“Oh! Welcome to the construction site!” A stout, young woman with pigtails crossed the leading site and stopped before Daphne, Freddie, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby. They had just pulled their canoes onto the beach and lifted their bug nets off their faces.
Machines flattened the land behind the woman, creating an open field of dirt and stacks of tree trunks. The essential foundation for the new resort was also coming along.
Above the buzzing machines, the woman yelled, “You must be the mystery gang Stan mentioned! He said you were coming!”
“We are!” Velma shouted back.
Fred cupped his hands around his mouth. “We want to learn more about the Ghost of Ontario!”
Shaggy and Scooby covered their ears. It seemed the noise made Scooby a little dizzy. He dropped onto his back, but Shaggy revived him with the Deet.
The machines stopped, and silence washed over the forest, allowing everyone to breathe.
Velma scanned the area. “We’re supposed to meet Stan here... um...”
“Heather,” the woman introduced herself. “I’m one of the workers. Unfortunately for you guys, Stan had something come up, so he couldn’t make it today. He said he’d try to meet with y’all tomorrow, though.”
“Something came up?” Daphne inquired. “Like what?”
“Would you guys like some lunch?” Heather said, ignoring her. She focused on Shaggy and Scooby, who stood tall like tin soldiers at the word “lunch”. “We brought extra food today.”
Shaggy rubbed his hands together. “Like, real food instead of dried fruit?”
“Hey!” Fred said, glaring. “I got them for half off.” Then again, Shaggy and Scooby critiqued everything when it came to food.
The gang joined Heather and a few other workers at the foundation, where they had set up a small buffet with sandwiches, salads, fruit, etc.
Scooby and Shaggy’s mouths watered, and they hurried to grab their fill, leaving the others with Heather.
“Hey, handsome,” she said, nudging Fred. “It looks like our ghost finally did something good for once, bringing you here.”
“Um...” Freddie’s voice trailed, and he noticed Daphne blushing beside him.
She grabbed him and pulled him away from Heather. “Excuse me! We’re not here to flirt but to learn about the ghost.”
“Like, why don’t we just flush the ghost away and enjoy the free food?” Shaggy suggested, glancing at Scooby. “Right, Scooby?” He stacked sandwiches in his arms, but Scooby sprinkled pepper on them. “Achoo!” Shaggy sneezed, dropping the sandwiches. He leered when Scooby swallowed them, and his belly bulged.
“Hee, hee, hee,” he giggled, but his smile vanished when a chainsaw chopped down a few trees. Scooby slapped his paws over his ears again.
Looking at him, Velma said, “Heather, can you not run those things while we’re here? Scooby doesn’t like loud noises.”
“No can do, little lady,” she replied. “That’s something you need to ask the boss.”
“Then can we maybe go somewhere a little quieter?” Velma clutched her head. “Even I don’t like it.”
Heather pointed at the forest across from a feller buncher in the corner. “I think the best we have is the forest.”
“Like, in there? Where the demon bear lurks?” A lump formed in Shaggy’s throat, and Scooby watched as it bounced up and down.
Shaggy gave the others a cheeky look. “Like, I think Scooby and I are fine here with the free food.” Nevertheless, he dropped his second helping of sandwiches when Daphne sprinkled a trail of Scooby Snacks into the forest. He and Scooby tiptoed like ants, chasing them, and soon waited in the forest with Heather and the gang. Patches of sunlight and shadows stretched from where they stood to the construction site.
“So, our Ghost of Ontario...” Heather drew a flashlight from her back pocket and shone it on her face, facing Shaggy and Scooby.
They wrapped their arms around each other and stuffed Scooby Snacks in their mouths.
“He’s the ghost of a boy who died ten years ago in the Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park.” Heather waved the flashlight forward and aft. “He was in a canoe accident with his mother on Red Squirrel Lake, two lakes over from Anima Nipissing.” She giggled hauntingly. “He haunts the provincial park with his melody, ‘Lucilla’, and scares people away. How spooky.” She almost sang that last word.
Velma lifted her finger. “But Stan said that he’s been gentle until a few weeks ago. What we’re trying to figure out, ma’am, is why he’s suddenly aggressive.”
Heather’s eyes narrowed, and she shut off her flashlight. “Look, I don’t know why he is, but this is a great work in progress. We’ll get more people into the park, host camps like Camp Wanapitei on Red Squirrel Lake, and teach people how to canoe. I’m calling it a win-win, and I won’t let some ghost ruin this opportunity.” She put her foot down. “You kids may look around, but we have work to complete until Stan returns. Although”—she glanced at Freddie—“I could use a strong young man to help me lift a few things.”
Freddie nervously tittered. He sighed when Daphne pushed Heather’s chest. “Thanks, but no thanks. We have a mystery to solve, and Fred’s the leader.”
Of course, jealousy would force Daphne into the mystery. Fred knew her all too well.
Shrugging, Heather said, “Fair enough,” and winked at Freddie. Call me? she mouthed.
Again, Freddie chuckled.
Once Heather disappeared in the forest, Daphne said, “All right, that’s it! I say she’s the demon bear. Let’s turn her in, guys.”
“Now, just hold on a moment, Daphne,” Velma said. “Let’s not point fingers yet. It is strange, though, how she seems to be protecting this site and that Stan just so happens not to be here today, even though he said he would be.”
Fred shrugged. “We also haven’t seen the ghost yet.”
Right when he said that, Scooby whined and shook Shaggy.
He cringed when an enormous shadow appeared over him, and his knees jiggled. “Like, Scooby, the ghost is right behind us, isn’t he?”
Still whining, Scooby nodded.
Shaggy shakily turned, and his eyes widened.
The demon bear behind him and Scooby stood eight feet tall, with large fangs protruding like caveman teeth and black fur sticking out like static electricity.
It swiped its paw over Shaggy’s head, and he ducked, screaming, “Like, zoinks! It’s the demon bear!”
The rest of the gang turned, Daphne saying, “Oh, please, Shaggy! There’s no such thing as—!” She jumped and bumped into Freddie and Velma. Daphne pointed at the bear. “Jeepers! What is that thing?”
“Forget it!” Freddie yelled, shoving hers and Velma’s backs. “I have a plan. Run!”
“Like, we’re on it, Fred!” Shaggy said, narrowly avoiding the bear’s paw again. He caught Scooby, who leaped into his arms, and sprinted with the gang. They split off once they neared the construction site.
The bear followed Shaggy and Scooby into the site and seemed to lift an eyebrow. It slid to a workbench before the foundation and stopped beside them.
Dressed as a worker, Shaggy hammered away and handed the bear his hammer.
Scooby, dressed up, too, lowered the bear’s arm and hammered with it. Once it was distracted, he and Shaggy took off—but not without grabbing more sandwiches from the buffet.
The bear finally threw down its hammer and chased them.
The workers yelped and tossed their tools, joining the gang on the chase.
Velma, running alone, tripped and fell onto her front. Her glasses flew from her face, and she said, “Oh, darn,” feeling around for them. “Not again.” She turned, and something furry knocked her glasses against her cheek. “Thanks, Scooby,” Velma said, accepting and slipping them on. She cried out when the demon bear swung at her and seemed to fly into the crowd of workers.
Daphne and Freddie hopped into an empty forwarder, and Fred started it, backing up. They peered over their shoulders at a small bump.
It looked like the demon bear had been scooped up by Freddie. It reached for him and Daphne from the forwarder’s back, so Fred stopped it, and he and Daphne hopped out, skidding across the construction site.
Crash!
The gang toppled over with the impact near the end of the site and within range of their canoes. The workers stopped running, and the lake became peaceful again (for now).
Shaggy and Scooby sat, and Shaggy stuttered, “Like-Like, it’s gone.”
“What-What was that?” Daphne included, shook up, too.
“That was our so-called Ghost of Ontario.” Velma stood and straightened her skirt.
Heather emerged from another site section and stopped between the traumatized workers and the gang. “What on Earth happened here?”
“Like, ghost! Demon bear! Ghost!” Shaggy reached for the heavens.
“We quit, Heather,” a few workers said, removing their helmets and chucking them at her feet. “We don’t care what you say. That was a ghost.”
“But—But... Stan should return soon,” Heather fought. “I’m sure we can talk about this with him.”
Nevertheless, the workers kicked their helmets and stormed away, disappearing into their cars behind the site.
“Oh, darn.” Heather slumped her shoulders and studied the Mystery Gang, who stared at her.
Daphne gave them an I was right look and poked Heather’s chest. “So, tell us, Heather—why did you do it?” She tucked Freddie behind her arm.
“Are you kidding?” Heather slapped her hand. “I didn’t do it. I was in the forest.”
“Let me guess,” Daphne hypothesized, “you did it because you don’t want anyone messing with your perfect little resort. You did it because—”
“Ahem!” Velma tapped Daphne’s shoulder, and she peeped back at her. “She said she didn’t do it, Daphne. And while I hate to admit it, I believe her.”
ns 15.158.61.20da2
