Free Big-Top Scooby by Kate Howard Page A

DC?” Daphne suggested weakly.
    â€œWashington, Washington.” Shaggy tried to think back to their trip to Washington, DC, butall he could think about was how hungry he was. “What happened in Washington, DC?”
    â€œRincoln Remorial,” Scooby-Doo said.
    â€œOh, yeah,” Shaggy said happily. “The Lincoln Memorial came to life and tried to stomp on Scooby.” 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. “Ror score rand RAARRGH !”
    Shaggy jumped. “Zoinks!”
    â€œCalm down, guys,” 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. “This is Atlantic City! The fun capital of the world! It’s nothing but fun, fun, fun. Beaches and shows and —”
    â€œAaahhh!” Shaggy screamed. Startled, Scooby jumped into Shaggy’s arms and quivered. Shaggy pointed out the window. “Look! Wûlfsmöóon!”
    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.
    â€œMy favorite band!” Shaggy cried happily as Scooby scooted off his lap. “Like, gang, we have to see them while we’re here! Their lead singer, Wulfric, is so awesome! He does that one song that goes —”
    Scooby covered his ears as Shaggy shrieked and shouted.
    â€œYou think that’s cool, check this out!” Fred cried above the sounds of Shaggy’s hollering. “Look! A circus!”
    â€œOoooh …” Shaggy said sarcastically. “The Brancusi Circus. Like, yay.”
    â€œI love the circus!” Fred reminded them. “You know how I took that Circus Arts class last summer.”
    â€œWe know….” Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby all said together. They’d heard about Fred’s circus camp a few too many times.
    â€œI think I really could have mastered the trapeze if I hadn’t broken all those bones. The trick,” he explained, “is not to fall.”
    Shaggy rolled his eyes. “That’s great, Fred,but, like, not everyone loves the —”
    â€œWe gotta see it tonight!” Fred cried.
    Velma shook her head. “Really, I think we’d rather —”
    â€œMy treat!” Fred hollered.
    â€œMaybe some other —” Daphne tried.
    â€œI insist!” Fred sighed happily. He was really excited about this.
    â€œBut we don’t —” Shaggy whined.
    â€œI’m glad that’s settled,” Fred said, steering the car down the road toward the Brancusi Circus tent. “You guys are gonna love it.”
    Slumping down in his seat, Shaggy said, “Hooray. The circus.”
    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, didn’t make him any more excited than he already wasn’t.
    â€œWell, look at that, they don’t open until tomorrow night,” Shaggy said. “Let’s go!”
    Fred stopped him as Shaggy turned to head back to the van. “Hang on. I want to see if there’s anyone here.”
    â€œWait, no! Like, they’re closed!” Shaggy gestured toward the dark ticket booth. “I am not going into a dark circus!”
    Fred ignored him and made his way toward the circus grounds. “The gate’s open,” he said cheerfully. “Let’s just have a little look around.”
    Daphne and Velma followed Fred inside the fence, but Shaggy and Scooby weren’t going anywhere. Until they realized they were alone, and then they