Mystery With a Hint of Romance {Fred Jones}

the protoplasmic heads

Shaggy could hear Daphne's voice. Around the corner, he saw the wrestler from before. Stephanie and Daphne were on caged platforms with her hands bound to them. Stephanie had her mouth covered by a piece of cloth. There were also two guards with them.

"You snuck up on us you jerk! Let us out!" Daphne said.

"Mhmhm!" Stephanie tried to speak but her voice was muffled by the cloth. The wrestler had has hands on some kind of controller which controlled a metal claw that was coming right for Daphne.

"Oh, this can't be good" The claw somehow managed to reach inside Daphne and pulled out what seemed to be her spirit. Her floating head looked around. "Hey, put back my spirit thingy! That is so uncool, and you're messing up my hair!" Stephanie rolled her eyes. The claw placed Daphne's spirit over the pool that was there. "You're a jerk! Capital J-E---" She didn't get to finish as her spirit was dropped in the pool. One of the guards came over to Stephanie and removed the cloth from her mouth. The wrestler then began moving the claw towards her.

"Oh hell no! If you think you can take my spirit, you are sadly mistaken, you son of a--" Stephanie didn't get to finish her sentence as the claw took her spirit from her body. The claw brought her spirit over to the pool where Daphne's was dropped moments earlier. "Daphne was right. You guys really are jerks" Stephanie's spirit was dropped into the pool. Two of the monsters jumped out of hole and walked over to the two bodies. One monster possessed Daphne's body, and the other possessed Stephanie's. Both of them looked up without saying a word.

"Daph. Steph" Shaggy muttered quietly to himself. One guard released Daphne from her bindings, and the other released Stephanie. Both of them spoke in some kind of ancient language before they were escorted away. Once the coast was clear, Shaggy ran over to the pool. There was a clear yet luminescent liquid in it, and there were a bunch of spirits floating around in it.

"Shaggy!" He could hear Velma's voice call for him. He looked around for her but couldn't see her anywhere. She called his name again and he looked in the pool where he could see her spirit.

"Velma" he said, waving to her. "I'll save you" Shaggy reached his hand into the pool. He found Velma's spirit and took her out of the pool.

"Thanks Shaggy. Oh boy, am I glad to see you. Now let me go so I can return to my body, and then get out of here before they find you and steal your protoplasm too" Shaggy nodded and let go of Velma. Her protoplasm went flying. "I always knew you were a hero, Shaggy!" Shaggy then saw another familiar face. It was Fred's. He reached in and grabbed him.

"Hey buddy" Shaggy said.

"Shaggy! Listen man. Someone must have spiked my root beer last night. Talk me down man! Talk me down!" Fred said.

"Fred, you're a friggin' protoplasmic head!"

"I know, but I'm still the best looking protoplasmic head here, I mean" Shaggy let Fred's head go and it went flying off to find its original body. Shaggy spotted another one of his friend's heads and pulled it out. It was Peter.

"Shaggy, am I glad to see you! Look, I don't know what's going on but all I know is that I need you to let me go so I can get back to my body. Daphne and Stephanie are still in there and you need to save them" Peter said.

"I'm like way ahead of you Pete" Shaggy let go of Peter's protoplasmic head and he went off to find his body. Shaggy reached in and pulled out another head, except this time it wasn't any of his friends.

"Thank you so much! You saved me, thank you!" the stranger's head said.

"Sorry, I'm looking for my friends" Shaggy quickly put the stranger's head back. The next head he found was Daphne's.

"Put me back Shaggy! I'll figure a way out myself" Daphne said.

"Like, how?"

"I don't know. I'll use my tongue as an oar and swim to the edge"

"Sorry" Shaggy flicked away Daphne's head. She attempted to bring herself back but her head snapped away. Last but not least, Shaggy reached in one final time and found the head of his cousin.

"Shaggy! Before you let me go, I need you to listen, alright" Stephanie said.

"Alright Steph. Like, I'm listening"

"The Daemon Ritus is over there" Stephanie nodded her head in the direction. Shaggy spotted it and nodded. "After you let me go, you need to grab it. I don't say this enough Shaggy, but I love you and I'm glad we're cousins"

"Me too Steph" Stephanie gave him a smile before her head went flying away. Once she was gone, Shaggy left the pool and went over to grab the Daemon Ritus. He left the cave and went off to go find his friends, hoping that they'd be themselves again when he saw them.