The Frozen Giant

by Kate Howard

  Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Also Available

  Copyright

  The Mystery Machine slid around a corner on the icy road. “I feel like I’m in a sled!” Shaggy cried, lifting his hands in the air. “Wheeee!”

  “Reah!” Scooby barked. “Reeeeee!”

  Fred stayed focused on the road in front of them. “This fresh snow sure does make the road slippery. But we should be there soon.”

  Daphne peered out of the van’s window. She was admiring the snow-capped hills that surrounded them. “This fluffy snow is going to make for some great snowshoeing and sledding this weekend. It’s a winter wonderland,” she said.

  “I’m looking forward to seeing the ice sculptures,” Velma put in. She glanced up from the booklet she’d been reading. “According to this, some ice artists have been working on houses that are made out of ice and snow. It takes them several weeks to carve them. People can even sleep in them after they’re finished. It’s a real engineering feat.”

  “My feet aren’t going anywhere near a house made out of ice,” Shaggy said, shivering. “But do you think any of the houses might be made out of ice cream?” He licked his lips. “I’d sign up to sleep in that!”

  The kids from Mystery, Inc. were taking a weekend vacation in a small town called Giant’s Ridge. It was supposed to be perfect for cross-country skiing, winter hiking, ice-cave exploring, and snowshoeing. A new developer was throwing a huge Ice Carnival to celebrate the winter season and welcome people to the town.

  “We’re almost there,” Fred said, turning onto a narrow drive. He peered at the snowy road ahead. “Look, gang. That must be the hill they call Giant’s Ridge. The town is named after it.” He pointed to a long, rocky ridge that seemed to stretch for miles in front of them. The top of the hill was hidden by swirling snow and fog.

  “Jeepers. I sure hope the Ice Carnival is being held at the bottom of that hill,” Daphne said. “It looks awfully cold up at the top.”

  “Not to mention the sleeping giant Velma was telling us about,” Shaggy said. “I think I’d rather eat the food at the Ice Carnival than get eaten at the Ice Carnival, if you know what I mean. Like, if that giant’s really been sleeping for a thousand years, he’s going to be pretty hungry when he wakes up!”

  “Ree-hee-hee,” Scooby giggled.

  “The giant’s not real, Shaggy,” Velma said. “It’s just part of the legend. Some people think the hills around the town look like a sleeping giant, so they named it Giant’s Ridge.”

  “It’s obviously just a story,” Daphne added.

  “Legend, schmegend. I’m not taking any chances,” Shaggy said.

  “Reah. Ro riants!” Scooby agreed.

  The Mystery Machine cruised to the end of the road. Fred parked it next to a bunch of other cars.

  The gang followed a short trail through the woods. The path was lit with cheerful, twinkling lights, and lined with signs that said: WELCOME TO GIANT’S RIDGE! ICE CARNIVAL THIS WAY! and OUR TOWN WELCOMES YOU BACK! and HOMEMADE MAPLE ICE CREAM—SHARE OUR SECRET RECIPE!

  “Homemade maple ice cream?” Shaggy read the sign hungrily. “Like, you don’t have to tell me twice! I’m not so sure about sharing, though.”

  Scooby sniffed at an ice cream cone that had been carved out of ice. He licked it, then took a timid bite. “Rummy,” he said, crunching his teeth to break up the ice.

  “Like, Scoob?” Shaggy said, holding up the last bits of crumbled ice. “I think that was just a decoration.”

  “Rit rasted rood!” Scooby said.

  As the gang turned a corner, they saw someone standing in front of one of the welcome signs. It was a woman wearing snowshoes. She had a compass and tools hanging from her belt. When they got closer, they noticed that she was spray-painting a big, glittering red X over one of the welcome signs.

  “Hey! What are you doing?” Velma asked.

  The woman turned around, startled. Then she returned to what she’d been doing. “People aren’t welcome,” she said angrily. “These signs make it seem like we’re happy to have people tromping through our forest and hills. But I’m not! I wish all these visitors would just turn around and go home. Leave Giant’s Ridge alone!”

  Velma and Fred glanced at each other.

  “You’re not looking forward to the Ice Carnival?” Daphne asked politely.

  “No!” the woman snapped. “How do you think the animals feel about all these people invading their forest, tracking through their land? Do you think the bears are happy people are wandering around while they try to hibernate?”

  “Rares?” Scooby said, shuddering. “Rhut rares?”

  “I’m Lynn Johnson, and I study the animals in the forest around Giant’s Ridge,” the woman explained. “We’ve lived together in peace for the past twenty years. Now people are going to tromp around and push the animals out—and then where will we go?”

  No one knew what to say. But that was okay, because Lynn Johnson didn’t wait for them to answer. She took one last look at the gang, then stormed off into the woods.

  “I guess not everyone is excited about the Ice Carnival,” Velma observed. “She sure wasn’t very friendly.”

  Suddenly, the path ended and the gang found themselves at one end of Main Street in Giant’s Ridge. A small, peaceful town sprawled in front of them. Little shops and inns lined the street. Food vendors were perched on every corner. Lights twinkled from tree branches, and welcome banners hung everywhere.

  “It is a winter wonderland,” Daphne said happily. “Lynn Johnson might not be excited about the carnival, but I just know this is going to be groovy.”

  Suddenly, Velma pointed. “Guys! Look!”

  There, up on the top of the ridge, was a huge, white creature. But in an instant, before anyone could get a good look at it, the beast disappeared behind the hill.

  “Zoinks!” Shaggy cried, hiding behind Scooby-Doo.

  “Well, that was strange,” Fred said.

  “What was it?” Daphne asked.

  “It must have just been the snow,” Velma said, shaking her head. “The way the snow is swirling and blowing, it almost looked like there was a creature up on the ridge.”

  “Reature?” Scooby said.

  “I’m sure it was nothing,” Fred reassured them. “Just a trick of the wind.”

  As the gang stood there, staring up into the snowy hills, a woman in a thick snowsuit and big, furry boots bounded up to them. “Enjoying the snowfall, are you?” She shook paws with Scooby. “Welcome! I’m Norah Malone, the developer of this glorious winter village. I hope you’re looking forward to the Ice Carnival!”

  “Hello, Ms. Malone,” Fred said. He shook her hand. “I’m Fred, and this is Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo.”

  “Scooby who?” Ms. Malone said with a laugh. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all. Please, call me Norah.” She winked at them. “We’re all friends here in Giant’s Ridge.”

  “That’s right!” A loud, shrill voice boomed out from behind them. “We’re all friends around here.”

  Shaggy and Scooby turned. They saw a tall woman wearing a sleek black overcoat. The woman narrowed her eyes at Norah and gave her a cold smile. “Norah, I hope we will still be friends after everyone realizes that this sad little village is nothing compared to Hooperman’s Resort!” She gave the gang a thumbs-up, then grabbed a bag of donuts off a nearby food stand.

  “Hooperman’s Resort?” Shaggy asked.

  “My resort is the best p
lace on earth,” the woman said. “At Hooperman’s, you don’t have to worry about frozen giants.”

  As the woman laughed and walked away, Norah rolled her eyes. “Don’t mind Isabella,” she said. “She owns Hooperman’s Resort, which is just a few miles away. She’s upset that we’re opening Giant’s Ridge for business. They haven’t had much competition over at Hooperman’s since they opened twenty years ago. I think she’s a little nervous that some of her customers are going to start coming here for winter getaways, instead of to her resort.”

  “This is a beautiful town,” Daphne observed. “I can see why Isabella Hooperman would be nervous. Giant’s Ridge looks like a wonderful winter vacation spot.”

  Norah smiled. “There’s plenty of business for all of us. In fact, years ago, Giant’s Ridge was an incredibly popular tourist spot. That’s why I decided to revive the town. You see, I was born here, and I was always disappointed that Giant’s Ridge turned into something of a ghost town. And all because of something so silly….” She stopped talking and glanced up into the hills.

  “Why did Giant’s Ridge close down, Norah?” Velma asked. “Why did people move away?”

  “Right after Hooperman’s Resort opened for business, someone started a terrible rumor that scared everyone away. The visitors and the people who lived here year-round all left.” Norah frowned. “Have you heard the legend of our sleeping giant?” she asked.

  “Only what we read in this booklet,” Velma said. “Isn’t that just an old story?”

  “Yes,” Norah said. “There’s an old legend that says a thousand-year-old giant is sleeping inside the ice caves that are hidden under the hills that surround the town. They say he’s frozen under that ridge.” She glanced up into the hills, and then lowered her voice. “About twenty years ago, someone started telling people that the giant had woken up and was going to come down the hill and take over the town. That was enough to scare everyone away.”

  “Like, did it ever happen?” Shaggy asked. His voice was shaking.

  “Of course not,” Norah said. She smiled warmly at the gang. “It’s just a silly story. You can all just relax and enjoy yourselves.” She turned around and gestured down Main Street. “If you walk this way, you’ll end up at our town square. There you can watch the ice artists working on their carvings. They’ve been working for several weeks to build and carve their designs for beautiful ice houses. Tomorrow we’ll have a prize ceremony to choose the best house. The winner will be awarded fifty thousand dollars.”

  “Like, that’s a lot of cash,” Shaggy said, his eyes wide. “Is it too late for me to build a house out of ice?”

  Norah laughed. “Yes, I’m afraid so. The ice artists have come from all around the world to compete. It’s going to be very difficult to choose a winner! They’re all incredibly talented … and very competitive with one another. The designs are all unique and creative.” She put her finger up in the air, as if she’d just remembered something. “But, Shaggy, it’s not too late for you to enter the ice-cream eating contest. The winner of that contest will get a year’s supply of maple ice cream as a prize. Would that be okay?”

  “Like, that sounds even better to me!” Shaggy cried. “Scoob, old pal, I hope you’re hungry!” He looked around and realized Scooby was no longer next to him. “Scooby?!”

  “Rhut?” Scooby was standing at a nearby food cart, shoveling tacos into his mouth. “Ri’m racticing!”

  The gang wandered toward the town’s square, passing crowds of cheerful visitors. Ice houses lined the outer edge of the square. Some were more than two stories tall!

  Snow had finally stopped falling, and the sun was peeking through the clouds. The light glinted off the ice carvings as people milled around the town square, admiring the artists’ work.

  “Yoo-hoo! Scooby-Doo!” Shaggy called. Scooby looked around the mounds of ice and snow, trying to find his friend. Snowplows had piled snow in large heaps throughout the square. The snow piles were being carved into beautiful, icy art.

  “Raggy?” Scooby called. He peeked under carved ice fish and around an ice shark.

  “Like, over here!” Shaggy waved out a round window in one of the ice structures. It was a house that had been built to look like a pirate ship. There was even a real fishing net hanging out over the edge of the boat. Scooby poked his head around the net. “Ahoy, Scoob, ye scurvy dog!”

  Scooby chuckled, then slipped a pirate hat made of ice onto his head. “Ralk the rank, Raggy!” He pointed at an icy shelf that was jutting out from the side of the ice boat.

  “Don’t you dare,” growled a menacing voice. “I want you out of my boat.”

  Scooby and Shaggy poked their heads around the side of the boat. One of the ice artists was watching them carefully. He was holding a sharp carving tool in one hand.

  “Like, ahoy,” Shaggy said, stepping carefully out of the icy ship. “Nice boat, sir. It looks like you’re frozen in. Not sailing far today, huh?” Shaggy saluted the man, who frowned at them.

  “You need to watch your step,” the man said angrily. “I have to keep an eye on people around here.” He looked around suspiciously. “This is a big prize, and I don’t want anyone ruining my work before I win.”

  “We understand,” Fred said, joining them. “This ship doesn’t look like it would have been easy to carve out of ice. How long have you been working on it?”

  The man sighed. “I’ve spent the last three weeks here, building this ship. All I’ve got left to paint is the outside. Gotta make her shine like the South Seas!” He held up a can of spray paint. “I’m going to make the flag black, the ship’s sides will sparkle with a glittering red paint, and the snow around the ship is going to be painted blue, like the ocean.”

  “That sounds beautiful,” Daphne said.

  “It better be enough to win,” the man said. “I’m Soren Gray, the best ice carver in the world.” He looked around at the other ice carvers. They were all hard at work, minding their own business and putting the finishing touches on their art. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to grab another can of paint from my supplies. Keep an eye on the other carvers for me—I don’t trust anyone around here!”

  The gang watched as Soren marched away from the town’s square. “I guess the competition is really heating up,” Velma said.

  “Like, I hope it doesn’t heat up enough to melt all the ice houses,” Shaggy laughed. “Get it? Heat up?”

  Velma rolled her eyes. “Let’s take a look around at the other artists’ work. Scooby, Shaggy, try not to touch anything!”

  The gang wandered through the square, admiring the rest of the ice carvings. The other artists seemed to be having much more fun than Soren Gray. Some carvers were inviting people into their ice houses to see their work. One artist was even letting a little girl help paint with a shiny green wax.

  Daphne stopped to admire the woman’s work. She had built a huge ice castle, complete with sparkling turrets and a moat. The artist was finishing an ice dragon that was peeking out of the icy water. “This ice castle is really groovy,” Daphne exclaimed.

  “Thanks,” the artist responded. “I’m Sabrina, and this is my first big ice carving competition. I’m really nervous!”

  “You don’t need to be nervous,” Fred said. “This castle is definitely the best ice sculpture here. All the other artists here should be worried about competing against you!”

  Sabrina smiled. “Thanks a lot. I better get back to work, though. I still have a lot to do before the judging tomorrow.”

  “And I still have a lot of practicing to do before the ice-cream eating contest tomorrow!” Shaggy said. “Like, Scoob, let’s head over there and check out the food carts.”

  Scooby and Shaggy were drawn toward the smell of spun sugar and fresh maple cakes. The crowd was thick in the town’s square, and people seemed to be having a great time.

  Suddenly, there was a loud shriek. Someone shouted, “It’s the frozen giant! Everyone … run!”

  People loo
ked around and screamed, then fled, ducking under ice sculptures and diving behind park benches.

  Scooby and Shaggy hid inside a hot dog cart, watching as a huge, icy beast roared through the town. It was pale as the snow, with pointy ears like a wolf’s and an angry-looking expression on its face.

  As the beast tore through the town square, it threw something at the ice carvings that melted them on contact. The creature rose up, lifting its arms in the air, and towered over the crowd. Icicles hung from its frozen arms, and water dripped from its mouth as it roared.

  The beast ran toward the beautiful ice castle and grabbed Sabrina. “Help!” she screamed. “Put me down!” But the beast charged on, carrying Sabrina over its frozen shoulder. Sabrina kicked and shouted, hitting the creature’s shoulders and back.

  But it was no use. The creature was too strong for her. It stomped through town, destroying everything in its wake!

  The beast stormed down Main Street in Giant’s Ridge before finally disappearing into the woods. Everyone could hear Sabrina screaming as the giant disappeared into the trees.

  Slowly, people started to emerge from under ice sculptures and from inside the buildings they’d been hiding in.

  Scooby and Shaggy peeked out from under a mound of hot dog buns. They had piled them up to look like an igloo. “Like, was that what I think it was?” Shaggy asked.

  “Rice reast!” Scooby said.

  “That was no ice beast,” someone shouted. “That was the frozen giant! It’s true—the frozen giant is real. We need to get out of here!”

  “That’s right,” Isabella Hooperman yelled from the edge of the square. “Everyone is welcome over at Hooperman’s Resort. Giant’s Ridge just isn’t safe. It never was. We’ll be serving hot chocolate and cookies in our lodge for anyone who would like to join us. You’re all welcome. Get out of here before it’s too late!”