The Ghost of the Bermuda Triangle

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The Ghost of the Bermuda Triangle Page 2

by Laurie S. Sutton


  “Ruh-roh,” Scooby gulps.

  If they crawl out of the shaft and go through an access door, press here.

  If the rope breaks and they fall to the bottom of the shaft, press here.

  Daphne feels something hit her in the back. She falls to the deck and skids across the floor of the cargo hold. Daphne screams as the flashlight spins out of her grasp. Everything around her goes totally black.

  “Well, now I know how Velma feels when she loses her glasses,” Daphne says and tries to get her bearings in the dark.

  There is a faint glow not far away. Daphne hopes it’s coming from the lost flashlight. She crawls toward it on her hands and knees. The deck is filthy and greasy.

  “Ewww. My party costume is ruined. And so are my nails,” Daphne moans. “When this is over, I’m going to need a whole day in the ship’s spa!”

  Daphne’s hand touches something wet in the dark. It feels like a puddle of water.

  “Jeepers, I hope the ship isn’t leaking,” Daphne worries.

  Suddenly she hears the sound of something sloshing through water. She can’t see it, but she can hear it coming closer and closer. Daphne’s muscles freeze. Her brain can’t decide if she should run or stay. Too late! Something grabs her wrist.

  “Eek!” Daphne screams.

  A frightening face appears out of the gloom in front of her. It looks like a human face except for the heavy eyebrows and snarling teeth. She tries to pull out of the monster’s grip, but it holds on tight. She can’t get away.

  “I am so doomed,” Daphne groans.

  Press here.

  “Hey, I’m just trying to help,” the monster says.

  Daphne blinks in surprise. She realizes that the monster is just a man. The flashlight stuffed in his shirt pocket makes his face look spooky. He lifts Daphne to her feet.

  “Oh, thanks, mister,” Daphne says. “Are you the person who called us down here?”

  “Nope. I’m here to fix the power,” the man says. “The ship has been having electrical problems ever since we sailed into the Bermuda Triangle.”

  Daphne’s eyes adjust to the flashlight’s pale glow. Now she can see that the man wears overalls and work boots.

  “If you didn’t call us down here, who did?” Daphne wonders.

  Suddenly a terrible screeching sound hits their ears.

  Press here.

  “Look! There’s a service door! Let’s get out of here, Scoobs!” Shaggy says.

  They crawl out of the dark dumbwaiter shaft and tumble into a bright room. There is a single table set with a white tablecloth, fine china, and silverware. A little old lady looks up at their sudden arrival.

  “Well, it’s about time you waiters got here! Where’s my tea?” she demands.

  “Like, sorry, ma’am,” Shaggy apologizes. “We had a little detour.”

  “You’re uniforms are . . . odd,” the woman says and peers at their mummy costumes. “You must be dressed for the party upstairs.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Shaggy says politely. “We’ll just be going back there now.”

  “Don’t move!” the woman commands sharply.

  Shaggy and Scooby freeze. The woman is old and frail, but she’s as scary as a skeleton! “I want my tea and dessert,” she says.

  Shaggy and Scooby bring plates of delicious desserts. Their mouths water at the sweet smells. Scooby’s tongue reaches out for a taste. The woman whacks Scooby’s nose with her napkin.

  “Mind your manners!” she scolds. Scooby whimpers, but he places the plate on the table. “That’s a good boy.”

  Suddenly a frightening figure bursts into the room. Every hair on Shaggy and Scooby stands upright. It’s the ghost! They scream and hug each other. The old woman looks at the phantom and frowns.

  “What are you doing here?” the woman shouts at the ghost. She smacks it with her napkin.

  “Ow!” the ghost says. He pulls off his mask and rubs his head.

  “You idiot! We aren’t supposed to be seen together!” the old woman says. “Now these boys know who is behind the plot.”

  “N-no we don’t! We don’t know anything!” Shaggy stammers.

  “My brainless accomplice was supposed to make it look like the ship was haunted and cause the cruise line to lose money,” the woman confesses. “Then I would be able to buy the company at a reduced price.”

  “I’m sorry,” the young man says and bows his head.

  “You can make it up to me by getting rid of our two witnesses,” the woman declares.

  “Throw them off the balcony and into the sea,” the old lady commands. “It will be just another mysterious disappearance in the Bermuda Triangle.”

  “Okay,” the young man says and lumbers toward Shaggy and Scooby.

  “Like, this is the end, for sure!” Shaggy says. He hugs his pal.

  “Rit was rice rowing rou!” Scooby whimpers.

  The fake ghost grabs the pair by their mummy wrappings and shoves them toward the open balcony. The sounds of sea waves crash far below. A thick mist seeps into the room. Suddenly the fog forms a coil around Shaggy and Scooby.

  “Zoinks! The mist is alive!” Shaggy shrieks.

  Suddenly the lights go out! It is as if the night has come into the room. There is the sound of a struggle and then a big thud! Shaggy feels the weight of a hand on his shoulder.

  “S-Scooby-Doo, is that you?” Shaggy asks.

  “Rope, not me,” Scooby says from the other side of the dark room.

  The lights come on as mysteriously as they went off. The pals see the young man lying on the floor, unconscious. The woman is sitting, dazed, in her dining chair with a creampuff in her face.

  A pale figure stands on the open balcony. He drips with seaweed and brine.

  Press here.

  A terrible screeching sound makes Fred and Daphne jump. Chains rattle in the dark. A large shape flaps through the air straight at them!

  “Run!” Fred yells. They run, but the shape follows them.

  “We need a plan!” Daphne says as she and Fred flee the flying figure.

  “Split up!” Fred suggests. “It can follow only one of us at a time.”

  “But what if it follows me?” Daphne gulps.

  “Don’t worry, Daph. I’ll make sure to get its attention,” Fred assures her.

  Suddenly Fred trips and falls to the deck. He slides on his stomach until he comes to a halt against one of the cargo crates.

  “Um, I meant to do that,” Fred mutters in a daze. “Come and get me, you murky menace.”

  The dark shape ignores Fred. It flaps over his head and follows Daphne. Fred tries to stand, but he is too dizzy. All he can do is watch the beam of Daphne’s flashlight move rapidly away from him. Suddenly the light spins wildly and flies through the air! Fred hears Daphne scream.

  “Oh, no! Daphne!” Fred moans.

  To find out what happens to Daphne, press here.

  To follow Fred as he tries to help Daphne, press here.

  Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby jump up in alarm when they realize that the sea ghost is under the table with them. They accidentally knock over the buffet, and its contents go soaring into the air.

  “Run!” Shaggy shouts.

  The tablecloth lands on the three friends as they flee. They look like a three-headed ghost as they run blindly around the ballroom. BONK! They smack into a dining table. THUD! They stumble over a set of chairs.

  “Like, who’s driving?” Shaggy asks.

  “Not me!” Velma replies.

  “Rot re!” Scooby says. Suddenly his feet catch in the flapping tablecloth. He trips, and they all begin to fall. “Ruh-roh.”

  “We’re doomed!” Shaggy moans. “The ghost will catch us for sure!”

  The friends tumble forward, tangled in the tablecloth. But instead of falling flat, they be
gin to roll! From the outside they look like a giant snowball. From the inside it’s like being in the spin cycle of a washing machine.

  “Like, I’m going to regret eating all those desserts,” Shaggy moans as he turns over and over.

  The sphere rumbles straight toward the sea ghost. Now it’s the specter’s turn to run! But there is no escape. The giant ball slams into the scary spook. The impact knocks the mask off the ghost and throws the tablecloth off of Velma’s, Shaggy’s, and Scooby’s heads.

  “Hey! I still have my glasses!” Velma says as the tablecloth lands around her. She looks at the ghost. “Hey! The ghost is a fake!”

  The man in the ghost costume tries to run, but Velma grabs the trident and trips him with it. She stands over him with the tablecloth twisted around her body like a toga.

  “Great Neptune!” Fred gasps as he and Daphne run into the ballroom. “Velma, you look like a sea god, er, goddess.”

  “You solved the mystery of the sea ghost!” Daphne exclaims.

  “Not quite,” Velma says. She points the trident at the man at her feet. “Explain yourself.”

  “I just wanted to win the costume contest,” the man confesses. “I didn’t mean to hurt anybody.”

  “He would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn’t been for Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby!” Daphne says.

  “Next contest, try not to go overboard,” Velma suggests.

  THE END

  To follow another path, press here.

  Daphne is so startled by the sound that she jumps backward. The maintenance man’s hair stands on end. He shakes in his boots. But his shaking is not from fright. Daphne sees a loose electrical wire lying in the puddle of water at the man’s feet.

  “Oh no! He’s being electrocuted!” Daphne realizes.

  “You’re doomed!” a crazed voice laughs from behind Daphne.

  Daphne spins around at the sound of the gloating statement. She sees a glowing figure standing on top of a stack of crates. Seaweed hangs in ragged ribbons from its rotting body. It points a trident at her.

  “Prepare to meet your fate!” it cackles.

  “It’s the ghost!” Daphne gasps.

  “H-h-help!” the maintenance man chatters through numb lips as sparks fly around his body.

  Daphne turns her back on the threatening spook standing on the cargo crates. She turns her attention toward the living human being.

  “I have to save him, but how?” Daphne frets. She looks at her purse.

  Daphne swings the purse like an Olympic hammer-throw athlete. The handbag hits the man and knocks him out of the electrified puddle of water.

  “You’ll sink into the seaweed of the deepest depths!” the ghost shouts. “Sea snails will feast on your flesh! The ooze of the ages will—”

  BONK! Daphne throws the maintenance man’s flashlight and knocks the ghost in the noggin. His mask falls off, and he tumbles to the deck!

  “The sea ghost is a fake!” Daphne declares. She holds the seaweed mask in her hand.

  “The sea ghost is my cousin!” the maintenance man gasps.

  “It was a perfect disguise, until that meddling girl got involved,” the fake ghost grumbles. “I wanted my cousin to help me steal from the cruise ship, but he refused.”

  “Our family has sailed these seas for generations. I won’t betray their honor,” the maintenance man proclaims. The two cousins argue until a misty shape covered in dripping seaweed appears between them!

  “Grandpa!” the two men exclaim.

  “The real ghost!” Daphne gasps. “This has to be the strangest family reunion ever!”

  THE END

  To follow another path, press here.

  The device in Smolder’s hands squeals like bad brakes. A black void appears in the air in front of him. Zaps of electricity flap around its edges. “Over here, Velma!”

  “Jump, Max! Let’s bring this kraken home,” Velma says grimly as she backs toward the portal.

  The monster reaches for Velma. She lets it wrap its tentacles around her. She’s not afraid. She’s a ghost. It can’t touch her. But the kraken makes contact with the energy portal. There is a flash of lighting without thunder. There is no sound at all. The sea monster’s scream is silenced.

  Velma and Smolder emerge from the portal and tumble across the metal deck of the cruise ship. So does the kraken! It flails its tentacles in the confined space of the cargo hold.

  “Yaaa! A sea monster!” Fred yells at the sight of the beast.

  “Jeepers! What’s it doing in here?” Daphne shrieks.

  “Daphne! Fred! Where are we?” Velma asks.

  Before anyone can answer, the sea beast goes through the ship’s steel hull like a phantom.

  “My theory was correct!” Velma announces. “The kraken is a ghost in our dimension. It’ll swim the seas as another mystery of the Bermuda Triangle.”

  “And I’ll be there to film it!” Smolder declares.

  THE END

  To follow another path, press here.

  Scooby-Doo runs and doesn’t look back. He’s too afraid of what he might see! In front of him is a forklift. The machine is used to move crates of cargo. The only thing important to Scooby is that it has wheels! He jumps into the vehicle and hits the gas.

  “Yieeee!” Scooby yelps as the machine takes off.

  The ghost leaps into a small go-cart and zooms after Scooby. Scooby zigzags all over the place. He’s a terrible driver. The ghost isn’t very good, either! Tires screech as both vehicles narrowly miss hitting stacks of crates and boxes. Then Scooby sees something looming ahead that makes his eyes go wide.

  “Ruh-roh!” Scooby gulps.

  Press here.

  A huge pile of luggage blocks Scooby’s escape. He shuts his eyes and crashes right through it! Suitcases go flying. The luggage pops open and clothing soars everywhere. Some of it falls down on Scooby.

  “Hmm, rice routfit,” Scooby says and admires the sundress and hat he now wears.

  A Hawaiian shirt and a lady’s skirt land on the ghost. A plastic flower lei wraps around the trident. Scooby’s forklift hits a bump, and suddenly the ghost is wearing the sundress! The sun hat lands across the ghost’s face.

  “I can’t see!” the ghost yells just before crashing the go-cart.

  Scooby finally finds the brakes! The forklift stops, and just in time. Fred and Daphne stand in front of the vehicle.

  “What’s the rush, Scoobs?” Fred asks. “Are you hot on the trail of a clue?”

  “Where’s Shaggy?” Daphne says. Scooby whimpers and points behind him.

  “I’m over here!” Shaggy shouts. He pops up out of a big pile of clothing. “Like, look what I found!”

  Shaggy holds up a ghost mask. It has a pearl necklace and a pretty silk scarf draped over it.

  “Someone has some fashion sense!” Daphne declares.

  Scooby-Doo digs into the mound of clothing. He comes out with the ghost!

  “The ghost is a fake!” the gang says together.

  “Explain yourself,” Fred says sternly to the unmasked man.

  “You meddling kids! My ghost disguise was supposed to scare people away from the buffet food,” the man confesses.

  “Why? The food’s great!” Shaggy says.

  “I used to be a chef with the cruise line, but I was fired unfairly. I wanted revenge,” the man proclaims. “And I would have gotten away with it, too.”

  “Next time, just stick to a letter to the management,” Shaggy says. “Come on, Scoobs. There’s an all-you-can-eat buffet waiting for us!”

  “Rut are re raiting for?! Scooby-Dooby-Doo!” Scooby cheers.

  THE END

  To follow another path, press here.

  Velma struggles to escape the slimy hand that holds her in a death grip. Her glasses are gone, and she can’t see
anything! Velma is an intelligent person, but her imagination goes wild and fills with thoughts about what has a hold on her.

  She is dragged through a slippery substance. Velma tries to dig in her heels to stop, but her flat shoes simply slide.

  “Why didn’t I choose a costume with more traction? This would not be happening,” Velma laments.

  “Like, you make a great mad scientist!” a familiar voice says.

  Velma’s glasses are placed into her palms. As soon as she puts them on, she can see Shaggy and Scooby-Doo!

  Press here.

  Fred scrambles to his feet. He is groggy and dizzy, but he is desperate to help Daphne. Fred stumbles across the cargo hold in the dark and keeps bumping into crates.

  “Eeek!” Daphne screams. Her voice seems very far away.

  “I’m coming, Daph!” Fred shouts, and trips over something in the dark. He gropes around the floor. His hands touch a shape that feels like a body. “Oh, no! Daphne!”

  Fred runs his fingers along the stiff figure. Suddenly an arm falls off!

  “Yikes!” Fred shrieks in alarm. “Hey, wait a minute. This isn’t real. It’s a statue.”

  Fred heaves a deep sigh of relief.

  “Heh, heh. Nothing spooky about a silly old statue. In the dark. In the Bermuda Triangle,” Fred tries to convince himself.

  Fred’s eyesight slowly adjusts to the dim light in the cargo hold. He can just make out the features of the statue.

  “Hey, this looks like the monster from that famous movie, The Goblin of Green Bay,” Fred realizes. Suddenly he is more excited than frightened. “I loved that film!”

  A long, low moan reminds Fred that his friend is missing. His spine goes cold. The sound seems to slither like a snake through the cargo hold. Fred drops the monster statue and runs! He can’t really see where he’s going. He just wants to get away from the spooky sound! But there’s no escape.

 

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