"FUNLAND FEARS"
based on FOUL PLAY IN FUNLAND
written by Bill Lutz
guest starring:
LAURA BAILEY as Rachel
ASHLY BURCH as Kandy Mint
TRESS MACNEILLE as Sarah Jenkins
NEIL ROSS as Mr. Jenkins
KATE HIGGINS as Principal Quinlan
Kandy Mint was inspired by a character with a similar name from Craig Titley's 1996 Scooby-Doo movie script. And Rachel is from the What's New Scooby-Doo episode "A Scooby-Doo Valentine".
It was another afternoon at Crystal Cove High School, and Shaggy was planning to go clam-digging with the others after school. "Nothing like a good ol'-fashioned clambake to get a good vibe going." he smiled, definitely looking forward to the clams he'd dig up.
He'd gotten through 5 periods of the day, and the last two should've been relatively simple to get through.
However, the 6th period came with a surprising shock as a student was returning from being exchanged. "Students," said Principal Quinlan. "I'd like you all to welcome back a participant in the exchange student program, Rachel Evans."
She stepped to the side, letting a blonde girl dressed in blue come to the front of the class.
Shaggy instantly felt a little uneasy, due to his past relationship with her.
Rachel spotted him as well and felt a little unease too as she was assigned a seat. Then class began and they occasionally glanced at each other.
Finally, Shaggy broke the silence. "Hi... Rachel," he said, a bit uneasy. "Hope your trip was a good one."
"It was, but I'm actually glad to be back." Rachel admitted before asking. "How've you been?"
"Well, I've been, like, pretty good," Shaggy replied. "My friends and I have been doin' what we do best: solving mysteries and catching bad guys!"
"I see." Rachel replied. "The exchange was actually kinda boring."
"Yeah?" asked Shaggy. "Like, where'd you go?"
"Australia." Rachel revealed. "I saw kangaroos."
"Nice," Shaggy nodded. "Doesn't sound that boring, y'know."
"Seeing them isn't as fun as being around them." Rachel mentioned. "I didn't get to interact with them."
"Huh...like, I'm sorry to hear that," said Shaggy.
"It's alright." Rachel assured him.
"So...what have you been doing apart from the mystery stuff?" she asked.
"Well... I'm thinking about getting back into dating," explained Shaggy.
"Really?" Rachel asked with interest.
"Yeah," nodded Shaggy.
"That's interesting." Rachel said before the bell rang.
"Heh, there's the bell!" Shaggy smiled as he got up. "Guess we better get going."
Shaggy left almost instantly as Rachel watched him go...as she did, the wheels were churning inside her head.
"Maybe I should show him that I'm good enough for him to date," Rachel said quietly as she made plans. She couldn't help but fume when Shaggy went over to the others; she saw how he got around Daphne, even if he did try to hide it.
I swear he'll be mine, She thought as she went her own way for the time being.
"Hey, guys, are we ready to go?" asked Shaggy.
Scooby poked his head out of his hoodie. "Reah! Reah! Ready!" he exclaimed.
"Then let's go, gang," Fred advised as he pulled out his keys.
So the gang headed to the Mystery Machine and drove out to the seaside. When they arrived, they grabbed a couple of buckets and went looking for clams.
"Like, I know the Clam Cabin is nearby," said Shaggy, pointing to a nearby shack on the beach. "But I'm not too opposed to heading out and finding the little buggers myself. Something about it just adds a bit of flair!"
"It's actually a proven fact that freshly-caught and freshly-grown food tastes better than store-bought and mass-farmed food," Velma explained. "Plus, the owners of the Clam Cabin actually enjoy knowing that there's people willing to go after clams themselves."
"Reah! Reah!" Scooby exclaimed.
"Fair point...imagine all the things we could make with 'em," Shaggy commented. "Clam chowder, baked clams... spaghetti and clam sauce...clam risotto...clams carbonara...clams and linguine..."
As Shaggy listed off clam dishes, Scooby's mouth began to water. Soon, a river of drool was cascading from his mouth.
"Hey, easy!" Fred advised as Scooby's drool got on the clams. "We already have to clean the sand off them."
"Roh! Rorry, Freddy!" Scooby apologized as he wiped his mouth.
"It's alright." Fred replied. "I know how excited you get."
"Speaking of excitement, remember last summer when we went to Funland?" Shaggy asked, getting a faraway glance in his eyes.
"That was an amazing time." Daphne agreed as she had some fond memories of Funland.
"I hear ya," nodded Shaggy. "The root beer floats, the chocolate custard, the peanut butter cheeseburgers, the rides? I mean, is that ever living!"
Scooby eagerly licked his chops with mounting interest. "Rand the reese ruffs!"
"Oh, yeah, the cheese puffs!" Shaggy nodded. "Those were top-notch; must've been an old family recipe!"
"Too bad it's not summer vacation yet." Velma mentioned as she checked the date. "We still have a few months to go."
"Not to mention, Funland is closed for the season," added Daphne.
"Reah." Scooby agreed sadly.
But suddenly, the Funland Amusement Park lit up, and all the rides started going at once!
"What's going on there?" Fred asked as they all saw Funland come alive.
"I don't quite know," responded Velma. "But what I DO know is that it's worth looking into!"
"Then let's go." Fred advised as they headed towards Funland.
Shortly, the gang arrived at Funland and looked around.
"Talk about freaky," commented Fred. "Everything's running, but there's nobody here!"
"Nobody, huh?" asked a calm female voice. "I admit, it's not the catchiest name, but it worked for the Odyssey."
As Fred and the others looked over, they saw a waifish grunge-goth girl heading over on roller skates. She had a nose ring, and a flannel shirt on. There was some pudge to her body, but not too much. She looked kinda edgy, but pretty cute.
"Who are you?" Velma asked in genuine curiosity. "You're new around here."
"Name's Kandace Mint," the girl responded, running hands through her blue-dyed hair. "But my friends call me Kandy."
"Nice to meet you," said Fred. "I'm Fred, that's Velma, Daphne, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo."
"Rello!" Scooby exclaimed.
"Hi." Shaggy added.
"Hello." Daphne added.
"Salutations," Velma added.
"Nice to meet you all," Kandy replied. "So you came to investigate the weirdness going on at Funland too?"
"Yes." Fred confirmed. "It just so happens that we're a mystery-solving team."
"I've heard about you, the four teens and their dog," smiled Kandy. "Nice. Mind if I join you for this one? I worked here for a while, too."
"Sure." They all agreed.
"Well, at least we can get some eats at the concessions stand," shrugged Shaggy. "C'mon, Scoob!"
"I want in," said Kandy. "I could eat, too!"
"Rat's reat!" Scooby said with a smile.
So they headed up to the snack stand.
"A little service, please?" asked Shaggy. "For starters, I'd like a root beer and a jumbo hot dog with everything on it!"
"Re, roo!" Scooby nodded.
"I'll have three extra chili cheese dogs with onion rings and an orange soda," Kandy said.
"...wow," Shaggy murmured, awestruck.
In practically no time at all, their orders appeared right before them, one by one.
"Now that's service," commented Kandy.
"Yeah," replied Shaggy. "...but who the heck did THAT? I didn't see anyone behind the counter!"
"Neither did I." Kandy replied as she looked around. "Strange."
"Reah...rou don't think this place could be haunted...right?" Scooby asked.
"I don't think so." Kandy replied. "I've worked here plenty of times and there were never any signs of possible ghosts or something like it."
"Maybe things changed..." Shaggy said with a heavy gulp.
MEANWHILE...
Fred, Daphne, and Velma were over at a ball-toss game.
"Hey, I remember this game," Fred mentioned. "I used to be great at it, and maybe I still am!" he wound up, pitched the ball, and knocked the bottles over.
"Nice one, Fred," Velma responded, impressed.
"Thanks, Velma," smiled Fred. "Let's go find Shaggy, Scooby and Kandy, alright?"
"Sure," Daphne. "Once we stack those bottles back—"
But as she turned around, the bottles were all stacked up again, like they'd never been touched!
"Huh, how did that happen?" Velma asked in confusion.
"There's a million dollar question," commented Daphne. "Something seriously weird is going on here, if that wasn't already obvious."
"That's for sure." Velma agreed. Then, she did a double-take. "...was that prize ALWAYS there?" she asked, noticing a prize stacked onto the countertop.
"No, it wasn't." Fred confirmed. "If that's all happening then I guess I should pay my two bits," He said as he paid the money that was usually owed.
And as he put the cash down, the register beeped, ringing it up. That got their attention, but they still didn't see anyone there besides them.
"I'm starting to wonder if this place really IS haunted," murmured Fred.
EVENTUALLY...
"So, what'd you find out, guys?" Kandy inquired, once the two groups met up again.
"Not a lot." Velma admitted. "Just that whoever or what's was here was very fast."
"Well, we sure got a good look at 'im!" Shaggy insisted.
"You saw him?" Daphne asked in surprise.
"Reah! Reah!" Scooby exclaimed.
"He had wide, blank eyes-glowin' like headlights on a hot rod!" Shaggy said.
"Strange," Fred said as the park started shutting down.
"Man, 'strange' doesn't even BEGIN to cover it! I'm tellin' ya, whatever the guy was—he definitely wasn't human!" Shaggy insisted. "Like something from outer space!"
"It'll be hard to figure out, but we will solve this mystery." Velma declared.
"I think we should alert the owners about all this." Kandy suggested. "I actually know where they live."
"Then by all means...lead the way," said Daphne.
"Sure thing." Kandy agreed as she led the way.
SHORTLY, AT THE OWNERS' HOUSE...
"And trust me, Mr. Jenkins—all the rides were running!" Fred finished.
"I don't see how," responded Mr. Jenkins.
"Well, they were definitely running!" Shaggy responded.
"Something or someone was turning them on and making them operate." Kandy added.
"That's impossible; we're the caretakers here," insisted Mr. Jenkins' sister, Sarah. "We would've seen the lights."
"Well, we saw a strange-looking character out there in the park," said Fred.
"Yeah!" Shaggy agreed. "He had wide, blank yellow eyes, and he was walking real fast, all over the place! Dressed in purple and blue, never spoke a word!"
"And rould move rast." Scooby mentioned.
"Yeah, real fast!" Shaggy nodded, before he stopped. "...I already included that detail, Scoob."
"He's just excited." Kandy advised.
"Nonsense," insisted Sarah. "There's nobody but us living out here."
"But—" Shaggy began.
Fred put a hand on Shaggy's shoulder. "Let it go, Shag," he advised. "Sorry to have bothered you two."
And so, they left the house.
"Well, that was some fine double-talk," commented Fred. "How could you NOT notice something like that?"
"They could be hiding something." Kandy advised. "Something seemed off about them."
"And since you know them, that's believable." Velma mentioned.
"So then what do we do?" asked Daphne.
"I guess our best course of action is to come back tomorrow night and see if anything else happens," replied Fred.
"I'll meet up with you all here tomorrow too." Kandy said while stretching. "I work here during the summer, so I want to make sure that I have a job."
"Fine with me," said Fred, and they left Funland for the night.
The next day, everyone's mind was on the bizarre occurrences that had gone on at Funland the previous night—including Shaggy.
Whatever that guy was last night...he couldn't have been human, he thought as he was sketching a picture of the mysterious stranger. Those blank, lifeless eyes...that empty, staunch walk—
"Hey, Shaggy," Rachel said as she came over.
"Huh?" Shaggy asked, jostled from his thoughts. "Oh! Uh, hey, Rachel. What's going on?"
"Nothing much." Rachel replied. "I'm actually wondering if you'll be free sometime soon."
"I dunno," said Shaggy. "I mean, the gang and I have this whole mystery to deal with, and otherwise, hanging out with them is the one thing I have planned...apart from figuring out new recipes with Scoob."
"Oh..." Rachel said as she felt a little upset about that. "It's okay, there's plenty of time."
"Hey...sorry," said Shaggy. "It's just...I never really expected to have friends to hang out with, and I just wanna do whatever I can to hang out with them whenever I can. Maybe after this case."
"Yeah, sure." Rachel agreed.
Alright...if we have Saturday, then maybe there's a chance, she thought to herself.
Eventually, school ended, and the gang got together.
"OK, gang, it's back to Funland for more investigating," declared Fred. "Might be a few hours before things start up, considering they began at night last time."
"So let's get some supplies while waiting," Velma suggested.
"What sort?" Daphne queried.
"Mainly snacks for Shaggy and Scooby, and possibly some trap materials for Fred," Velma explained. "Whoever or whatever we're going after might take some creativity to catch when it's time for the trap."
"Ah, good point," said Daphne with a nod. "Better to feed them now rather than deal with the fallout later."
And so, after a quick stopover at the local convenience store, The SpearRuby Bros Snacks N' Stuff, they returned to Funland, where they met Kandy outside.
"Hey, guys," she greeted. "Welcome back."
"Hey, Kandy," Shaggy replied. "Ready for tonight?"
Kandy took a french fry out of her satchel and ate it. "As I'll ever be," she responded.
"Rhoa!" Scooby exclaimed.
"I work at a fast food place, in case you were curious," Kandy explained as she ate another. "Anyways, let's get back to investigating!"
And so, they entered Funland...but this time, for the purpose of a stakeout. While they waited, they traded stories and ate some of the snacks while also making plans for when they saw the guy again. Shaggy, Scooby, and Kandy even included the details they discovered while chasing and getting chased.
As they talked, they suddenly heard carnival music playing and machinery whirring.
"Looks like the show's starting," said Fred. "And we'd better take our places, then!"
"Right!" The others said as they got up and went looking together. But this time, the merry-go-round started running...backwards, that is. And the same was happening with the rollercoasters!
"Hey, look at the hot dog booth!" Shaggy advised as it was spitting them out by the dozen, in a steady streamline. "I can't take the sight!"
"No kidding...all that good food going to waste," Kandy commented. "It's enough to make someone cry. Time to remedy it!"
"Rou said it!" Scooby agreed as he started eating some of the hot dogs up. Of course, Shaggy and Kandy began grabbing hotdogs and scarfing them down.
"And there's that strange guy again!" Fred exclaimed. There was the individual in question, juggling three balls and sliding them up and down on his shoulders.
"Let's see about getting him now." Velma advised as they went over towards the guy.
But the second they came towards him, the stranger immediately started off on his way again.
"Guess he's still not keen to stop and explain," said Fred. "We'd better move fast!"
"Good thing my shoes are built for speed and fashion." Daphne said as they, actually, gave chase after the guy.
As they ran after him, he went to the prize counter and started throwing prizes wildly.
Fred, Velma, and Daphne ducked as Scooby went after the pizzas that were being shot out of the pizza booth.
"Freebies!" Scooby grinned as he snapped them up, one by one.
"At least they won't be wasted." Velma said as they kept trying to chase the guy.
"There he goes, into the tunnel of love!" Kandy exclaimed as she spotted the robot heading into the tunnel on a boat.
"After him!" Fred advised as they got into another boat and went into the tunnel after the guy. But when they got in, they saw the man swimming right towards them.
"Okay, something's not right," said Kandy. "He's not even in a boat now...alright, this guy's not human! He's some kind of robot!"
"And he's coming at us like a torpedo!" Fred pointed out.
"Abandon boat!" Shaggy called out as he and the others jumped out before the guy rammed the boat; the resulting impact splintered the boat into pieces that went flying!
"Okay, that guy's dangerous!" Fred commented. "Not to mention haywire...if we don't stop him, someone's liable to get hurt!"
"No doubt about that." Kandy agreed as they all got out of the Tunnel of Love.
"Okay, we'll definitely need a plan for him," said Daphne.
"I might have one," Velma admitted.
"Then let's hear it!" Fred said as he and the others gathered around.
And so, afterwads, the gang set up a trap where the guy would end up inside of a crate that was inside of a brick building. First, all they had to do was lure the guy there.
"And for a trap, we'll need bait," said Fred.
"Oh, boy," sighed Shaggy. "I know what THAT means!"
"Reah." Scooby agreed in distraught.
"Wait, they use you guys as bait?" Kandy asked in shock. "Why?"
"Who knows?" Shaggy shrugged. "Maybe because we run fast? Some sort of cosmic joke?...like, your guess is as good as mine."
"I was asking them, but I guess that's all I'll get," Kandy said as she joined them. "I'm joining."
"I mean...they ARE fast," admitted Fred.
"I guess that'll have to do," Kandy replied before advising Shaggy. "Hot tip, use this against them whenever you want something."
"Well...okay," replied Shaggy.
And so, Kandy, Shaggy, and Scooby all went out to act as bait. As they did, they looked around for the robot and tried to figure out how to get his attention.
"OK...so like, how do we get a robot's attention?" asked Shaggy.
"I don't know." Kandy admitted. "I guess just wait for it to come after us?"
Scooby rubbed his chin, before he snapped his tail in realization. "Ri rot it!" he exclaimed.
Kandy and Shaggy looked at him. "How?" They asked.
Scooby pointed at Kandy and Shaggy, then mimed two people holding hands, and made kissing gestures before he grinned.
"...you mean you want us to act like a couple?" Shaggy asked.
"Reah! Reah!" Scooby nodded.
"Well...I definitely didn't expect this." Kandy admitted. "I guess we'll have to try."
"Like, it's worth a shot," shrugged Shaggy. They started by holding hands and moved from there.
So, they went to the strength tester.
"Alright, I'll give it a whirl first," said Shaggy as he took the mallet. But when he tried to lift it, he tipped over from the weight.
Kandy caught him before he could fall over.
"Whoof! Uh, thanks," Shaggy said.
"No problem." Kandy replied with a smile.
Scooby couldn't help but admire the moment between the two. He had to admit, they did have some decent chemistry.
Suddenly, the moment was broken as the robot came up the boardwalk once more.
"ZOINKS! Here comes Mister Metal-Head!" Shaggy exclaimed. "Time to beat feet!"
And so he and Scooby took to their heels, with Kandy in tow. Surprisingly, Kandy proved to be just as fast as s she managed to keep up.
As they kept running, the robot continued moving behind them, not breaking its stride even once.
"Here they come!" Velma called as she, Fred, and Daphne were ready to spring the trap.
"GANGWAY!" called Kandy as she, Scooby and Shaggy came racing towards the others.
"Now!" Fred called as they sprung the trap.
Shaggy, Scooby, and Kandy went into the crate first and then the guy followed inside. Once the door was locked, Daphne used a wench to pull Shaggy, Scooby, and Kandy out of the crate through the top.
"Nice one, guys," said Shaggy.
"Reah," said Scooby. "Rhat was close..."
"Now let's finish up this mystery." Velma said before they all heard crashing and busting and they went to look as the robot had gone through everything they had set up to catch him.
"Then again, we might not finish up so early..." commented Shaggy with a heavy gulp.
"Rhis ruy's runstoppable!" Scooby exclaimed.
"Unfortunately, that is one of the downsides of Charlie being a robot." Mr. Jenkins said as he came out of hiding while holding a remote in his hands.
"Mr. Jenkins?" asked the gang.
"So you DID know what was going on!" Fred exclaimed. "And after all that talk claiming otherwise!"
"I was trying to keep it a surprise for when we opened the park," Mr. Jenkins admitted. "A genuine robot that could run the park!"
"Well, someone's done something to your robot," said Velma. "And he could be a problem if he's not stopped!"
"I don't see who could, but I have a way to capture him," Mr. Jenkins replied. "I have a powerful electromagnet on my jeep."
"Then, by all means," responded Daphne. "I say we try it!"
"Step lively, now!" Mr. Jenkins advised as they all got into the jeep and went off to find Charlie the robot.
"So, what exactly motivated you to try and use a robot to run an amusement park, sir?" asked Velma.
"Unfortunately it's costs that convinced me to do it, but also, I always wanted to have my own robot." Mr. Jenkins explained as he drove around the park.
"I guess I can understand why that would be interesting," said Velma. "But someone's eager to sabotage your dream...and once we stop Charlie, we can get to figuring out who would want that!"
"Like, there he is!" Shaggy called out as the tracker was beeping louder and he spotted the robot inside of a nearby building.
"Let's nail him!" called Fred.
"Activate the magnet!" Mr. Jenkins advised.
"On it!" Daphne said as she pressed the button to activate the magnet. It started to hum loudly, before it pulled Charlie out of the building.
"Don't fight it, Charlie!" Mr. Jenkins advised as Charlie was walking against the pull of the magnet. "Whatever's been done to you, I'll fix it soon!"
Charlie kept right on walking, but he was eventually pulled onto the magnet. But as he did, a mysterious hand cut the power and Charlie was released.
"Wait, who did that?!" Shaggy asked as Charlie continued his one-man rampage...which didn't last too long since he crashed and fell down.
"I don't know, but the magnet must've messed up Charlie's circuitry." Mr. Jenkins advised, as Charlie was stuck on the ground flailing around a bit.
"Well, let's try and get to him, then," replied Daphne as she got out of the jeep and went over.
They arrived and Mr. Jenkins went over and shut Charlie down by opening a panel on his back and flipping a switch. Charlie's eyes went dark, and his systems shut down.
"Well, Charlie's wild night out is over," said Fred.
"Now to find out who cut the wire." Kandy said as she shone her light around and found the culprit—it was Mr. Jenkins' sister, Sarah!
"Sarah?" Mr. Jenkins asked. "You did it? But why?"
"Because I didn't like the idea of a robot running an amusement park, let alone being that close to children," explained Sarah. "What if it happened to malfunction or get hacked by someone else's signal?"
"Charlie runs on basic programming and doesn't have any sort of internet connection." Mr. Jenkins assured her. "The only way to hack him is to steal his remote."
"But still, kids need people and not machines—they get enough of that at home, depending on the circumstances," Kandy advised him. "I work here during the summer, so I can tell you from experience that having Charlie run the park won't make it better."
"I suppose you're right, even if costs are a problem," said Mr. Jenkins.
"If you're having money problems, then I think I know how to help with that." Kandy said as she led Mr. Jenkins to the side so they could talk.
And talk they did. Soon, they shook hands and decided to leave the outcome as a surprise.
"What do you suppose they decided on?" asked Fred.
"Now THERE'S a mystery," replied Velma.
"It'll be ready when Funland opens up," Kandy advised, turning back towards the others. "It'll be amazing."
The gang each traded looks with each other, curious, but more than interested in seeing what came of it.
SOME TIME LATER...
Eventually, Funland opened up and introduced Charlie the 2nd, the new-and-improved handy helper robot who was great with a wrench, helped to entertain the children and was a friend to animals.
"Well, that's at least putting him to good use," said Velma.
"I figured this would be better and a money saver as well." Kandy replied as she came over, dressed in a uniform that looked like a classic waitress, but showed off her midsection and plenty of leg.
"Well, it definitely works!" Shaggy replied, giving a thumbs-up.
"No doubt." Kandy said while holding a bucket of fries. "Care for some fries?" She offered.
"Like, sure!" Shaggy responded as he took some and ate them.
"Awww..." Scooby smiled, admiring the scene. Can't deny, they make a great couple! But still, Shaggy has a thing for Daphne... You know what? I won't meddle—this needs to be resolved between them.
Just then, Charlie II started giving Scooby head-scratches, making him wag his tail. Especially after head-scratches...ahhh. Refreshing!
After all, time would tell.
However, Rachel was watching and didn't like what she was seeing.
"That punk metalhead Hot-Topic regurgitation's trying to sink her hooks in MY Shaggy!" she fumed to herself. "I need some way to lure him over to me! ...but, I'll wait for now. All in good time."
And so she slipped away, unnoticed, as the gang enjoyed their day at the new Funland.
"Scooby-Dooby-Doo!" Scooby beamed.
THE END!