The rest of the week passed in a blur for the Mystery Gang.
Stan gathered a few bags of tree seeds, and he, the gang, and Ihaan planted them in the places where trees used to be that the construction personnel chopped down.
Even Heather pitched in. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I guess I shouldn’t have tricked you guys like that, huh?”
“We can’t blame you,” Velma said. “We weren’t sure when Shaggy and Scooby told us they met Ihaan, too.” She pushed her glasses close to the bridge of her nose and continued digging.
The constriction workers pulled out the next day, and Stan brought a sign that read Protected by the National Park Service. He placed it before Ihaan’s forest and snapped a picture of the gang and Ihaan standing on either side.
They went swimming afterward, but Ihaan remained on the beach and rested his foot.
Fred jogged out of the lake with a towel over his shoulders and sat beside him. “I have a question, Ihaan. It’s something I’ve wondered since meeting you.”
“Yeah?” Ihaan said, looking at him.
Fred played with an ant and stick in the sand before questioning, “How did you learn to speak English?”
“Oh,” Ihaan chuckled. “People watching. Ro and I watch from afar but never were brave enough to talk to them until now.”
People watching. So, Ihaan had always been interested in others; he merely never knew how to approach them. Fred and the gang did solve one of their best mysteries that week. They even helped a young teen and his eagle in the process.
A scream knocked Freddie out of his trance, and he peered up when Shaggy yelled, “Zoinks! The demon bear is back!” He dove underwater and hid under a lily pad.
The costumed figure stood on the beach, arms up, but then it removed its mask and revealed Scooby-Doo. He tittered when Shaggy emerged from underwater and turned beet red.
“Like, Scoob, you’ve got to stop doing that!” Shaggy complained.
“Aw, would a Scooby Snack make you feel better?” Daphne held up the gang’s last Scooby Snack box and tossed one into Shaggy’s mouth.
He caught it and was soon joined by Scooby and Ihaan, who also wanted a Scooby Snack. Afterward, the three friends splashed one another, and Scooby playfully chased Ro.
Once she had enough sun, Daphne jogged out of the lake, approached her bag, and pulled out her cell phone. She sat with Freddie and scrolled through their vacation photos so far.
Smiling gently, Fred asked, “Are you going to upload them all on Myspace like you said?”
“All of them, except”—Daphne next scrolled through the pictures featuring Ihaan and the gang—“these. We need to protect him and the Spirit Animals.” She and Fred met eyes and stared at one another for a long time.
The swim day ended with the Mystery Gang, Stan, and Heather crowding around Ihaan like his new family.
Everyone exchanged glances, and Ihaan nodded at Ro. He booted her off his arm, and the eagle took off across Lake Anima Nipissing under the orange rays of the setting sun, Scooby chasing close behind.
By then, Fred knew everything would be okay. Now, it was off to college and a new milestone for the Mystery Gang’s careers.
And it all started with an eagle.
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Final Word Count: 25,921
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