The Frozen Giant

by Kate Howard

  People started to flow down Giant’s Ridge’s Main Street, heading for the safety of their cars and Hooperman’s Resort.

  Norah Malone waved her arms in the air. “Wait! Everyone! Please don’t go.” She looked around sadly.

  Even the artists were packing up their stuff and preparing to leave. Norah tried to stop them. “You can’t leave! The ice-house judging is tomorrow. We’ll be choosing a winner! Don’t you want to finish your designs so you have a chance to win the prize?”

  “It’s not worth the money,” one of the artists said. “That horrible giant kidnapped Sabrina! Then it melted the front door of my ice house. What is that horrible thing going to do next? I’m getting out of here before it’s too late!”

  Several other artists nodded. They packed their tools, leaving their ice houses unfinished. The rest of the crowd had already thinned, and there were only a few people left in the town’s square with Scooby and the gang.

  Suddenly, the sound of laughter rang out from behind Scooby and Shaggy’s hot-dog-bun igloo. They turned and saw Lynn Johnson, the woman who had been spray-painting X’s on the welcome signs. “I guess my wish came true,” she said. “Sorry about your little carnival, kids. But it looks like it’s time to go home and leave me and the animals alone.”

  “Not so fast,” Fred said. “Norah, we need to find that giant and rescue Sabrina.”

  “I know,” Norah said. She was very upset. “How are we ever going to find them? The giant could be anywhere.”

  “Yes,” Velma agreed. “But lucky for you, mysteries are our specialty.”

  “Really?” Norah asked. “You’d be willing to help?”

  Fred looked at the others. “Gang, it looks like we’ve got a mystery on our hands. And we need to work quickly, before someone gets hurt!”

  “The first thing we need to do is look for clues,” Velma said. She adjusted her glasses, watching as Lynn Johnson snowshoed back into the woods. “We have to figure out where that giant came from, and where it took Sabrina.”

  “Actually,” Shaggy said, “the first thing we need to do is follow Isabella Hooperman over to Hooperman’s Resort. Like, didn’t you hear her say there would be hot chocolate and cookies in the lodge?”

  Scooby nodded. “Rookies!”

  “Scooby, Shaggy, the frozen giant kidnapped someone!” Daphne scolded. “And all you can think about is cookies?”

  “Like, I was just thinking I don’t want to be the giant’s next meal,” Shaggy said. “He looked awfully hungry.”

  “Actually,” Velma said, “there are some things about that so-called giant that seem awfully suspicious. Take a look at this!”

  Everyone hurried over to Velma. She was studying tracks in the snow. “These are the giant’s footprints.” She pointed. “You can tell from the prints that this giant was just wearing a pair of regular winter boots.”

  Fred studied another boot track. “Hmm, a giant who lives inside the mountain wouldn’t need human boots,” he observed.

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Velma said. “I wonder if someone is dressing up like the giant to try to scare us away?”

  “Should we follow the tracks through the woods?” Norah Malone suggested. “Hopefully they’ll lead us to Sabrina.”

  Fred nodded. “That’s a great idea. Keep your eye out for clues, gang. We might see something along the way.”

  Norah led the gang through the frozen woods. They followed the giant’s tracks through the snow. “The caves are right up ahead,” Norah said, pointing to dark mounds that stuck up out of the ground.

  As they walked toward the caves, the giant’s tracks became harder to follow. Fresh snow had blown over them, and soon they lost the giant’s trail completely. “I think we’ve hit a dead end, gang,” Fred said.

  “Hey, look over there!” Daphne called, pointing to something bright glinting in a snowbank.

  Scooby slipped his head behind Shaggy’s puffy, down jacket to hide. “Riant?” he asked.

  “No, Scooby, it’s not the giant,” Velma said. She shook her head. “It’s just red glitter—it looks a little like paint.” She bent down to study it more closely. “That’s another great clue, Daphne. And look, here’s another footprint! The giant must have come this way.”

  “Listen!” Norah cried out suddenly. “I hear someone calling for help. I wonder if it’s Sabrina!”

  “We should split up so we can find her faster,” Fred suggested. “Daphne, Norah, and I will look inside that cave over there.” He pointed to the entrance of an ice cave about fifteen feet in front of them.

  “And Scooby, Shaggy, and I will look in here.” Velma pointed to the dark, icy mouth of the cave a few feet to their left. It looked cold and scary.

  Daphne nodded. “Let’s all meet right back here in a few minutes.”

  Everyone except Scooby and Shaggy started into the caves. “After you, Scooby-Doo,” Shaggy said, stepping behind Scooby.

  “Ro, rafter rou,” Scooby said, prancing through the snow to hide behind Shaggy.

  “Oh, come on. I’ll go first. This way, guys!” Velma called. She motioned for Scooby and Shaggy to follow her as she strode into the dark cave. Scooby and Shaggy reluctantly followed.

  Inside the cave, it took a minute for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. When they finally did, they could see gleaming icicles hanging from the roof of the cave. The ground beneath their feet was slick with ice and snow.

  Suddenly, Velma slipped. As she fell, her glasses flew off. “Jinkies! I lost my glasses!” she cried, feeling around on the ground around her. The thick mittens she was wearing didn’t help, so she pulled them off. Her hand passed over something hard and rubbery. Then she felt something cold and icy under her bare hand.

  “Hey, Velma,” Shaggy called from the other side of the cave. “Like, I found your glasses. They slid all the way over here.”

  Velma stood up … and found herself face-to-face with the frozen giant!

  “Um, Shaggy? Scooby?” Velma squinted. She was trying to figure out if her eyes were tricking her. “I think I may have found the frozen giant.” She reached out a hand to touch the giant’s frozen skin. It was icy and a little hairy. Velma pulled her hand back quickly.

  “Zoinks!” Shaggy cried, handing Velma her glasses. He grabbed Velma’s arm and pulled her along behind him. “Like, run!”

  Scooby, Shaggy, and Velma slipped and slid as they ran toward the mouth of the cave and away from the frozen giant. The giant was just a few steps behind them as they jumped and leaped over piles of snow and frozen icicles. It grunted and growled, lifting its arms high in the air.

  “Rikes!” Scooby called. “Raggy, relp!”

  Shaggy stopped to look back. The giant had caught hold of Scooby’s tail and was dragging him back into the cave.

  “Scoob! Hold on, buddy!” Shaggy cried as he slipped on the icy cave floor. He jumped out of the way just in time as a long, sharp icicle fell from the roof of the cave.

  “We’re coming to get you, Scooby,” Velma called.

  The giant was pulling Scooby farther and farther into the cave. It was almost impossible for Velma and Shaggy to see their friend! They knew they had to move fast or Scooby would become the giant’s next prisoner.

  Velma and Shaggy followed the giant into the dark tunnels that led deeper into the cave. Finally, they spotted Scooby as the giant tried to round a corner deep inside the cave.

  “Grab him, Shaggy!” Velma cried. They reached for Scooby and grabbed his two front paws. They pulled at the front of his body as the giant pulled at the back. Scooby’s body stretched between them until, finally, snap! The giant lost its grip on Scooby’s tail. Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby fell in a heap against the cave wall.

  “Like, run!” Shaggy called. “Again!”

  This time, Scooby zipped ahead of Shaggy and Velma. The giant roared behind them. With every stomp of the giant’s foot, icicles fell from the cave’s ceiling and came crashing down around them. Shaggy ducked and lea
ped. He was just steps behind Scooby.

  Finally, they reached the mouth of the cave and escaped into the bright, snowy forest. They ran a long way before slowing down.

  “Like, that was close,” Shaggy said at last.

  “Raggy?” Scooby said, tapping Shaggy on the shoulder.

  “Not now, old pal. I need to take a little rest. Rescuing friends from a frozen giant is hard work!”

  Scooby pointed behind him. “Raggy, rook!”

  Shaggy turned. That’s when he realized the giant was still chasing them. It had just barreled out of the mouth of the cave. Now it was running straight toward them.

  Even worse, Velma was nowhere to be seen!

  Shaggy and Scooby started running again. They flew over snow banks and zipped around trees. Scooby’s paws spun and slipped out from under him as he slid over an icy log and fell to the ground. His face landed in the snow. “Rouch,” Scooby whined. He blew snow out of his nose and mouth.

  “Hey, Scoob, watch this,” Shaggy said. He hid behind a huge pine tree. As soon as the giant went rushing past, Shaggy pelted the creature with snowballs.

  “Ree-hee-hee,” Scooby giggled. The giant had to lift its huge arms to protect itself from the snowball attack. But Scooby stopped laughing when Shaggy ran out of snowballs. The giant turned and roared at them again.

  Scooby began to run first, with Shaggy close on his heels. They moved as fast as they could in their snow gear, but both of them fell a few times. Once they went sliding down a hill on their backsides. “Reeee!” Scooby cried.

  Just when Shaggy and Scooby thought they couldn’t run anymore, the giant raised its arms and gave one final growl. Then it turned and charged back through the woods.

  “Like, that was close,” Shaggy said, panting. He sat on the ground to rest. “This belly is going to need some serious fuel before our next chase.” He poked around in his jacket pockets and found a dusty old Scooby Snack. “Like, look at this! It’s my lucky day.” He tossed the snack up in the air and opened his mouth to catch it.

  Scooby reached his tongue out and grabbed the Scooby Snack out of the air before Shaggy could eat it. He chomped happily. “Ranks, Raggy.”

  “Hey, guys!” Fred called through the trees. “What are you doing way over here? I thought we were all meeting back by the caves.”

  Shaggy and Scooby stood up and shook the snow off. They tripped over each other as they hustled to get to Fred. Daphne and Norah were right behind him.

  “Like, first we found the frozen giant,” Shaggy said quickly. He pointed. “In that cave you made us look in, back there.”

  “Reah,” Scooby nodded. He raised up on his back legs and waved his arms around in the air like the giant had done. “Riant … roooooar!”

  “Then that frozen beast got Scooby-Doo,” Shaggy said. “Like, it grabbed him by the tail, and we had to play tug-of-war to get our old buddy back.”

  Scooby covered his eyes, remembering how scared he’d been when the giant pulled at his tail. He wrapped his tail around his body and hugged it tight. “Rit rot re!”

  “And then that thing chased us all the way over here!” Shaggy cried.

  “The frozen giant chased you?” Daphne asked. “Wait a minute. Where’s Velma?”

  Shaggy looked around, as if he’d just remembered that Velma was missing. “Like, that’s what I want to know! The giant was hot on our heels when we bolted out of that cave. But all of a sudden, Velma wasn’t.”

  “So Velma’s missing?” Fred asked. “I have a feeling if we find Velma, we’ll also find Sabrina.”

  Norah groaned. “So what you’re saying is, you think the frozen giant has two prisoners now? But why?” She looked at the others and shook her head. “Maybe I should just cancel the Ice Carnival and close up town again. This is getting too dangerous!”

  “Reah,” Scooby said. “Rangerous!”

  “Look over here!” Daphne exclaimed suddenly. “It looks like that giant dropped something when it was chasing you,” she said. She was holding a large piece of paper.

  Shaggy shook his head. “The giant is a litterbug.”

  “Rad riant,” Scooby said.

  “This isn’t litter,” Daphne said, unfolding the paper. “It’s another clue. This is a map!”

  “Not just any map,” Fred said. He looked over Daphne’s shoulder. “It’s a map of the forest and hills surrounding the town of Giant’s Ridge.”

  “Why would the giant need a map of the forest?” Shaggy asked. “If it’s really been hanging out in these hills for a thousand years, wouldn’t it know its way around by now?”

  Fred nodded. “You’re exactly right, Shaggy. If the giant really had spent a lot of time around Giant’s Ridge, it certainly wouldn’t need a map.” He folded the map and tucked it inside his pocket. “This is all starting to make a lot more sense. I have a hunch about who our frozen giant might be. We need to find Velma and Sabrina. Then it’s time to set a trap!”

  Fred, Daphne, Norah, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo followed their footprints back through the forest to the hidden caves. There was no sign of the frozen giant anywhere. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t hiding somewhere. Shaggy hoped the giant wouldn’t pounce at them as they walked past.

  As they neared the entrance to the cave, the gang could hear ice shattering and breaking inside. “Someone’s in there,” Fred said.

  Shaggy and Scooby both stopped in their tracks. “Like, it sounds like the frozen giant to me! Run!” Shaggy cried.

  “Reah, run!” Scooby barked.

  That’s when they heard Velma’s voice calling to them. “Fred! Daphne! Shaggy! In here!”

  They followed the sound of Velma’s voice. As they waited for their eyes to adjust to the darkness inside the cave, they could hear the sounds of ice crystals crashing to the ground.

  “Guys, we’re over this way,” Velma called.

  Shaggy and Scooby peered through the darkness. They were looking for Velma, but they were also keeping their eyes open for any sign of the frozen giant.

  “Psst, Shaggy! Scooby!” Velma cried. “You’re looking right at me.”

  Scooby hid behind Shaggy as they stepped farther into the darkness. “Relma?” he asked. The only thing he could see was a pile of ice that looked like the wall of the cave. But as the two buddies inched closer, they could see it was some sort of icy cage. Velma and Sabrina were trapped inside!

  Fred, Daphne, and Norah came rushing over. Together, they kicked at the ice, but it wouldn’t budge or break enough for Velma and Sabrina to escape.

  “We need something that will melt this ice,” Fred said, scratching at his head.

  “The only thing in this cave is a big bag of salt,” Shaggy said, pointing. “Like, the frozen giant must like his soft pretzels extra salty or something.” Shaggy’s stomach growled. “Oh, man, I’m so hungry I’d trade my mittens for a soft pretzel right about now.”

  “Salt!” Velma cried. “Shaggy, salt will melt the ice! Shake it on the walls of this ice cage. Then we can get out of here.”

  They all got to work pouring salt on the walls of the frozen cage.

  “Hurry,” Velma said. “The giant isn’t here now, but I’m sure it’ll be back soon.”

  As they worked, Daphne said, “The giant must have been throwing salt at all the ice houses when it crashed through town. It was trying to ruin the ice carvings by melting them!”

  “I think you’re right, Daphne,” Fred said. “Now I know we’re on the right track for solving this mystery. It’s just a matter of getting the giant to come out so we can melt its plans and save the Ice Carnival!”

  The salt had finally melted the frozen walls enough that Velma and Sabrina could climb out of their ice cage.

  “Thank you,” Sabrina gushed. “You saved me. I was afraid that frozen beast was going to keep me here forever.”

  “We heard you yelling for help,” Fred said. “But when we went in the caves to look for you, it was quiet again.”

  “I was yelling for
help. But just before Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby came into the cave, the giant gagged me,” Sabrina said. “Luckily for me, the giant caught Velma and put her in here, too. Otherwise, I would still be gagged. You would have never found me if it weren’t for Velma! She untied me and saved us both.”

  “I’m just glad we’re safe,” Velma said. “Now it’s time for us to give the giant a taste of his own medicine and trap him in his own icy cage. Let’s get to work, gang!”

  “First, we have to figure out a way to get the giant to come out of hiding again,” Fred said. “If we can get it to follow us into town, we can trap it.”

  “Rap rit?” Scooby asked. He was munching on a piece of salty ice from the giant’s cage. Everyone was looking at him strangely. “Rhut? Rit’s rummy.”

  Shaggy leaned over and took a lick. “You’re right, Scoob. It is yummy. Like salty ice cream. But it would taste even better with a nice, hot cup of chili.” His tummy grumbled, echoing through the cave. “Speaking of which … I’m getting pretty chilly in here.”

  “Scooby, Shaggy, if we can get the giant to follow us into town, we need you to run straight for the pirate ship,” Fred instructed. He led the gang out of the cave and into the forest again.

  Shaggy crunched on a piece of frozen ice. “Like, I hope you’re gonna tell me there’s a four-course meal set up in that ice boat. Because the only place I’m running is away from the giant and toward my next meal.”

  “Reah,” Scooby agreed.

  “Will you help us trap the giant if I give you a Scooby Snack?” Velma offered.

  Scooby set down his ice. “Rooby rack?” He thought for a moment. “Ruh-uh.”

  “How about two Scooby Snacks?” Velma said.

  “Rope,” Scooby said, shaking his head.

  Sabrina suddenly spoke up. “What if I promise to fill my ice castle with Scooby Snacks? You can eat them all.”

  Scooby jumped up and down. “Rokay!”