TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Cover

  Title Page

  Meet Mystery Inc.

  Chapter 1: MISSING MACHINE

  Chapter 2: MONSTER IN THE MIST

  Chapter 3: CIDER MILL THRILL

  Chapter 4: OUT OF THE FOG

  Chapter 5: CLEARING THINGS UP

  Biographies

  Comic Terms

  Glossary

  Visual Questions

  Scooby Doo Jokes

  Copyright

  Back Cover

  MEET MYSTERY INC.

  SCOOBY-DOO

  SKILLS: Loyal; super snout

  BIO: This happy-go-lucky hound avoids scary situations at all costs, but he’ll do anything for a Scooby Snack!

  SHAGGY ROGERS

  SKILLS: Lucky; healthy appetite

  BIO: This laid-back dude would rather look for grub than search for clues, but he usually finds both!

  FRED JONES, JR.

  SKILLS: Athletic; charming

  BIO: The leader and oldest member of the gang. He’s a good sport — and good at them, too!

  DAPHNE BLAKE

  SKILLS: Brains; beauty

  BIO: As a sixteen-year-old fashion queen, Daphne solves her mysteries in style.

  VELMA DINKLEY

  SKILLS: Clever; highly intelligent

  BIO: Although she’s the youngest member of Mystery Inc., Velma’s an old pro at catching crooks.

  CHAPTER 1

  MISSING MACHINE

  VROOOOOOM!

  The Mystery Machine’s engine roared as the van sped down a winding road.

  Fred had the van’s high beams on, but it didn’t seem to be making much of a difference. He hadn’t been able to clearly see the road in front of him ever since they had exited the highway at Mystic, Connecticut.

  “We should pull over,” said Daphne. She was sitting next to him on the van’s front seat.

  “We’re almost there,” said Fred. He kept his eyes on the road as he spoke. “This mist came out of nowhere.”

  “Like, I’m with Daphne,” came a voice from behind them. Shaggy was sitting on the floor in the back of the van, holding his stomach. “My tummy’s been grumbling for a half hour. I say we park this thing and get some grub.”

  “Shaggy,” said Fred, “we just ate lunch a half hour ago!”

  “Isn’t that what I just said?” Shaggy asked, puzzled. He looked over to Scooby-Doo, who sat next to him on the van’s shag carpet. Scooby shrugged. He thought Shaggy had made himself perfectly clear.

  “Turn right at the next street,” Velma instructed as she studied a giant unfolded map of Connecticut. It was so big, Fred couldn’t even see out of her side of the van. If the fog wasn’t making it hard enough for him to drive, Velma certainly wasn’t helping.

  As Fred made the sudden turn, Velma heard a loud bang in the back of the van.

  WHUMP!

  She turned to see what had happened. “You guys okay?” she asked the pile on the van floor that resembled Scooby and Shaggy.

  Scooby-Doo held his stomach and groaned. “Rouch!” he barked.

  “What’s the matter, Scoobs?” Shaggy asked his canine friend. “Is anything broken, old pal?”

  Scooby shook his head.

  “Are you hurt?” Shaggy pressed.

  Scooby shook his head again. “Rungry!” he told his friend.

  GRUMMMMBLE Scooby-Doo’s grumbling stomach echoed throughout the van.

  “Good news, guys,” said Fred. “We’re here!”

  “Great,” said Shaggy, patting Scooby on the back. “Maybe you can get something to eat — and maybe I’ll joined you.” He smiled.

  The van pulled down the alley and into a parking lot behind an old hotel. The Mystery Inc. gang filed out of the vehicle. Shaggy and Scooby stretched and then looked at each other. The fog was so thick, Shaggy could barely make out his faithful Great Dane.

  “Scoob?” Shaggy said. “Are you there, old buddy?”

  “Rover here,” said Scooby-Doo. He waved his paws in front of Shaggy’s face.

  “Jinkies,” said Velma as she walked over toward her friends. “You’re not kidding around. This fog is as thick as soup.”

  “Soup?” said Shaggy. “Did someone say soup?”

  “Ru-huh!” Scooby chimed in.

  “Like, that’s the best idea you’ve had today,” said Shaggy. “Mystic is famous for its clam chowder, right? I say we take a lunch break.”

  “Your encore lunch will have to wait,” said Fred. “Let’s at least check in at the hotel first.”

  Once inside, the gang walked down a dark hallway and into the hotel’s lobby. The room was small and empty, except for a row of chairs by the front window. The window looked out onto Main Street. But at the moment, it just looked out onto a sea of fog.

  Shaggy walked up to the desk and smacked the small bell with his palm.

  BRRRING!

  Nothing happened.

  He looked back at Daphne, who was standing behind him. “Some service, huh?”

  “Just be patient, Shaggy,” she said.

  “Tell that to my stomach,” he said, as he turned back around. “Zoinks!” The concierge was standing behind the desk all of the sudden.

  “May I help you?” the thin man muttered.

  “L-like, we have a reservation?” Shaggy replied. It came out more like a question.

  “Of course,” the concierge said. He typed something into the computer in front of him.

  His dark eyes seemed to be at war with their heavy eyelids. It was almost like his guests were putting him to sleep. “Name?” he said after an awkward silence.

  “It’s under Daphne Blake,” Daphne said, taking a step toward the desk. “So what’s there to do around here that’s fun?”

  The man behind the desk didn’t answer. He just continued to type at his computer. He then handed Daphne a key and a small piece of paper.

  “You’re room 4912,” he said. “Please put this parking pass on your windshield to avoid having your van towed after business hours.”

  Fred took the ticket from Daphne. He nodded at the concierge and then headed down the hallway toward the back entrance. “I’ll get the bags,” Fred said.

  “We’ll help,” said Shaggy, following along.

  “Thanks, guys,” said Fred.

  “Anything to get us to the restaurant quicker!” Shaggy exclaimed.

  Fred rolled his eyes as he pushed open the back door. “Hey, the fog has cleared,” he said.

  “Like, that’s not all,” Shaggy said. “So has the Mystery Machine!”

  There were three cars parked in the now visible parking lot. None were the blue van.

  “So, like, where do we put the parking pass?” Shaggy wondered.

  But Fred wasn’t listening. He was running back inside the hotel.

  Scooby and Shaggy looked at each other, shrugged, and then followed their friend. Shaggy’s stomach was still rumbling, but he hardly noticed it now.

  CHAPTER 2

  MONSTER IN THE MIST

  “This doesn’t make any sense,” said Daphne. “It was right here.”

  The entire Mystery Inc. gang was standing in the parking lot, looking around.

  “Someone stole it,” said Velma. “It’s the only explanation.”

  “What if it was towed?” Fred suggested.

  “Unlikely,” said Velma. “The concierge said that cars weren’t towed until after business hours. It’s only one in the afternoon.”

  “It’d be a lot easier to steal a car in a thick fog,” said Daphne.

  She was looking away from the parking lot now, toward Mystic River. The river was visible behind a row of condos that lined a dock. And past the river was the thick fog. It appeared to have drifted to the opposite shore.

  “Hmm,” said Fred. “Might be worth checking out.”

  “It can’t hurt,” said Velma.

  GRUMMMMBLE

  “Row!” Scooby-Doo groaned, clutching his hungry stomach again.

  “It could hurt a little,” Shaggy suggested. “Scoobs needs something to eat — like, lickety-split!”

  “Reah,” said Scooby-Doo. “A ranana split!”

  “I don’t have a banana split,” Velma replied, “but I do have some Scooby Snacks.” She shook a boxful of Scooby’s favorite treats. Velma pulled one out and tossed it to Scooby.

  GULP!

  “Rummy!” Scooby exclaimed, swallowing the tasty treat.

  Fred, Daphne, and Velma didn’t waste any time. They started jogging down the alley toward Main Street.

  “It’s never a good sign when they start running,” Shaggy said as he looked over at his dog. “Like, we should think for ourselves for once and run in the other direction.”

  Scooby nodded in agreement.

  Shaggy sighed. “Oh well,” he said. “Why start now?” Then he and Scooby revved up their legs and took off after their friends.

  They followed the gang onto Main Street, and then over the drawbridge that connected one side of the river to the other. But by the time they got to the opposite side of the bridge, the gang was forced to slow down. The fog was so thick, it was their only option. They could barely see three steps ahead of themselves.

  “This fog is almost unnatural,

” Velma said.

  “I’d say it’s supernatural,” suggested Shaggy. He and Scooby exchanged a look and then a shiver.

  “It is strange,” Daphne added. “I’ll give it that. I’ve never seen anything like —”

  But Daphne didn’t finish her sentence. Instead, she froze in her tracks. It was like she was suddenly unable to move. She just stared ahead down Main Street, her eyes widened and her mouth dropped slightly open.

  Fred looked at her, and then strained to see what she was staring at. “What’s the matter?” he asked.

  Daphne didn’t answer. There wasn’t a need to. Because coming toward the gang were two glowing red eyes. They seemed to be floating through the fog. Whatever creature they belonged to was enormous and seemed to be making some sort of noise.

  The creature sounded like it was humming.

  “Lock the door!” Shaggy yelled as they dashed into the hotel. “Board the windows! Stockpile milk and bread! Everybody panic!”

  Fred stood in front of the window. He looked out in the direction of the bridge. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary, Shaggy,” he said. “It’s not following us.”

  “Looks like the fog is completely gone, too!” said Daphne.

  “And it took the Mist Monster with it,” said Velma as she collapsed onto one of the lobby’s chairs, completely out of breath.

  “Well that’s a relief,” said Shaggy. He sat down next to Velma. “Let’s all just pile back in the Mystery Machine and get out of this crazy one-monster town.”

  “There’s only one problem with that plan,” said Velma.

  “Ro ran,” said Scooby.

  “Yep,” said Velma. “No van. The Mystery Machine is still missing. And all our luggage is with it.”

  “Oh no!” Shaggy said, suddenly standing up in a hurry.

  “What?” asked Daphne.

  “It’s worse than we thought! It’s worse than anything we could have ever imagined!” he exclaimed. He was pacing back and forth in the lobby now. He trembled in fear.

  “Calm down and tell us what’s wrong,” said Daphne.

  “It was in my bag, and now it’s… now it’s gone!” said Shaggy.

  “What?” asked Velma. She was standing now, too.

  “Our emergency snack stash!” said Shaggy.

  Fred, Daphne, and Velma all shook their heads, and then sat back down in the lobby chairs. “Geez, Shaggy,” said Fred. “We thought it was something serious.”

  Scooby and Shaggy exchanged a concerned look. “Like, can he just not hear me today?” Shaggy asked his friend.

  “Ron’t rask me,” Scooby replied with a shrug.

  SNIFF! SNIFF! SNIFF!

  Scooby-Doo sniffed the air with his sensitive snout. He glanced around the lobby until he spotted the source of the sweet aroma.

  “Rints!” said Scooby, pointing a paw at the concierge’s desk.

  Shaggy spotted two bowls of red and white striped candies on the desk. “Mints!” he repeated, licking his lips.

  The two friends rushed toward the desk. “Oh no!” shouted the concierge, stopping them. “Only one per customer!”

  “Like, perfect,” said Shaggy.

  “Reah,” added Scooby-Doo. “Rerfect!”

  The friends each picked up one bowl. Shaggy dumped the entire bowl into his mouth, and Scooby followed with his own bowl.

  “Thanks!” said Shaggy.

  “Rhanks!” Scooby repeated.

  The concierge sighed.

  Scooby-Doo and Shaggy both sat down next to their friends. That snack would tide them over for at least a few minutes.

  CHAPTER 3

  CIDER MILL THRILL

  “Bicycles?” said Shaggy. It wasn’t really a question. He’d heard what the concierge had said. He just didn’t think he could be serious.

  “Yes, bicycles,” the concierge repeated.

  “Sounds great,” said Velma, standing at the hotel’s front desk. She looked more excited than Shaggy thought she had any right to.

  “The shop is two blocks past the bridge,” said the concierge. “They have plenty to rent.”

  “Thanks so much,” said Velma, before turning to face the rest of the gang. “C’mon!”

  With their bikes rented, the gang set out to explore Mystic. The fog was completely gone. It made bike riding much easier than their earlier drive in the Mystery Machine.

  “So what’s the plan?” Daphne asked. She sped up a little to keep pace with Fred.

  “Well, if we want to leave this town, we’ll definitely need to find our van,” he replied. “But I don’t even know where to start looking.”

  “We need a place with locals,” Velma said from behind the two. “Somewhere we can find out more about this so-called Mist Monster.”

  “Not a bad idea,” said Fred. “But where?”

  “I don’t think we have a choice in the matter,” said Daphne. Fred looked over to her, and then over his shoulder. Scooby and Shaggy were nowhere to be seen.

  “Where did they —?” But Fred didn’t need to finish his thought. He noticed a smell in the air. It was the smell of fresh apple cinnamon donuts. He turned his bike around, and Daphne and Velma followed.

  A small cider mill stood on the side of the road. It was an old-fashioned sort of place. It looked like it had stopped being operational as an actual mill years ago and had become a tourist attraction of sorts. It was the kind of place that sold fresh apple cider, jams and jellies, and donuts.

  “Guess this is as good a place as any,” said Velma. She steered her bike onto the mill’s gravel lane. She, Fred, and Daphne parked their bikes near the entrance, noticing Shaggy and Scooby’s tandem bike leaning on a nearby tree.

  They walked inside through a creaky old screen door. The room was full of a variety of jars and bagged goods. Dried fruits and preserves, honey, and hard candy lined the wooden shelves. A middle-aged woman stood behind the counter that separated the customers from the kitchen. She had a scowl on her face nearly as large as her hairstyle.

  “Can I help you?” she asked, seemingly annoyed.

  “We’re looking for our friends,” Fred replied. “Their bike’s outside.”

  “Seating’s out back,” said the woman. She turned away from the gang to get back to frying donuts. She seemed to respect the donuts way more than her customers.

  Daphne led the way out the back door of the mill and into a grassy backyard. There were six or seven picnic tables on the grounds. Some stood in the shade of nearby trees. Others were baking in the afternoon sun.

  Daphne couldn’t help but be surprised by the amount of people behind the mill. Every table had a few customers seated at it. There were many more customers than the handful of cars in the parking lot.

  At the closest table sat Scooby and Shaggy, both chowing down on a box of fresh apple donuts. From all appearances, they were on their second box already. A third waited patiently on the table for their attention. Daphne had no doubt that it wouldn’t have to wait much longer.

  MUNCH! MUNCH! MUNCH!

  Scooby-Doo and Shaggy devoured dozens of donuts, one by one.

  “Like, someone needs to invent a faster way to eat donuts, Scoobs,” Shaggy offered.

  Scooby-Doo looked around. Using his detective skills, he found a small stick on the ground. Scooby slid the stick through the holes of a dozen donuts. “Ropen rup!” he told Shaggy.

  ZWIP! The donuts slid off the stick and into Shaggy’s mouth.

  “You’re a genius, Scoobs!” Shaggy exclaimed, munching a mouthful of the tasty pastries.

  As Scooby-Doo and Shaggy continued to feast on their three-course snack, Velma scanned the picnic grounds. She couldn’t remember the last time she saw such a collection of suspicious characters. Velma believed that every mystery had a solution. If she was going to get to the bottom of this Mist Monster nonsense, she had to start somewhere.

  “Let’s go talk to some of the locals,” she said. Fred and Daphne nodded, and the three headed to the next closest picnic table.

 

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