CHAPTER 2
STAGE FRIGHT
Shortly after, Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo stood behind the curtain on the stage of the Crystal Cove Theater.
Mayor Janet Nettles stepped up to a podium to introduce them. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to honor our very special guests,” she said to the sellout audience. “Please welcome Mystery Incorporated. Together, these five individuals have solved countless mysteries in our beloved city!”
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
The audience cheered.
“It’s the most haunted place on Earth!” a voice called out from the audience.
Mayor Nettles forced herself to smile at that comment. “Well, yes,” she admitted. “But the Mystery Inc. detectives have also explored supernatural goings-on around the entire world. I’m very proud to honor these brave teens, and Scooby-Doo, of course, with this plaque to show our appreciation.”
FWOOOOOOOSH!
The curtain opened, revealing the Mystery Inc. gang. “Hooray!” The audience erupted in cheers.
Fred, Daphne, and Velma stepped forward. They each took a bow. Then they signaled for Shaggy and Scooby to join them.
“Like, after you, Scoobs,” said Shaggy.
“Rhy rhank rou!” Scooby-Doo replied, stepping forward.
Unfortunately, Shaggy was stepping on Scooby-Doo’s paw. The clumsy hound staggered forward, did a triple somersault, and landed in a split on the front of the stage.
“ROWWWW!” Scooby howled in pain.
The audience groaned.
“Are you all right, Scoobs?” Shaggy asked his fallen friend.
Scooby-Doo slowly stood. When he did, the crowd erupted in wild applause. They thought that the whole thing had been planned.
After a moment, Mayor Nettles began, “Before we start this evening’s production of Hamlet, does anyone in the audience have a question for our guests of honor?”
A loud, high-pitched voice called out from the back of the audience, “Yes, yes, I have a very important question for the detectives!”
The gang watched a woman dressed all in black and wearing large sunglasses march up the aisle and stand in front of the stage.
David Belastic shooed Mayor Nettles and the Mystery Inc. gang offstage and then motioned to the lighting man in the back of the theater. As the theater lights began to dim in the auditorium, the gang moved to their seats in the audience.
“That’s odd,” said Fred. “I’ve never heard any stories about a ghost in this theater.”
“Me neither,” said Daphne. “Maybe we should have a talk with Ms. Wilson after the play.”
Velma guided Scooby-Doo and Shaggy to seats in the middle of a row. “I don’t want the two of you sneaking out before the play is over,” she said. “Get ready for four hours of high culture!”
“Zoinks!” Shaggy exclaimed.
“Roinks!” agreed Scooby.
Suddenly, the curtain went up and bright lights shined onto the stage. The stage now looked like the top of a large castle, and two actors marched back and forth across the set.
“Who’s there?” asked one of them.
“Nay, answer me: stand and unfold yourself,” said the other.
“Like, ‘Unfold yourself’? What does that mean? What language is this?” Shaggy whispered to Velma. “Sounds boring to me.”
“Yeah,” Scooby-Doo agreed. “Roring!”
“Shhh,” Velma whispered back. “It’s Elizabethan English, of course. Shakespeare wrote this play in the 1600s.”
It was going to be a very long four hours!
Shaggy sunk back into his seat. He closed his eyes. If I can’t be eating food, he thought. At least I can be dreaming about it!
Scooby-Doo had the same idea.
* * *
Five minutes later, more actors had arrived onstage, including one who was playing the ghost of Hamlet’s dead father. Velma glanced over at Shaggy and Scooby-Doo.
Both were already sound asleep!
“Wake up!” she said, elbowing Scooby-Doo. “You’re going to miss the ghost!”
“Rhost?!” Scooby exclaimed. He jumped up in his chair and grabbed Shaggy.
“Relax, Scoobs,” Shaggy said, calming his pal. “It’s just some actor wearing a sheet. Like, I’ve seen better ghost costumes on Halloween!”
Then one of the actors onstage started shouting and pointing. “Look, there it comes again!” he said. The ghost in the sheet flapped its arms and tried to look scary.
Suddenly, a second ghost appeared onstage. This ghost glowed with a sickly green color.
WHOOOoooOOOoOooO! It moaned.
Shaggy and Scooby squinted their eyes for a better look.
“Like, check out those special effects, Scoobs!” Shaggy exclaimed. “How did they make that ghost look see-through?”
“Roah!” Scooby exclaimed, perking up in his seat.
POOF!
With a burst of sulfurous smoke, the ghost disappeared from view.
“Eeeek!” Audience members screamed and jumped up from their seats. They fled from the theater in a panic.
A man accidentally stepped on Daphne’s foot and pushed his way past her. “Ouch!” she cried, but the man didn’t look back.
“Like, we’re out of here! Right, Scoobs?” Shaggy asked his pal.
“Ruh-huh!” Scooby-Doo agreed.
“Hang on, gang!” shouted Fred. “The five of us aren’t going anywhere. It looks like we have a mystery to solve!” With that, he and Daphne ran to the front of the theater and climbed up on the stage.
“Like, I was afraid he was going to say that!” Shaggy gulped. “How about if Scoobs and I stand guard outside the theater? No sense in all five of us making this ghost angry.”
Velma reached into her pocket and pulled out two boxes of tasty treats. She shook the boxes and smiled at Shaggy and Scooby.
“Wouldn’t you guys rather stay here and enjoy a tasty Scooby Snack?” she said sweetly.
“Like, where’d you get that?” Shaggy asked. “I thought we ate them all!”
“Reah,” Scooby agreed, surprised.
Velma ripped open the brand-new boxes. The smell of Scooby and Shaggy’s favorite treats filled the theater. The two friends hungrily licked their lips.
“I never leave home without an emergency snack stash for you guys,” Velma told them.
“Well, okay,” Shaggy said, thinking about his options. “We might stay if you make it two each!”
“Deal!” said Velma.
Scooby-Doo and Shaggy approached Velma. They each snagged a box from her hands.
YOINK!
“Hey!” Velma cried.
Scooby-Doo and Shaggy weren’t listening. They each lifted a box over their mouth and tipped it upside down. Dozens of Scooby Snacks fell from the boxes, into their mouths, and directly down their throats.
GULP! GULP! GULP!
“That sure hits the spot! Right, Scoob?” said Shaggy, searching the box for crumbs.
“Ruh-huh!” Scooby agreed. “Rummy!”
“You said two each!” Velma protested.
“Like, we know,” Shaggy exclaimed. “Two boxes each. I guess you still owe us one!”
“HA! HA!” Fred and Daphne couldn’t help but laugh.
“They got you there,” said Daphne.
Shaggy winked at Scooby-Doo and whispered to his pal, “It works every time!”
As Velma walked to the front of the theater to join her fellow detectives, she thought to herself, It works every time!
She didn’t care that they’d eaten them all. Velma only cared that they were now going to help the gang crack the case!