob, how about some music?" Scrappy requested, back in the kitchen.

"Reah, music! " Scooby agreed. Shaggy looked from one dog to the other.

"How about some Monster Mash?" he suggested, using an excuse to get into his old record collection again. Scrappy made a face.

"Not my kind of music but it'll work for the party. I'll be leaving soon anyway so it doesn't matter," he said. Shaggy shrugged and went off into his room. When he got there, he found Princess Willow perched on an old box that was in the floor. She was hunched up with her arms wrapped around her knees. She didn't look so good.

"Yikes! Princess Willow! Are you all right?" Shaggy whispered, bending before Willow. She slowly looked up at him and smiled weakly.

"I'm just a little homesick, I think, but I'll be fine. It'll pass," she feebly assured him.

Shaggy pressed her, "Like, are you sure?" Willow nodded.

"Yeah. What are you looking for anyway?" she wanted to know. Shaggy began to rummage through his closet.

"My old record collection. It's been in here, like, forever. It should still be here…ha! Here it is!" He cried gleefully as he pulled out a dusty old box. Opening it, he found his old records. Instantly he started to look through them and found several Beetles, Monkees, and Bee Gees albums. It took him awhile to find the old Bobby Pickett record he was looking for.

"Yup, here it is. Good old Monster Mash. You can listen to it from in here if you want to, Willow," Shaggy said, returning his box of records to the closet. "You might like it!"

Willow tried to laugh but all she said was, "I'm sure I'll like it, Shaggy. Go on and party. I'll be fine!" Shaggy smiled kindly at her and left. Once he was gone, Willow buried her face in her crossed arms and started to cry.


"Man, this song is getting older than dinosaur poop!" the little boy, who was dressed up as Luke Skywalker, said, wrinkling his nose in distaste. Fred started while Bobby Pickett's voice sang behind him.

"Why, you little punk!" he swore at the kid who had spoken. The Little Skywalker had brought three buddies along. The other two kids were dressed up as Darth Vader and Princess Leia.

"Now, Freddie," Daphne berated him, tugging at one of his bulging arms. "They're just kids. Give them their candy."

"Thank you, pretty lady," the little princess said as she and her other friends held out their bags. Daphne smiled at them when Fred grudgingly handed out their candy.

"Yeah, thanks, losers!" the little Darth Vader shouted as he took off running down the street.

"Ungrateful little twerps," Fred grumbled, and watched as the last of the trick-or-treaters ran off into the night.