#witch's ghost

“Now, let’s not knock research,” Velma said. “But Daphne is correct. We have done everything we can without physically investigating both Gatorsburg and Harbormill Forest. Preventing us from doing so will only serve to delay learning about time travel.” 

Tim pinched his nose, an action The Gang had come to recognize as a neon red sign not to continue to push. “F-fine. F-fine. B-but if your actions d-disrupt this operation, you’ll b-be the ones g-going b-back t-to 1996 and explaining yourselves t-to Uncle Shaggleford.” 

“Yes, sir, of course,” Fred said. “Our plan is for Daph and myself to head to Harbormill Forest and for Scooby, Shag, and Velma to head to Gatorsburg and investigate the witch’s swamp. This, uh, Google Maps thing says a highway connects Coolsville and Gatorsburg now, so we shouldn’t even be gone that long. We will call if we run into trouble.” Fred held up his phone and pointed to the screen. “See? 47 minutes.” 

Tim noted down Fred’s information on his tablet as he spoke. “No, no. That won’t d-do. Hmm. Miyumi, accompany F-fred and D-daphne. Marcie, accompany Shaggy and Velma.”

“Rey!”

“And Scooby-Doo,” Tim muttered. 

“Yes, sir,” Miyumi said. 

“Of course,” Marcie responded, promptly packing up her electronics. 

The Gang, plus Miyumi and Marcie, piled into the Mystery Machine. Fred, Daphne, and Miyumi up front and Velma, Marcie, Shaggy, and Scooby in the back. Tension hung in the air. Tim’s demanding tone and ever-shortening patience was beginning to wear on everyone, The Gang and Shaggleford staff alike. 

“Sooo... what kind of trouble did you guys get into in the 60s?” Miyumi asked. 

“Trouble? Us? Never!” Fred responded. “Nah, I’m just joking. CPD was on a first name basis with us. We’ve been mystery-solving for a while and that often requires... a little breaking and entering, trespassing, and a dash of destruction of property.”

“Freddie’s right. But we also spent time doing ‘normal’ teenager activities,” Daphne said. “Drive-in movies, beach parties, high school, and we were in our first years of college. I sure miss it...”

“I’m sorry, that sounds really hard, I didn’t mean --”

“It’s not all bad!” Daphne interrupted. “There are some things that I really like. It seems like anyone can do anything they want. I’m not saying things are perfect here, and I’m not saying I don’t miss home, but I’m excited that this is the future I have to look forward to. Even if I’ll be wrinkly and in my 70s.” 

Marcie looked at Velma and Shaggy. “What did you like to do before all this?”

“Like, I don’t know man, the usual stuff? Eat, head to the Malt Shop for a milkshake, hang out on the beach with a picnic basket, go to the roller rink and have a corndog.” 

“That all sounds very... food-oriented.” Marcie pushed her glasses up her nose. 

“I spent most of my time in class.  I graduated from Coolsville High two years early, so I was able to attend California State Polytechnic College with Freddie. Different majors, of course, but...” Velma sighed. “It was nice having a friend on campus, even if reading the Journal of Computational Physics isn’t on his to-do list.”

“It most definitely is not!” Fred called towards the back seat. 

“He’s too busy with Traps Illustrated,” Daphne whispered to Miyumi and giggled.

“I actually have the most recent issue right here, if you want to read it.” Marcie pulled out her tablet and fiddled with it for a moment. She handed the tablet to Velma and sure enough, Journal of Computational Physics Volume 465, dated 9/15/2022, was on the screen. 

Velma blushed slightly and looked away. “Thank you so much --”

Fred pulled off to the side of the road. “Harbormill forest. Time to split up.” Everyone filed out of the Mystery Machine. Fred tossed Shaggy the keys. “Be careful with my baby, Shag.”

Shaggy caught them with one hand. “Like, always.” 

Fred, Daphne, and Miyumi began the trek through Harbormill Forest. Fred snagged a map from the visitors’ center, the forest much easier to navigate uninjured and in the daytime. Locating the access road, the trio was able to backtrack to where The Gang had arrived. 

Daphne touched her face. “Ah, that branch looks familiar.” 

Fred began snapping photos of the area. “Daph, why don’t you take a look over there and Miyumi, over there? Does that work?”

“Fine with me, Freddie.”

Miyumi nodded and walked off towards the south side of the clearing. 

Fred began scaling the large pine tree Daphne had been caught in. About ten feet up, he found a piece of her skirt: confirmation that at least one of them had seemingly dropped from the sky. Fred balanced himself carefully and stood up, scanning as much of the forest as he could see. Off at the edge of the clearing was something colorful he couldn’t quite make out but was clearly not a natural feature. 

Meanwhile, Daphne surveyed the north edge of the clearing. Bramble and brush had clearly been crushed under a heavy weight recently, the ground underneath slightly dented. It must have taken a massive amount of power for us to end up scattered across this forest, dozens of feet away from one another, she thought to herself. Scratching her hand on thorns, she pulled a small black notebook from underneath the crushed plants. It was Velma’s notebook that she used to keep meticulous records of each case The Gang worked on. Daphne smiled. Velma would be thrilled to have this back and it might hold key information forgotten in the chaos. 

“Guys, I think you’ll want to take a look at this!” Miyumi called. 

Miyumi was standing near the colorful object, objects, actually, that Fred had spotted. On a large rock, just behind the clearing treeline, were four candles - red, blue, green, and yellow - half-melted and stuck to the rock with old wax. Symbols were carved into each candle, though neither Daphne nor Fred nor Miyumi could tell what the symbols were exactly. Fred snapped a photo. Around the rock were various partially burned herbs, clove cigarette butts, some crystals, and wood carvings. 

“Jeepers, this looks like witchcraft,” Daphne said. 

“Took the words right out of my mouth,” Fred mumbled, continuing to take photos. 

“Witchcraft is in right now,” Miyumi said, nodding. 

“What?!” Daphne exclaimed, shooting her a look. 

“It’s all over TikTok. Instagram. You name it. It’s really popular right now,” Miyumi said. 

“I only understood half of those words, but if you say so. Sounds like one hell of a hobby,” Daphne responded. She took another look, shook her head, and squatted down. After examining the candles for a moment she said, “I think these are fresh. If I leave candles out in my room for a few weeks, they start collecting dust. These are outdoors and still pretty clean.” She ran her finger over the top of the candle and then poked one of the cigarette butts. “And it rained a few days ago. These are dry. Definitely new.” 

“I think we should wait for Shaggy, Scoob, and Velma to get back and have ourselves a little stake out,” Fred said. “Marcie showed me how to reverse image search. I’m going to look these little wooden totems up.” 

“Sounds good. Just don’t call it a stake out or the guys will think we’re having a barbecue.” 

Shaggy slowly pulled off the road onto the muddy shoulder and shifted the Mystery Machine in park. “Fred’s going to, like, kill me if I get mud all over the Mystery Machine.” 

Velma patted his shoulder and hopped out, grabbing her kit from the back. 

“What’s our plan of action?” Marcie asked. 

“Soil samples, general search for clues. If I had the resources I would want to do a complete archeological grid search, but Tim isn’t going to dedicate those resources to this,” Velma responded. 

“He’s not an awful guy,” Marcie said as they walked deeper into the swamp. “He’s very science-oriented... he’s also very financially-oriented, but I’ve never seen him do anything without good reason.” 

“I’m willing to believe people our age are treated... a bit differently these days, but all of us are extremely capable adults who are used to making our own decisions. I just don’t particularly appreciate the tone he’s been taking lately.” Velma pushed her glasses up on her nose, scanning for familiar sights. The swamp had dried out a bit and grown in over the last 60 years. Based on her map, they were about a half-hour hike from the witch’s shack. 

The walk progressed quietly with Shaggy and Scooby in the front, Marcie and Velma behind. “Hey, like, uh... Marcie, Scooby, um, had a question for you.”

“Oh? What is it, Scooby?”

“He’s wondering... like what kind of technology is available for dogs in this day and age!” 

“I can’t say as that is my expertise, but I’m happy to share what I know.” 

Shaggy fell back in line with Velma as Marcie started explaining what an Air Tag was. 

“Are you doing alright?” Shaggy asked Velma, quietly so the others didn’t overhear. “We haven’t, like, had a ton of time to talk.”

“Yes, I’m doing a bit better. I talked to Daphne about... you know,” Velma gestured non-specifically in the air. 

“Was she cool with it?”

“Yes, she was fine with it. But we also talked about this whole experience the other night and I’m trying to look at the positives the way she is. For one thing, I am seeing the future of the scientific field before even the earliest steps are made in some fields -- a point made by Fred, too. A future where it is easier to be a ‘woman in STEM’ according to Marcie. And people just... date each other, marry each other -- whatever the case may be -- regardless of sexual orientation. And in most places, that’s... fine. It’s a non-issue.”

“Like, I agree. Groovy all around.” 

“I miss my family and you know how much I hate change, but I’m beginning to think it might be more difficult to go back than I thought it would be.” 

Shaggy shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and nodded. “Can’t disagree with you there, man.” 

Velma studied his face for a moment. “How are you? Really?

“How am I? Like, I’m Shaggy. As long as I’ve got Scoob and some food, I’m all good.” 

“Let’s try that again.” Velma’s disapproving look was brutal. 

Shaggy sighed and looked off in the distance, walking silently for a few moments. “I’m thinking a lot about, like, what I was doing back home. Part-time gym teacher at Calloway Military School, part-time cashier at Louie’s Pizza Palace. Living with Fred in our shitty 2 bedroom apartment. Not going steady with anyone, not going to school like the rest of you. Hell, I like, dropped out of Wetherby U after less than a semester! Then we find out there’s all this out here: time traveling, real magic - maybe - and our faces are in newspapers and books... I don’t know, man. What am I doing?”

“Does it matter what you’re doing if you’re happy?” Velma countered. 

“Am I happy?” Shaggy asked. 

“I don’t know, are you?”

“I’m, like, asking you! You’re my best friend,” Shaggy said, bumping Velma’s shoulder with his elbow. 

Velma clasped her hands together and then dropped them. “You’re my best friend, too, but I don’t think anyone else can make that determination. If you decide you want to do something else, the whole Gang will support you, you know that.” 

“I’d love to own my own restaurant. Just call it ‘Norville’s’ or something... sounds classy.”

Velma laughed a little. “You would eat all the food before the patrons could eat anything!” 

Shaggy grimaced slightly. “You’re probably right.” 

Oh, shit, Velma thought to herself. “No, Shag. I didn’t mean that. It was just a joke. If you want to open a restaurant, I’ll help you run the numbers. Fred could design the layout, and you know Daphne would kill for a professional interior design opportunity. You could even attend a culinary institute. Think about it.” 

“Thanks, Velma.” 

“And a Fi dog collar has a GPS tracking system that connects to a smart phone via an app, which would allow Shaggy to see where you were if you were ever in danger,” Marcie said to Scooby. 

Scooby shot a look over his shoulder at Shaggy, clearly saying, “Rou rowe re rone.”

“Is that...” Velma squinted. “Is that the witch’s shack?” She pulled out the map. 

Shaggy rubbed his chin, pensive. “I... like... think so? There’s not much left if it is...” 

He was right. The basic structure shape remained -- floor, some support beams, and the ghost of a roof -- but most of what they were looking at was rotted planks sticking out of thick mud. A scraggly tree had begun growing up through the floor planks and birds had built themselves a lovely 4 bedroom in the rafters. 

“No time like the pres -- You know what, nevermind. Let’s just get started,” Velma said. She set her kit down on a dry patch and promptly began collecting soil and plan samples. “Shaggy, can you please look over what’s left of the shack?”

Shaggy and Scooby quivered slightly. “...Sure thing.” 

Shaggy and Scooby carefully stepped through the empty doorway. The door was nowhere to be seen and the hinges were mostly disintegrated. Scooby gingerly stepped around the floorboards that had splintered around the tree. At a glance, there was nothing left in the shack. What had once been filled with furniture, potions, candles, jars, and sizable cauldron was now empty. The stone hearth had fallen in, damaging the structure even more. 

“Like, what do you think the police thought when they came to this wacky witch’s shack?” Shaggy asked Scooby. 

“Ri rave ro ridea,” Scooby said. “Ratanic reenagers, raybe?” 

Shaggy began pushing aside fragments of wood and rock, looking for anything that could be useful. “I bet she, like, packed everything up and took off after.” 

Outside the shack, Velma and Marcie had finished collecting samples and were surveying the grounds. Velma handed Marcie the photo of the unidentified gold object. “This is the clue I want more information about, but my hopes are not high. We can’t spend all afternoon digging up the swamp.” 

“No, but we can check the immediate area,” Marcie said with a smile. She reached into her backpack and pulled out some trowels. 

After about 20 minutes of digging with no success, Velma and Marcie were startled by a cry. 

“ZOINKS! Like, fuck, ow!” Shaggy’s cry immediately followed a loud crash. 

“Are you okay?!” Velma called, running over. 

“I slipped on some algae and my hand went through this board and now I’m, like, totally stuck,” Shaggy said. He was laying on his back, right hand stuck in a hole in the floor, and Scooby was attempting to pull him out with his teeth. Underneath him was a particularly slimy, green patch of algae. 

“Oh, brother,” Velma said. “Alright, let’s get you out of there.” 

With efforts from Velma, Marcie, and Scooby, Shaggy was freed from the nasty floor with some bruising and scrapes. 

Velma paused once he was freed. “Wait, look at that.” She pointed in the hole and then stuck her considerably smaller hand in. 

“Like, Velma, you just pulled me out of there!” 

“There’s something down there... I can’t quite... Marcie, can you hand me the trowel, please?”

“Certainly.”

Velma pulled her hand out and started hacking at the decaying wood with the trowel until the hole was big enough to produce one extremely rusty 12x12 inch metal box. She smiled. “Does this look at least 60 years old to you guys?” She stood, dusting herself off. “I think realistically we’ve done everything we can here. I propose we do one more once over and then head back to Fred and Daph.” 

Shaggy flashed a thumbs up. 

Back at Harbormill Forest, The Gang debriefed and swapped clues. Being that the box was locked, they needed to wait until returning to Shaggleford Manor to open it. Fred suggested whacking it with a hammer, but Velma was worried that it might damage the contents. About a half-hour before nightfall, The Gang, Miyumi, and Marcie positioned themselves around the clearing, ensuring they were out of sight. And then they waited... and waited... and waited. Around 9:00pm, Tim started calling and texting each of them quite frequently. Eventually, Miyumi and Marcie headed back to the van to explain to him what was going on. 

Still, they continued to wait, despite their legs falling asleep and Scooby and Shaggy’s stomachs rumbling. A little after 10:00pm, they saw the hint of a phone flashlight near the altar and faint voices. Moments later, a match was struck and the candles flickered to life, casting a faint glow on three women, maybe 18 or 19. In the dim light, The Gang had a hard time making out any more than hair color: red, blonde, and black. Two of them lit cigarettes and the third, the one with black hair, said “C’mon on, you’re going to fuck up your voices before our show tomorrow.” 

“Relax, Thorn, it’s one cigarette,” The blonde one responded, waving the smoke towards her. “You love smoking, too.”

“This doesn’t seem like magic,” Daphne whispered to Fred. They were squished together behind a tree, the closest to the supposed witches. The black haired one began mixing some herbs in a gray stone bowl. 

“It didn’t before, but it does now,” Fred said. He readied himself, crouching like a cat, and leapt forward with a yell. He tossed a net over two of the women, missing the third all together. 

“What the fuck!”

“Oh my god, an ax murderer!”

“Thorn, Luna! Are you okay?!” 

The three women screamed and stumbled backwards away from Fred, clearly terrified. Daphne rushed out from behind the tree. “Freddie! What did you do that for?! You scared them half to death!” She looked at the three women and held her hands up. “I am so sorry about my boyfriend. Here, let me help you.” The blonde woman grabbed one corner of the net and Daphne the other. With much tugging, they were able to untangle the net from the bushes and free the two women. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” The black-haried one yelled. “Do you make a habit of going around capturing people? C’mon guys, let’s get out of here.” They turned on their heels and started walking away. 

“Wait! Please. I’m so sorry. My name is Fred, this is Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo. We just wanted to ask you some questions about your magic and thought you might be, you know, dangerous.” Fred called after them. Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby emerged from their respective hiding places and waved meekly. 

The three women looked at each other and snickered a little. “We don’t really do magic,” the blonde one said to him.  

Fred’s face fell. “You... you don’t?”

“We’re eco-goths. Kinda like Wiccans,” the one with the red afro elaborated. “We don’t do real spells. We mess around with this stuff for fun. Plus, it’s good for our image.”

“Then what is all this?” Velma asked. 

“Yeah, it looks awfully suspicious,” Daphne said. 

“It’s an herbal mixture to soothe our vocal cords. We’re singers. We come out here to smoke weed, have a drink, and hangout,” The black-haired one explained. “Did you really hide out here waiting for someone to come by so you could learn magic?”

“When you put it like that...” Daphne said. 

“It does sound a little... ridiculous...” Fred said. He looked away and ran his hand through his hair. I threw a net on three random women! I’m never going to live this down, he thought to himself. 

“Hey, like, you don’t know the full story. Don’t judge us,” Shaggy defended. 

The three women shrugged. One of them flipped on an electric lantern, instantly destroying the spooky candlelight ambience. The redhead took a drag from her cigarette and pointed at a small circle of rocks set back from the candles. “So, why don’t you tell us the full story, then?”

“By the way, I’m Thorn, this is Dusk, and over here is Luna.”