DC?â Daphne suggested weakly.
âWashington, Washington.â Shaggy tried to think back to their trip to Washington, DC, butall he could think about was how hungry he was. âWhat happened in Washington, DC?â
âRincoln Remorial,â Scooby-Doo said.
âOh, yeah,â Shaggy said happily. âThe Lincoln Memorial came to life and tried to stomp on Scooby.â He glanced over at his best buddy.
Scooby had zipped on a fake beard and set a stovepipe hat over his ears. He made a spooky face and reached toward Shaggy, his arms out like a zombie. âRor score rand RAARRGH !â
Shaggy jumped. âZoinks!â
âCalm down, guys,â Velma grumbled. She hated when Shaggy and Scooby got wild in the back of the van, especially when she had to sit next to them. âThis is Atlantic City! The fun capital of the world! Itâs nothing but fun, fun, fun. Beaches and shows and ââ
âAaahhh!â Shaggy screamed. Startled, Scooby jumped into Shaggyâs arms and quivered. Shaggy pointed out the window. âLook! Wûlfsmöóon!â
Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Scooby all looked out the window to see what Shaggy was so excited about. A huge picture of Wulfric Von Rydingsvardshone down at them from a billboard on the side of the road.
âMy favorite band!â Shaggy cried happily as Scooby scooted off his lap. âLike, gang, we have to see them while weâre here! Their lead singer, Wulfric, is so awesome! He does that one song that goes ââ
Scooby covered his ears as Shaggy shrieked and shouted.
âYou think thatâs cool, check this out!â Fred cried above the sounds of Shaggyâs hollering. âLook! A circus!â
âOoooh â¦â Shaggy said sarcastically. âThe Brancusi Circus. Like, yay.â
âI love the circus!â Fred reminded them. âYou know how I took that Circus Arts class last summer.â
âWe knowâ¦.â Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby all said together. Theyâd heard about Fredâs circus camp a few too many times.
âI think I really could have mastered the trapeze if I hadnât broken all those bones. The trick,â he explained, âis not to fall.â
Shaggy rolled his eyes. âThatâs great, Fred,but, like, not everyone loves the ââ
âWe gotta see it tonight!â Fred cried.
Velma shook her head. âReally, I think weâd rather ââ
âMy treat!â Fred hollered.
âMaybe some other ââ Daphne tried.
âI insist!â Fred sighed happily. He was really excited about this.
âBut we donât ââ Shaggy whined.
âIâm glad thatâs settled,â Fred said, steering the car down the road toward the Brancusi Circus tent. âYou guys are gonna love it.â
Slumping down in his seat, Shaggy said, âHooray. The circus.â
By the time Fred pulled the Mystery Machine up to the circus, the sky had grown dim. The parking lot was mostly empty. As they walked up to the ticket booth, Shaggy noticed a huge sign that said: B RANCUSI C IRCUS P RESENTS : C ELESTIA . The name of the show, Celestia, didnât make him any more excited than he already wasnât.
âWell, look at that, they donât open until tomorrow night,â Shaggy said. âLetâs go!â
Fred stopped him as Shaggy turned to head back to the van. âHang on. I want to see if thereâs anyone here.â
âWait, no! Like, theyâre closed!â Shaggy gestured toward the dark ticket booth. âI am not going into a dark circus!â
Fred ignored him and made his way toward the circus grounds. âThe gateâs open,â he said cheerfully. âLetâs just have a little look around.â
Daphne and Velma followed Fred inside the fence, but Shaggy and Scooby werenât going anywhere. Until they realized they were alone, and then they