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“Saltwater Taffy! Peppermint lollypops! Extra-large gobstoppers!” Shaggy licked his lips as he eyed up the treats displayed on the various stalls before saying, “Look at all this stuff Scoob. We’re like two meddling kids in a candy store!”

“Reah, a candy store!” Scooby Doo seconded as he licked the hundreds and thousands that had got caught up in his whiskers, though exactly how he’d got these stuck in his whiskers in the first place Shaggy did not know.

Both buddies zigzagged from stall to stall trying out any free sample they could get their hands on, ignoring the spooky decorations hanging from the stalls and ceiling to commemorate the approaching Halloween. Humbugs and chocolate drops alike were all shovelled into their mouths at lightning speed. Behind them Fred and Velma smirked in amusement as they watched on while nibbling on a box of toffees between them. “Looks like the Trick or Treat Convention was the right place to visit,” Velma remarked as she eyed up another place. “And Fred wanted to visit the mysterious town of Mysteryville.”

Fred gave a shrug of his shoulders . “I’ll admit this toffee makes it a worthwhile detour. Want some Daphne?”

Red headed Daphne didn’t answer. Fred and Velma looked around to see her bringing up the rear, her eyes staring down at her purple designer shoes as she remained oblivious to the festivities. Velma knew what was troubling her immediately. “Come on Daphne; don’t let what happened in Smugglers Bay get you down. We got the mystery solved didn’t we?”

“You and Fred were the ones who solved the mystery,” Daphne answered glumly. “I spent the whole case tied up in some rickety old boat by that disgruntled fisherman pretending to be a sea monster!”

Trying his best to cheer Daphne up Fred told her, “But Velma and I wouldn’t have found the secret stash of scuba gear and sea charts which revealed the sea monsters identity had we not been looking for you. So in a way you did help us solve the case.”

Daphne gave him a fierce, icy glare. “So you’re saying that I’m only useful to you guys when I’m a damsel in distress?”

“No, I mean…well you have...you’re looking pretty today,” Fred replied in a flustered manner which did little to improve Daphne’s mood.

“At least you’re not like those two scaredy cats who freak out at the mention of a headless horseman,” Velma said, referring to Scooby and Shaggy up ahead.

Scooby overheard her, spitting out the assortment of gobstoppers in his mouth before gulping, “Readless rorseman?”

“Zoinks, come on Scoob, lets hide,” Shaggy cried out fearfully, before they dived underneath the nearest booth with such force that they accidentally caused a platter to fall to the ground with a crash.

“Oh no, they like totally ruined my cupcakes!” cried out one of the stall owners. Shaggy and Scooby realised then that they were not in fact being hunted by the headless horseman, and they had in fact gate-crashed a stall belonging to the three pairs of feet they could see underneath the tablecloth. They pulled up the cloth and gave a nervous, apologetic giggle towards the three girls Shaggy’s age who stared down at them with their arms folded.

Fred, Daphne and Velma had seen the commotion and ran over to bail their friends out of trouble. “Sorry about these two. You’re not the only people whose cake stall they’ve destroyed,” said Velma.

One of the stall owners, a Hispanic girl with her jet black hair cut short, seemed to forgive Scooby instantly. “Oh it’s ok you gorgeous doggie. Who’s a good boy, who’s a good boy?” she asked as she stroked a sniggering Scoob under his ears.

Fred and Daphne scooped down to help the other two girls, a girl with long red hair and another with bright blonde just reaching her ears. “Sorry to introduce ourselves like this. I’m Fred, and this is Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and last but by no means least, Scooby Doo.”

“Nice to meet you all,” answered the redhead. “I’m Sam, and this is Alex and Clover. Would you like some cupcakes? Clover’s special recipe.”

“Hold on Sam, I’m totally missing a couple,” Clover said, wondering while her newly rebuilt tower of cupcakes was slightly less tall.

“SSSRRRMMMM,” Shaggy answered through the sponge and icing sugar stuffed in his mouth.

“Do you have a stall of your own?” Sam asked their new acquaintances.

Fred shook his head. “We’re a gang of mystery solvers just stopping through on our way to Mysteryville.”

The three stall girls looked at each other in confusion, before Clover asked, “Wait, you guys are these mystery solvers, and you’re not here about all those mysterious disappearances?”

“Disappearances?” Shaggy half asked, half gulped.

Alex explained the situation. “The Green Mountain Trick or Treat Convention is one of the biggest baking conventions in the country. All the big baking stars off of TV and magazines are here battling it out to become the Trick or Treat Champion. But on the first day Pauline Praline disappeared. On Monday Bernard Banoffee failed to turn up to his stall. Tuesday was the last time anyone saw either Charlotte Crème or Ralph Raisin.”

“Jinkies, those are some famous cooks,” Velma remarked. “Is anyone doing anything to find them?”

“The organisers are trying to hush it all up before the live broadcast of the memorial to Victoria Sponge this evening. Apparently the networks stand to lose a fortune if it doesn’t go ahead,” Sam informed them.

“I can’t believe Victoria Sponge died in that plane crash over the Amazon Rainforest. My Gran is a huge fan of hers!” Daphne interjected. “We both used to bake along with her programme when I was a girl. I used to love her strawberry swirl icing.”

“Well it sounds like something’s going on here after all gang,” Fred announced. “We’d best investigate. Thanks for letting us know girls. If you find out anything suspicious let us know.”

They waved goodbye to their new acquaintances before setting off back down through the cake laden stalls. Fred announced it would be best if they split up to try and find some clues. Shaggy didn’t like the idea of having to abandon his feast of freebie sweets. “Oh well Scoob, at least we won’t get chased by some creepy ghouls right…Scoob…?”

Scooby didn’t answer, because he was head first in a nearby vat of cotton candy, and when he pulled himself out he found himself sporting a pink beard similar to that of Abraham Lincoln. He licked it off with his tongue before saying, “Mmmmm, rasty!”

Back at the stall the three girls watched the gang melt into the crowds, before Clover turned to Sam and said, “Don’t you think we should have told them to keep out of this? We don’t want to have to rescue them as well.”

“It won’t come to that Clover!” Sam replied as she flipped open a heart shaped powder compact which served as a secret radio. “Let’s tell Gerry what we’ve found out. Whoever is responsible for this won’t be able to hide from us forever.”

Daphne sighed as she stepped out of the bustling conference hall and into the parking lot. The sound of her purple high heels reverberated off the tarmac as she approached the Mystery Machine. She’d told the others she was just going to fetch her lipstick, but the truth was she wanted a moment alone with her thoughts.

She was sick and tired of being the damsel in distress all the time. Of getting caught and kept prisoner while Fred and Velma solved the mystery and Scooby and Shaggy ran around in a state of constant terror. Daphne was proud of everything she had achieved with the gang, of the criminals they’d brought to justice, but she sometimes wondered how many of those criminals had been caught due to her own ingenuity, and not on the back of one of Velma’s deductions, Fred’s elaborate traps, or Shaggy and Scooby’s dumb luck.

The area they were in was mountainous, and already the peaks were bathed in the glowing red of the setting sun, though Daphne could only shiver in the shadow cast by the peak on which the conference hall was located. It was also heavily forested, and with fall not too far away many leaves were already changing. Not that Daphne could see much through the dark. At least the luminous green of the Mystery Machine was easier to spot, and soon she’d unlocked the door and retrieved her lipstick.

But even as she began to apply it she looked at her feet and saw something very unusual. Breadcrumbs scattered all around the Mystery Machine. At first she thought the source would have been one of Scooby and Shaggy’s mega sandwiches, but then she noticed more crumbs further ahead in a little pile, then another beyond that. The further Daphne looked the more she could see these little clusters winding their way across the parking lot in a curling line. Daphne thought about returning to alert the others, but she decided against it. Instead she grabbed a flashlight from the Mystery Machine, reaffixed her green scarf to keep out the chill, and then set off following the literal trail of breadcrumbs.

She weaved around the parked vehicles until she was led to where the tarmac met the forest. There was an old track leading through the trees and into the woods, and the crumbs continued in this direction. Nerves gripped the redheads stomach as she recalled all the chases through creepy woods she’d experienced on her past adventures, but she summoned all her courage to continue on the trail.

The thick canopy of leaves blocked out what little light remained, so Daphne had to rely entirely on her flashlights beam to see where she was going. She stepped over exposed roots and past overgrown ferns, all the time wondering where the breadcrumbs were taking her. Somehow it reminded her of a fairy story she’d read long ago as a child. After ten or so minutes of walking she saw light ahead through the trees. Initially grateful for signs of civilization Daphne quickened her pace. Yet when she came to a clearing in the woods she almost cried out in surprise.

It was a Gingerbread House!

Gingerbread walls, candy cane support beams, a roof of white coloured icing sugar, doors constructed out of lemon drops. Daphne marvelled at its size; she’d investigated mansions smaller than this. But judging by the light beaming out of its windows and the smoke billowing from its liquorice chimney, it seemed to be very much inhabited.

A fact lost on Shaggy and Scooby, who Daphne saw sitting on the front porch polishing off an assortment of gingerbread men. When she saw the sheer amount of crumbs being left by the two messiest eaters she knew, Daphne realised what she had followed to this location was actually the remnants of the treats used to lure Scooby and Shaggy to this location.

“I can’t believe our luck Scoob! How could someone leave all these gingerbread men out in the wilderness? Well, their loss is our gain, right buddy?” Shaggy remarked.

Scooby had seen something even more interesting. “Rook Raggy!” he remarked, pointing at the door with his paw. Both Shaggy and the distant Daphne could see a sign posted on the door built out of jelly tots, which read, ‘COME IN DEARIES. MORE TREATS CAN BE FOUND INSIDE!”

Shaggy licked his lips greedily. “More treats? Don’t mind if I do, after you Scoob.”

Suddenly Daphne realised what all this reminded her of. The story of Hansel and Gretel, two children lured through the forest to a gingerbread house owned by a…witch! Daphne realised that her two friends were walking straight into a trap, and she opened her lips to cry out a warning.

Only to have a gloved hand clamp over her mouth.

“Hhhhyyy llllttt gggmm ffff mmmgg. Sssssggggg, sssccccbbbbbnnn!” she tried crying through the palm garbling her cries, even as she was pulled back into the forest. She gave a desperate glance at Shaggy and Scooby, putting their rumbling stomachs ahead of their common sense, as they walked through the lemon drop doorway.

Daphne gave a defiant wriggle and broke free from her captor. She whirled around, expecting to come face to face with a goon dressed as some kind of monster. But to her surprise she came face to face with the three girls from the confectionary conference, Sam, Alex and Clover. They had changed out of their casual clothes and aprons, and were now wearing these strange all-in-one suits that reached from the high heels on their feet to the gloves on their hands, with silver belts around their waists with heart shaped buckles. Sam was dressed in a green, Alex in yellow, and Clover in red. And all three of them had their fingers to their lips, indicating Daphne should keep quiet.

“Why did you do that? You stopped me from saving my friends?” Daphne hissed. “…And where did you get those clothes.”

“Standard issue uniforms of the WHOOP organisation,” Sam answered.

“Calm down girl, we like just saved your bacon,” Clover told her. “If we hadn’t then you’d have ended up like your friends.”

Before Daphne could ask what she meant, a distressed wail rang out through the night. Daphne recognised it instantly as coming from a scared Scooby Doo, and her suspicions were confirmed when she heard Shaggy cry out, “Zoinks! Run for it Scoob!” And that was the last words they heard from before silence once again pervaded the forest.

Daphne immediately darted forward, saying, “I have to go help them!”

“You can’t go in through the front door, it’s what the person responsible for all this will be expecting,” Alex answered.

“You go back to the conference hall. We’ll find another way in, surprise the culprit and rescue your friends!” Sam said firmly, withdrawing a silver capsule from her silver belt.

“Like that’s going to happen. I’ve been snooping around spooky, suspicious houses for years!” Daphne scoffed.

“Why don’t we all go in together? Four heads are better than three!” Alex reasoned with the pair of feisty redheads.

Both Sam and Daphne realised it was pointless to argue further, so they agreed to her suggestion. The four young women circled the gingerbread house, sticking to the edge of the forest to avoid being spotted. As they approached the rear wall Clover noted that the windowsills were constructed out of slabs of chocolate. She broke off a piece and chewed on it thoughtfully. “This is delicious,” she said with her mouthful. “You know, a gingerbread house would be so awesome if it wasn’t so creepy!”

“We just going to ring the back doorbell?” Alex asked Sam.

Sam had a different idea, approaching the gingerbread wall while adjusting the silver gadget which looked like a lipstick capsule. “This is no time to do your makeup!” Daphne exclaimed in horror. Sam merely returned a wry smirk in her direction, before she gave a twist of the capsule. To Daphne’s astonishment a thin red laser shot out of the tip. Sam aimed it at the wall and the laser burnt through the wall like…well a hot knife through gingerbread. Soon Sam had cut a hole in the wall big enough for them to run through, the scent of burnt cookies filling their nostrils.

“Freeze! You are under arrest on the authority of the WHOOP organisation!” Sam yelled. But there was no-one around to be surprised. The lights had all been turned off and the house was deserted. Only a plate of brownies, still warm having just come out the oven, indicated that it had been recently occupied.

At that moment Daphne was more interested in the lipstick laser which Sam had just placed back in her belt. “Who are you exactly?” she asked with her eyebrow raised.

“We’re spies,” Sam replied.

“What, like part time spies?”

“No, totally spies,” Clover replied.

The four snoops set about on their search. The three spies moved into the entrance hall and living room, but Daphne remained in the kitchen. Now she was in her element. All the tricks and experience she’d picked up with the gang now came to her aid. When a light draft caused her green scarf to flap slightly, she looked around to face the large oven. It was turned off, but was also warm having obviously been used to cook the brownies. But something seemed very suspicious about it, and Daphne’s eyes were drawn to the single egg whisk hanging from the ceiling above the hob.

She grabbed it and gave the whisk a tug, then to her satisfaction there was the sound of metal gears crunching behind the gingerbread walls as the oven swung outwards, revealing a hidden passageway leading underground concealed behind it.

The three spies were alerted by the sound of shifting earth and dashed back into the kitchen. “Wow, nice spot,” Clover remarked, sounding impressed.

“Yeah I’ve found quite a few of these in my time,” Daphne replied triumphantly. She didn’t mention how many of those she had found by accident.

Sam, Alex and Clover pressed the buckles on their heart shaped belts, and immediately they projected powerful beams of light onto the descending staircase. Sam led the way with Daphne just behind her, Alex and Clover bringing up the rear. The slippery stone steps seemed to go on for ages, until they eventually arrived at a metal door. Keeping as quiet as possible Sam grasped the handle and pushed it open, and the four young women gasped at what lay behind it.

It was a factory, brightly lit and filled with active, whirring machinery. It was incredibly hot and the sound of clanking metal filled their ears. But what really caught their attention was the almost intoxicating smell of baking cakes. They were stood on a metal walkway hanging over the factory floor, and when they peered over the edge they realised this smell was coming from the conveyer belt of brightly iced cakes being transported to another part of the facility.

“Well this is, like, the last thing I ever expected to find down here,” Clover remarked.

“Hey, a secret bakery than underneath a gingerbread house. Sort of makes sense,” Alex shrugged.

“Where could Scooby and Shaggy have got to?” Daphne asked, looking all about the factory.

“And who is responsible for all this?” Sam wondered.

“Eh he he he. That’d be me my dearies!” said a high pitched voice.

The girls jumped, and looked across to the opposing walkway which had been engulfed by a thick cloud of green smoke. They could only boggle in amazement as out of this fog emerged a woman dressed in black robes with long raven hair, on top of which was a pointed black hat. Her skin was coloured a sickly turquoise colour, and numerous warts were on her big, pointy nose.

“A witch in a Gingerbread House!” Clover gasped.

“Well, I guess that makes some sense too!” Alex gulped sheepishly.

Feeling suddenly very determined, Daphne, yelled at the Witch, “What have you done with my friends?”

“They are currently enjoying my hospitality,” the Witch cackled. “Why don’t you stay a while ladies? I have so many treats to share with you.”

Before any of the girls could protest a number of gun barrels protruded from concealed hatches the walls and took aim at them. But instead of bullets, they shot out a steady stream of red icing sugar at high velocity. They scored a direct hit on Clover, who was pushed back against the wall. The jet proceeded to completely cover most of her body where it instantly solidified, trapping her. Though her entrapment was the least of Clovers concerns, as evidenced by how she groaned, “Eww, it’s in my hair, it’s in my hair!”

“I’m coming Clover!” Alex cried, but she hadn’t even taken two steps before she too was hit by the icing stream, knocked to the floor, and pinned down by the globs of solidified sugar.

Daphne managed to scramble away from one jet while Sam acrobatically somersaulted over another. “We have to get out of here!” Daphne told her. But Sam seemed more interested in helping her friends, ducking and weaving as she tried to reach them.

“Just get outta here Sam. Go get Gerry!” Alex insisted. Sam hesitated for a moment, which gave Daphne the opportunity to grasp her by the hand and pull her back to the metal door. Running away from spooky monsters was Daphne’s speciality, and with hers and Sam’s heels clicking off the stone steps they ran back to the gingerbread house. She knew she had to reach Fred and Velma if she was to stand any chance of rescuing Shaggy and Scooby, as well as Alex and Clover.

But as they reached the top of the stairs they found their way blocked by four people, all wearing chef whites with blank expressions on their faces. Daphne had never seen them before, but Sam recognised them immediately. “Pauline Praline, Bernard Banoffee, Charlotte Crème and Ralph Raisin!” she exclaimed, recognising them as the missing bakers. “I’m from the WHOOP organisation. I’ve been sent to rescue you!” But the four bakers said nothing as they grabbed both girls by the arms and held them tightly. “Hey what’s this? We’re trying to help you!” Sam cried as she and Daphne fought vainly against their grasp.

“Oh they won’t listen to you dearie. They’re working for me now!” Daphne and Sam could only watch as the Witch walked up the stairs to join them in the kitchen, the fog about the hem of her dress following her like it was another item of clothing. “Well done my lovely bakers. You all deserve a nice bon bon!”

“Thank you miss,” replied the four brainwashed bakers in monotone voices.

“What’s going on here?” Daphne growled angrily as the ugly wart covered witch came over to inspect her.

“Oh all will be made clear soon dearie,” the Witch cackled. “Now how about we rejoin your friends? I have such a nice treat all lined up for four such sweet ladies.”

‘Definitely more a trick than a treat this,’ Daphne thought as she wriggled valiantly against her bonds, fuming inwardly at once again finding herself a prisoner.

She wasn’t bound with ropes or tape. Rather she was tied up by multiple strands of black liquorice, coiled about her ankles and knees and keeping her hands tied behind her back. More strands were wrapped around her upper body, pinning her in a standing position against a massive (and slightly sticky) candy cane in the factory’s centre. Daphne wriggled with everything she had, but the liquorice held surprisingly firm for what were essentially ropes made out of sugar.

Daphne couldn’t complain about her predicament either, thanks to the gag in her mouth. But it wasn’t a rag or strip of tape. Instead it was a massive candy apple which she had no choice but to bite down into. The extra strong caramel which coated the apple was so strong that her teeth stuck into it, meaning she couldn’t remove it without the use of her hands. It tasted quite nice, but that was little consolation for being unable to say intelligible words.

Joining in Daphne’s captivity were the three spies, bound identically to the same candy cane so they formed a circle around it, candy apple gags in their mouths. Sam’s furious struggles caused the liquorice to strain and tug against them, while Alex and Clover grunted at each other through their apples as they tried to co-ordinate an escape attempt. They didn’t waste any time, and Daphne presumed they were as used to being held captive as she was.

A high pitched cackle announced the return of the Witch, as she walked out of the shadows with a triumphant smirk on her haggard face. “Struggle all you want my pretties. My liquorice ropes are the strongest around. Only the strongest teeth can chew through them.”

“Nnnmmm kkkddddnnnn!” Clover groaned as she gave a frustrated twist.

“Whhhtttsss gggnnn nnnn!” Sam growled furiously.

“Oh all I want is the recognition I deserve for my baking abilities!” the Witch retorted as her four brainwashed accomplices appeared by her side. “Using my magical abilities I have unlocked the secret of pure tastiness. That means anyone who tastes my cakes and candy instantly becomes a slave to my will. Observe!”

From the sleeves of her robes she pulled out a succulent looking cupcake. The four cooks around her couldn’t take their eyes off of it, licking their lips greedily. Then with a manic cackle the Witch threw it high into the air, at which the four began jostling and shoving for position underneath the cakes trajectory. It was caught by Bernard Banoffee, but instantly Pauline Praline tried wrestling it from his grasp. Soon they had descended into a squabbling heap in the floor, acting like spoilt children as they did everything in their power to get a taste of the Witch’s cake.

“As you can see, once people get a taste of my treats then they will do whatever I will tell them,” continued the cackling Witch. “And what better place to test my cakes then at the convention? With these four bakers not participating I’ll be guaranteed the grand prize.”

“Ah but unfortunately you won’t get the chance to see my victory.” She clicked her fingers, at which the machinery whirred into life. The mewling snoops moaned as over their heads a giant vat hanging from the ceiling moved into position directly above them, a large hatch aiming at the candy cane they were pressed against.

“This contains my signature Strawberry Swirl icing sugar,” the Witch informed them, pointing at the vat with her spindly finger. “In ten minutes it will be ready for pouring, at which it will deposit thick icing sugar on top of you all. It will cover you completely and solidify in seconds, suffocating you. Once it’s completely set, I’ll be left with a sugary statue of you four at the moment you met your demise.”

Daphne and the Spies glanced at each other in alarm. That wasn’t what they wanted to hear.

But even as they struggled for freedom with all their strength, the Witch had one last surprise in store. “But of course, there should be heroes nearby to come to the rescue of the fair damsels,” she cackled, before giving another click of her fingers. A nearby shutter began to pull itself up, revealing a previously concealed room filled to bursting with candy, sweets and cakes. And sitting on the floor helping themselves to these goodies were…

“Shhhhgggyyyy. Sssscccbbbbyyy!” Daphne exclaimed through her candy apple gag.

Shaggy and Scooby remained oblivious to the plight of the four young women, as each dunked their heads face first into a tub of marshmallows each. The rate at which both were eating was astounding, even by their impressive standards. “I intended to lure them here and fatten them up,” the Witch explained. “But it seems no matter how much they eat they don’t get any fatter.”

‘Tell me about it,’ Daphne thought glumly.

Scooby finally looked up from his marshmallows and jumped in shock when he saw Daphne and the other girls tied and gagged. “Raggy, its Raphne!” he barked in alarm, getting his friends attention.

“Zoinks! She’s got Daphne and the girls from the cake stall prisoner! We got to save them Scoob!” Shaggy exclaimed leaping to his feet and preparing to leap to save the day. But he only managed two steps before he found himself returning his gaze to the sumptuous pile of food. “Well…maybe after one more choc chip cookie!” he said, before the Witch’s spell reeled him back to the enchanted food, Scooby following close behind him.

The Witch gave a screeching cackle of triumph. “You see, no-one can resist my culinary delights, even when their close friends are in danger. Now my pretties I must fly to the Trick or Treat convention! I have a prize to claim which is rightfully mine. I look forward to seeing what kind of icing sculpture you four have created on my return!” And with that she gave a swish of her cloak and with the hiss of more murky fog she stormed out of the factory through another entrance, her four brainwashed accomplice in her wake.

Noting how the vat of icing was already beginning to increase in the resonance, the three spies began wriggling against their liquorice bonds with all they could muster. The sugary material screeched against their spy suits, as Clover and Alex twisted their knees and alternated their shoulders trying to break loose. Sam was more methodical, her red hair swishing as she tried to reach the laser lipstick stashed in her belt but the way her hands were bound meant that her gloved fingertips were just out of reach.

Daphne could only glare at Shaggy and Scooby, watching as they continued to helplessly stuff their faces. She gave an angry stamp of her high heels and growled through her apple gag, “Wllll yyymmm ttttmmm hhhllllpp ssss?”

“I’ll…be with you in just…one second Daph!” Shaggy exclaimed through his mouth. He tried to stack a pile of gingerbread men to take with him while he rescued his friend, but he stacked it too high and it toppled to the ground, leaving him scrabbling around trying to replenish his stash. Scooby was whimpering even as he stuffed his mouth, wanting to help Daphne but unable to tear himself away from the delicious pot of marshmallow fluff.

‘Great, we’re officially doomed,’ Daphne thought glumly. She looked over her shoulder at Sam and caught her eye, the fellow redhead still appearing defiant even as their escape looked increasingly unlikely. Daphne tried struggling as well but her bonds were tight and unyielding. It seemed that nobody would be able to prevent their demise.

But then with minutes left Fred and Velma appeared on the above walkway, having found the secret entrance through the gingerbread house. “Frrrdddd!” Daphne cried excitedly at the sight of them.

Fred recognised the peril the bound girls were in instantly. “Hang on Daphne, I’m coming!” he cried, scanning the area for a way down but finding no route to the floor.

“Jinkies, that thing’s ready to blow!” Velma exclaimed as the volume of the churning vat increased. Looking down at the ravenous Shaggy and Scooby she yelled, “Why don’t you two save them?”

“We’ve tried, but the witch’s spell is too strong! We can’t stop eating!” Shaggy howled through a mouth filled with gingerbread.

But Velma, thinking quickly, reached into her handbag and yelled at them, “Her food might be tasty, but I bet that it’s not as tasty as a Scooby Snack!”

Velma threw a handful of Scooby Snacks from the walkway so that they were scattered about the feet of the bound girls. The sight of the Scooby Snacks was overpowering to both Shaggy and Scooby, and immediately the Witch’s spell was broken. They darted away from the massive food store and gobbled up as many of the tiny biscuits as they could. Then with their minds and stomachs now clear, they were able to turn their attention to untying Daphne and the spies, but time was running out.

“Hhhrrrryyyy!” Sam groaned, knowing the vat would release its load any minute.

“Zoinks, the knots are too tight Scoob. What do we do?” Shaggy whimpered as he fumbled with the liquorice cords.

Scooby Doo did what he did best. Eat. He snapped his jaws over the knotted liquorice and chomped his way through, before sucking up the strands like spaghetti. Quickly the ropes welding Daphne, Sam, Alex and Clover to the candy cane were removed, and with the help of Shaggy and Scooby they bounced away. They just managed to get far enough away as the vat above their head gave an almighty groan before it emptied its contents. The candy cane was completely covered by an almighty dumping of thick, red icing, which formed a humungous mound where the girls had previously been stood. It solidified incredibly quickly, leaving Daphne to only imagine what it would have been like had they still been stood there.

Fred and Velma found an emergency ladder to climb down, and reached the girls just as Shaggy removed the candy apple from Clover’s mouth. “I am never going trick or treating ever again!” she announced dramatically through her liberated mouth.

“Are you OK?” Fred asked Daphne as he ran over to untie her.

Once he’d liberated her hands Daphne removed the candy apple from her mouth and replied, “All the better for seeing you.” She smiled at Fred, and he returned it.

“So now we’ve rescued you, perhaps you’d like to tell us what’s going on here,” Velma asked the three Spies inquisitively.

“We were sent here by WHOOP to investigate the mysterious disappearances of those bakers,” Alex answered. “But I had no idea that an actual witch would be behind all this.”

“I don’t think there was ever any witch involved in this mystery,” Velma retorted. “Fred and I found a store of dry ice and some levers and pulleys up in the Gingerbread house, so it seems this…Daphne this is no time for a snack!”

But Daphne had just had a brainwave. Something about the colouring and consistency of the Strawberry Swirl icing sugar stirred up some ancient memories inside of her. The second she had kicked off her liquorice ropes for Scooby to wolf down she ran over to the congealed pile of icing, broke off a piece and ate it. That clinched it for her. That taste was unmistakeable. “Jinkies, I thought I recognised it. I know who the witch is gang!” she remarked excitedly.

“That won’t mean much unless we can stop her before she causes anymore mischief,” Sam answered.

“Let us help you!” Fred told her. “Stopping ghouls from causing mischief is our speciality!”

It was safe to say the judging panel for the trick or treat convention had had easier contestants to adjudicate. Neither of the four judges were certainly used to being trapped up to their necks in thick red icing sugar while a manic witch cackled at their misfortune. “Didn’t fancy my jelly tarts did you?” the Witch sneered as she fondled the first place trophy that she had acquired for herself. “Well this will teach you pass unfair judgment on my baking products!”

The judges whimpered nervously as the Witch advanced on their position, straining against the icing keeping them immobile, even as the brainwashed bakers sprayed the fleeing and screaming public with similar icing from packs strapped to their backs. The Witch was in complete control of the situation, and it seemed no-one would stand up to her.

Until the doors were flung open and in strode Sam, Alex and Clover purposefully. “Stop your evil scheme right now you hag!” Sam yelled.

“My my, the three pretty snoops managed to escape my trap,” the Witch cackled. “But at least I’ll get the chance to deal with you more personally. Get them!”

At her command the brainwashed cooks advanced on the spies, pump action icing guns at the ready. But the spies were prepared with weapons of their own supplied by WHOOP. Spray cans which fired out a stream of whipped cream, but they were also mildly acidic. Not harmful to humans but perfect for dissolving icing sugar. The spies acrobatically dived out the way of the cooks attack, using all their training and agility, the activated their spray cream gadgets. The gadgets worked a treat, dissolving the icing and freeing many of the people who had been stuck to the walls by it.

“Arrgh that does it. I won’t have my plans spoiled by a band of meddling kids!” roared the Witch.

“You want meddling kids, you’re gonna get meddling kids!” Shaggy announced as he appeared from behind the table he’d been hiding underneath. “Get her Scoob!”

At his command Scooby Doo, with the promise of more Scooby snacks, shot out from behind a stall of éclairs and ran towards the Witch. Before she could do anything the Great Dane jumped through the air and grabbed the trophy handle in his mouth, snatching it off her.

“Bring that back you mangy mutt!” screamed the Witch, suddenly more furious then she’d been before. Moving with incredible swiftness for an old hag she ran after him, her eyes focused only on the scrabbling dog. It meant that she didn’t see Daphne, Velma and Fred standing atop a nearby stall with a vat of melted icing they’d acquired from the witch’s own factory. The moment the Witch was directly underneath them they tipped the vat on top of her. The Witch struggled on for a few steps but her own concoction worked against her, eventually solidifying and rendering her helpless, with only her head free from the sugary mixture.

Once the spies had managed to wrestle the brainwashed cooks into submission and used their own icing guns against them (for their own safety), they all gathered around the entrapped hag. “And now to find out who’s really behind this!” Fred announced, before grabbing hold of the Witch’s mask and pulling it away to reveal a woman in her late fifties with dyed blonde hair and Botox laden cheeks.

“Jinkies it’s…actually I don’t know who she is!” Velma ultimately admitted.

“I know exactly who she is!” Daphne announced, delighted that she had been the one to solve the mystery. “She’s Victoria Sponge, the cook I used to watch when baking with my Grandmother. I recognised the taste of her strawberry Swirl icing sugar. It was unmistakably her recipe.”

“But I fought she died in a plane crash over the Amazon rainforest,” interjected Alex.

Knowing the game was up Victoria Sponge answered, “Me and the crew bailed out before the plane crashed. I faked my death because I had uncovered a new type of herb in the depths of the jungle which produced such scrumptious tastes it could make anyone do the bidding of the person who fed it to them. This was a secret I couldn’t share with the rest of the world.”

“But why did you do the whole evil hag thing?” Clover asked.

“To get even with them,” Victorian snarled, motioning with her head to the four trapped judges not too far away. “They run the television station where I worked for over twenty five years, until they fired me to bring in a new band of younger cooks and bakers, like those four amateurs over there.” She was looking directly at the four cooks she had brainwashed as she spoke. “So I devised a plan to ambush them here at the annual Trick or Treat Baking Convention! I renovated an old lumber yard to produce my cakes and icing using my new secret ingredient, and constructed my Gingerbread House over it. I wanted to use my new discovery to embarrass them all, to put them all in their proper place!”

“Well thanks to my spies and their new acquaintances I don’t think that will be happening anytime soon,” said a voice the three Spies recognised all too well. They looked up and saw Gerry, their boss, arriving through the main entrance with other WHOOP agents to literally clean up the operation. “Good work Spies. We at WHOOP will take custody of her new herb ingredient and make sure it is not used for malicious purposes again. Miss Sponge will get plenty of baking opportunities when she spends time in the prison kitchen!” he remarked in his posh British accent.

“Well we can’t take all the credit,” Sam told her boss with a relieved smile. “We wouldn’t have got very far without Daphne, Scooby Doo and their friends.”

“Er excuse us sir, but do you have any more of that dissolving whipped cream?” a nearby WHOOP agent asked as he tried, and failed, to break apart the icing keeping the four judges entrapped.

“Oh you won’t need any of those special gadgets when you have Scooby Doo on hand, right?” Daphne smiled.

Scooby and Shaggy couldn’t have looked happier, like for them Halloween had come early. Scooby gave a particularly loud cry of, “Scooby Dooby Doooooo!” before he and Shaggy pounced on the four encased judges and began munching happily on the sugary mixture.