Chapter 6
Scooby Doo and the rest of his mystery solving friends were spending what they thought was going to be a restful, non-mystery vacation in Salem, Massachusetts; their original plan was to go see their musical friends the Hex Girls play at a concert during the annual Salem Halloween Festival, although as anyone can tell you most plans change and in this instance Scooby Doo and the rest of Mystery Inc.'s plans were going to change, only for the worse.
When the cowardly Great Dane and his friends traveled to Salem they had no idea they were going to stumble onto a mystery involving one of their own, specifically their unofficial leader: one Fred Jones; Fred had purchased an unusual amulet the previous day at a booth located at the festival, while it seemed to be just an ordinary souvenir at first, Fred would soon learn that it was something much stranger.
During that night the blond young adult discovered while taking a walk that his newly purchased amulet had mystical and supernatural powers, which had already been displayed the previous night and that morning as well.
After having the Hex Girls, and the rest of the gang trying to pull the strange amulet off from around the blond teenager's neck and after it blasted Mystery Inc. and the Hex Girls to the other side of the musicians bedroom by a strange green energy beam, the gang realized that maybe there was something more to the amulet then met all sixteen of their eyes.
At the moment the gang and their musical friends are inside the Mystery Machine and have pulled up in front of the Salem Witchcraft Museum, where they hoped to find the answer to this bizarre mystery once and for all.
"Well here it is gang: the end of the line" Fred explained.
"L-like I thought w-we were going to the Salem Witchcraft Museum?" Shaggy asked, somewhat nervously; naturally the cowardly teen's girlfriend was concerned about him so as the gang exited the Mystery Machine she held his trembling hands.
"We are silly, the end of the line just means that we're in the right place" Velma replied, while Shaggy's hands still shook like leaves.
"Oh" Shaggy said with a gulp.
"I have to admit, even as someone who play acts as a witch and uses spooky stuff for our concerts, even I think this place is a bit creepy" Thorn said.
"You know come to think of it, this place does look a little scary" Dusk added.
"Yeah, it looks like something out of an old Twilight Zone episode or something" Luna remarked.
As the five members of Mystery Inc. and their friends talked amongst themselves, they walked up to the entrance of the small building they indeed noticed that it was, for lack of a better word creepy beyond belief.
Even though it was the daytime and it would seem that such a place wouldn't be very creepy or frightening during that particular time of the day, a thick layer of clouds and fog had developed which covered the sky and made the sun a rare sight, at least for the rest of the day which gave the gang and the Hex Girls the distinct impression that something horrible might happen to one of them while they were inside.
"L-like I hope it doesn't rain or thunder while we're inside" Shaggy quipped as he placed a hand on Velma's shoulder for comfort.
"Shaggy, don't be silly; why would it rain or thunder while we're inside the museum? I mean after all, even though it's pretty cloudy right now, I still don't think it will rain any while we're inside" Velma replied.
"L-like are you sure Velma?" Shaggy asked.
"I'm positive Shaggy" Velma replied.
"Well, like whenever we have a mystery it always seems like we have to deal with rain, or thunder or lightning, which makes things all the more creepier right Scoob?" Shaggy asked.
"Reah, ri ron't rike rhunder or rightning" Scooby added.
"Oh, you two chickens are making a big deal out of nothing; rain, lightning and thunder have nothing to do with our cases being frightening, the reason why a lot of our mysteries being frightening is what our mysteries entail; I mean if the average person had our jobs, and investigated haunted houses, ghosts and monsters all the time, he or she would be in the psychiatric ward of a hospital after a couple weeks" Velma explained.
"I don't know Velma, I mean I guess it really depends on the person; if he or she is strong willed and is brave then they might be able to handle supernatural investigations, if the person's personality isn't that strong, then they might not be able to handle ghosts" Fred replied.
"Very true Fred; which is why I think the five of us are such good sleuths and work so well together, it's because the five of us have strong wills and can handle this line of work, that includes you three as well Thorn, Dusk and Luna" Daphne noted.
"Thanks Daphne and believe us, if we didn't have strong wills we wouldn't be in the line of work we're in either; music takes a lot out of you, for instance there's performing in concerts, signing CD's, making radio station appearances, making personal appearances…" Thorn explained.
"Not to mention record company parties, recording new songs and albums and then there are the fans…" Dusk added.
"Yeah, the crowds at our concerts are crazy, they always want an autograph, or what have you; although I guess I know what the Beatles felt back when they were first getting popular in the US, but believe me, it's all worth it right girls?" Luna commented.
"Right!" the other two Hex Girls declared.
"Jinkies, I had no idea there was so much involved in the music business" Velma remarked.
"Yeah, it's pretty fulfilling, but pretty absorbing as well; I guess it's why we like to take breaks from the business every once in a while, not to mention taking a break from singing, this stuff takes the wind out of your sails so to speak" Thorn replied.
"Which is also why we use Thorn's herbal remedies, remember we told you guys about that in Oak Haven?" Dusk asked.
"Yeah I remember that" Velma replied.
"Like Thorn, are those remedies good for things besides soothing voices?" Shaggy asked.
"I guess so, why Shaggy?" Thorn inquired.
"Well Thorn, like I've used a lot of natural remedies in the past at home; and I really think they're pretty useful in getting over headaches, colds, basically whatever ailments or inflictions that someone may have" Shaggy replied.
"Shaggy, I didn't know you used a lot of herbal remedies" Thorn remarked.
"Oh yeah, it's a lot easier then medicine most times when you're sick; plus they're a lot safer on occasion, most of the natural herbs I use are perfectly safe and work in any occasion; the problem with medicine, most over the counter medicine, is sometimes there are side effects and you don't know what will happen if you take the wrong prescription; however that's something that never happens with natural herbs and medicines, at least no time that I've ever used them" Shaggy commented.
"Shaggy, that still amazes me that you of all people use natural herbs to heal, I really thought for the longest time that we were the only people that used them" Dusk replied.
"Oh yeah, natural herbs are really popular with a lot of people, although not very popular with the medical community that is; but still, they are pretty safe" Shaggy remarked.
"You know the first time I heard you say you used natural medicine Shaggy, I almost flipped out, I really couldn't believe it; I mean I never ever pictured you using natural medicine, but you said you did and I accept it" Velma replied.
"Like thanks Velma; I guess that's another thing we have in common, I mean I use natural herbs and natural medicine, and you like science and nature and botany and are very intelligent, I guess that's why we make such a great couple, we connect perfectly and not to mention we love each other as much as two people could ever love each other" Shaggy said, smiling at Velma.
"Thanks Shaggy, I think that's why we make such a great couple too; and I couldn't agree more with you saying that we love each other more than any couple loves each other" Velma said, smiling back at her boyfriend.
"Well, now that that's over, let's get inside the museum and start looking for clues," Fred explained.
"Like d-do we have to? I really don't want to go inside that creepy place" Shaggy remarked.
"Reah, re reither" Scooby responded.
"Come on you guys, we have to get inside somehow, for Fred" Velma replied.
"Yeah, remember guys, we have to figure out anything that we can about this amulet, before it's too late" Daphne added.
"Like I don't know, I'm still not sure about this, I mean I don't want to wake up any witches or anything like that" Shaggy remarked nervously.
"Shaggy, we play act as witches" Thorn replied.
"And I guess I'm a warlock now so I really doubt that we'll meet any actual witches, I mean other than the Hex Girls and me of course; so believe me Shaggy when I say you and Scooby Doo have nothing to worry about" Fred added.
"I don't know, like I'm still not sure about this" Shaggy replied.
"Shaggy, would you want to go inside if I did this?" Velma said as she leaned over and kissed Shaggy on the lips, which needless to say surprised him.
"Velma, you-you kissed me, right on the lips too" Shaggy replied, albeit a bit dumbstruck at Velma's display of affection towards him.
"Yeah, I did didn't I? So did you like it?" Velma asked.
"Are you kidding? I sure did, but why did you kiss me is what I want to know" Shaggy replied.
"Shaggy, I am your girlfriend after all, I mean can't a girl kiss her boyfriend on the lips every so often?" Velma asked.
"Hmm… like I guess so, and by the way, now that I think of it I really liked it; and I actually wouldn't mind you kissing me like that more often Velma" Shaggy replied.
"You know Shaggy, I think I can arrange that" Velma remarked as she looked into Shaggy's eyes.
"Thank you Velma" Shaggy replied as he smiled at the intelligent young woman.
"Not a problem Shaggy, not a problem" Velma said.
"Well gang, I guess we better get inside and start looking for clues; now, does anyone have any ideas on getting into the museum?" Fred asked.
"Hmm… I think I have an idea Freddie" Daphne replied.
"What is it Daph?" Fred asked.
"Well, I want to try and see if I can get the door open with my nail file" Daphne replied.
"Do you have your nail file Daphne?" Fred inquired.
"Sure, just let me look through my purse" Daphne replied as she began looking through the purple purse that she had brought with her to Salem; a few moments later she found what she was looking for and walked up to the door with the nail file in hand and began trying to open the lock of said door open with the file.
Although as she attempted to open the lock, it only took a few moments before she realized that the lock wasn't going to open for her, and she put the nail file back in her purse; now Scooby Doo and company were in a bit of a bind, Daphne's usual sure fire gadgets had failed, and the team of mystery solvers and their musical friends had no other ideas on how to get the door open.
"Jeepers, I can't understand why the nail file didn't open the door; usually the things I have in my purse can open even the toughest door, but this time it didn't" Daphne remarked, scratching her head as she spoke.
"Well, now what are we going to do? We have to get inside the museum to look for clues, so how are we going to get inside to look around? And more importantly, does anyone else have any good ideas?" Fred asked.
"Freddie, I really, really hate to say it, and I wish it didn't have to come to this but I think it might be a good idea to well, use your amulet" Daphne replied.
"Daph, are you sure about this? I mean you know what happened last time I used it, you guys almost got blasted into the next county; so are you absolutely 100 percent certain that you want to take that chance?" Fred asked as he looked into the red head's deep blue eyes.
"Yes Freddie, I want to take that chance; besides, it's the only other idea we've got right now, so it's this or nothing" Daphne replied, smiling at the blond young adult.
"Okay Daphne, we'll try it, I just hope it works; now Daph, I want you, Shaggy, Velma, Scooby and the Hex Girls to stand behind me, because if my guess is right, this might get ugly; oh and make sure you shield your eyes to just in case, because the last time my amulet illuminated, the glow was pretty darn bright, okay?" Fred explained.
"Sounds good Freddie, and by the way Fred" Daphne replied.
"Yes?" Fred asked.
"Please be careful" Daphne said as she kissed Fred on the cheek.
"Don't worry Daphne, I will; now, I think you guys better get behind me and shield your eyes too" Fred replied.
"Okay Fred, come on gang" Daphne said as she ushered herself and the rest of Mystery Inc. along with the female musicians behind Fred Jones; the trio of musicians and the rest of the team of mystery solvers then covered their eyes and prepared for Fred to use his piece of jewelry once again, only this time he was hoping that no one would get hurt by its power.
"Now, let's see if I can figure out how this thing works" Fred said as he took hold of the amulet and fiddled with it for a few moments; finally he got an idea and aimed the portion of it that contained the emerald at the door's key hole, which confused the rest of Mystery Inc. just a bit.
"Um Freddie, what are you doing?" Daphne asked, briefly removing her hands from her eyes in order to speak to Fred.
"Well Daphne, I have a theory; do you remember when I studied sorcery with Flim Flam under Vincent's tutelage?" Fred inquired.
"Sure I do Fred, but what does that have to do with this current mystery?" Daphne wondered.
"It's simple Daphne; you see one of the things Vincent taught me as far as magic goes, specifically when using a charm or amulet is that its magic can be very powerful; however it can also be used effectively if its concentrated on one specific spot, in this case I'm going to use it on the keyhole of the door to see if I can open it" Fred replied.
"I get it, you're going to try use the amulet's energy to blast the door open, right?" Daphne asked.
"Right Daphne" Fred replied.
"Which is probably why you wanted us to stand behind you, because you don't know how powerful that amulet is and its power might ricochet and hit one of us right?" Daphne inquired.
"Exactly, now Daph I think you and the gang should probably cover your eyes again, because I guarantee the light from this amulet is going to be pretty bright" Fred replied.
"Sure thing Freddie" the red head remarked as she covered her eyes once again; once Daphne, the rest of Mystery Inc. and the Hex Girls all covered up their eyes, the blond young adult reached down to his amulet, aimed it at the door's key hole and as fast as you could say Presto, a bright green energy beam came from the piece of jewelry and started to pound the key hole like a battering ram.
The amulet's strange green magic energy continued to batter the keyhole and soon the mystery solving young adults and their musical friends could see that the keyhole was beginning to melt and within a few minutes, the group of eight could hear a clicking noise and in the manner of a few more seconds, the door began to open with a loud creak, which meant that Fred's plan had worked and the gang could go inside.
"Jeepers, did it work?" Daphne asked, uncovering her eyes.
"Jinkies, it sure did look Daphne" Velma replied, after opening her own eyes; on Velma's encouraging, Daphne looked over at the door and saw that it was wide open which made her happy, and as a result made her run over to Fred and hug him.
"Freddie, you did it! You really did it! I guess you really do have magic powers," Daphne declared.
"Yeah, I guess I do; well, let's get inside the museum and see if we can find out more about this amulet before it's too late" Fred replied; that being said, the blond young adult and the rest of the members of Mystery Inc. walked inside the museum, with the members of the Hex Girls following closely behind.
However, the gang was not alone as a few minutes after they entered the Witchcraft Museum, a black plume of smoke appeared, revealing the same mysterious figure that had been following Scooby Doo and company since their first day in New England; making sure he wasn't recognized he kept his face hidden by a black hood as he entered the museum after Mystery Inc. and the Hex Girls.
Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, Scooby and the three female musicians then started to make their way through the museum, followed close behind by the mysterious figure, albeit Scooby and company didn't know it at the time; once the gang had walked into the portion of the museum that featured replicas of the Dunking Stools used during the Witch Trials and various sculptures and paintings of witches that adorned the walls, the mysterious man that was following them quickly ducked around a corner and chuckled to himself.
"So, those fools have finally arrived; no doubt they have come to discover the truth behind the amulet that Fred possesses and what kind of real power it possesses, although it won't make much of a difference anyway; because when the moment is right, I will strike and make Fred Jones my prisoner and then I will take his amulet by force and use its power to make me ruler of the world!" the man remarked.
"And as for Fred Jones, he shall make a fine apprentice; now I must prepare my trap, because I believe I that young Mr. Jones and his friends are coming this way" the man continued; the mysterious figure drew his cloak over his face and walked away, preparing to spring an evil surprise on the unofficial leader of Mystery Inc. and preparing a plan that would help him become possibly the most powerful sorcerer in the world.
Meanwhile, while the mysterious figure began walking down a corridor opposite of Scooby Doo and friends, the mystery solving Great Dane and his companions were making their way through the museum, all the while noticing the rather peculiar decorations throughout the small building.
"Wow, this place does look creepier on the inside then the outside" Dusk remarked.
"Yeah, I just hope none of these sculptures come alive, or none of the paintings have phony eye holes or anything like that" Luna added.
"Come on girls those things couldn't happen; although this place does make me a bit nervous" Thorn replied.
"Like that makes two of us Thorn" Shaggy commented.
"Reah, rhree of us" Scooby added.
"Well, let's not worry about that now gang; let's see if we can find the Museum's library, because unless I miss my guess, that's where we're going to find the answer to this mystery" Velma replied.
"Okay Velma, come on gang let's find that library" Fred declared; with those words, the gang headed off in search of the Salem Witchcraft Museum library, hoping that in the many books and papers contained within, they would find some answer to the current mystery.
With the mysterious figure still lurking about the corridor, Fred, Daphne and the rest of Mystery Inc. plus the Hex Girls walked down another nearby corridor for a few minutes before coming to a wooden door at the end of the hall; the blond young adult then hold of the doorknob and opened the door to the strange room fairly easily, once inside Mystery Inc. could see that the room was filled with several shelves of books on either side, several tables with chairs, and a cabinet towards the back of the room.
"I guess this must be the library," Daphne stated.
"Yeah, and take a look at all the books in this place; there must be 10,000 volumes in this room" Fred replied.
"Actually there are 10,983, unless my math fails me" Velma remarked.
"Wow Velma, like how did you figure that out?" Shaggy asked.
"It was pretty easy Shaggy, all I did was count up all the books in my head and that's how I came up with that particular number" Velma replied.
"Like that's pretty impressive Vel, and its no wonder why you're so smart," Shaggy said, before he kissed Velma on the cheek.
"Thanks Shaggy; I guess I am aren't I? Now the only question is which shelf and which book contains the information that we need," Velma commented.
"Well the only way we'll find that out, is if we each take a shelf and search; Shaggy, you, Velma and Scooby take one shelf, Daphne and I will take another, and Thorn, you, Dusk and Luna can take one shelf" Fred explained.
"Sounds good Freddie, let's get started" Daphne said rather enthusiastically.
With that the five sleuths and their musical friends separated throughout the room to search for a book that would help them uncover more about Fred's unusual amulet; for around twenty minutes, Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, Velma, Scooby Doo and the Hex Girls searched high and low for a volume that would explain the unofficial leader of Mystery Inc.'s strange abilities and what other possible surprises were in store for him.
However, the gang didn't have long to wait to uncover the truth behind the amulet, because at the moment Velma was looking over a few volumes on the middle shelf of a large bookcase towards the right side of the room; she then came to a book called The Unabridged History of Witchcraft, took it out and leafing through the pages, a few moments later as she held the thick book in her hands, she came to something that she found quite intriguing and decided that her friends needed to know about it.
"Gang, I think I found something," Velma said eagerly.
"What did you find Velma?" Fred asked.
"Hang on, I'll bring the book over to one of the tables so all of you can see" Velma replied; the bespectacled young woman then carried the heavy book with Shaggy and Scooby close by of course, over to a table in the middle of the room; once the book was on the table, Velma reopened it to what she had been reading near the bookcase and once it was open, the rest of her friends and the Hex Girls got a chance to see what was written.
"Like I wonder what that book says Velma?" Shaggy asked.
"Well Shaggy, the text is fairly old, judging by the lettering, penmanship, type of paper used for the book and terms used I would say this was written in the late 1690's, or maybe the early 1700's" Velma replied.
"Wow, I'm surprised this book is still fairly intact, considering the age of it; I mean my grandparents have some old books, but nothing like this, I mean I don't think I've ever seen a 300 or 400 year old book before" Thorn remarked.
"So does the book say anything about the amulet or its powers?" Fred asked, with his hand on Daphne's shoulder.
"I think it might Fred, even thought the lettering and text inside the book is quite old, I can still make it out fairly well" Velma replied, adjusting her glasses as she spoke.
"Well, what does it say Velma?" Daphne asked as she and the rest of the gang waited in anticipation of what the intelligent young woman had found.
"Let me see" Velma said as she ran her finger down the page; suddenly she came upon a picture towards the bottom of the page, the intelligent young sleuth took a close look at the picture and then looked over at Fred's amulet, once she had gotten a good glimpse at both, her face did sort of a double take, which caused her cowardly boyfriend to inquire as to why she looked troubled.
"What's wrong Velma? What did you find out?" Shaggy asked.
"Plenty Shaggy, in fact I don't know if I believe it myself, but listen to what the book says about Fred's amulet; this is a picture of a mystical item known as the Amulet of Taurus" Velma said, reading off the page that the book was turned to; as she read, the rest of the gang including Fred moved closer to where she was.
The blond unofficial leader of Mystery Inc. then looked over her shoulder and saw what had troubled Velma; the picture of the amulet in the book was the same as the amulet that Fred was wearing, which was surprising to him, to say the least.
"Whoa, that-that amulet, is the same one that I bought the other day and that I'm wearing" the blond young sleuth remarked.
"And that's not the half of it Fred, there's more, listen to this: the Amulet of Taurus was created after the Salem Witch Trials by a man named Gregory Joseph, Gregory lived in Salem and practiced witchcraft, good witchcraft, but in secret and was disgusted by what he in Salem during the witch trials; he believed that witches and people that practiced sorcery and magic were good people and their good names were getting drug through the mud by people with hatred, revulsion and all around disgust for anyone who would ever associate with a witch" Velma explained, while reading from the tome.
"Jeepers, what else Velma?" Daphne asked.
"Well, the book says that Gregory Joseph created the amulet to protect witches and warlocks around the world to save them and shield them from over zealous witch hunters; now according to the book the amulet has changed many times over the last 400 or so years, from witch to witch and warlock to warlock around the world, it also says that the amulet is quite powerful, and if its magic fell into the wrong hands, it would mean the world would become a wasteland, the likes of which no mortal as ever seen" Velma explained, continuing to read.
"Zoinks! L-like and now Fred has that amulet!" Shaggy exclaimed in horror as he held onto Velma's shoulder.
"Roh no, ri rope Reddie roesn't rurn revil" Scooby added, whimpering as he spoke.
"Relax guys, there's more in the book, listen to this: according to the book it says that if the amulet is used by someone who is a kind and generous soul, and has a good heart it can be used to combat evil in the world, both supernatural and natural; and if the amulet's wearer is all these things, then the world will be in good hands and peace and prosperity will reign throughout the planet" Velma continued.
"Wow, like I guess whoever wrote this book and the person created the amulet were our kind of people huh Scooby?" Shaggy asked.
"Reah, rour rind of reople" Scooby added.
"Huh? What do you mean guys?" Daphne inquired.
"Well, like listen to what was written in the book; there's mentions of peace, prosperity, a person with a good heart, a person with a good soul, combating evil, etc.; if you really think about it, I think either this person was a sort of a 1600's version of a hippie, or was the 1600's version of a supernatural investigator, like us; or maybe both" Shaggy explained as he looked over Velma's shoulder.
"Shaggy, believe it or not, that actually makes sense; the book's mentions of peace, prosperity, a good heart all sound like things that a hippie would have said if they were around in the 1600's or 1700's" Velma replied.
"Shaggy, how do you know so much about hippies and things like that anyway?" Thorn inquired.
"Well Thorn, I'm a bit of a modern day hippie; and my parents, especially my mother believed in a lot of the things that people stood for in the 60's; also, during my years as a sleuth, I've made a lot of friends and quite a few of them believe in the same things that I do, especially the things that the book mentions" Shaggy replied.
"Wow Shaggy, so I guess you're kind of an Eco-Goth too, huh?" Thorn asked.
"Well I guess in a way you could say that Thorn, I'm really into more protecting the Earth and things like that; I probably couldn't pull of the whole Goth look though right Velma?" Shaggy remarked.
"I don't know Shaggy, I think you might be able to pull of the Goth look; although I agree with you on protecting the Earth, maybe that's why I like science so much, I want to find out about every living thing on the planet, which I guess makes me understand more about the world" Velma replied.
"True Velma, very true; so is there any more in the book about Fred's amulet?" Shaggy asked.
"Yes, and this is the weirdest part of all, listen to this: the amulet of Taurus is said to give the wearer unlimited magical powers, including the ability to pass through solid objects, teleportation and the ability to cast spells through one's fingers and hands, in addition the amulet's emerald is very powerful and is one of the most valuable magical objects in the world, even by itself" Velma replied.
"So that explains why I was able to pass through the doors at the hotel, and disappear from one place and reappear in another place, and why the amulet blasted all of you guys across the Hex Girls room" Fred commented.
"I guess that would explain it Fred" Daphne replied.
"So Velma, is there anymore in the book about the amulet?" Fred asked.
"Yes, but it's all smudged; even with my glasses I can't see what it says, probably because of the book's age, even removing my glasses and squinting wouldn't do much good, because I wouldn't be able to tell what the text says anyway" Velma replied as she closed the book.
"So I guess that's it; this amulet of Taurus was purchased by me and now I have magical powers, I-I really don't know what to say," Fred remarked as he sat down at the table.
"Like don't worry about it Fred, we wont treat you differently because you have magic" Shaggy replied.
"Yeah Freddie, I still love you, magic or no magic; and nothing's going to change that" Daphne commented, placing a hand on Fred's shoulder.
"I agree with Daphne and Shaggy, you're the leader of Mystery Inc. Fred, you're the one who helps keep it all together; while we each bring out own skills and personality traits, we couldn't do anything that we've been able to do without your leadership" Velma added.
"Reah, re rove rou Reddie" Scooby remarked as he licked Fred's face.
"Thanks guys, you know you're the best group of friends anybody ever had; although, I am worried about something" Fred commented.
"What's that Fred?" Velma asked.
"What if the power of the amulet takes over, what if it goes to my head, what if one of you guys gets hurt, if that happened I wouldn't be able to forgive myself" Fred stated, while Daphne kept her hand on his shoulder.
"Freddie, you're a kind and generous person and good soul, just like that book said" Daphne replied.
"Right, and if there's anyone who can handle magic, it's you Fred; you're going to do great things with magic, I know it" Velma remarked.
"Like Velma's right; you can handle anything Fred, and you can handle this" Shaggy added.
"Reah, rou'll re a reat rarlock Reddie" Scooby commented.
"I hope so; what about you three?" Fred asked, looking towards the Hex Girls.
"Fred, you're a strong leader; you can handle anything, so I think you'll be able to handle a little magic amulet" Thorn commented.
"Yeah, and no villain would dare try and tackle you now that you have magic" Dusk added.
"Plus if you want, we can show you how you can harness your magic properly and how it can be used right, or at least Thorn could" Luna remarked.
"Yeah I guess I could, so what do you say Fred?" Thorn asked; the blond young adult looked down at the golden amulet with the sparkling green emerald in the middle and thought for a few seconds; however, he soon changed his mind and got up from the small table, which caused his friends to inquire as to where he was going.
"Freddie what's wrong?" Daphne asked as she walked over to him and looked into his eyes.
"I'm still a bit unsure about all of this, I mean it's happened so suddenly over the last few days; I think I need some more time to think this over, I'm going to take a walk through the museum to try and clear my head" Fred replied.
"Fred are you sure? What if something happens to you?" Velma asked.
"Don't worry gang, I'll be fine; I just need to think for a while" Fred replied.
"Do you need anyone to come with you?" Daphne asked.
"Thank you Daphne, but no thanks; I should be fine, I just need sometime alone with my thoughts okay?" Fred asked as he kissed Daphne on the cheek.
"If you're sure about this Freddie, then go ahead, no one's stopping you," Daphne replied.
"Thanks Daph, I knew you would understand; don't worry, I won't be long" Fred said as he walked out of the library; the blond young adult then made his way through a couple of corridors, thinking to himself all the while.
However, he was unaware that he was not alone in the corridors; a few moments after Fred had entered the first corridor he could swear that he heard the noise of what sounded like someone laughing, although he brushed if off as nothing and continued walking; then once he entered yet another corridor he heard the same laughter which caused him to look around, only to see that there was no one there, once again he brushed it off as nothing and continued walking.
Unfortunately for Fred the third time was not meant to be the charm, as when he rounded a corner he heard the laughter again, but this time he didn't brush it off and looked around, hoping that the source of the laughter would show himself or herself.
"All Right, I know you're in here, so come out!" Fred declared.
Fred's pleas went on deaf ears as the laughter continued, which made the blond young adult increasingly angrier; he then shouted for the source of the laughter to come out again, but to no avail, finally went Fred rounded a corner of the next corridor he entered, a mysterious figure who had been following closely behind him, caught up to the young sleuth and placed a hand on his shoulder, the touch of the hand caused Fred to wheel around and see a figure a black hood and black cloak standing only a few feet away from him.
"What do you want? Who are you?" Fred asked; the figure didn't answer, it only laughed evilly as it approached Fred Jones, which caused the blond young adult to worry a bit.
"I'm warning you, I have magic!" Fred declared; however the figure didn't seem interested as it moved ever closer to Fred, soon the figure was right in front of the blond sleuth and grabbed him by the arm; even though he had his amulet with him and was wearing it Fred was stricken with terror, he couldn't move at all, which was exactly what the figure was hoping for as he held the young sleuth.
The figure held Fred Jones, who squirmed and wiggled around trying to somehow break free of his captor's grasp, however he couldn't and a few moments later the figure reached into his pocket, pulled out a small pill and dropped it into Fred's mouth; only a few seconds passed before Fred's eyes were completely shut, and a few moments after that the figure and Fred vanished from the museum in a plume of white smoke.