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The Fix It Boys (2017)
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(PEACEFUL MUSIC) CRICKET: My Uncle Jim once told me that life is about change. Not just change, but how we respond to change. I didn't know what he meant at the time. But I'm beginning to understand. This old junk around here is just a remnant of a once mighty salvage yard. It was how my parents made a living and how my brother Ben and me lived. The memories we made here echo from every corner of this place. Stop pulling Ben. BEN: You stop pulling. CRICKET: Oh no, not my computer! BEN: We don't need your fancy computer anyways. CRICKET: Don't speak to me right now. Hard times affect everyone though. And when my parents closed the gate to the junk business, it felt like the door to my childhood closed with it. Ben's gone now. Don't worry, he didn't die or anything. I guess he'd just rather spend his summer helping screw up kids at some camp somewhere than spend it at home with his only brother. At least I've got these old memories to keep me company. BEN: Whatever you need fixed, Fix It Boys can put the pieces back together. That's our business motto. (GROANS) So you need us to find the missing pearls for you then? MARY BETH: Yes. Little did I know that one particular memory was about to resurface and change the hearts of a few wayward boys. (UPBEAT MUSIC) River Trail Junction? This is a goose chase. Gentlemen, leaf A represents our current starting position. Our first obstacle will be these hazardous limestone ledges, represented here. Then we will continue our trek here to the checkpoint Bravo. From there, we will... What are you talking about dork? It's just some dumb sticks. The sticks and the leaves are symbolic artura! What'd you call me? It's Spanish, from my modeling stint in Mexico City. Well it's still just some dumb sticks. You really shouldn't agitate him. What does that mean anyhow? Bear-man. (SCOFFS) Appropriate. Word on the street is that he actually likes to hurt puppies. (SCOFFS) What street? You look like you live in your basement. Basements happen to be ideal environments for scientific experimentation. Whatever. Okay guys, got your stuff packed? My brother should be here any minute. (UPBEAT MUSIC) STANLEY: Hey what? Whoa, look at that guy. That's my brother. He does look quiet Salian. (EXCLAIMS) Ooosh. (SNICKERING) You guys wait here. I knew we should have adjusted that kick stand. And this is all your fault anyway, you didn't even fix the dumb bike. I've been driving on that bike two hours in this heat, and I have no idea why I'm even here. Come on, there's some people I want you to meet. And I can't even feel my butt. You guys, meet my brother Cricket. (LAUGHS) You have a nice trip? It would've been nicer if I knew I was coming all the way out here in the middle of nowhere. I thought you were going to do your helping back at the camp? Small change of plans. We decided to go camping instead. What? You know I don't camp. You know what's in these woods? The complete absence of internet, indoor plumbing, security. Essential heating or cooling. Humidity plays havoc with my hair. I've got your havoc right here. And you want me to do it with these kids? Huh, given the weight of our packs, this might actually put us at checkpoint B, seven minutes later. (GUFFAWING) Oh look, it's raining. Better figure that into your map. Can't you do your helping just as good back at the camp? Us counselors thought taking the kids out in smalls groups into the woods would give us more individual time. They're good kids. Here, I'll show you. Guys, say hi to my brother. (IMITATES COMPUTER PRINTER) Hi, Marty is it? Where did you get those fine tooth specimens? Are they part of a collection? Yeah I collect 'em all from the last kid who asked me a stupid question. You appear to be a possible intellect. It'll be nice to have an actual human to talk to. I heard bears and pinions when I hiked the Andes Mountains in Africa. The Andes Mountains are in South America. I meant the Himalayas. Seriously? The Himalayas are in... Alright guys, we better get going if we're gonna make it to camp by nightfall. (SIGHS) Hey. Where's Marty? (PLAYFUL MUSIC) What's he doing up there? I don't know. Come on Marty, let's go. Get down from there. (SIGHS) (SIGHS) (STANLEY GRUNTS) Come on Pierce, push me. Push me, push me, come on. Blech. Alright, let's take a break. (PIERCE GROANS) STANLEY: Hey. Get me outta here. Hey. You really think this is doing any good? Well, just follow the compass north to the river. No, I mean being out here with these kids. Suppose it doesn't seem like it. Marty there, he's the tough one. I really think deep down he's got a tender heart but he just uses his toughness to keep himself from getting hurt. Also keeps everyone else from getting close. And there's Pierce, who's a bit stuck on himself. Like someone I used to know. He's a habitual liar too, so don't believe too much of what he says. I was wondering about that. What about little Einstein over there? Stanley, he's a walking brain. He thinks he's got the answers to everything. That's what tends to get him in trouble. (BOYS EXCLAIM) Hey watch it dork boy. I apologize Marty, I was trying to calculate our current position, as I feel we're off course. Who's gonna apologize for messing up my shirt? Huh? Alright guys, break it up. It does seem like we shoulda come to the river by now. You sure that thing's working right? Should be. Maybe there's something in your pocket throwing off the magnetic pole. Let me check. I forgot these were in there. Cricket, where'd you find these? At the old headquarters. What's the big deal? Don't you know what these are? Just some fake pearls for playing dress up. Relic from a phase of your youth. First of all that wasn't my phase. Second, don't you remember? These are the pearls. You mean the lost, prison, stakeout, divorce, Fix It, pearls? Yes! This is so lame. Their vocabulary is abysmal. Uncle Jim. He'd be happy we finally found 'em. The stake out, it was a good plan. - It caught the thief, kinda. - Excuse me for interrupting this touching moment, but what are you two even talking about? Yes, did I hear you mention a thief? And prison? Think we should tell 'em the story? They wouldn't be interested. Let's get to that river. (SIGHS) The river at last. Now east. (CRICKET GROANS) Large fellow, have you ever seen such a beautiful three leaf plant before? I wouldn't. You two messing with me? That was poison ivy. I know. (GIGGLES) I can't go another step. I concur. Wasn't the objective to camp by the river? Here's a river. Really, how far into the outdoors do we need to go anyway? Alright, alright. There's a level spot over there. Let's camp there for the night. (SIGHS) The smell of fresh air. Hey get that stink away from me. I'm curious, does the story that you previously cited that we wouldn't be interested in, involve science, by any chance? Who cares about that. Does anyone get clobbered? And most importantly, is there any good looking adventurous people in it? If you're gonna tell it, tell it right. Start at the beginning. Guys, what I'm about to tell you isn't just any old campfire story. It's a story of mystery, adventure and danger, all rolled into one. It all began about five years ago back at our home at the Jungle of Gold junkyard. Jungle of Gold? The name of our parents' junkyard. And the location of our Fix It Boys headquarters. (STARTLING TONE) (BRIGHT, PLAYFUL MUSIC) BEN: Although it was a junkyard, we never really thought of any of it as junk. For us, it was a place of mechanical treasures and wonder. With a last name like Junk, I guess you could say we were born to do this sort of work. Our parents were on the road a lot, so they relied on Uncle Jim to look after us. (WHISTLING) Baby I need you like a spark plug needs a wire BEN: Though sometimes I think us looking after Uncle Jim is what my parents really had in mind. Growing up around all that junk, I mean treasure, we learned how to fix just about anything. And I'm not just talking about toy wagons, but important stuff too. We became so good in fact, that we opened our own Fix It business. Whatever you need fixed, the Fit It Boys can put the pieces together. That was our business motto. Until that hot July morning, I didn't think there wasn't anything we couldn't fix. Boy were we wrong. And that's where the story begins. (VOICES AND STATIC CRACKLING FROM RADIO) (ELECTRICAL HUMMING AND BUZZING) Are you putting grease in your hair again? Don't be ridiculous. It's motor oil. Can't improve on perfection. (ELECTRICAL HUMMING AND BUZZING) And your transmitter looks goofy, by the way. Perhaps however, unlike most of your gadgetries, my wireless modem actually works. You won't think it's so silly when I land us some Fix It business this summer. BEN: Now you'd probably assume that Cricket was the brains of the operation. We could use some new tread. And I was just the incredibly handsome, muscular brawn of the team. CRICKET: Oh brother, humility Ben. Okay, I'll admit that my mechanical innovations have been know to go a little, haywire. Like the time I rewired the courthouse for the mayor. I'm telling you it's the this one... No, it's this one. I'm telling you, this is the one that will turn off the lights. But this one is marked security checkpoint. Well then it's labeled wrong. So would you just trust me for once? (PENSIVE MUSIC) (EXPLOSION BOOMS) (ELECTRICAL WHIRRING DOWN) Oh, it's bang. I've been telling you we need to build solar panels for headquarters. Yeah, that's easy. You know Cricket, I've been thinking about this summer. And I think I know what we need. A firizer signed for your hair? A challenge, I mean a real Fix It challenge. Wasn't designing the prosthetic leg for the Yoder kid last summer challenge enough for you? Yeah, but the part's already there. All we did was put it together. We made it from a Rex 72 Pinto. (PENSIVE MUSIC) GIRL: Hello in there. Uncle Jim's in charge of car parts. It's just some girl. Could be our first customer of the summer. Right. What do you want? Well that's not a very nice way to welcome a visitor. Can't you say something nice, like hello, how are you or how about welcome, we're the Jungle Junk Boys. I hate that name. Okay, welcome. We're the Fix It boys. Now what do you want? My name is Mary Beth Anne and I have something that needs to be fixed. You have three first names. So? It's just kinda weird. You're one too talk. A customer? She's just a kid though. Is her money green? What color's your money? The color of a princess' eyes in a field of clover. I love what you've done with the place. Nice cross. It's a wireless modem. I've been looking for that. (GLASS BREAKS) (CAT MEOWS) Hi, I'm Cricket and this is my brother Ben. How can we help you? Well first I would like to thank you for seeing me without an appointment. I don't recognize you from school. I'm homeschooled. I found you online. You have a wonderful internet presence. And your knack for mechanical betterment is practically legendary. It is. I even heard you mastered a Rubik's Cube. It's quite simple actually. We simply disassembled a cube and put the pieces back together the correct way. Even so. What is it you need us to fix for you? My parents, you see, they're getting a divorce. I'm sorry, but we don't do marriage counseling. It doesn't matter, 'cause they already done that. And what happened? Well it all began when we first started going to church near our home. And the preacher there, Pastor Murphy, saw right away that my parents' marriage was in trouble. So he counseled them. Things seemed to get better for a while. And they just got worse again. I'm very sorry, but as I said we don't... Would you let her tell the story already? As I was saying, one night Pastor and his wife came to try talking with my parents one last time. Love is patient, love is kind, it does not boast. MARY BETH: He talked for a long time. He read to my parents from his Bible a lot too. But you see we never had gone to church much before, so I didn't hardly understand anything of what he was saying. PASTOR: It keeps no record of wrongs. MARY: And I don't think my parents did either. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. God's word is here to help your marriage. Did it help, the Bible stuff, I mean? Dad just got angry and Mom cried. Ben, conference. Excuse us a moment. What is it? This stuff, it's out of our field of expertise. She's not asking us to fix her moped. She's asking us to save her parents' from getting a divorce. A divorce! Yeah, so? So we can't help her. And the longer we lead her on, the more hurt she's going to be in the end when we tell her we can't help her. Maybe she just needs to talk you know. She hasn't asked for anything yet. Then tell me Dr. Phil, why else would she come here? We're the Fix It Boys, remember? Mary Beth, how exactly can we help you? I was getting to that part. I was still watching from the stairs when they're getting ready to leave. And that's when I heard him say it. Pastor Murphy told his wife: If they could just find the pearl of great price. That if only my parents could find the pearl of great price then that would be the foundation to healing their marriage. Pearl of great price? Yeah, I don't get it either. What pearl? I was thinking a lot about that and I think I know. When things were getting better between my parents, my dad went out and bought a really nice, real expensive pearl necklace for my mom for their anniversary. Women love jewelry. But a thief broke into our house and stole it. A thief? What did the police do? Since there wasn't any signs of an actual break in, the police won't do nothing. And even worse, my dad thinks my mom just lost the necklace. Perhaps your mother simply misplaced it. My mom is a total neat freak and 2nd, I found a muddy boot print on our carpet that is too big to belong to anybody in my family. Incredible, it makes sense too. Your dad thinks your mom lost his gift, his token of love. It's no wonder they fight all the time. Why don't you ask your parents what the pearl of great price is? Well I can't do that. They fight so much now that if I were to mention the missing pearls, that I know that it would just make them fight even more. So you need us to find the missing pearls for you then? Yes. Excuse us. Conference. You were so right, this is way out of our league. I especialize in electrical engineering, not mystery solving. Better let me tell her. We'll take the job. Oh this is so wonderful! No, now just wait... I prayed to God just this morning that you would help me and when I saw your cross I knew that... It's a wireless modem. There's just one last thing that you need to know. My parents are getting divorced tomorrow morning. So you have to have the necklace back by then. Tomorrow morning? So when can you start? Baby I need you like gas needs a fire Like a dump truck needs big tires Hey Uncle Jim. Oh, howdy boys. What are you singing? Oh, I'm writing this little love diddy for my girlfriend. When you boys gets a little older, I'll teach you these matters of the heart. Here, take a listen to what I got so far. Baby, I need you like Penzoil oil Like a radiator when it boils What'd you think about that? I recommend jewelry. Who's the girl? A client. We've got some work to do. We'll be back later. I'll be here. I got a tiger by the tail with this one. (CHUCKLES) Baby I need you like a (UPBEAT MUSIC) Whoa, that bike is rad. I've always wanted to ride a bike. You've never ridden a bike? Hello, helmet hair. This all probably could've been averted if Mary's parents had the foresight to install a property security system in their home. How do you figure that Stanley? No lost pearls, no marital discord. It wasn't the lost pearls that made 'em fight you nudnick. Very insightful bruiser. I know about parents fighting. On the surface Stanley, it seems to be the only logical conclusion. But it's a lot more complicated than simply lost jewelry. At that point the lost pearls was all we had to go off of. So then you found the pearls? (STARTLING TONE) BEN: Well, first we needed to investigate the clues. We started at the scene of the crime. Mary Beth's house. Could just be your dad's print. My mother has bigger feet than my dad. (PLAYFULLY PENSIVE MUSIC) 13 inches. Sure it wasn't Bigfoot who broke in? So let me get this straight. There are no broken windows, no kicked in doors, no tunneling into the basement. Just this one boot print? What do you think? I think we should call Nancy Drew. That's what I think. Cricket, I don't think Nancy Drew's a real person. I know she's not a real person. I'm just saying. I'm just saying we have nothing here to go on. We have a boot print. It's kinda like a clue. We have our first clue. Gimme something real, something mechanical. Then I'll find us a real clue. Something mechanical. Great idea Cricket. You're very skillful with a screwdriver. Thanks. Just one more turn. Something mechanical. I knew you boys enjoyed tearing things apart, but we really don't have time for this. Your robber didn't break anything getting into your house, right? Which means he either had to have a key to the lock or he picked it. It's quite difficult to pick a lock without leaving evidence behind. You seem to know an awful lot about picking locks. Cars come into the junkyard all the time without keys. Wow, would ya look at that? Intriguing. Uh yeah, amazing. What is it? It's a broken pick. Looks like someone got in a hurry. CRICKET: Amateurs. Pick? It's what was used to unlock the door. Except it's not an actual pick. What do you mean? It was used to turn the lock alright, but it looks more like a miniature screwdriver, like something you'd use to change a watch battery. But what does all this mean? It means someone did break into your house and steal your mother's necklace. And it means... We have another clue. BEN: Now what? I'd like to learn more about this pearl of great price. Oh no, no. Those are too expensive. This one is just dreadful. Can't you see that I'm a woman of exquisite taste? Now show me something that's worthy of my attention. SHOP ATTENDANT: Yes ma'am. That's Mr. Biggs, the owner. (PLAYFUL MUSIC) Ah, these, gosh darn it, these good for nothing toy... They break real easy, don't they? Ah. Hey kid, what are ya doing? That's a Rolex! My father bought a pearl necklace from you about a month ago. Yeah, so what? Your mommy didn't like it? Sorry sweetie, all sales are final. Well that would sort of difficult, seeing how the necklace was stolen. Stolen, huh? Well I can't say I'm surprised. There've been a lotta jewelry robberies lately. How would you know that there's been robberies? I sell jewelry, it's my business to know. Besides, every time there's a new robbery the cops are in here asking me questions as though I had something to do with it. (LAUGHS) Ridiculous. But why would they think that? How would I know kid? Maybe because every theft in the past year involved only jewelry. Jewelry that came from my store. Just like my house. Hey kid, do you know what you're doing there? I think we're onto something. Do you have any angry ex-employees or any other enemies who might want to hurt your reputation? Do you have any drug or alcohol problems? What about your gambling debt? Gambling, what? Look, I run a fair, honest and profitable business here. I drive a Lexus for crying out loud. Why would I need to steal? Kat, Kat, whatever you do, don't let Mrs. Johnson leave here without buying something expensive. Yes, Mr. Biggs. What about your employee? Kat? She's just a kid. Look, I'll tell ya one thing though, whoever's pulling these jobs is a real pro. Could you show us a pearl necklace like the one you sold to Mary Beth's father? (SIGHS) What's the name? Robert Anne is my father's name. Oh yeah, I remember him. The guy with the little feet. Kat sold him a string from the uh, the dainty clam collection. I got it right here. Now you guys be careful with these. These ain't no glass beads for playing dress up with. They're beautiful. See the single red pearl? My mother's was like that. Look at the price. No wonder someone's been targeting jewelry. Now I'm telling you kids the same thing I told the cops. I'm a business man and a law abiding citizen, period. Besides, haven't you heard? They've already caught the thief. You mean they caught the guy that's been robbing people? Sure, nabbed him just last night while he was robbing a house. (LAUGHS) Happened to be right next to the donut shop. They've got him in jail right now at this very moment while we speak. Now look, why don't you kids take your little detective game or cops and robbers and whatever it is you're playing down to the police station and leave me alone! He's right. If they already caught the guy, then all we have to do is get him to tell us where he hid the pearls. - I agree. - Okay. Thanks for your time. Oh here. Hey, it works. Child's play. Hey kid, how'd ya do that? I'll be switched. (LAUGHS) MARY BETH: Well he wasn't very friendly. Judging by the rest of him, his shoe size must be over 13 inches. So you think he's in on it? He's selling jewelry and then stealing it right back? He would know just which houses to rob. Yes, but he's a successful businessman. Why steal jewelry and risk going to jail? I don't know. Let's ask the jewelry thief that. (BRIGHT COUNTRY MUSIC) (MAN YELLING) I don't think this was a good idea. And I don't feel right about you lying to get us in here, Ben Junk. Well do you think they would've let us in if I hadn't told 'em that this guy was our long lost brother? (ROCK MUSIC) Sit down G-Dog You say G-dog's your brother? Uh. You got five minutes. Um hello there Mr. G. Or do you prefer Dog? What you little kids want? Well, it's like this Mr. G. Mary here, she uh, you stole the um, you see you took without asking then uh... You took my mother's beautiful pearl necklace, which was a gift from my father, who's trying nothing more than to mend their crumbling marriage. Not to mention the muddy boot print you left on your way out and I want it back. What she said. The necklace we want back, not the mud stain. I see, I see. So you think G-Dog's got your mama's necklace, huh? Is there another thief in this room? Never can tell. Even from birth, the wicked go astray. From the womb they are wayward and tell lies. MAN ON P.A.: Attention all guards, there is a riot in progress. Seal all exits. Yes well, regardless, we need the pearl necklace back, immediately. Your failure to help us in this matter will truly only add to your list of misdeeds. And results in chastisement. What you call me? Please Mr. Dog, I don't even care why you did it, but you see I have to have the necklace back before tomorrow morning before my parents sign the divorce papers so please, please, won't you help us? Divorce huh? I'm just a two-bit thief. Not a home wrecker. What's the necklace look like? 16 inch hand nod yellow gold clasp, a single strand, natural 6.5 millimeter white pearls. I been a thief about as long as I can remember. You know I don't even know why I do it. I can remember everything I've stolen. Like a list of my sins that won't let me be. But the truth is I don't even know why I do it. The truth is that most of the time I don't even wanna do it. So I'm telling you the truth little lady, I ain't got your mother's necklace. Well if you didn't steal it, then who did? Yeah, we want some answers G. Answers? Yeah, we all want them. Don't we? But understand this, if the owner of the house knew what hour the thief was coming, he woulda not let the house been broken in to. You also must be ready, because the son of man will come in the house when you least expect it. What does that mean? I don't know. It's just something here that I read in this here Bible that I found in my cell. I just thought at the moment in our conversation, I should say something encouraging to ya'll. Thank you. OFFICER: Time's up G-Dog MAN ON P.A.: All guards report to... Mr. Dog, thank you for being honest about the necklace. Now you kids to me a favor. If you guys get any answers, any answers, just come back and let me know, would you? Yeah, we will. OFFICER: Time to go back to the dog house. I'm sorry Mary Beth, but I don't know what to do next. I'm afraid I don't either. Perhaps we could speak with your pastor and see if there isn't something besides the pearl necklace that could save your parents' marriage. He and his wife went to Mexico. Something about setting the captives free. Wow, a pastor and a soldier. I didn't know we were at war with Mexico. Finally a tough guy in this story. I bet he came back and pummeled you two, you right? That would be highly unlikely due to his state of confinement. Well he can't just go back to his cell. He is the hero in this story, right? I might point out, that he's the one behind the bars. Oh yeah, so it's hopeless then. No one is hopeless to God. Marty might be. What'd you say squirt? Um, I said, um I said, I wish we had a party teepee. So then G-Dog was of no assistance then? He did help, just not in the way that we had hoped. Yeah, G-Dog's heart was getting pretty tender and causing him to think of things he did, which in turn caused us to think of things we did too. (STOMACH RUMBLES LOUDLY) My apologies. This camping affair has caused me to procure a large appetite. Yeah, I suppose we should think about supper. What'd you bring? Bring? You know, to eat. Ah, I knew I was forgetting something. STANLEY: Aw dang it. Eh, look at where we are. There's bound to be something around here to eat. Squirrels, bluejays. Treebark. If we take into consideration the proper calorie intake this bio diverse environment,... Stanley! Look, all we gotta do is catch something and cook it. What do you suggest we use as a trap? I have some fishing line in my pack. A lotta good that'll do. You gonna lasso a fish? Would this work? Yeah. - Marty. - I didn't do it. I was going to ask you if you would like be the hunter-gatherer. Hunter what? Can we just go catch us a fish before we all starve to death? You trust me with that? I for one would vote you most likely to kill something. Thanks. Any bites? Nah, maybe I should make a spear or something. Could be winds from the north. Huh? You know, wind's from the north, they won't come forth. If the wind's from the east, they bite the least. I was thinking about G-Dog. Does being tough always get you into trouble? It wasn't that he was tough, it was that he used his toughness to do the wrong things. But being tough protects you. Tough people still get hurt Marty. Toughness and strength are two different things. Jesus is the strongest person I know. But yet he was called the lamb of God. But if he was so strong, then why did he let people hurt him? Nah, he should've just looked out for himself and he'd have been fine. It's his gentleness, not his toughness, that cause people to change. I wasn't always like I am now, you know. Being tough, I don't get hurt that way. But what you don't see Marty, is that you're hurting everyone around you. But if I wasn't the tough guy anymore, I don't know who I'd be. You'd be one step closer to the guy God wants you to be. The guy God wants me to be? You're saying God wants me to walk the line? Yeah and I want ya to pull the line too. Pull the line? Yeah, pull it in, you got a bite. What? Hey look, I really got one. (GRUNTS) Looking good Stanley. I can't believe that mongoid actually caught a fish. He said the wind was from the south. The wind? From the south they bite with their mouth. From the west... They bite the best. An educated deduction, though not very scientific. No, but a little fun never hurt anyone, right? So Stanley, why are you here? I mean, isn't my brother's camp for kids who, who... My mom said the interaction with others in a Christian environment would be beneficial to my growth. Hasn't proven true. I can't believe I'm saying this, but maybe you need to give this camping idea more of a try. Ben mentioned that you've won every science fair since Kindergarten. I would think that somebody of your intelligence would understand that this sort of primal creteness adventures is just a waste of time. Science is great Stanley, but it's not the only way to learn new things. Surely this place doesn't hold any lessons. I don't know, it's already taught Marty how useful he can be. It's just a fish. Yes and when we eat his fish, we will learn gratitude that we have something to eat. I'd rather be home in my laboratory learning important scientific facts. What about the trees and the river and the animals? I don't know, maybe we could learn something from them. All simply the result of time and chance. As are we. You don't really believe that do you? Evolution is the foundation of any reasoning scientific mind. I noticed the map you were making the leaves when I arrived. A bit crude, but most helpful in plotting our course. What do you think the next person who comes across your map will think? I surmise that they'll see and appreciate my proper intellect of preparedness. You don't think they'll just see some sticks and leaves and assume they fell on the ground that way? Just fell that way? Anybody with a reasoning mind could clearly see that they were placed there on purpose. So you think they would assume that there was a creator who made it? Of course. A creation that not even time or chance could have made? Absurd, not in a million. Stanley, think about everything you know about the intricate workings of life. And the whole universe. How everything works with such precision and purpose. And those are just some sticks on the ground. I admit your conjecture is valid, quite valid actually. Stanley, anyone coming upon your map would have to combine their reasoning mind and one other thing though. What's that? Faith. Faith? They would only be seeing the creation, so they would naturally have to have faith that there was a creator who made it. I believe you're right. I have faith? Huh, I have faith. And you're about to have something else. What's that. Burnt fish, quick, get 'em off the fire. Oh yeah. This looks good Stanley. Thanks, Cricket assisted me. Glad he wasn't cooking hamburgers. Hamburgers? Nevermind. I think before we eat, we should give thanks. Who wants to say the prayer? Okay. God, thank you for providing us some food to eat - and thank you... - And God, thank you for helping me catch a fish. What? And God thank you for bringing us all on this camping trip together. Amen. (STARTLING TONE) Just ignore Ben's comment about my cooking. My burgers weren't that bad. Yeah, if you don't mind eatin' hockey pucks. Mary was pretty down at that point. And we, well, we were out of ideas. Think she's gonna be alright? Time can heal any wound. That's comforting. You think that up yourself? If you recall, I wasn't the one who wanted to get involved in this, stuff. Well this stuff is a girl's family, which is about to be torn apart forever. You know if you looked for clues as much as you complain, we would've had it fixed. Don't you dare try to blame me. Who else is there to blame? Yourself. I'm sick and tired of you thinking you know everything. The fact that you don't know I know everything proves that you don't know everything. Well that's dumb. That doesn't even make sense. CRICKET: Well I do know everything. - (THOUGHTFUL MUSIC) - Ben: Not everything. I don't like you trying to act like you know everything. I'm pretty smart too. CRICKET: You don't know that I know everything proves that you... MARY BETH'S VOICEOVER: Dear God, I really need your help. I know you don't like divorce. And I know if I could just find the necklace that I could save my parents from breaking up. You're dumb. The fact that you don't understand that means that you're dumb. (BOYS CONTINUE ARGUING IN BACKGROUND) MARY BETH'S VOICEOVER: Please God, use the Jungle Junkboys to find the necklace. They're the smartest boys I know. But even they could use your help. CRICKET: The fact that, the fact that... MARY BETH'S VOICEOVER: A lot of your help. Please show 'em what to do. The fact that, the fact... You're weird. We made this for you. What is it? Well they were burgers before wingnut here distracted me. So now you burning the food is my fault too? Well if you hadn't... I'm not very hungry. I should be getting home now. I lied about having the money. We didn't even fix anything. Now look what you've done. I knew we should have gotten the steak out. What? To grill. We should've gotten the steak out. Cricket, you're a genius! Yeah, but hey, what about the food? Wait up! I don't get it. Why did Mary Beth apologize for lying? What's the big deal? She said she would pay us for helping. Even though we woulda done it for nothing. And there aren't any color shades to a lie. A lie's a lie, no matter how small it seems. Maybe she thought no one would help her if she didn't pay them. Maybe she though no one would care about her if she didn't lie. Lying to make people care seems like you're just saying that I'm not good enough the way I am. Maybe I'm not. If we're trying to be all that God wants us to be, then that's enough. I agree. Yeah, that makes sense. I believe I would also have to concur with that statement. Me too. So, what's next in the story? The stakeout. You're grilling steak now? But I thought you just grilled burgers. I believe that he's referring to the act of covertly observing a person or persons. Huh? Spying. Oh. (STARTLING TONE) BEN: Yeah, you see I got this brilliant idea. CRICKET: Your idea? BEN: Fine, you helped. He's been in there a long time. It's probably the first time he's ever been in a jewelry store. We realized that to catch the thief we needed bait. (JAZZY SPY MUSIC) CRICKET: No not that one, the pearls. Cook? The pearls. Whirls, curls? Pearls. Pearl, pearls. Pearls, pearls is what I meant. I need some pearls. That's what I need, pearls. What are you doing? Chillax, I'm just fixing my hair. Get ya down here! These are our most exquisite pearls from our Tsunami Wave collection. Those would look exquisite on me, I mean your lady friend of course. (LAUGHING) Old Darlene wouldn't be caught dead with these marbles around her neck. Oh I mean these are for my daughter that I wish I had. I'll take 'em. Great job Uncle Jim. I've never been so uncomfortable in all my life with all those fancy things in there. You boys realize how much money I spent in that place? Don't worry Uncle Jim, we'll return the pearls and your money as soon as we catch the thief. You gave 'em the junkyard's address, right? What makes you boys so sure that jewel thief is gonna be come lookin' for them pearls? Oh he'll try to steal them for certain. And when he does, we'll be waiting like two horsies and night centennals. (BEEPING) (SNORING) (EXCLAIMS) Use the torque wrench! Oh, my turn to watch already? Yeah, but I better stay up with you just in case you can't stay awake. Thanks, but between the dozen motion sensors, the half a dozen car alarms and the 25 flood lights I've got wired up, nobody's going to walk through this place unannounced. (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC) Don't you think that maybe your jewelry this way signs are a little too, I don't know, obvious. We want the thief to try to steal the pearls don't we? Cocoa? No thanks. Mary Beth talks about God a lot. Everybody needs something to believe in. What do we believe in? Mechanical engineering of course. What do you think G-Dog meant by how we need to be ready for the son of God to return like a thief. The ravings of a desperate man. You see Ben, the average non-mechanical person needs a God to help them fix things. Their car breaks down, they pray to God to fix it. They lose their job, they pray to God for another job. They get locked up in jail, they cling to God and so on. And then there's people like us. If something of ours breaks, we simply fix it ourselves. Thereby cutting out the middle man. So because we know how to rebuild a four speed transmission, we don't need God? Precisely. What about when we die? Then how is our mechanical skills gonna help? Die? We're just kids, with our whole lives ahead of us. And by the time we're old I wouldn't be surprised if medical science can't keep us alive forever. BEN: I'm just not so sure that medicine will be able to keep people alive forever. That's all. Well maybe if you read the science journal once in a while, instead of your hot rod magazines, you'd know what I'm saying is feasible. Yeah maybe. Are you sure you wired everything up right? It's awful quiet. Maybe the robber isn't coming tonight. He has to come tonight. Mary's parents are signing the divorce papers in the morning. Just check your wires again. I don't need to recheck my work, thank you. Yeah well just check 'em anyways. Stop questioning my abilities. I'm not questioning your darn abilities. I just wanna make sure the wires are hooked up right. Stop pulling Ben. BEN: You stop pulling. CRICKET: Stop pulling. You stop pulling. (ELECTRICAL BUZZING) Oh no, not my computer! Look what you've done. I'm so sorry he hurt you Spock. Spock? Don't speak to me right now. We don't need your fancy computer anyways. It's not like someone's gonna walk up and steal the pearls right from under our noses. (UPBEAT COUNTRY MUSIC) Come on Cricket, hurry up. How can you even see where you're going? Are you kidding? I know this place like the back of my hand! (LAUGHING) (EXCLAIMS) It's you! You have really big feet. We want the pearls back, now! (YELLING IN SLOW TIME) Darlene Darlene, Dar Darlene Cricket, get off me. What happened? Where are we? In the back garage I think. (DOORS RATTLE LOUDLY) Morning boys. Uncle Jim, what's going on? That's actually kind of a funny story. Be glad to tell you boys about it, as soon as the police comes to pick up the thief. The thief, you mean you caught him? Eh, I kinda figured you boys might need a little help last night. But if by him you're referring to the jewel thief, (LAUGHS) you'd be badly mistaken. How'd ya like that last song? That's the lady from the jewelry store. Kat. Is that her name? I was calling her big foot. She might be a woman here fellas, but she ain't no lady. And she's a real firecracker at that. You gonna play real nice now ain't ya? Get away from me you filthy mechanic. You can't treat me like this. You've got nothing on me. Nothing. Nothing? We saw you steal the pearls right from in front of us. Well technically we didn't see anything. You mean you boys didn't see her steal it? So what, she stole it, just check her pockets. Uh, already done that. Empty. (LAUGHING) You silly, silly little people. But you were in our junkyard. That's trespassing. But I was just looking for a new bumper for my car officer, when it got dark and these hooligans attacked me and bound me and that big one even tortured me with hours of this awful singing. (LAUGHING) I'm gonna sue you for everything you've got. Uh boys. I'm no attorney at law here, but maybe she's onto something. Except for the singing of course. And besides the suing, who's gonna pay me back for the money I spent out on them pearls? She must've hidden them somewhere in the yard. Now you listen to me you, you cat burglar. We want the pearl necklace back you stole from us and we especially want the pearl necklace you stole from Mary Beth's house. And we want them now. You know what I want? Breakfast. Why you despicable... Whoa pal, whoa little buddy. KAT: I know my rights. How 'bout exercising your rights by being quiet. No, no. Ben, come here. What are we gonna do Uncle Jim? If she sues us, she could take the whole junkyard away. I think what we need to do right now at this time is to go out in the yard and see if we can find where she mighta hid the pearls. That way we'll have enough evidence on her to have her locked up. Yeah okay, what do you think Cricket? I think Cricket has a quicker way in mind. Whoa little buddy. Sauteing the girl ain't gonna do us no good right now. She knows where they are Uncle Jim, she knows. Mary Beth's parents are gonna give a divorce because of her. It's gonna be okay Cricket. You really care, don't you? (GENTLE MUSIC) JIM: Well it'll be alright. Well, there's only one thing we can do. And that's go out and look for where she hid the pearls. You're right Ben, I know we can find where she hid them. - Boys... - Then she'll have to tell us where she hid Mary Beth's pearls. Boys! What is it? There's something more important we got to do here. There's no time! Do we still have that fire extinguisher here somewhere? Fire extinguisher? (KAT GRUNTS) (YELLS) (SOBBING) (ROCKS PINGING WINDOW) This'll do it. I don't think we should throw that one. What are you guys doing? Why were you crying? Because my mom's leaving to sign the divorce papers. (GENTLE MUSIC) Maybe these'll help. Look Mom. Mom, I found the pearls. Now you can stay home! (SIGHS) She made it! Hot dog! Honey, I gotta go. What are they doing? What? No, come back. She's gonna do it anyway? All that work finding those pearls for nothing? That was the most depressing story I've ever heard. Well it's not quite finished. Your story's dismal conclusion is as dark as the sky is quickly becoming. But he's not finished. Yeah, what time is it anyways? I at least need to get nine hour of sleep to keep my healthy shine. (YAWNS) Bedtime, that's the time. I'm with you big guy. Which way to my tent? If you haven't noticed, there's only one tent for all of us. You expect us to quarter together? Well, like the song goes, love grows best in little houses. Or tents. MARTY: Get off my leg! PIERCE: Happily would if you'd stop choking my arm. The air's asphyxiating in here. Would everybody just relax? It's not that bad. I'm sad about Mary's parents. Yeah, no amount of muscle could fix their mess. Should we tell them? Tell us what? That there's more to the story. PIERCE: You mean that wasn't the end? No, I tried to tell you that. MARTY: So let's hear it already. (STARTLING TONE) BEN: Well after Mary's mother drove off, Mary ran off. CRICKET: We chased her for about a half an hour until we finally caught up with her. Mary Beth, what exactly are you doing? You lied to me! You lied to me Pastor Murphy. You lied! Mary Beth! Mary stop. MARY BETH: You lied! I don't understand. What have I lied to you about? You said that if my parents found the necklace that their marriage would be okay. It's not, it didn't work. Pearl necklace? The pearl of great price. It was the stolen necklace, right? Mary Beth, the necklace could never change two people's hearts. At least not lasting change. No matter how much money it costs. But you said. You said it would heal their marriage. Yes I did. Let me tell ya a story. Ya'll have a seat. Come sit down. The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid, and for joy over it, he went and sold all that he had and he bought that field. And again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and he bought it. You mean we did all this work and the pearl is just some old Bible story? Pastor Murphy, if the necklace can't save their marriage, is there anything that can? Just one thing. The kingdom of heaven, the pearl. That's right. But what is it? Well the kingdom of heaven is not something you can see, but once you find it, you'll gladly give up all you have to enter into it. And just for fun, say someone wanted to enter into it, how would they do that? They would have to repent and be born again. You were listening those times you came to church, weren't you? CRICKET: Repent? Turn away from your sins. I'm sorry, but repent, be born again. No offense, but I just wanna know how to help Mary's parents. Besides, we're not sinners, we're just kids. And we help people fix their problems. I want ya'll to look at something for me. It's a mirror. Oh it's much more than that. It's the 10 commandments. That's right. You see God gave us a way, that if we're brave enough, we can look right into our own hearts and see what's there. Not bad. But I haven't broken any of these. I'm not a murderer. Cricket, Jesus says even if we hate someone, it's the same as murder. He said that? Don't you dare try to blame me. You don't understand. You don't know everything. You're dumb. You're dumb. You're dumb. You're dumb. (KAT SCREAMING) Good thing I love everyone. Especially yourself. Look at number two. You shall not make for yourself any idols. What are you doing? I'm just fixing my hair. Get down. Can't improve on perfection. Not bad, not bad. Can't improve on perfection. Not bad, not bad. Can't improve on perfection. Not bad. Oh. What about you Mary, what do you see? What color's your money? The color of a princess's eyes in a field of clover. I lied about having the money. Field of clover, field of clover. I lied about having the money. Field of clover, field of clover. Field of clover. You shall not lie. You see, it's because of our sins that we fall short of God's perfect standard. We're all broken in his eyes. And that's what we need healing and forgiveness from, because the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus. Jesus came to offer us that gift. And that's what I was referring to Mary when I said that your parents needed to find the pearl of great price. Do you understand? (THOUGHTFUL MUSIC) I want to, I wanna be reconciled to God right now. Cricket, what are you doing? Remember how I said that we don't need God because we can fix things ourselves? Yeah? Well I was lying. I've been waiting my whole life for somebody to explain all of this to me. You have? But if you become a Christian, that'll change things. I know what the pearl of price is now, Ben. And I'll give up everything to get it. Cricket, the Bible says that only those righteous in God's sight can enter into his kingdom. Well that rules us out then. But it also says that he is faithful and just. And he'll forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all thoughts of unrighteousness. Do you understand? Cricket. Cricket, Cricket. Cricket! Cricket. Pastor Murphy, I want God's forgiveness too. How 'bout you Ben? Do you see your need? Uncle Jim once told me that as we grew up there would come along moments in life, moments that depending on our actions would determine the whole course of our lives. I knew that this is one of those moments. Dear God, I know what Pastor Murphy said is true. I'm sorry for all the bad stuff I've done. I'm sorry for thinking I didn't need you. I'm sorry you haven't been number one in my life. Until now. Please fix in me what I can't fix myself. I'm sorry I left. I just needed some time to think. But I'm done now. And? And the pearl is more beautiful than I ever imagined. Yay! (BRIGHT MUSIC) You know this is gonna change things, right? Are we still gonna be the Fix It Boys? There's only one Fix It person and I'm sure he'll be glad to let you help. CRICKET: I can't wait to tell Mom and Dad. BEN: Me too. I'm sorry I killed Spock. CRICKET: That's okay. I can buy a new computer with the reward money. BEN: What reward money? G-DOG: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant, seeking beautiful pearls. BEN: Since learning what the pearl of great price was, we were able to give G-Dog the answers his heart had been searching for. Though he's still in jail paying for his past crimes, his heart is free. And although we weren't able to find the necklace Uncle Jimmy bought, Mary Beth's necklace was more than enough to put that cat burglar right where she needed to be. Speaking of Uncle Jim, once all the dust settled and we got a chance to explain to him what the pearl was, well, he gave his life to the Lord right there in the junkyard. He said it was the kind of love he'd always been looking for. Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure in a field, which a man found and hid, and for joy over it, he went and sold all that he had and bought that field. BEN: And Mary Beth's parents, they never did sign the divorce papers. PASTOR: Who when he had found the pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and he bought it. Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake. BEN: And with a little help from some friends, Mary was able to convince them to give God and their marriage one more try. My real name is Phillip. I thought Pierce would make me sound more like a male model. Are you a model? Nope, I'm actually afraid of mirrors. Well, there's more to life than being just good looking. I'm living proof of that. Your humility overwhelms me. I actually wanna be a botanist. I didn't think it would make me cool enough though. I think you'd be cool. Yeah, me too squirt. I mean Phillip. Thanks Marty. Oh and Marty, I can find an herb tomorrow to help with that poison ivy. Poison ivy? What about you Marty? Who do you think God wants you to become? I think I need to work on what he doesn't want me to be. But, I'd also like to run an animal shelter. Really? Yeah, I'd like to take care of hurt animals, especially puppies. I'd like to see what I can learn outside of my laboratory. Starting with this pearl of great price. Me too. Me too. God's kingdom was made for guys like us. Yeah? - Ben? - Yeah. Thanks for this. I thought you hated camping. Not the camping, I still hate camping. For reminding me. MARTY: Wait, that was poison ivy? You are so dead! PHILLIP: This is a $20 hairstyle. Please don't mess it up. Somebody get Marty off of me! BEN: Not again. Knock it off! Scene one M-A take one. MAN: Okay, and we're rolling. And, Jim's playing. Baby I need you like gas needs a fire I love you like Penzoil oil Like a radiator when it boils over I love you like a I need I need you like a Baby I need you like a Fan needs a belt If you just knowed how I felt about you What'd ya think about that? MARY BETH: I recommend jewelry. (THOUGHTFUL MUSIC) |
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