Evening bled into night, leaving the gang to start a fire and clean up after dinner. The wind still blew, but it wasn’t as violent as earlier. There were no sounds in the forest, either, but regardless, Fred gathered the gang around the picnic table and said, “All right, gang, here’s the plan. We’re going to try to lure that boy we saw out.”
Shaggy gulped. “Like, we are?”
“Yeah,” Freddie answered, “for two reasons. One: so we can meet him. Two: if he lives here, he may be able to tell us a little about the ghost.”
“I think this ghost has gotten to your head,” Daphne admitted. “What happened to a ‘relaxing’ vacation in the wilderness?”
Fred scowled. “Believe me or not, gang, but the least we can do is help a boy who may be lost in the forest. Right?”
The gang exchanged looks and slumped their shoulders. “Right.”
Fred’s face relaxed. “All right, then. I will keep a few sandwiches and Scooby Snacks out, and two volunteers will look for the boy.” He, Daphne, and Velma glanced at Shaggy and Scooby. “Who would our volunteers like to be?”
Shaggy shuddered. “Oh, boy, you know they mean we’re the live bait again when they give us that look, Scoob.”
“Reah,” Scooby said.
“Thank you, you two, for volunteering,” Fred continued.
“Oh, I knew it,” Shaggy complained.
“But, Freddie…” Daphne grasped Freddie’s shoulder. “How can we be sure that boy is still here?”
“We can’t,” Freddie replied, “but I call it trial and error. Shaggy and Scooby”—he faced them—“you’ll take a few headlamps into the forest and try to lure him out of hiding.”
“In there—that deep, dark forest?” Shaggy shook his head. “No way. Scooby and I are allergic to—” He cut off when Daphne shook a box of Scooby Snacks before him and Scooby. Their mouths watered, and Daphne tossed a few snacks into them.
Shaggy and Scooby swallowed, and Shaggy licked his lips. “On second thought, Freddie, we’d be glad to help, but what will you and the others do?”
“Simple.” Freddie appeared proud of himself. “We’ll wait until you lure him out here and he gets comfortable. We’ll then grab him!”
“Grab him?” Velma almost yelled. “A boy? That will traumatize him, Fred. How about Scooby and Shaggy lure him, and I’ll do the talking?”
Freddie massaged his nape. “I guess we could do that, too, but it would’ve been much more entertaining.”
Velma glared. “He’s a boy, Freddie, not one of our hooligans in a mask.”
Fred fell quiet for a minute before saying, “Sorry, Velma. I guess I’m a little excited again.” He cleared his throat. “Well, are we ready, gang? Let’s put the plan into action!”
Everyone got in position. Freddie, Daphne, and Velma ducked into their tents while Shaggy and Scooby put on some headlamps and stepped into the forest.
“Like, is there anything we won’t do for a Scooby Snack, Scoob?” Shaggy wondered.
“Uh-uh,” Scooby acknowledged. His headlamp’s light shone on Shaggy’s face.
“You’re right,” Shaggy returned, studying the quiet forest. “I guess we’ll always be the live bait. And as live bait”—he gulped—“we have no choice.” He cupped his hands around his mouth and called, “Hello! Mysterious, creepy boy, are you out there? We have food for you at the campsite. Our very own Scooby Snacks!”
“This is rupid,” Scooby mumbled.
“No, I agree, bud.” Shaggy backed into him. “Well, it looks like he’s not here, so what do you say we skazut?” He jumped when a crack came from the woods, and a shadow appeared behind a tree. “Like, yikes! It’s the ghost!”
Shaggy and Scooby turned to run but crashed into each other. They untangled themselves from the pretzel but accidentally knocked off each other’s headlamps. Next thing they knew, they had sprinted to a deep section of the forest and stood in pitch blackness in a field of ferns.
The crack from before drew closer, and Shaggy said, “Oh, ho, ho! This is the end for sure, Scoob. We’re history, we’re geography, we’re—!”
“Raggy!” Scooby grabbed Shaggy’s arm and jiggled him. He gestured at an orange-yellow light at the top of a hill.
The figure holding the torch slid down the grassy slope and started toward them.
Shaggy and Scooby dropped onto the forest floor and shivered, covering their heads.
Feet stopped before them, and someone asked, “Are you guys always this cowardly?”
“Huh?” Shaggy and Scooby uncovered their heads and peered up.
The teenage boy before them looked no more than fifteen. He had tan skin, wide, deep brown eyes, and three painted stripes decorated his bare torso. A cluster of eagle feathers dangled from his animal skin pants.
“You-You’re not a ghost,” Shaggy said.
The boy placed his hand on his chest. “I am Ihaan. I came to get you guys back to your camp.” He stumbled over his words a bit, but for the most part, his English was solid.
“Are-Are you the boy we saw in the forest earlier?” Shaggy inquired.
Ihaan didn’t answer and turned on his heel. “Come, follow me. I bet your friends are worried.” With that, he started forward, and Shaggy and Scooby glanced at one another.
Ihaan kept his distance but led them through the ferns to the main lakefront. He occasionally observed Scooby and relit his torch when it went out.
The familiar soft glow of a fire soon emerged from behind a cluster of trees and bushes. Ihaan blew his torch out and smiled at Shaggy and Scooby.
“Like, thank you,” Shaggy stuttered. He pointed at the campsite. “Would you like to meet our friends?”
Knees shaking, Ihaan knelt and scratched Scooby behind his ears. “The Spirits tell me I should stay hidden until it’s time. But I was happy to help you and your dog.”
Scooby seemed to blush. “Aw, thank you.”
Ihaan stood and brushed himself down.
“But like…” Shaggy scratched his chin. “Who are you?”
There was a moment of silence, and then, over another gust of wind, Ihaan declared, “I am Ihaan.” He pushed past Shaggy and Scooby and disappeared back into the forest, leaving them relieved but bewildered.
The two hesitantly entered their campsite and regrouped with the gang at their tents.
“It’s about time you two got back,” Freddie voiced. “Did you find him?”
“Oh, we found him,” Shaggy explained, nervousness slipping off his tongue.
“You did?” Daphne and Velma jumped to their feet.
“Where is he?” Velma questioned.
Shaggy stretched his arms. “Like, gone. He led Scooby and me back here and disappeared.” He swatted a mosquito on his cheek. “But we did get his name—Ihaan. Scooby and I felt bad about luring him here after he helped us.”
“What did he look like?” Velma wanted to know.
“Well…” Shaggy rested his hand on Scooby’s head. “It was a little dark, so we didn’t see everything, but he looked to be around fifteen. Maybe sixteen?”
“I say fifteen,” Scooby interjected.
“He said that the Spirits told him to remain hidden until it’s time?” Shaggy shrugged. “Whatever that means. Sorry, gang.”
“No, you guys did great!” Freddie announced. “We know more about our mystery boy, so I say this was a successful trial and error. Why don’t y’all celebrate with some Scooby Snacks, and then we’ll hit the hay?”
“Ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah!” Scooby chuckled. He skipped to the picnic table and scooped up the Scooby Snacks on them.
“Hey!” Shaggy complained when he saw no Scooby Snacks left.
Daphne removed a new box from her dry bag sitting in her chair and tossed it to Shaggy.
The gang laughed while he stuffed his face.
***
Ihaan waited until the fire died, and everybody disappeared in their tents for bed. He then left the forest’s safety and exposed himself to Anima Nipissing’s quiet atmosphere—although the construction lights on the lake’s other side still irked him.
Ihaan approached the picnic table and picked up a few remaining Scooby Snacks, replacing them with Shaggy and Scooby’s headlamps. He hit his leg on the table’s bench and puffed out his cheeks.
Ihaan released his painful breath and tiptoed to the water’s edge. He slipped off his boots and waded while examining those horrible lights. He reached into the water and pulled a pike from it.
The large fish squirmed in his grasp and tried to bite him, but Ihaan clamped its mouth shut. He stepped out of the lake and slid his feet back into his boots, looking at the washed-out sky.
Ihaan’s eyebrows creased. He ignored the pike’s tail, which slapped him in the face, and headed for the forest again. “Ro, where are you?” he whispered. He couldn’t achieve this without her, not when he knew no human would believe him if he voiced his concerns. Ihaan had to solve this mystery himself, and if that meant teaming up with a cowardly teenager and his dog, so be it, as long as he saved his home.
ns 15.158.61.40da2
