It was a quiet Friday night in Great Lakes City. Ronnie Anne, Sid, Carl and Bobby had just started playing a board game. Bobby was confused as he was on the second space on the board but had drawn a move back three spaces card.
"Niños!" they heard Rosa call from down the hall.
"Yes, Mrs. Casagrande?" hollered Sid, she was sitting closest to the hall.
Rosa came into the room carrying the crystal ball that Mystery Inc had sent them from the Himalayas. It had arrived three days earlier. "I was putting away Ronnie Anne's clean laundry when this thing started talking. Please warn me next time you are expecting a call from Senior Van Ghoul, he nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"Apologies Rosa; I thought you were one of the children" said the voice of Vincent Van Ghoul glowing in the crystal ball.
"Is everything okay Mr. Van Ghoul?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"It all depends on your perspective. I believe I have located one of the thirteen ghosts, but I have no idea who or what the ghost is" Vincent explained.
"Where?" Carl said, looking back and forth as if the ghost would pop out at any moment.
"It is not here young Carl. But it is at a place called Dairyland." Vincent seemed to be questioning if he had actually said what he had said.
Ronnie Anne, Sid, and Carl's faces lit up. "Dairyland? That's so cool!" said Ronnie Anne.
"Well hopefully this turns out to be a false alarm" Carl said fantasizing about spending the whole day at the amusement park.
"I'm afraid this photo all but proves it will not be one!" Vincent said. His face was replaced in the crystal ball by a souvenir photograph of the milk shaker rollercoaster. The first row had a happy tourist couple, but the second row had a familiar pair of ghosts. Weerd looked like he was about to hurl, whereas Bogel had his hands up in enjoyment. "If those two are in Dairyland, something must be going on. Get over there immediately!"
"Woohoo Dairyland here we come!" Ronnie Anne exclaimed. CJ zipped into the room excited by the mention of the park.
"B-but what about the ghosts?" Bobby said.
"Roberto, you have a responsibility. We are going to Dairyland and catching a ghost. Somebody call Scooby Doo and his friends and tell them where we're going!" Rosa said.
"Can I come too?" Sid asked.
"Are you sure Sid? This could be dangerous" Ronnie Anne asked. Her best friend nodded emphatically.
The next morning, Ronnie Anne, Carl, Bobby, Sid, CJ, and Carlota piled into the van with Rosa at the wheel. The Chest of Demons was defrosting in the trunk, they had been storing it in the freezer as a precaution. When they arrived, they parked next to the mystery machine where Velma was on her laptop and Shaggy and Scooby were each having a fully loaded funnel cake.
"Hey guys, has anything happened so far?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Indeed, funnel cake with Dairyland cheese curds, honey mustard, chocolate sauce, and powdered sugar. Want any?" Shaggy said offering the amalgamation. The kids reeled back in disgust except for Sid who took one bite then cringed at the flavor combination.
"Fred and Daphne are following leads to where the Mirror of Marrakesh has gone, it was sent to London by someone posing as Vincent Van Ghoul." explained Velma.
"Then we're not looking for a mirror monster, that's good," Bobby said.
"Hey I thought Scrappy was riding down with you" Shaggy asked.
"Scrappy caught a cold from swimming through snow in the Himalayas, Casey said he needed another day of rest and hot bone broth. They told us to come by for Cuban sandwiches when we're done here" Ronnie Anne explained.
"They've just opened for the day, let's get in there and try to find our ghost" Carl exclaimed.
From the upper level of the barn of horror ride, a telescope eyed them as they entered the park.
Weerd smiled as he picked them out of the crowd. "Hehehehe, our guests are here right on schedule."
"Are you sure they didn't just come for the rides?" Bogel asked.
"Then why would they bring the Chest of Demons?" Weerd replied pointing and the Chest of Demons sticking out of Rosa's tote bag.
Maldor appeared behind them in a cloud of smoke. "As I knew they would, you have drawn attention away from me. Truly this will be a visit they shall never forget!" He laughed maniacally.
They continued to watch as the gang got their game plan together. "You kids start looking around. I have a loaf of protection to protect me so I'lll watch the chest for you."
"Thanks Abuela, we'll check back with you soon!" Bobby said and they split up to explore the park.
Maldor watched them. "The Chest of Demons is with the old woman, you two will take it from her!"
"But what about the kids, and that meddling dog!" Weerd replied.
"He will deal with the mortals!" Maldor said, pointing to the third person who was quietly sitting to the side.
Bogel shuttered. "What's wrong? Scared?" the ghost said with a mischievous grin on his red painted lips. Then left the room giggling to himself.
"W-w-why did Maldor stick us with him, he's gonna scare me to death!" Bogel replied.
"You're already dead!" Weerd remarked then smacked Bogel for forgetting. "Now come on we've got a chest to snag." They lowered, phasing through the ceiling.
Meanwhile, the kids split up into groups, they figured, in order to cover the most ground they needed to ride on some of the rides. They agreed to meet at the shake lab, in half an hour to see if anyone found anything and to have a milkshake. Carl, Carlota, and CJ were in a boat on the ride the sea of cheese.
"This is ridiculous," Carl said as the animatronics on the ride sang.
"Well we don't know what we're looking for so we have to look everywhere" his sister replied.
"I think it's fun!" CJ added watching the singing animatronics.
Still bored, Carl's eyes drifted until he spotted something shiny. He squinted and realized it was a shiny gold coin. "Ooh, money, dibs!" he said, leaping out of the boat to try and scoop up the coin.
"Carl, come back here!" Carlota said following her brother. "CJ, stay here!"
Carl was about to snatch up the gold when it was jerked away from him by a string. "Hey I call dibs!" he said, following it behind the animatronics. Carlota was right behind him. CJ watched his siblings go deeper into the background of the ride's set, as the boat he was in moved into the next tunnel.
Carl followed the coin until he got to the person pulling it away from him. He was wearing red and black puffy clothes, with white face paint, red lips and matching nose. Carl looked up at the clown for a moment and then his attention turned back to the coin as the clown held it up to his face. It spun and twinkled in the light. Carlota caught up with her brother. "Carl what were you thinking" she chastised. But she realized Carl was not paying attention to her and was instead captivated by the clown's coin. "Hey what are you doing?" she said to the clown, then turned her attention to the coin which had her brother's complete attention.
The Ghost Clown smiled, he had them both right where he wanted them. "Watch the pretty coin of gold, and you will do as you are told. You are brave and that's a fact" he said, as Carl and Carlota's pupils shrank as the trance took hold. "You will do a high-flying act."
Half an hour later, Scooby, Shaggy, Velma, Ronnie Anne, Bobby, and Sid regrouped at the milkshake bar awaiting Carlota, CJ and Carl. "So far we're batting zero," Velma admitted.
"Like I wouldn't say zero" Shaggy replied. "This shake is a ten out of ten." But while he was talking Scooby stuck a straw in and slurped it down.
"This is not the time for snacking!" exclaimed Vincent Van Ghoul from the crystal ball positioned between Bobby and Velma. "We still have no idea what Weerd and Bogel are doing here."
"Don't worry yet Mr. Van Ghoul, hopefully Carl, CJ and Carlota had better luck then we did" Ronnie Anne said as she enjoyed her peanut butter shake.
Just then CJ burst into the room panting. "Carl and Carlota are missing!" he exclaimed. Everyone gasped.
"What happened CJ?" Velma asked. CJ explained how while on their ride, Carl had seen something shiny that drew him out of their boat and Carlota went after him. Fearing the ghost was behind the disappearance, they left their half finished milkshakes and fanned out to search for Carl and Carlota.
Rosa meanwhile was unaware what was happening, she sat on a bench with her shake, reading her book and resting her arm on the Chest of Demons. Weerd and Bogel peered out from under a nearby tent to spy on her.
"Alright Bogel, it's just us versus grandma" Weerd said.
"Hehehe, she's gonna freak!" Bogel replied.
They began tiptoeing behind her, moving toward the bench. "I'll scare her, you grab the chest, ready?" Weerd asked, Bogel nodded. They jumped but were repelled immediately, bouncing off and back into a trash can. "What the?" The ghosts then noticed the Loaf of protection that Rosa had nailed to the bench to ward off evil spirits. She turned around and winked at the ghosts.
"She's not freaked out," Bogel said, then in response Weerd smacked him.
While the two ghosts retreated to concoct a new plan, Ronnie Anne, Sid and Scooby Doo were walking through the park calling out Carl and Carlota's names. "Guys, I'm getting worried, what if something's happened to them?" Ronnie Anne said as her eyes darted from side to side looking for any sign of her cousins.
"Don't worry Ronnie Anne I'm sure we'll find them" Sid said, patting her friend on the shoulder.
Sid then bought a bag of donut holes for the three of them to share, she ate one then tossed one to Scooby. But she lobbed it too high and the treat sailed over his head. It rolled on the ground and Scooby chased it into the Dairyland Uddertorium. "Scooby! Come back!" Sid exclaimed. The girls chased Scooby inside, the next show was not for an hour but the peppy organ music was in full swing over the loudspeaker.
Scooby found the donut hole, determined it was still good, then picked it up and tossed it to catch in his mouth. But when he looked up he saw something that made him jump in disbelief, the donut missed his mouth. The girls found Scooby dumbfounded, they tried to ascertain what was the matter, with Sid administering soothing pets. Scooby pointed up, "rook! rook!"
The girls looked up and they did doubletakes in disbelief. High in the air they saw Carlota and Carl, in matching sparkly jumpsuits colored like the American flag. They were swinging on a flying trapeze performing remarkable catches and somersaults. "Carl, Carlota! What are you doing?" Ronnie Anne called out. Her cousins did not respond.
"Wow, how did I not know they could do that?" Sid wondered aloud.
"I don't believe it!" Ronnie Anne continued in amazement. "It's almost like they are in a," she found herself cutoff when a voice from the upper seats finished her sentence.
"A trance? Hahahahahaha," the strange voice said. Scooby turned around first and recognized the familiar face.
"Rost Rown!" Scooby said as the girls turned to see the Ghost Clown staring down at them while leaning on a railing.
"I do hope you are enjoying the show Scooby Doo," cackled the Ghost Clown. "Reminds me of your days on the tightrope." Scooby shuttered and remembered the time the Ghost Clown had put Mystery Inc in mortal danger.
"What did you do to them?" demanded Ronnie Anne pointing up at her cousins.
"Oh I think you already know my dear, but you better do something quick. For you see, when that song ends the spell will break, and it will be time for them to wake. And unless they really are expert acrobats, well," the Ghost Clown paused. "What comes up must come down." He laughed again and then jetted up and out the window.
"A flying ghost clown?" Sid said in disbelief. "Scooby Doo you sure have met some strange monsters." Scooby nodded in agreement.
"Nevermind that Sid we have to help Carl and Carlota!" Ronnie Anne replied, they headed to the stage of the auditorium. "Sid you man the control panel and try to get the safety net to deploy. Scooby, if that doesn't work, go get that big tub of fresh butter and position it below them. I'm gonna climb up to the scaffolding and try to help them."
"How?" Scooby asked.
"I'm still figuring that out," Ronnie Anne replied with a gulp, but she knew she had to be brave for her cousins' sake. She began climbing as fast as she could as the music began to slow.
When it stopped Carl was midway through the process of jumping to grab Carlota's ankles. But they snapped out of the trance at a point where they were both looking down. After a moment of confusion they both screamed after realizing where they were. Carl grabbed hold of his sister's waist as Carlota clung to the trapeze.
"Don't let go Carlota!" Carl screamed, on the verge of tears.
"Don't let go of me!" Carlota responded, fear racing in her mind.
"Carl, Carlota!" Ronnie Anne called from the platform she had climbed up to.
"Ronnie Anne! What's happening? How did we get up here?" Carlota exclaimed.
"You were in a trance, it was that crazy Ghost Clown! Hold on a little longer. Look at me or at the ceiling but don't look down," she called down to Sid who was trying to figure out the controls. "Hurry Sid!"
"They didn't label these things," Sid confessed after two failed switches, "I hope this one does it." Finally the third level pulled made the net begin unfurling.
Carlota followed Ronnie Anne's eyes and saw the net below them. Carl's eyes were still shut, all his energy devoted to holding onto his sister and not crying. "Ok Carl, ready?" Carlota asked.
"For what?" Carl asked. He then began screaming as Carlota released her grip and they began falling into the net. They bounced up and out into the vat of fresh butter Scooby was in the process of pushing. It went all over them, but Scooby didn't mind, it was a sweet honey butter, and all he needed was a biscuit. "What were you thinking? We could have died! Why didn't you warn me?" Carl began screaming, Then he was silent for a split second, and then grabbed sister sobbing in a hug. "That was so scary!" he whispered.
"Yeah," Carlota said, crying herself as she held her brother tight.
Ronnie Anne, Sid, and Scooby cheered, running up to the tub of butter. "Wow, you guys were incredible!" Sid exclaimed.
"It was pretty impressive," Carl said, wiping his eyes. "But wait till I get my hands on that stupid Ghost Clown and his stupid gold coin. I'll shove him right into the Chest of Demons myself!" he added in a fit of rage.
"And before that, where are our clothes?" Carlota asked, looking down at the sparkly patriotic costumes they were wearing that were now covered in butter.
While they were looking for Carlota and Carl's clothes, Shaggy, Velma, Bobby and CJ were still searching for them.
"Carl! Carlota!" CJ cried.
"Like don't worry CJ, we'll find them!" Shaggy said, handing the boy a cotton candy.
"Jinkies look over there," Velma said quietly, as she pointed. The boys looked where she was and saw the Ghost Clown cross the path about fifty yards ahead of them.
"You think that clown knows where Carlota and Carl are?" Bobby asked.
"No Bobby, that looks like the Ghost Clown," Velma replied. "If it is, we may have found the ghost we're looking for. Let's follow him, he didn't see us." They picked up the pace, with CJ pushing Shaggy who had frozen in fear. They followed him to the top of the platform to board the Milk Shaker ride but the clown was gone.
"Looks like he has given us the slip" said Vincent Van Ghoul from his Crystal Ball sticking out of Bobby's backpack.
"Well that's a lucky break, now let's go warn the others" Shaggy added. They turned to go back downstairs but a massive line had formed.
The attendant turned to them. "Sorry folks, the only way to get off is to ride, and then leave via the unload platform next door."
Velma's protests were left unanswered and the four of them had no choice but to board the roller coaster. "Is this ride f-f-fast" she asked CJ who was sitting next to her. Before he could answer, the ride set off like a rocket. As it whirled they all began feeling queasy. "Stop…the…ride..I want to get off!"
But as they slowed down, they looked over to the exit platform. The Ghost Clown was waving at them. Their green faces turned ghost white. "Hope you enjoyed yourself, because what goes around, goes around again and again!" He laughed, yanking the lever. The ride went off on a continuous loop. The force was so great that it sent the crystal ball flying through the air.
The ball landed on an awning then rolled down and over to Rosa who took notice. "Those kids are always losing their stuff," she said, bending over to pick up the ball.
"Rosa, you must get to them, the Ghost clown has trapped them on an endless loop of a roller coaster" Vincent Van Ghoul replied.
Rosa jumped up, "take me to them" she demanded. "Oh but first." Rosa turned, removed her Chancla and hurled it like a boomerang. It whirled around the corner and they could hear Weerd and Bogel cry out in pain as it slapped them. Then the spinning shoe returned to her hand and she replaced it on her foot.
Weerd and Bogel rubbed their cheeks where the shoe prints were plainly visible. Maldor's eyes appeared in a ball of fire rising out of a trash can. "You imbeciles, you cannot even outwit a single old woman!" he bellowed angrily.
"Hey it's not our fault, she's tricky!" Bogel replied.
"Grrr, when I return to my physical form, I shall make you regret the day you died!" Maldor threatened.
The ghost clown landed beside them, "no need to fret Maldor, the power of the Ghost Clown is great. Oh what fun we are going to have!"
"Don't forget our agreement!" Maldor leered.
"Hahaha, big talk for one who cannot harm me!" the Ghost Clown laughed then zipped away. '
"Who says clowns are funny?" Weerd asked.
"Never mind, he is on own now. Our friend in the mirror needs your assistance. He will arrive at the Fairway library tomorrow night. Be there!" Maldor ordered then faded into dust.
"You heard him, Bogel let's go!" Weerd demanded
He started dragging his friend, "but we haven't ridden the bumper cows yet!" Bogel protested. They turned the corner and crashed into Tippy the Cow, Dairyland's official mascot. "Come on Weerd, at least let me get a picture with the cow!" But Weerd did not concede and the two ghosts fled the park with Tippy staring in confusion.
Shaggy, Velma, Bobby and CJ were overjoyed when Rosa stopped the Milk Shaker. Scooby Doo and the others had also joined them. "Are you kids okay?" Rosa asked concernedly.
"Give us a minute," Bobby said on the verge of throwing up.
"Well you guys missed Carl and Carlota's amazing acrobatic act" Sid exclaimed.
"What you call amazing, I call terrifying," Carlota replied.
"Is it time to catch that Ghost Clown yet?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Before we can do that we have to find him. He could be hiding anywhere" said Velma. "We're going to have to pick a central location where we can lure the Ghost Clown to, so we can catch him in the Chest of Demons." They pulled out the map and determined the Cup of Whoa spinning teacup ride was the best choice. While Velma and Rosa, went to set up the trap the other set off in search of the Ghost Clown.
"What do we do when we find the Ghost Clown?" CJ asked.
"We're gonna have to get him to chase us back to the Chest of Demons," Ronnie Anne explained.
"Zoinks, I almost forgot, you guys wait here," Shaggy dashed into the gift shop.
Bobby's stomach began gurgling again. "Um I'll be right back!" he said before running off toward the bathroom. Thankfully it was a false alarm, but after Bobby finished washing his hands he was stopped before he could return to the others. He turned around and came face to face with the Ghost Clown.
"Watch the pretty coin of gold, and you will do as you are told!" as the Ghost Clown spoke, Bobby became entranced. "You are brave and that's a fact, so you will do the bullfighter's act."
Moments later, Shaggy returned with a stack of sunglasses. "Here we are, can't be too careful!" He declared.
"Uhh, it's cloudy," remarked Carlota.
"But like it's not for reflecting the sun, it's for reflecting the Ghost Clown's gold coin back in his face, in case he tries to hypnotize any of us again" Shaggy explained, passing out the sunglasses. "Like where'd Bobby go?"
"He went to throw up again" Carl declared.
"Carl, you, CJ, and Scooby go and give him his sunglasses. We'll start poking around to see if we can get an eye on that creepy clown" Ronnie Anne instructed.
So Scooby, Carl and CJ headed towards the restroom. They were almost there when they heard Bobby's voice shouting out, "Toro, toro!" It was coming from the Friends 4 Udder petting zoo.
"Bobby?" Carl said with uncertainty.
They peaked over the fence, "Rhat's he doing?" Scooby asked.
Bobby had a red cape and was waving it at a very angry cow named Ursula. She was kicking up dust as she charged him, but Bobby gracefully dodged her like an experienced matador. But this only made the cow angrier. "Ole!" Bobby cried out.
"Bobby! Over here!" CJ cried out but his cousin did not answer.
"Oh no, I bet he's been hypnotized" Carl deduced.
"Hahaha" they heard the Ghost Clown laugh, then saw him watching Bobby from the other side of the pen. "Oh what an act, but I fear it's not the right fit for Dairyland."
"What is he going to do?" CJ asked worryingly.
The Ghost Clown pulled out a brass horn. Scooby, remembering Shaggy's experience taming lions in a trance, dashed around the circle of pen. "When I blow this trumpet, you will awake, and you'll be lucky if that cow only gives you a bum steer!" He cackled but Scooby jumped on him, sending the horn flying. The enraged ghost clown threw Scooby into the pen and he soon found himself being chased by the cow Bobby was fighting.
CJ and Carl ran over to the horn and CJ picked it up. "What do we do now?" he asked.
"Give me that horn!" the Ghost Clown demanded. CJ handed the horn to Carl then pretended he didn't know what the clown was asking. "You are both fools to dare to challenge the Ghost Clown!"
"We need back up," Carl said. He looked and saw Ursula's attention had turned to focus on Scooby who had gotten Bobby's red cape tangled in his collar. Realizing the immediate threat to Bobby's safety had passed he blew the bugle, hoping to snap him out of the trance and draw the others to the petting zoo.
Bobby shook his head as his head went back to normal. "Where am I?" Bobby asked.
"Bobby, help Scooby-Doo!" Shouted CJ, as he pointed at the one dog one cow chase encircling him. Bobby jumped with fear. Scooby kept running keeping distance between him and Ursula but he was starting to tire. Bobby stood still in the center of the corral waiting for an opportunity. Finally he timed his dash, jumping over Scooby, snatching the red cape and tossing away. Ursula followed the cape and Scooby followed Bobby. Carl and CJ came over cheering.
"You think I'll get away that easily!" the Ghost Clown threatened, laughing maniacally.
They took off running back to Ronnie Anne, Carlota, Shaggy and Sid. They saw the Ghost Clown hovering and flying after them. "Looks like they found him," Sid exclaimed.
"Come on back to the ride," Shaggy said. They headed back to the ride where Rosa and Velma had hidden the Chest of Demons.
Everyone ducked into teacups. The Ghost Clown hovered above them. Grinning, he pulled out a set of juggling clubs and began using them. From her hiding place by the control panel, Velma started the ride. The cups slowly began spinning. One by one Scooby, Shaggy, Sid, and Carlota began popping up like prairie dogs and taunting the clown into hurling clubs at them, and then ducked into the cups dodging them.
"Get ready!" Velma called out.
"Hey Mr. Clown, did you hear the one about the ghost who try to outsmart the Casagrandes and Mystery Inc at Dairyland?" Bobby called out. The Ghost Clown stopped, that was the worst joke set up he'd ever heard. "It ended up being heavy-creamed!"
Suddenly from behind him pipes blasted milk and cream at him, knocking the Ghost Clown off balance in the sky.
"Hocus Pocus, spirit rest, return oh return to the Demon Chest!" Ronnie Anne exclaimed. As the Ghost Clown fell Carl and CJ opened the box and he fell laughing the whole time.
The ride stopped and everyone was happy but dizzy. "Well, glad that is over" Rosa said, after shutting off the pipes spewing milk and cream.
"Reah," Scooby Doo replied, his head still bobbing as if he was still on the ride.
"Well that's three ghosts down," Ronnie Anne began. "Too bad we didn't get to enjoy our day at Dairyland."
"Well we've still got some time before the park closes," Bobby replied, placing a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Then we get to go home and have Cuban sandwiches" Everyone cheered in agreement. They all grabbed another snack and claimed a bench to rest for a minute.
"By the way Mrs. Casagrande, what happened to Weerd and Bogel?" Velma asked.
"Well they couldn't get close to the chest, I made sure of that" she showed off her good luck charms still in her bag. "But where they went I'm not sure."
Just then Tippy the Cow came over to their bench. "I know!"
Everyone looked at the cow in confusion. Tippy then lifted up the mask revealing Benny Stein, Luan's boyfriend.
"Benny?" Luan said with surprise.
"Yeah, sorry for not saying hi earlier, we've been super short staffed today. But I wanted to let you know I saw two ghosts. They were talking and someone told them to meet their friend in the mirror. He's apparently going to be at the Fairway Library tomorrow night." Benny explained.
"Did you say Fairway?" Bobby exclaimed. "I've gotta call Lori!" He ran off to find somewhere quiet to call his girlfriend.
"Oh boy, like there's no rest in the hunt for the thirteen ghosts" Shaggy said, sagging on the bench.
"Rest now Shaggy, and go get some more ice cream," Ronnie Anne replied. Everyone took a moment to enjoy themselves after a long day's ghost hunting.