Nowhere Island
a Velma Adventure by John Likeglass 

With apologies to Warner Brothers, Hanna Barbara and anyone else who might hate this story. (although I believe any true Scooby Doo fan will love it!) All borrowed characters have been safely returned intact and healthy. This is a Scrappy free story. It's a long one, so, feel free to print it out and save it for later reading!

 

Part One:  Well, it sounded like a great idea- the whole gang getting back together and taking a four hour boat trip in Daphne's uncle's boat. We were going to go out to a small island about sixty miles off of the coast and spend the day. Somehow, whenever we get together, things just don't go as planned! The day looked great! We had packed enough food and supplies for a lunch and a dinner on the beach. We also took some gear along so we could investigate the whole island. Looking back, I'm glad we did that! Freddy drove the boat, and all went well for about three hours. We got a chance to talk over some of our old adventures. Old war stories are a great way of passing time as well as getting the "old gang" feel back!

Out of the blue, the water started getting choppy. A large black cloud bank started approaching from the north. It didn't take us long to make the decision about heading back, but it was too late! We just could not outrun the storm. It looked like our peaceful outing was going to end in disaster! The boat was a forty foot cabin cruiser but it might as well have been a toy on those waves. One wave crashed over, tearing off the roof over the wheel. Freddy was almost washed overboard! The rest of us cowered in the cabin section of the boat. Ok, I must admit it, I was just as frightened as Norville and Scooby! Daphne looked quite green too! Brave (or stupid) Freddy hung onto the wheel for dear life. When the roof went, we lost our radio, compass, and navigation maps. We managed to get out a distress call before the wave hit, but we didn't know if anyone heard it. Worst of all, the boat was starting to take on water! For two hours we did battle with the storm.. Then things went from bad to worse. The ignition system got wet and the engine died! Without the engine, our battery power started to fade fast, and without that, the electric pumps stopped working and we started to sink! We were adrift!

 

With a loud thump, we hit a sandbar. Where there's a sandbar, there's an island! The impact cracked the hull of the boat, but at least we appeared to be safe from sinking. As the storm cleared we could see the island. It was only about two hundred feet away. It was not the island we had been looking for. Mystery Inc had just become the castaways from Gilligan's Island! As the sky cleared, we tested the waters... Freddy headed out with a rope attached to him. It wasn't long before we figured out that the water between the boat and the island was only two to three feet deep. Good luck at last! We had beached on a sand slope. From what we could tell, the only one connected to the island. The rest of it looked to be surrounded by sharp rocks!


We gathered up everything we could find of use and trudged to the beach. From our vantage point, we could see an old abandon aircraft hanger. "I know where we are" Freddy yelled. "This is Nowhere Island!" Shaggy and Scooby did not seem impressed by that! "Zoinks! No where island?" "Row Rare Riland?" Daphne looked less than enthusiastic. "I heard about this place, but I thought it was just a rumor. I don't even know where that is in relation to where we were going.." "Neither do I, but at least it's dry land!", Freddy said. "I remember there was a story about this island. Was bought by a guy in the late 1800's that wanted to make it his own little country! A real nut case! Anyhow, in the forty's the government paid him, his wife & son a large sum of money to put a small base on it during WWII. Something happened and they found the two of them dead. Chopped up, none the less! They never found the son!" Shaggy looked whiter than ever! "Ch.. Ch.. Chopped up?? Freddy, why do you tell us these things! Haven't you ever heard that ignorance is bliss?"

As usual, I had to bring everyone's attention to the task at hand: surviving. We dragged our supplies up to the old hanger. There was one room that looked intact, so we stashed everything in there. Of course, the dilemma we were in did not effect the appetite of the chew-some twosome! From the window, we could see the roof of an old mansion at the other end of the island. With a full stomach, we set out to find it. It wasn't long before we were lost in the woods. The view from the hanger had been clear, but once in the woods, we couldn't see either! As we rounded a bend in the path we came upon a run-down shack. Shaggy looked in the door . "Nope! No one in here!" Freddy, who had been standing in the path finally speaks up. "Now there's something interesting. Over there in the woods. It looks like a cave." We walked over to investigate. I said, "Look, there used to be gates or doors on this opening. Just the rusted hinges remain." Freddy turned around, "Hey! Where did Daphne and Scooby get to?" Indeed, they were missing! Shaggy ran over to the shack to see if they had gone in..."Nothing Freddy! They must have thought we went down the path some more." I don't like it when we get split up like this and it's not planned. After searching the path with no luck, we turned our attention back to the cave. Freddy spoke up, "This cave leads somewhere, but let's proceed with caution." A short distance from the entrance, the cave took a sharp bend to the right. The sudden darkness caught all of us by surprise. As we fumbled for flashlights, there was a loud noise.. "AAWWWKKK!" We all turned to run but ended up in a pile on the ground! After adjusting my glasses that were knocked ajar during the fall, I remember saying, "Well, I guess some things never change, no matter how long you do it!" Freddy looked up, "A parrot! It's a Parrot! Wonder if it's domestic..." As he spoke, the parrot flew down and landed on Shaggy's shoulder! "Well, my friend, I guess since you picked me, I get to name you... Hummmm... Ok... Polly! Where does this cave lead to?" "Awk! Get out! Awk!"

About six hundred feet into the cave, we reached a divide. "Now which way?" Shaggy said. I pondered for a second, "There's air movement in this cave. One of these branches leads to an opening!" Freddy spoke up, "But which one?" I picked up some of the fine powdered dirt we'd been walking on. "Hold your flashlight straight up", I told him. I poured the dirt above the flashlight. The dust drifted off in one direction. "This way!", I said. "Awk! Gonna die!" Shaggy looked at the parrot, "Aren't you the optimist!" The three of us continued down the cave. "Mighty flat floor for a cave! I think this one's man-made", Freddy said. As we rounded a bend, a small slit of light became visible. "Wonder what other animals live here?" Shaggy added.

As we came closer, we could see that the light was coming from a door of some sort. "All right guys! Who wants to open it?" I said. Freddy moved up to the door and slowly pushed it open.... "Just as I thought! It looks like we're in the basement of the old house! Old J. P. Deathhead must have liked secret passageways!" Shaggy looked a little startled... "J. P. Deathhead? What a nice name! Why didn't you tell us his name before Freddy? I think I may have rethought my volunteerism!" Cautiously, Freddy opened the door and peered into the room.... The contents lie in contrast to the outside of the house which from a distance had looked to have a farmhouse-air about it. The basement looked more gothic, almost Addams Family like. "Did you just hear a thud back in the cave?" I said. "Ahhh... Probably just my heart, Velma", Shaggy added. "The light is coming from that window well over there. Sky does not look good, I think that another storm is coming. Let's check upstairs... If we can figure out how to get there..." I checked along the wall for some type of staircase or door, and started banging on the wood. One section sounded hollow. "Not a door, but I think there is a secret passage here. I just have to figure out how to open it... YIKES!"


The hidden door flew open, revealing the skeleton of a dressed man. All was gone except for the hair and the clothes! I reeled back, tripping over a casket that had been behind me. "Ooff!" "Velma, you ok?" Freddy asked. "Yea... I just wasn't expecting that! Looks like we know what happened to Deathhead Jr! And.. We have a mystery on our hands!" Shaggy looked at the remains (brave of him!). "I don't know what killed him, but there are stairs in back of him. Let's use them!" "AWK! Gonna die!" Freddy helped me to my feet. "You sure you're ok?" he asked. "You know, this was a lot easier when I was a teen!" I replied, once again pushing my glasses back up my nose. "For once I agree with Shaggy. Let's use these stairs and get out of this basement before we look like Jr here." I started up the stairs, the sound of weak creaking wood filled the air... "One at a time sounds nice...", Shaggy said. "I have to agree, they don't look strong enough to hold all of us" Freddy added. They both watched as I disappeared out of sight, rounding the bend in the spiral staircase. "I guess you're next, Freddy." Freddy carefully started up the old stairs as Shaggy watched, with Polly quietly sitting on his shoulder. "Well Polly, I guess we're next!" The stairs seem to go up several floors. This is where we got split up, but the gang filled me in on some of this stuff later. As Shaggy reached the top he found Freddy standing there with a puzzled look on his face. "What's up Freddy?" he asked. "We seem to have lost Velma! Did you see any doors on your way?" Shaggy slowly turned and shined his flashlight at the walls of the stairway... "AWK! One down, two to go! AWK!" He began to tap on the walls... "No Freddy, there's no sign of a door! ... Velma! .... Where are you!" Shaggy, now back at the top of the stairs shrugged his shoulders causing Polly to flap her wings... Freddy looked concerned, "Forward then, we have to find Daphne and Scooby!." The doorway from the stairway was actually part of a bookcase. It slammed shut behind them. The room they were in looked to be an old library with every wall covered with dusty books... They could hear voices, but none sound like Velma or Daphne.

"Ouch!" I landed on the concrete after sliding down the long metal chute that was under the trap door! Everything around me was a dim blur.... "I must be back in the basement... but this room feels different!" I felt the floor. It was cold, and a shiver ran down my spine. "Here I am stuck in the basement of some haunted house feeling around for my glasses! This must just be my lot in life!" Slowly, I began a methodical inch-by-inch search for my glasses. "They can't have gone far; they didn't fly off till I hit the ground... but I didn't hear them land.... That light.. It's coming from an electric light bulb! How can that be? There's no power on the island!" I reached my hand forward and felt the beginning of a rug. "Oh, good... A soft lens landing zone! They must have landed over here somewhere.." As I worked my way across the floor, I banged my head into some form of wooden crate. "Ouch! ... What on earth..." I ran my hand along the top of the box. It was loose. I lifted the top of the crate. Even in the dim blur, I could see it was full of shiny objects. Picking one up, I held it two inches from my eyes.... "Gold coins! A whole crate of gold coins! This must be worth a fortune! .... Now this whole thing is starting to make some sense. Of course, it would be nice to live so I can tell someone!" I carefully closed the lid leaving all the coins undisturbed. It was then I had the sudden feeling that I was not alone in the room. Terror filled my heart.... "This is not one of our gang, and he knows I found the gold... I'm dead!", I thought to myself. The bulb was hanging only a few feet over my head.. With my right hand, I could feel a piece of wood lying on the floor. In one swift move, I grabbed the wood and smashed the bulb! I could hear whatever it was curse as the room went dark, and I scrambled backward to the mouth of the metal chute, climbing back in. "At least I'm used to not seeing!", I remember giggling to myself! With my left hand I felt something cold... like.. glass! "My Glasses!" I could barely contain myself, but I knew I could not make a sound... I quietly slipped my glasses back on although it was so dark I still could not see a thing.


Who, or what was that thing? Oh, it had to be a person. I don't believe in ghosts and that sort of stuff! But still, it hadn't sounded human. I could hear it fumbling for something -hopefully not a flashlight. I wasn't too well hidden. Suddenly, a shaft of light entered the room! It, he, whatever had opened a door. I took the moment to get my bearings as he might be coming back any second... "Uh oh.. glasses problem..", Something was wrong with them. No time to worry about that now.... "I have to make a mental snapshot of this room." The door slammed hard and the room went dark again. My arm hurt.. I figured I must have hit it on something in that chute. Feeling around inside it, I could feel bars of some sort... a ladder made of bars on the inside of the chute. I could climb my way back up! "First, I'd better block the entrance to this chute. That will buy me some time." I remembered a large box to the right of the opening. Feeling my way around, I found it and slid it till it was in front of the opening. Squirming my way behind it, I got into the chute and started climbing!

Daphne and Scooby had come out of the shack just as the rest of us had gone over to check out the cave. Scooby had caught a whiff of something and had taken off down the path. Daphne, thinking he was trying to catch up with us, had taken off after him. Scooby came to a sudden stop. It took her a few seconds to catch up with him. They were in what looked like the front lawn of the old house, and it was overgrown with weeds. A little out of breath, she asked, "What did you find? You must have had us running almost half a mile!" "Wroast Wricken!" Scooby answered. Daphne looked down at what he had found. It was a cardboard container from The Chicken Shack, a fast food place back at the harbor they had left from that morning. "That's strange.. None of us brought that along.. And it still looks...", "KerChomp!", "Fresh..." Too late, Scooby had eaten the clue! "I have a feeling we're not alone here. Well, we might as well check out the house while we still have some daylight! I'm sure the others will catch up."

Daphne walked up to the front steps. It looked like an old farmhouse and had a big wooden porch. Scooby followed close behind. "You know Scoob, I think this is the first time we've ended up paired together! ... I wonder where Shaggy and the others are.." She grabbed the front doorknob. The door was stiff but not locked. As they entered the parlor, the farmhouse image faded away. "This place is just as spooky as all the other haunted houses we've been in!" "Wraunted??" "Oh, don't worry! I just said that for comparison! It's just an old house!" With that, the door slammed behind them, and the shades slammed shut too! Scooby leaped into Daphne's arms. "Wraunted Wrouse!!, Wraunted Wrouse!!" "I'm beginning to agree with you Scooby...."

Onward to Part 2 of Nowhere Island!