Scooby Doo! Meet Ellie Machine

The Hodag of Horror (Part 2)

We all got up and gathered ourselves, and Sheriff Stone showed up shortly after the Hodag escaped, along with a fire truck. Mr. Shepherd was taken care of, and now we all stood around him as he sat on one of his stairways into the truck.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure what I should do about this little escapade. As far as I know, there's no law in the books against a curio coming to life and going crazy," Sheriff Stone was saying. "What's this Hodag thing supposed to do anyway?"

"Basically, it's a dangerous creature that tried to attack me," Mr. Shepherd snapped. "Oh, and it eats dogs."

"What?!" Scooby exclaimed, alarmed. "Eats dogs, you say?" Sheriff Stone asked, glaring at Scooby. "Any chance it's particularly fond of talking dogs?"

Scooby snarled, and the sheriff imitated his growling as well, both of them getting in each other's faces. "All right, break it up, you two," I sighed, pulled Scooby away by his collar. "He started it," the sheriff complained. "I did not!"

Sheriff Stone sighed and pulled away. "Whatever. Good luck, Hodag bait," he said to Scooby with a smirk, making him harrumph. "Well, since this has solved nothing, I'm gonna go back inside and see what I can salvage of my curio wagon," Mr. Shepherd said, shrugging off the blanket he was given and slinking off back into his wagon.

"C'mon gang, we need to get ready for my parents' party tonight anyways," Daphne said. Then, we all departed and got ready, before making our way to the Blake mansion. I had decided to dig out my green sundress with white polka dots with my wedges.

I entered with Fred, Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma, and we all dispersed among the crowds. I was quick to follow Shaggy towards the cheese. It had been a long time since I had anything remotely fancy, and I was determined to enjoy it. As I sat at the table Shaggy, Velma, and I had claimed, I caught sight of Mrs. Blake.

"I'll be right back," I said to Shaggy, and made my way to Daphne's mom. She was just turning away from Mr. Fussbuster when I tapped her shoulder. She whirled around, and when she saw me, her eyes widened in surprise and a grin spilled out over her beautiful face.

"Oh, Ellie! I'm so glad you could make it!" she exclaimed and brought me in for a huge hug. I laughed and hugged her back. "I'm so happy to see you, Mrs. Blake! How have you been?" I asked, pulling away from her. "Oh, dear, it's Nancy, and it's always been Nancy to you," she reprimanded me with a smile. "And I've been well! Really busy with this party, it being so last minute and all," she said, gesturing around. "Well, I never would have guessed, because it came out beautifully," I told her, grabbing a cheese sample as a tray walked by.

"I'm so happy to hear that. And how have you been, dear? Are you holding up okay? Barty and I were so upset when we heard about your father. Ed was truly one of the best," she said, placing a firm hand on my shoulder. At the mention of my father, I felt my eyes tear up, but I quickly blinked them away. "I've honestly been better. I'm sure you've heard around town about my, uh, problem," I said, looking at my feet.

"I wasn't going to say anything," she murmured. "Quite frankly, I didn't know if it was true or not."

I nodded in confirmation. "I, uh, I did have a drinking problem. But I've been working on it. Fred's helped me a lot, actually. I haven't touched any alcohol in about a month, I think," I told her. She smiled softly. "I'm so proud of you, sweetie," she said, pulling me into another tight hug. 

"Please, if there's anything you need, let me or Barty know. We've always considered you as one of our daughters, and if we can help you in your recovery in any way, I want you to tell us," she said, pulling away and dabbing at her eyes.

A watery smile made its way onto my face. "I will. Thank you, Nancy."

"What's with the tears? It's a party!" Brad exclaimed joyfully as he walked up to me and Nancy. "Ah, Brad, how are you liking the party?" Nancy asked, stiffing up as he approached us. "It's lovely, Nancy. You outdid yourself," he said, flashing her a smile that I know Fred inherited from him.