Chapter 9
"So, like, can we talk about the stuff that we found in the houses?" Shaggy asked, "Good idea, Shaggy." Velma replied.
Fred glanced at Daphne, who had her head down.
"Like, I found my old hot dog trophy which was stolen from my house when I was a kid." Shaggy said.
"I found my father's watch which my mother sold after he was taken to jail." Fred said.
"I found an old hair clip." Daphne muttered. "An old hair clip?" Velma asked, "What does that have to do with anything?"
"It just does." Daphne muttered. "Oh ok? So like, what does our missing stuff have to do with any of this?" Shaggy asked.
Fred sighed, "I think they're major events in our lives; Shaggy your trophy was stole when your house was broken into, and my mother sold my father's watch after he went to jail." Fred said, "Which adds more to our theory that the jewel thief knows us."
"Who could he be?" Daphne asked.
"Someone who knows what happened in our lives. What does that key have to do with anything, Velma?" Fred asked.
"I don't know." Velma replied.
"Well think Velm, has your house ever been broken into, or does anyone in your family have anything to do with a random key?" Daphne asked.
"No, not that I can think of anyway." Velma replied, "What does that hair clip have to do with anything Daphne?"
Luckily for Daphne, she didn't have a chance to reply to the question. Up ahead they heard a metallic clanging along with another sound but none of them could be sure of what it was.
"Come on." Fred said, and he stepped ahead of the gang protectively as they came closer and closer to the sound.
Daphne and Velma gasped when they saw what was making the noise; it was the Tin Man!
He was marching backwards and forwards with the Scarecrow!
"We're keeping those crows away, Tin Man!" The Scarecrow announced. "We're doing a good job Scarecrow; I can feel it in my beating heart." The Tin Man replied.
"Look Tin Man! Intruders!" Scarecrow exclaimed.
"Like, we're not intruders!" Shaggy exclaimed, but the Scarecrow and the Tin Man looked at him suspiciously.
"We don't know how we got here, but we're trying to find our way home." Fred explained.
"Tin Man, it's like Dorothy all over again." Scarecrow whispered, and the Tin Man nodded.
"We're trying to find our way to the Emerald City, so the Wizard can take us home." Daphne said, and the Tin Man and the Scarecrow exchanged looks, "You obviously didn't see Gloria, the Good Witch of the North." Scarecrow said, shaking his head slowly.
"We saw her, she told us about the Munchkin Land massacre." Velma said.
The Tin Man and Scarecrow exchanged looks again, "There's something she didn't tell you." Scarecrow said.
"Clearly." Tin Man commented.
"What?" Fred asked.
"The Wizard of Oz is dead." Tin Man said. "What? But we're supposed to see the Wizard!" Daphne exclaimed.
"Oh, you won't see the Wizard." Scarecrow said. "Then how do we like, get home?" Shaggy asked.
Tin Man shrugged, "I don't know."
Scarecrow quickly put his hand on Tin Man's shoulder, and he pointed at Shaggy's feet, "He's got the Ruby Slippers!" He exclaimed.
"Well, that's how you can get home!" Tin Man exclaimed.
"That might be our ticket home, but I think we should still go to the Emerald City." Velma said. "The Emerald City? Well, follow the Yellow Brick road!" Scarecrow exclaimed.
"Follow the Yellow Brick road, follow the yellow brick road, follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow brick road."
The Tin Man and Scarecrow sang as they skipped around in a circle. They gang hurried along the yellow brick road, leaving the dancing duo behind.
"Like, that was weird." Shaggy commented.
"Yep." Fred replied.
The singing was out of earshot, and the gang were now walking through the woods.
"Like, it's like everywhere we go, there's always a wood?" Shaggy complained.
Fred felt the gears in his head turning, and he realised Shaggy was right; Alice in Wonderland, Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty, the gang were all in the woods. "You're right, Shaggy!"
"What?"
"Every story we've been in, always involves us being in a wood!" Fred exclaimed. "Jeepers, you're right Freddie!" Daphne exclaimed.
"Do you think this has anything to do with our jewel thief?" Velma asked. "I thought perhaps it would help us narrow down our list of suspects." Fred said.
"Good idea, Freddie."
"So, the jewel thief knows us, and he has something to do with the woods?" Shaggy wondered out loud.
"Someone who knows our homes have been broken in to." Daphne muttered. "And whatever that key means Velma found." Fred said. Velma muttered something under her breath, luckily the gang did not heart it.
As the gang walked, Fred and Daphne kept to the back a little bit. "So, you've never told anyone about…Crystal Cove?" Fred asked, Daphne shook her head, "Only you."
"Hey, I never did thank you for umm… kissing me awake." Daphne said at an awkward attempt to change the subject. "Anytime Daph." Fred replied.
Daphne smiled, she reached out and twined her fingers with Fred's, he returned the smile.
As they continued through the woods it was getting darker.
"Like, Freddie. Please tell me you brought your flashlight?" Shaggy asked. "Oh, course I did, Shag." Fred replied, and he reached into his pocket and pulled out his mini flashlight. But as he pressed the ON button, the light flickered before it went off.
"What? This thing just got new batteries!" Fred exclaimed. "Perhaps this place is interfering with the flashlight." Daphne suggested, Fred put his flashlight back into his pocket.
"Stay close gang, we don't want to get separated and lost." Fred said.
Shaggy quickly linked his right arm through Fred's left, and Daphne held tightly to Fred's hand. Velma linked arms with Daphne and Scooby kept close to Shaggy. Shaggy's held on to Scooby's collar so he would not get lost in the dark woods.
"Just keep quiet, maybe nothing will hear us." Fred said quietly, and the gang walked quickly through the woods.
"Oh my god!" Shaggy gasped, "I see light!"
He was right. Straight ahead of them, the gang saw the wood was thinning, and they could see light ahead of them. As they carried on walking, Shaggy could make out a field on the other side of the woods.
"We're almost there!" Shaggy exclaimed, the gang sped up as they got closer and closer to the end of the woods.
But something jumped out onto the path in front of them, it was a lion.
"Roh-ro!" Scooby exclaimed, he jumped into Shaggy's arms as the lion roared at them.
"Jinkies!"
"Jeepers!"
"Zoinks!"
"Shit!"