The night was a balmy comfortable one, which was what was not to be expected when one went to deal with ghosts. The mystery machine hurled down the road, Fred driving rapidly so they could reach the house before anything happened to Todd or any other member of the Broderick family. Velma and Daphne shared the front seat with him as Shaggy and Scooby quivered in the back, muttering over the constant danger they would put themselves in.

Finally the van drove up the only hill in the immediate area and pulled to a stop in front of the mansion dominating both the hill and the area around it. As the gang got of the van they stared up at the building, which was an imposing sight which exuded an aura of the mysterious and dangerous because of the slight decay. Seconds passed before Scooby and Shaggy turned and headed back into the van, Shaggy saying over his shoulder, "Uh-uh. No way are we going into that spooky house."

Fred reached back and grabbed Shaggy and Scooby and pulled them out of the van and back to the rest of the group. Shaking his head he said, "No, no, no. You are coming with us guys. Remember, it's likely to be just a guy in a mask."

As they turned to enter the house Shaggy muttered, "Yeah, but they still always scare us witless." The group quickly walked up the flight of stairs and stopped in front of the door, which was a big dark one with a doorknocker in the shape of a skull on it. As they stared at it Shaggy said, his voice quivering, "So, who wants to knock on the door?"

Daphne gave Shaggy an exasperated look before turning the handle and opening the door. Cautiously they entered the house, stopping just within the foyer. In front of them was a majestic view, the staircase of front them rising dramatically to a platform with a picture of a man who was obviously Henry Pats.

Finally Fred broke the silence, saying, "Okay guys, let's split up and try to find some clue to that ghost." Shaggy groaned at Fred's statement, but before he could say anything in reply a trapdoor underneath the group opened up. Before anyone could react Shaggy and Daphne shot down the hole, disappearing into the darkness.

"Daphne," Fred and Velma cried, followed by Scooby with "Shraggy." As they leapt to the hole to add, it closed up, separating the two groups of people. Fred stood up and, quickly glancing about, said, "Come on, we got to go save those guys." He ran off, Velma and Scooby following close behind.

Down through the darkness fell Shaggy and Daphne, clutching at each other in fear and desperation. As they screamed they braced themselves for impact, which was forewarned by a light beneath them. They finally shot through the hole, sprawling on top of a mattress, causing them to only receive mild bruising.

Seconds later Shaggy pulled himself up and looked about before saying, "Where the heck are we?"

Daphne joined him in looking about as well, but before she could comment a voice boomed out from a previously unnoticed speaker. It said, "Welcome to the Three Halls of Magic. You must pass through these three halls if you wish to leave. Please step forward if you wish to enter the first hall."

Shaggy looked at Daphne, who shrugged, and the two of them headed toward the door at the far end of the room. Daphne opened the door to reveal a long hallway with another door at the end. Before they could cross the threshold the voice spoke out again, saying, "Welcome to the Hall of Misdirection. One of the greatest tools of any magician is that of misdirection, diverting people's attention from one thing so they focus on another, allowing a magician to successfully perform their tricks. This hall will teach you all aspects of this technique. You must walk down this hallway and exit the opposite door while maintaining constant eye contact with the door. If your eye wanders away from it you will never again recover sight of the door, as you can only freely view each door from the opposing door. As you walk along the hallway distractions will abound, both real and illusionary, so be careful."

Daphne looked around at the hall for several seconds before saying, "Okay Shaggy, this is what we are going to do. I'll keep my eyes on the door and get us there, you watch out for the distractions along the way." Shaggy nodded in agreement and the two headed into the room.

They had only gone a few steps when Shaggy said, "Zoinks, he was right, I can't find the door." Daphne nodded in acknowledgement but kept all of her concentration on the door in front of her. The continued walking for several more seconds when Shaggy said, "Watch out," and dragged her back. Something flashed back, but despite her curiosity Daphne refused to look at whatever had passed by and continued to stare at the door. This routine continued for a couple of minutes, Shaggy stopping Daphne every now and then, until the two finally reached the door. When they did Shaggy let out a sigh of relief and said, "Man, that was scary."

Daphne face shifted into a small smile before saying, "Yes, but that was only the first hall, I'm sure the next two will be equally scary." With those words she reached down and turned to the handle to open the door to the next hall.