(I'm in my office going over some of my old story ideas when I hear a rustling sound outside. I head out and see Knuckles hauling a large Douglas Fir tree.)
Me: Is it really that time of year already?
Knuckles: Yeah. Time sure flies when you're busy. Ralph and I were tree shopping earlier and found this behemoth. The pups and I are gonna get it decorated. Care to join?
Me: I'm a bit busy right now, so maybe next year. Let me know when you're finished.
Knuckles: Okay. I'll tell you when we're almost done.
(Knuckles leaves with the tree and I get back to my office)
PAW Patrol Meets Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island
Chapter 3: Moonscar Island
The ferry ride continues on as they pass under some tall trees. "Moonscar Island, dead ahead." Jacques spoke. They see the island in full view. Fred continues getting some footage for the show. The ferry docks and the three vehicles disembark. "And Miss Lena, you give my best to Miss Lenoire, you hear?"
"I'll do that, Jacques! Thanks!" Lena called out as he left. "Ready? Follow me and hang on! The road's a little bumpy." Mystery Inc. and the PAW Patrol follow Lena along a bumpy road.
"She wasn't kidding!" Skye yelped. The drive continued for a few minutes until they reached a plantation, with the house in full view.
"Wow! There's our haunted house!" Daphne said.
"Doesn't look very haunted to me." Chase commented.
"Yeah, it's not even old and creepy looking." Marshall agreed. "It looks clean and peaceful!"
They reach the house as a gardener sees them. "Are you getting all of this, Fred?" Daphne asked.
"Yep, got it, Daph." Fred said as he records the front of the house, where dozens of cats are present. "Wow, Lena wasn't kidding. This place is crawling with cats."
"Cats?!" Scooby asked as he took the camera and focused it on some more cats.
"Please don't…" Ryder said nervously.
"Cats!" Scooby glared as he jumped out of the Mystery Machine and started chasing them.
"Come back, Scoob!" Shaggy called out.
"Chase! Go after him!" Ryder said.
"On it!" Chase nods as he left the PAW Patroller and went after Scooby. The cats started fleeing from Scooby, causing tons of damage to the garden.
"Hey, you mutt! I just planted those!" The gardener yelled. The cats fled under a cart full of trees and flowers. Scooby tried to follow, but his head got caught in the back wheel.
"Rats!" Scooby glared.
"Scooby! Leave them alone!" Daphne called out.
"Listen to her! I know you don't like them..." Chase told him before he sneezed. "And believe me, I don't either, but that's no reason to mess with them!"
"Yeah!" A white cat agreed and blew a raspberry at Scooby. The Great Dane growled and smashed his way through the wheel, causing the cart to collapse and scatter some of the plants. Shaggy manages to catch some potted flowers.
"Great with cats, huh?" Lena asked.
Shaggy chuckled nervously. "Scooby-Doo! Stop!" He called out.
"I spent a whole week on that planter!" The gardener complained. The chase continued as one of the cats passed under him. Scooby sprinted towards the gardener and trampled him.
"Excuse me." Scooby said to the gardener before the chase resumed. The cat jumps up to a woman's arms. Scooby tries to slam the brakes, but he couldn't stop.
"Net!" Chase barked as he fired his net and caught Scooby in time.
Scooby sighed in relief. "Thanks, Chase." He thanked the German Shepherd.
"Anytime." Chase said before approaching the woman. "I'm really sorry about the damage. My friend here just doesn't like cats." He suddenly sneezes. "Allergies."
"I understand, but I would like to know who brought this… dog here." The woman spoke.
"Dog? Where?" Scooby asked in confusion.
"I'm terribly sorry. We should've held on to him better." Daphne apologized. "I'm Daphne Blake of Coast to Coast." No response. "You know, the TV show?"
"I don't think she has a television here on this island, Daphne." Ryder said.
"We don't." The woman said.
"No television?!" Rocky said. "What do you even do here?"
"Lena, what are they doing here?" The woman asked.
"It's all my fault, Miss Lenoire." Lena said. "I heard these folks say they wanted to see a real haunted house, so I thought…"
"You might show them mine?" Miss Lenoire asked. "Hmph, I see. Really, Lena."
"But your house is simply beautiful, Miss Lenoire." Daphne commented.
"Yeah, not so creepy at all!" Ryder agreed.
"And not haunted!" Zuma said.
"Isn't it, Fred?" Daphne asked her cameraman.
"Picture perfect." Fred commented. "Just how old is it?"
"It has been in my family for generations." Miss Lenoire said. "It was a pepper plantation, some of the hottest peppers in Louisiana grow on this island."
"Wow! Look at all those peppers!" Rubble said.
Shaggy laughed. "We've hit the proverbial chili pepper jackpot!"
"These two sure get that excited for stuffing their faces, huh?" Skye asked.
"So, Miss Lenoire, is your house really…?" Velma asked before the homeowner finished for her.
"Haunted? Yes." Miss Lenoire said. "It is an old house with restless spirits." Those words made Shaggy, Scooby, and Zuma gasp in shock. "You're welcome to look around, if you'd like."
"Would we ever!" Daphne accepted. "Do you mind us taping?"
"No, of course not." Miss Lenoire allowed them. "In fact, I'd be most flattered." Everyone followed her inside. "But you'll have to do something about your… dog."
"Like, food always keeps Scooby occupied." Shaggy said.
"If it'll keep him from chasing my cats, you're welcome to my kitchen." Miss Lenoire said.
"Groovy!" Shaggy said happily. "C'mon, Scoob!" The others notice the fuming gardener.
"Uh, sorry about all the damage, Lena." Fred said to the chef.
"Ah, don't worry. Beau will take care of it." Lena said.
"Beau?" Daphne asked.
"Our new gardener." Lena answered. The Mystery Inc. girls look towards him muttering.
Scooby, Shaggy, and Rubble join Lena into the kitchen. Scooby finds two pet dishes full of cat food. "Cat food. Yuck!"
"Forget the cat food, Scoob. There's a lot better chow in this kitchen." Shaggy commented. He took a whiff of something in a simmering pot. "Mmmm! Smells great. It's gumbo, isn't it?"
"You do know your food." Lena responded.
"Like, Scooby and I have traveled the world on our stomachs." Shaggy told her. "Mind if we have a taste?"
"Of course not. Let me know how you like it." Lena said as she left to serve some lemonade to the others.
Shaggy prepared some bowls for Scooby and Rubble. Shaggy tastes it with the serving spoon. "Like, not bad, but it needs a little more spice, don't you think so, Scoob?"
Scooby and Rubble finished their servings rather quickly. "Ruh-huh!" Scooby said.
"I believe there's something in the pantry we could use." Rubble said. They check the pantry and Shaggy finds a jar of peppers.
"These puppies ought to do the trick." Shaggy said.
In the living room, Fred and Ryder take a drink of Lena's lemonade."Mmm, delicious lemonade!" Fred commented.
"Yeah, this is the best lemonade I've ever had." Ryder said.
"Thank you." Lena thanked them.
"So, how long have you worked for-" Daphne was about to ask before they hear screams from the kitchen.
"The guys!" Velma recognized the screams as they rushed into the kitchen. They find Scooby gulping down some orange juice and Shaggy chugging an entire 10 gallon bottle of water to put out the fire in their mouths.
"Like, that was some hot pepper." Shaggy commented.
They hear Lena giggling. "Those are Moonscar Island peppers."
"I wasn't exaggerating when I said they were the hottest peppers in Louisiana." Ms. Lenoire said.
Rubble laughed. "I sure am glad I didn't bite into one of those."
"With all the screaming, we thought you might've seen a ghost." Fred said.
"If we do, you'll be the first to know." Shaggy said as Lena started cleaning up.
"Sorry for the interruption, Ms. Lenoire." Daphne apologized.
"And for the broken glass." Rocky said.
"Please, call me Simone." Simone said. "Shall we continue our tour of the house?"
"Great, Miss... uh, Simone!" Daphne said as she eagerly grabbed Fred and pulled him out. Velma, Ryder, and the pups followed them.
"Maybe you guys should stay away from those peppers." Velma suggested as they left.
"Right. We'll just stick with the gumbo." Shaggy spoke. "If you don't mind, Lena."
"Of course not. I'm glad you like it. Help yourselves." Lena said as she left.
Shaggy pulls a pepper out once they see the coast is clear. "Come on, I dare you."
"Uh-uh. You first." Scooby said.
"Not chicken, are you, old buddy, old pal?" Shaggy taunted before they feel an eerie breeze in the room. He shivered. "Like, that's funny. A second ago, I was on fire. And now it's freezing."
Scooby shivered with chattering teeth. "Yeah, freezing."
"Tell you what. We'll split this big one. That'll warm us up." Shaggy said, but before they could, a mist starts writing on the kitchen wall.
Simone and Lena are with the others in the library. "Now this is a great library, Simone." Velma commented, just before they hear Shaggy and Scooby's screams again.
"Now what?" Daphne asked.
"If they bit into more of those peppers, I'll be ready." Marshall said. They head into the kitchen and see the rattling door. Ryder opens the door to see Scooby and Shaggy shuddering.
"Let me guess: more peppers?" Skye asked.
"Uh-uh! Writing!" Scooby corrected her.
"Writing? What writing?" Velma asked.
"L-L-Like, ghost writing!" Shaggy pointed to the wall where the message was written. "See? This place is haunted!" Zuma gulped at the thought.
"Wow! Fred, get a shot of that!" Daphne said.
"Jinkies!" Velma said in awe as Fred got a shot of the written message.
"Simone, could you stand next to me please?" Daphne asked Simone as she brushed her hair. She signaled Velma to step clear of the shot. Fred prepared to shoot the footage.
"Here we are in Miss Simone Lenoire's kitchen, where we've had our first encounter with the supernatural spirits of Moonscar Mansion." Daphne said. "You can feel the chill in the air." A breeze suddenly blows inside. "Cut! Who opened the window?"
"Nobody. Look!" Velma told her as she noticed an added word.
"Beware." Fred read. Rocky and Marshall shuddered.
"Wow! Is this great stuff or what?" Daphne excitedly asked.
"R-R-Right. L-L-Like, great!" Shaggy shuddered.
"Then... Shaggy and Scooby weren't kidding." Zuma realized.
"The haunting might just be starting." Simone realized.
"What haunting?" Ryder asked.
"After sundown, the ghosts get more restless." Simone told him.
Velma checked something on the wall where the message is written. She knocks on the wall. "Hmm... this looks pretty solid."
"Keep rolling, Fred." Daphne said as she brushed her hair. "Maybe we'll have another ghostly manifestation."
Chase then noticed something. "Uh, Fred..." Fred turns his attention elsewhere.
"Freddy, I'm over here." Daphne said.
"It's Velma!" Fred said. They see her floating.
Velma gasps in shock, as does Simone. "We've been levitated before and there's always a magnet or wire somewhere." Fred continued.
"No wires here, Fred." Velma said.
"She's right. If there really was a wire, Chase would've seen it with his super spy visor." Ryder said.
"Wow! A real case of levitation!" Daphne said in excitement as Velma floated higher in the room. "This just gets better and better!"
"Maybe from where you're standing." Velma said as she pulled her sweater down, hoping to hide her unmentionables. "Anybody wanna try getting me down?"
"Shaggy, Scooby, care to help out?" Rocky asked.
"Sure thing. Come on, Scoob." Shaggy said as they approached Velma, but when they did, she fell on Scooby.
She sighs relieved. "Nice catch, Scooby. Thanks."
"You're welcome." Scooby groaned.
"This phenomenon is very unnatural." Skye said. "We should review the footage. Maybe it caught something we didn't see."
"Good idea, Skye." Ryder said as they watched the footage.
"Play it again, Fred. I think I saw something." Daphne said.
"Sure." Fred said as he rewinds to where Daphne said "Who opened a window?"
Fred paused it at that point. "There. Could you enhance this shot?" Daphne asked.
"Yeah." Fred said. "Let me darken the image a little, bring up the sharpness a bit, and... Hey!"
Inside the footage, they see a real spirit behind Daphne, sword in hand. Fred zooms in on the spirit. "It looks like... a ghost." Velma said.
"Hey, isn't that Morgan Moonscar's ghost?" Ryder asked.
"You are correct, Ryder." Simone said. "Here, let me show you." She pulls a book from her shelf and opens it to where it shows a photo of Moonscar. "This is a portrait of Morgan McReight. The moon-shaped scar is why he became better known as Morgan Moonscar."
"That's him, alright." Velma confirmed. "And he wants us out."
"Like, we'd be happy to get out." Shaggy said with Scooby nodding in agreement.
"A real pirate ghost!" Daphne shout with joy that she was able to experience a real spectral phenomenon. "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?" Simone asked.
"Are you kidding? We don't scare that easy." Daphne brushed the threat off.
"Easy for you to say." Zuma said shuddering.
"Besides, it's probably just a hologram of some guy in a pirate suit." Fred said, still believing the ghost is a fake.
"If it was a hologram, then why did it only show up on the tape?" Rocky asked.
"That's the mystery." Velma said.
"But there's always a logical explanation for these things." Fred said. They hear a low growling noise.
"What's that noise?" Skye asked.
"Like there's a logical explanation for the growling in our stomachs: we're hungry!" Shaggy said. "And we're gonna get some food, to go." They race back to the kitchen to pack up a picnic.
"Wait up!" Rubble follows them.
(After finishing up my work, I come out of my office to see the tree almost completed. All that's missing is the star.)
Me: Wow. What a tree!
Rocky: Some of the ornaments were from a couple of years ago.
Me: You sure know how to recycle, Rocky. I can see why Ryder recruited you as the recycling pup.
Rocky: Like I always say: Don't lose it, reuse it!
Me: Is it alright if I put the star on top?
Rocky: (Pulls out star topper) Go right ahead.
(I climb the ladder and place the star on the top of the tree, which fills the room with festive light)
Me: Wow! It's beautiful. A tree like this would really inspire me to make a Christmas story. In fact, I better get started right away. You know what to do here, readers. Excelsior!