Chapter 3

How do we always get mixed up in these kind of things?

After everybody ate, Fred was set dead on seeing this ghost man in action and unmask him for he was surely no ghost. Velma looked at him with respect for she too was no believer in real ghosts, there could be no such thing. Actually she said that out loud as they were going out the door and that's when Shaggy asked:

"Like, how can you be so sure, remember our time on that zombie island? Those cat ladies and those zombies were the real thing."

"Alright, alright, jinkies Shaggy, yes there was that one time but that doesn't mean anything, my belief is that this man Daphne encountered is just another crook in a mask, we saw real monsters on that ratched island but the other ones were just masked crooks, this one is surely a masked crook too."

"Like, I don't know Velma what if we get caught by that ugly giant scorpion?"

At that moment, Daphne intervened and stopped them from arguing, telling everyone that the big ass scorpion was just a local legend, nothing to be worried about.

"We'll just look for clues and catch that freaking ghost! Jeepers you guys." said Daphne, annoyed.

The gang rode around the town in the mystery machine making stops here and there to look for clues, they asked people about such ghosts of the people in the legend. Some said they appeared in the mornings or the afternoons, warning people not to disturb the sacred land of Artazzo, they met up with one local at one time in that day who said:

"Yes, that person you describe, that freaky ghost, it appeared in my shop at one time, (the man owned a shop of pottery) he said he was looking for Artazzo's vase, somehow he thought I had it, I said to him that I don't even know what it looks like and then he grabbed me by my collar and jammed me straight into the wall screaming at me asking to tell him where it is, oh the horror."

"Did he hurt you?", asked Velma.

"If he hurt me?!" said the old man, "Just look at this, he put his finger on my hand and burned me, it was so hot, as hot as the red sand in the summer days" said the old man while showing them his hand, his middle finger had a pretty nasty burn, right in the middle.

"Jinkies! that really is a monster, all the crooks we put behind bars over the years sometimes caught us but they never hurt us." Said Daphne, scared.

"I heard he and his friends are hanging around the top of the mountain, worshipping that Artazzo character, you better stay away kids, return to the motel or whatever the hell you're staying and stay out of trouble. These ghost men are dangerous business, I tell ya."

The gang left the man alone and got into the mystery machine, everyone was silent, waiting for someone to say something, Daphne and Shaggy were in the back of the van with Scooby while Velma and Fred were in front, which Fred considered really strange, he thought:

"Daphne is always sitting next to me, why did she choose to stay in the back seat, she never sits there? Hmm… "

Then Fred started thinking on this matter while Daphne looked at Shaggy, frightened of what this ghost man they were trying to catch is capable of, what he would do to them if he caught them. Shaggy sensed Daphne was troubled but he took her hand, squeezed it tightly and gave her a smirk and a wink to assure her that everything is going to be just fine. Scooby- Doo was really confused, he looked at Shaggy and Daphne, he didn't understand what was going on, he looked at Shaggy then he looked at Daphne back at Shaggy back at Daphne as he was rubbing his chin with his finger in confusion. Apparently Velma was the only one who was focused on the case, which was no surprise, she loved solving mysteries, it wasn't just fun, it was the thrill, the chasing of monsters and also being chased by monsters. She loved being chased by monsters because in some twisted thinking she believed those monsters wanted her, she never felt wanted by someone as she was always hanging out with Daphne, she was considered all the time the friend of the pretty girl but never was she considered the pretty girl. Even when she dated Shaggy back in high-school, she always sensed that he wasn't that much into her.

"Back to the matter at hand!" she thought while analyzing the notes she collected writing what every local told them about that ghost man. Fred drove back to his aunt's house because clearly he didn't have his head on the mystery. He needed to do something to cool off and get his head back in the game. Everyone went inside except for Shaggy and Daphne, they saw an opportunity of spending some time together and they went out back and they couldn't believe what they saw.

"Like man that really is cute, look at them, such pure creatures." Said Shaggy.

"I'll say, maybe we should follow their example don't you think?" asked Daphne while she was squeezing Shaggy's hand harder.

It was Milo and Sally Winklers, she was a fine blond with curly hair, just like any teenage boy would dream about. They were making out resting on a tree trunk.

"Man, that dude's got it going on." Said Shaggy.

"You must've taught him well." Replied Daphne, giggling.

The two lovebirds sensed they were not alone and departed from one another's lips. Milo turned around and saw Shaggy and Daphne, he was pretty ashamed, his whole face turned red. "Don't mind us, we were just passing by, keep at it lover boy! " said Shaggy, but Milo was pretty shy and embarrassed about being caught so he ran into the house and then back out the front door, leaving poor Sally there with no explanation, man did she get angry, not upset, furious. Shaggy said:

"Don't worry Sally, he'll come around eventually!"

Daphne punched him in the arm.

"Auch! What was that for?" asked Shaggy while he was rubbing his arm to stop the hurting.

"Shut up you doofus!" said Daphne, "He probably just got embarrassed Sally, he's a good kid go look for him and talk, just give him another chance."

Sally calmed down and ran after Milo, Shaggy and Daphne went inside and noticed uncle Jebadiah looking surprised at the two of them.

"Did those kids get into a fight or somethin'?"

"It's a little bit more complicated than that, Mr. Jebadiah." Daphne responded.

"Oh, back in my day things like that weren't complicated at all, sure I was a shy boy myself, just like Milo but when I saw the beauty of ya aunt, Fred, I suddenly felt all the courage that I needed to walk up to her and start talking." Jebadiah responded with a smile on his face.

"And since then you never stopped talking, you still ramble about everything every chance you get" answered Fred's aunt, giggling.

This surely was not the moment but Shaggy could not wait any longer, he grabbed Daphne by her hand and told her a simple but authoritative "let's go", and the girl followed. Everyone remained bewildered at the event that happened, Velma, with her keen eyes born to look for clues wondered what Shaggy was up to, Fred was puzzled too and could not think a thing other that he did not know what is going on with those too. Scooby doo remained as confused as he was in the car but this time he decided to get to the bottom of this Shaggy mystery and jumped up from the carpet he laid on and ran after them, the others did the same thing and followed him. Now as they were walking around the fenced in yard , Scooby saw Shaggy and Daphne beside that Oak Tree and everyone could not believe their eyes, Daphne was resting on the trunk of that tree and Shaggy was kneeling with his arms stretched toward Daphne and with something in his hand. Something pretty shiny, the light of the sun was reflecting into that thing and spread light all over, it was impossible to see the exact object in Shaggy's hand but everyone understood what was going on once Shaggy started talking.

"Daphne, we have been friends for such a long time I was cool with that, yet I was admiring your beauty from a distance, the fact that we were friends gave me the opportunity to show you a bit of my love by being a good friend, by learning everything about you, staying beside you when you were in pain and rejoice with you whenever things were good. All the monsters, all the crooks we have faced, all the running I've done when I was in fact wishing to stay with you in the same place, just staying put and looking at you, without saying a single word. I found out today that you have felt the same way all this time, my heart filled with joy, all the fears shrunk into nothing and it is with the courage that emerged from the disappearance of those fears that I ask you today, Daphne Blake, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Everyone was stupefied when they heard that, they never thought there was something between those two let alone that they love each other so much they would like to get married but Daphne's answer stupefied Fred the most. She said yes and jumped into Shaggy's arms. Uncle Jebadiah and his wife wept tears of Joy, it was so wonderful to still get a glimpse of young and pure love. Fred felt betrayed, all these years, he spent almost his every moment with Daphne, he wondered why she did not tell him straight that she liked Shaggy, why she hung out with him, why she kissed him when she liked Shaggy, why she did all of these. Fred walked away from that beautiful scene, he got into the mystery machine and drove away, he needed to clear his head. The joy everyone felt did not last long for as they were in the garden congratulating Daphne and Shaggy the ground started shaking.

"Like, are there any earthquakes in this area, uncle Jebadiah?" asked Shaggy, trembling a bit and shaking along with the ground.

Uncle Jebadiah did not get to answer as Artazzo, the Giant Scorpion God came out from the underground, appeared before them with a lust for blood. He grabbed Shaggy and demanded answers, Velma looked really strange at him for she did not imagine that that monster could even talk.

"Where are my sacred items, who has taken them?" asked Artazzo with a very deep, threatening voice.

Shaggy screamed in agony, Daphne begged the giant scorpion to let her fiancée go. No, that was not gonna happen, Shaggy was to be Artazzo's insurance until the sacred items were returned to him.

"My servant will come for you at midnight to take the items, if you do not have them until then, your friend will become my new mindless servant forever."

"You were spoken of as a good God, how can you be a good God by acting like this?!" asked Velma, concerned.

"Enough, I will not sit here and give explanations to mere mortals, if you do not have the items by midnight, your friend is finished" Answered Artazzo as he vanished into thin air and Shaggy along with him.

Daphne fell onto her knees and cried like the whole world was ending, Shaggy was taken from her, she could not deal with that Sadness, she cried for about twenty good minutes and after that she got up, looking baleful at everyone and said:

"Let's finish this damned mystery!"