The Universal Remote

The Remote from Click ends up in a Bookstore and Nate and Ryan end up solving mysteries

Nate and Ryan were shelving books in the dusty back corner of Page Turner’s Bookstore, a quirky shop known for its odd inventory and even odder customers. It was a slow Tuesday, and the two were bantering about their favorite movies while sorting through a box of donated junk labeled “Miscellaneous.”


“Dude, Click is underrated,” Nate said, tossing a tattered romance novel onto a pile. “Adam Sandler with a universal remote that controls life? Genius.”


Ryan snorted, adjusting his glasses. “It’s sappy. Give me Scooby-Doo any day. Mystery, snacks, and a talking dog? Unbeatable.”
As they argued, Nate’s hand brushed against something cold and metallic in the box. He pulled it out—a sleek, silver remote with glowing blue buttons, looking exactly like the one from Click. It had an eerie weight, and the buttons were labeled with cryptic symbols like “Pause,” “Fast Forward,” and “Menu.”


“Whoa,” Nate whispered, holding it up. “Ryan, check this out. It’s the remote.”


Ryan’s eyes widened. “No way. That’s just a fancy universal remote. Probably for some rich guy’s home theater.”


“Only one way to find out,” Nate said, grinning mischievously. Before Ryan could protest, Nate aimed the remote at a flickering overhead light and pressed “Pause.” The light froze mid-flicker, casting the store in a dim, unnatural glow. Dust particles hung motionless in the air.


“Dude!” Ryan yelped, waving a hand through the still air. “What did you do?”


Nate’s grin faltered. “Uh… I didn’t think it’d actually work.” He fumbled with the remote, hitting “Menu” by accident. A holographic screen shimmered into existence, displaying a list of… TV shows? Friends, The Office, Scooby-Doo: Where Are You!—all glowing like a cosmic Netflix.


Ryan grabbed Nate’s arm. “Don’t mess with it! This thing’s dangerous!”


But Nate, ever the impulsive one, scrolled to Scooby-Doo and hit “Enter.” The bookstore vanished in a whirl of neon light, and the two found themselves tumbling onto a foggy, cartoonish street. A creepy mansion loomed in the distance, and the air smelled faintly of paint and mystery.


“What the heck?!” Ryan shouted, patting himself down. His clothes were now brightly colored and slightly pixelated, like he’d stepped into an animated world. Nate, meanwhile, was sporting a garish green shirt and bell-bottoms.


Before they could process, a familiar van screeched around the corner—the Mystery Machine. Out piled Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, and Velma, all looking suspiciously at the newcomers.


“Like, who are you groovy cats?” Shaggy asked, clutching a comically large sandwich.


“Uh, I’m Nate, and this is Ryan,” Nate stammered. “We… work at a bookstore?”


Velma adjusted her glasses. “Hmm. You don’t look like you belong in this episode. Are you part of the mystery?”


“Mystery?” Ryan squeaked, eyeing the remote still clutched in Nate’s hand.


Fred crossed his arms. “There’s a ghost haunting that mansion. We were about to investigate. You two should come along—it might explain how you got here.”


Nate whispered to Ryan, “This is awesome. We’re in Scooby-Doo!”


Ryan glared. “Awesome? We’re trapped in a cartoon, and you’ve got a reality-warping remote! Fix this!”


Reluctantly, Nate pointed the remote at the sky and pressed “Menu” again, but nothing happened. The buttons flickered, then dimmed. “Uh… I think it’s out of juice.”


Scooby’s ears perked up. “Ruh-roh.”


With no choice, Nate and Ryan joined the gang, trudging toward the mansion. Inside, it was all cobwebs, creaky doors, and suspiciously placed suits of armor. As the group split up to search for clues, Nate and Ryan stuck with Shaggy and Scooby, who were predictably hunting for snacks.


“Like, you guys ever deal with a ghost before?” Shaggy asked, peeking nervously around a corner.


“Nope,” Ryan said, “but we’ve dealt with weird bookstore customers, so… close enough?”


Suddenly, a glowing figure in a tattered cloak swooped down, cackling. Shaggy and Scooby yelped, diving behind a curtain, while Nate fumbled with the remote, smacking it against his palm. “Work, you stupid thing!”


Ryan, thinking fast, noticed a nearby chandelier. “Nate, help me cut that down! It’s like the traps in the show!” They scrambled to a rope holding the chandelier, and with Scooby’s help, they dropped it right onto the ghost, pinning it to the floor.


The gang regrouped, and Velma unmasked the “ghost” to reveal… Old Man Jenkins, the bookstore’s cranky landlord. “I was using this haunted hologram to scare people away so I could buy the bookstore cheap!” he growled, shaking a fist.


“Wait, our landlord?” Nate blinked. “How’s he in a cartoon?”


Daphne frowned. “This mystery’s weirder than usual.”


Ryan snatched the remote from Nate. “Give me that.” He smacked it hard, and the buttons flared back to life. The holographic menu reappeared, and Ryan quickly selected “Home.” With a flash, the mansion, the gang, and the cartoon world dissolved, leaving Nate and Ryan back in the bookstore, the light flickering normally again.


Nate exhaled. “That was insane.”


Ryan tossed the remote into the donation box. “We’re never touching that thing again.”


As they locked up the store, Nate glanced at the box. “Think we should tell someone about it?”


Ryan smirked. “Nah. Let some other sucker get zapped into Gilligan’s Island.”


But as they walked away, the remote’s buttons glowed faintly, casting a mischievous light across the empty store. Somewhere, in another episode, Scooby-Doo howled at the moon.