"This is nostalgic," Melissa remarked.
Sitting in the back of the van, between Shaggy and Scooby with her sketchpad open on her lap made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. In the front seat, Fred had taken over driving while Daphne scoured tourist books for haunted locales, Velma meanwhile, handled the map, occasionally peering over Daphne's shoulder to offer some bit of trivia.
"I'll say," Shaggy agreed, watching Melissa work, "What are you like drawing?"
"Just trying to come up with some tattoo ideas," Melissa shrugged, "It's a tatsu, a Japanese dragon, kind of basic but it keeps my hands busy"
"It looks cool"
"Thanks"
"Are you like, going to get another tattoo?"
"Not for a while, I already have four"
"Four?" Daphne looked up, interest piqued, "Since when?"
"Two years ago, here," Melissa took off her jacket and rolled up her sleeve, "Can you see it okay?"
"That's us..." Daphne realized.
A semi-large tattoo, covering most of her upper left arm depicted the gang's silhouettes from shoulders up, just beneath it the word Friends was 'scratched' out with the word Family overlaying it.
"I know it might be a little strange but-"
"No, I think it's very cool"
"I think so too"
...
A few weeks into their trip and with nothing to show for it, Daphne was growing desperate some of their dud cases had included:
-A purported medium that used projections to convince unsuspecting tourists.
-A vampire-bat monster turned out to be nothing more than the grave-robbing undertaker who was pawning the valuables for quick cash.
-The haunted riverboat was just a means to commit insurance fraud.
-The Giant Crawdad was haunting his own company to drive up sales.
Now, it was a nice sunny day and the gang for a while. Fred and the girls to find a lead while Melissa and the boys went in search of a good meal. Currently, Daphne sat between Fred, who was devouring an entire box of benignts, and Velma on a bench just outside a farmers market.
"Bad guys in masks, mechanical claws, magnets, hologram projectors"
"Just like the gold ole' days"
"Too Much like the good ole' days, I've got a show to do, I need a real live ghost"
"That's an oxymoron Daph"
"Doesn't anybody want a beignet?" Fred offered the box, hoping a sweet treat would cheer Daphne.
"What I want is a house that's really haunted," Daphne flipped through her book, "I mean, there must be one somewhere in Lousiana"
"There is,"
The trio looked up to see a woman approaching. She was very lightly tanned with black curly hair kept back with a red headband. and light eyes. Her red lips pulled into a kind smile revealing perfect white teeth, "Sorry I couldn't help but overhear," she shifted her grocery bag, "I work as a chef in a house on Moonscar Island, a house that really is haunted"
"Really?" Daphne could have squealed from excitement. This was what she needed.
"My name's Lena, Lena Dupree"
Fred stood hastily to shake her hand, "Fred Jones, this is Velma Dinkley and Daphne Blake"
"Charmed," Lena pulled her hand away, a strange look fleeting across her face.
"Moonscar Island? Where's that? Daphne asked to get the conversation back on track,
"It's in a bayou not far from here," Lena pointed in the general direction, "A pirate named Morgan Moonscar died on the island and his spirit still haunts the place"
"Uh-huh," Fred arched a skeptical eyebrow, "No offense Lena but it's probably some guy in an old pirate suit trying to scare off the local kids"
"The ghost is real of course if you're too scared to go.."
"Scared? Me? No, I don't think so"
"If you wanna check it out you're welcome to come by, I'll be leavin' as soon as I finish shoppin'," Lena walked away.
"We'll think about it!" Fred called after her before turning to Daphne, "Well, what do you think?"
"What do we have to lose it's the best lead we've had all day!"
"And that Lena is kind of cute"
"Fred," Daphne's voice took on a warning tone.
"I just meant she'll be real photogenic for our segment," Fred had returned to his treats.
"Right, uh, wipe your upper lip, Romeo"
"Jinkies, listwn to this," Velma called from the back of the van where she sat at the computer, "I looked up Moonscar Island on our reserch database, seems there have been quite a few strange disappearences around that island over the years"
"It sounds promising, we better get the others before Lena takes off"
"Where'd they go?"
"Where else?" Velma laughed, "To get a bite to eat"
"Even Melissa?"
"If Shaggy doesn't drag her along she doesn't eat at all"
"Oh, yeah"
...
"Are you sure you're going to be able to share that sandwich?" Melissa eyed the towering monstrosity dripping in hot sauce between Shaggy and Scooby.
"Yep!" Shaggy nodded, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
"Okay," Melissa knew better but didn't say anything else, finishing her sandwich as Scooby inhaled Shaggy's half and his own, leaving him with just the bread.
"That was a lot less filling than I thought it was going to be," Shaggy remarked, oblivious to what had happened.
With a sigh, Melissa handed Shaggy a bag of chips from the recently refilled snack box that she had been put in charge of to keep them from emptying it so quickly.
"Thank you," he tore into the party-sized bag of barbeque chips with gusto inhaling it.
"No problem"
"Let's go guys!" Fred waved to them excitedly, "We found another haunted house to investigate!"
"Ro no!" Scooby clung to Shaggy fearfully.
"C'mon boys," Melissa smiled reassuringly, "It won't be that bad"
The two clung to her as they approached the van.
Nothing's changed, she laughed to herself.
"Great timing, Lena was just about to leave without us"
"So, where are we going?"
"To visit a house on an island haunted by a pirate," Fred surmised.
Melissa nodded, opening her suitcase in search of an empty sketchbook but hidden under her various Hex Girls shirts she found some things she hadn't seen for a long time, "That sneak"
"What'd you find, Melissa?" Shaggy glanced over her shoulder.
From her suitcase, Melissa lifted the old video camera that Dick used to carry around with him on their trips until she had pleaded with him to stop because she didn't like seeing herself on video. Alongside that was the camera she once used for evidence photos in her early days at ACME. Both were ready to be used.
I thought you might want them. You never know. A note declared.
"Hey, Daphne glanced in the rearview mirror, "We could totally use them"
"Okay," Melissa shrugged, pocketing the smaller video camera while putting the other one around her neck.
"We're getting closer, Moonscar Island is in the middle of the next bayou," Velma pointed it out on the map.
"Sounds like a perfect place to get some real spooky footage," Daphne cheered.
"And some good cajun cooking!" Shaggy added, drooling a little at the thought.
"Reah! Reah!" Scooby agreed.
Melissa started snapping pictures of their surroundings. At the very least, she could fill a photo album to look back on. Remembering the days when she kept every newspaper article about their cases. She still had them, tucked away between some well-loved art books. The road was lined with old sturdy trees, their leaves almost hanging in the road. The water steadily came into view sparkling green-blue in the sunshine. There was a wooden building with a tin roof beside the dock and on the water was a pristine ferry. Just ahead of them, Lena honked to grab the attention of the ferry captain, an older, plump gentleman in a blue polo, khaki pants, and red gloves with a gray bucket hat on his head.
"Oh, Miz Lena," he spoke with a thick French accent, "I see you brought you some company, eh?"
"Yes, Jacques, these folks came a long way to see a real haunted house"
"Well, if they want haunted they came to the right place, Jacques walked over to the van leaning close to Daphne, "People go into that bayou and they never come out"
"So we understand," Daphne was slightly taken aback but smiled all the same, turning to give the others an excited thumbs up when Jacques walked away to get the ferry ready.
Should we really be going there if people never come out? Melissa thought to herself. True, it was most likely said to draw people in but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. She bit her tongue. There was no need to scare the boys so she went on taking pictures.
"Say cheese," she flipped the camera to face them, Shaggy and Scooby leaning in close with big grins.
After the van had rolled onto the ferry, they hopped out.
"Oh, I didn't know you had a dog..."
"Are you allergic to dogs?"
"No, it's just my employer, Ms. Lenoir she keeps cats"
"Don't worry, Scooby's great with cats"
When the others had gone to the upper level to semi-interview Jacques and get some more footage Melissa pulled Shaggy real close, "Since when has Scoob been good with cats?"
"Christina has cats, rember? Ace, Duchess and Socks"
"Yes, but those are Christina's cats, I seem to recall Scooby nearly eating a cat on ocasion"
"Ri'll be good," Scooby promised, tail wagging.
"Okay"
"Rook! Catfish!" Scooby pointed into the water.
Melissa took a picture before going to the other side of the boat.
"Zoinks, like, thats the biggest catfish I've ever seen"
"That's probaly Big Mona, ain't nobody ever been able to catch her," Jacques called down.
Mona squirted water at Scooby when he tried to get a closer look.
"I guess that's one catfish who doesn't like dogs, ole buddy"
"Rotten Catfish," Scooby growled leaning far over the side of the boat only to come unbalanced and start flailing as he tried to regain his balance. Shaggy grabbed onto him, trying to help only for them both to fall into the water attracting the attention of some nearby aligators.
"Oh, No!" Daphne fretted.
"Jacques! You've got to turn this thing around!" Fred cried frantically.
"I'm trying, son but she don't turn on no dime!"
"Hang on guys!" Velma tossed them the life preserver.
The boys started to swim for it only for the alligator to eat it. With no preserver, they turned their attention to outswimming the beasts that so clearly wanted to eat them.
Back on the boat, Melissa dug frantically around her suitcase. I know I brought it! Where is it?! she thought along with some rather colorful language.
A houseboat pulled alongside Shaggy and Scooby, the scruffy occupant hoisting them aboard.
"Tha-tha-thanks mister"
"I should've let the gators eat you, I can't stand tourists, all yer splashin has scared Big Mona away!"
"Quit yer grouching Snakebite, you ain't never caught that catfish and you aint never gonna did"
"SAYS YOU!"
Scooby jumped on Shaggy's lap at the sight of the giant brown, mean-looking hog that lumbered towards them.
"Wha-what's that?"
"This here's my huntin' pug, Mojo," Snakebite patted the hog's back, "Lot better than any hound dog, can smell a catfish a mile away"
Mona popped above the water to squirt Scooby again, making him frown.
"Lot smater than any dog to, now get these tresspassin tourists off my boat, I got fishin to do"
Melissa, pulled Shaggy up, "You okay?"
"Not really, suspisious charcter eh?"
"Yes, but he did save you from being eaten"
"Oh, yeah"
"Moonscar Island, dead ahead!" Jacques announced.
"Looks creepy"
"We'll be fine," Melissa assured even though she was inclined to agree. There was something off-putting about the island. She'd been raised to listen to her instincts, to trust her gut but she put those thoughts out of her head, climbing back into the van as they got ready to disembark. Shutting her suitcase tight, she sat on it.
We'll be fine.
...
"Lena, you give my best to Ms. Lenoir!" Jacques shouted as he pulled away.
"I'll do that Jacques," Lena pulled alongside the van, "Follow me and hang on, the road's a little bumpy"
Little was an understatement as they all hit their heads repeatedly on the roof of the van until the house came into view. A grand plantation-style manor with a large porch and many windows set on beautifully manicured grounds.
"There's our haunted house"
"Doesn't look it," Melissa mumbled, starting her own video camera as they crossed over a small bridge.
"Are you getting all of this, Fred?"
"Yeah, got it Daph"
"This place is crawiling with cats," Melissa gasped.
Cats of all colors, ages, sizes, and breeds ran about the grounds, lounging on the porch and sleeping in the sun.
Selina would say this is too much, the poor things have probably never been fixed.
"Cats!" Scooby grabbed the camera from Fred leaning out the door to get a better look, "CATS!" he leaped from the door as Daphne slammed on the brakes.
"I Got him!" Melissa kicked open the back doors, the camera still recording in hand, "Come here Scooby!"
The Dane chased the cats under the porch, Melissa cut him off at the other side, seizing him by the collar with her free hand she was semi-dragged through some newly potted plants before she finally dug her heels in, making them stop.
"Bad, Scooby, you promised to be good"
A shadow fell over them. Melissa turned to find a stern-faced blonde woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties glaring down at them, one of the cats in her arms this could only be Ms. Lenoir, "You brought a mutt?" she asked in a thick French accent.
Melissa bristled, tightening her grip on Scooby's collar, "He's a pure-bred Great Dane" She walked him back to Shaggy.
"I'm sorry," Daphne smiled offering her hand for the woman to shake, "I'm Daphne Blake of Coast to Coast"
The woman continued to glare.
"You know, the TV show?"
"We do not have television on my island," she replied in a disapproving voice, "Lena what are they doing here?
"It's all my fault, Ms. Lenoir, I heard these folks say they wanted to see a real haunted house so I thought-"
"You might show them mine, I see, really, Lena"
"Oh, but your house is simply beautiful Ms. Lenoir, isn't it fred"
"Picture perfect, just how old is it?"
"It has been in my family for generations, it was a pepper plantation, some of the hotest peppers in Lousinana grow on this island"
"We've hit the proverbial chilli pepper jackpot," Shaggy cheered.
"So, Ms, Lenoir, is your house really..." Velma began slowly.
"Haunted, yes, it is an old house with restless spirts," she climbed the steps to the front door, "You're welcome to look aeound if you'd like"
"Would we ever!" Daphne nodded, "Do you mind us taping?"
"Of course not, in fact, I'd be most flattered," she turned again to glare at Scooby Melissa, and Shaggy, "But, you'll have to do something about your dog"
I really don't like her, Melissa crossed her arms over her chest, only now remembering the video camera.
"Like, food always keeps Scooby occupied"
"If it will keep him from chasing my cats you're welcome to my kitchen"
"Groovy, C'mon," Shaggy pulled Melissa along with them before she could say something she would regret later.
"But I'm not hungry," Melissa grumped, "Let go before I punch you"
Shaggy removed his hand.
"This way to the kitchen," Lena led them from the grand foyer into a small dim hall while the others followed Ms. Lenoir to another room.
The kitchen in comparison to the foyer was smaller but brighter. Chipped coffee mugs with faded designs hung on small hooks under a cabinet from which Lena pulled a tray and glasses that she quickly filled with ice-cold lemonade.
"Cat food, yuck!" scooby sniffed at the line of small bowls beside the counter.
"Forget the cat food, Scoob, there's a lot better chow in this kitchen," Shaggy gravitated to the silver pot on the stove, enticed by the smell he lifted the lid to inspect it, "Smells great, it's gumbo isn't it?"
"You do know your food"
"We've traveled the world on our stomachs, mind if we have a taste?"
"Of course not, let me know how you like it,"
"Sure you don't want some Melissa?"
"I'm sure," pocketing the video camera for later she took pictures of the view out the kitchen window, watching the gardener stalk past with a shovel slung over his shoulder.
Cop. Undercover cop. Why?
Behind her, Scooby and Shaggy shrieked with fright. Turning on her heel she watched them down whatever liquid they could find.
"Like, that was some hot pepper"
"Those are Moonscar Island peppers" Lena had returned, the others just behind her.
"I wasn't exaggerating when I said they were the hottest peppers in Lousiana"
"With all the screaming we thought you might have seen a ghost," Fred declared.
"If we do, you'll be the first to know"
"Sorry for the interupption Ms. Lenoir,"
"Please, call me Simone, shall we continue are tour of the house?"
"Great, ms-uh Simone," Daphne yanked Fred down the hall, Velma following.
"Maybe you guys should stay away from those peppers?" she advised.
"Right, we'll just stick with the gumbo, if you don't mind, Lena"
"Of course not, I'm glad you like it, help yourselves"
Melissa leaned against the counter watching the boys return to the pepper jar, "Not a good idea guys"
"Oh, c'mon it's all in fun, I dare you"
"No thanks, I'd still like to have use of by taste buds"
"You're not chicken are you?"
"No-I-BRRR, geez, it's cold"
"I'll say," Shaggy broke the largest pepper he could find into three pieces, "Here. We'll split this one, it will warm us up"
Scritch scratch. Scritch. The trio turned toward the odd scraping noise finding something being carved into the wall by an invisible hand. While the boys screamed, diving into the pantry for cover, Melissa fumbled for the camera, recording the wall mouth agape as the others came rushing in once more, Daphne throwing open the pantry door demanding to know why the two had eaten the peppers again.
"Nuh-uh, writting," Scooby protested shakily.
"Writing?" Velma asked perplexed, "What writing?"
"THERE GHOST WRITING!" Shaggy pointed at the wall.
GET OUT was carved on the wall beside the hallway they had just come from.
"This place is Haunted!"
"Jinkies," Velma breathed in surprise.
"Wow, Fred, get a shot of that, Simone will you come stand next to me please" Putting on her best reporter smile, Daphne began, "Here we are in Miss Simone Lenoir's kitchen where we've just had our first in counter with the supernatural, you can fill the chill in the air," a cold gust of wind blew sharply through the room, "CUT! WHO OPENED A WINDOW?"
Melissa turned Daphne toward the wall, "Look"
Beware!
"Wow! is this great, stuff or what?"
"Y-yeah, great," Shaggy replied sarcastically.
"Keep rolling, Fred, maybe we'll have another ghostly manifestation," Daphne brushed her hair, "Uh, Freddie, I'm over here"
"It's Velma"
Velma was floating off the ground higher and higher toward the roof.
"We've been levitated before and there's always magnets or wires somewhere"
"N-no wires here, Fred"
"A real case of levitation, this just gets better and better!"
"Maybe from where you're standing, anybody wanna trying getting me down?"
"Sure thing, c'mon Scoob,"
Velma fell on top of Scooby before they could try.
"Nice catch, Scooby, thanks"
"You're welcome"
...
They went to the library to watch the footage. Fred hoped to find out how the levitation had been pulled off. Crowding in, they watched the tape closely.
"Play it again, Fred, I think I sae something!"
"Sure"
"There!" Daphne jabbed her finger at the screen, "Can you enhance this shot?"
"Let me darken the image a little, bring up the sharpness a bit, and...hey"
Just beside Daphne on screen, a man with sunken white eyes in a pirate garb was carving the letters into the wall.
"It looks like a ghost"
"It is the ghost of Morgan Moonscar," Simone went to the closest shelf pulling an old heavy tome off of it, "This is a portait of Morgan McCrite, the moon-shaped scar is why he became better known as Morgan Moonscar"
"Oh, that's him alright," Melissa stared at the book in near disbelief, hadn't Christina said that most monsters just wanted to be left alone, "And he wants us out"
"Like, we'd be happy to get out!"
"A real pirate ghost! Fabulous! I can't thank you enough for opening your haunted house to us, Simone"
"So, you're not going to heed Moonscar's threat?"
"Are you kidding, we don't scare that easily"
"We do"
"Beside's it's probaly just a guy in a pirate suit," Fred argued.
"Then why did it only show up on the tape?"
"That's the mystery," Velma sided with Fred.
"But, there's always a logical explanation for these things"
There was a strange noise making Simone turn in alarm, "What's that?"
"There's a logical explanation for the growling in our stomachs," Shaggy patted his, "We're hungry and we're going to get some food to go, c'mon Scoob"
"I'll make sure they don't clean out the entire kitchen," Melissa followed with a chuckle.
...
Melissa watched as Shaggy filled the basket with things he found in the refrigerator. Potato salad, pasta salad, gumbo, crawfish, a sandwich so large he had to eat some of it to get it to fit along with the jar of peppers.
"Are you like, coming with us?"
"No, I think I'll explore elseware"
"Okay"
"Leave the cats alone, Scooby!" Melissa warned.
"Rokay"
He wouldn't, Melissa knew he wouldn't but Scooby had to be trusted to make his own choices. Stepping outside she saw the gardener at work nearby and meandered over.
"Hey," she spoke, drawing his attention, "I'm sorry about earlier, I'd be happy to help fix this mess"
"You're a guest he argued stoicallly"
"And you're a cop," she whispered with a smirk, with his badge in hand, "Beau Neville, detective"
"How did you-"
"Relax," she handed him his wallet back, "I'm a detective myself, I won't ask questions or rat you out," she flashed her ACME badge, "Now, can I help you with this mess or no?"
"Sure, call me, Beau,"
"Melissa," she shook his hand.
"You like plants?"
"Yeah, I have a soft spot for them"
"Maybe you can help me figure out what I'm doig wrong then? I don't think, Ms. Lenoir knows much about plants but I worry I'll blow my cover"
"Don't worry, I can help"
The two worked in relative silence until the screeches of yowling cats met their ears.
"Oh, no, he's after the cats again, excuse me"
"No problem and Melissa?"
"Yeah"
"Thanks"
"No problem"
Running at breakneck speed, she tried to head the Dane off to no avail. Breaking through the trees she saw Scooby splash into a pond, shake off some plants, and try to regain his bearings.
"HEY!" Snakebite yelled, shaking his fist angrily, "You scared away Big Mona"
Do they let him fish on their land?
"Get 'em, Mojo!
The pig went into attack mode, chasing Scooby through the peppers, Melissa following. For such a big animal the pig was extremely fast. He chased the duo into the woods where they fell into a large hole. Satisfied, Mojo kicked dirt on top of them and lumbered away.
"How humilating," Shaggy spat dirt, "Chased into a hole by one third of a BLT"
"Hey, boys," Melissa knelt near the hole, face hovering over it with a smirk, "Need a hand.
"Yes, please"
But they were too far away for Melissa to reach and she wasn't about to get stuck down there. Slowly, she patted her jacket, "I wonder if I have...nope, sorry guys, no ladder, no zipline, I think they're in my suitcase"
"That's okay, we can climb out"
"Are you sure about that?" Melissa pressed record on the video camera.
"Hang on," Shaggy was saying to Scooby, "I'll have us out in a sec"
"Ri hope so," Scooby grunted, hoisting Shaggy.
Shaggy fell landing on the dirt with a hard thump.
"AHHH!"
"That...is...a..skeleton," Melissa observed the bony hand hanging out of the dirt.
Above them, the sky darkened, cold wind bending the trees back as an eerie green energy seeped into the hole covering the limb, pulling the rest of the body from the dirt.
"What-what's going on?"
"I don't like it," Melissa declared, once again she checked her pockets for something that could get the boys out but came up empty-handed watching, camera shaking and mouth agape as the skeleton reassembled itself bit by gruesome bit, wailing filling the air until the skeleton was formed into a zombie who raised a rusted sword over his head.
Fear-filled adrenaline rush helped the boys to scramble out. Melissa was already far ahead of them, Zombies, I don't like zombies, I like Ghoulia but she's the exception.
This thought was followed by:
I WANT MY MOMMY!
This mystery had just become much too real.
...
As a side note, this was where three-year-old me started hiding her face in a pillow. I can remember two 'good' experiences i had while watching this as a small child. The first was when my sister brought it on our trip to visit our older cousin, my cousin made sure we kept the lights on and sat next to me while we watched it. The second was when my Nana popped popcorn for us and later brought us strawberry (?) ice cream near the end.
ANYWAY, please review!