[ ] indictaes what someone is thinking. ( ) are action. And everything is in black & white.

Narrator: The city of  Townsville! (scan through the streets, we see a newspaper blowing by with the date Oct. 9, 1947 on it) What a modern city she is, on the cutting edge of technology! (old car goes driving by) Hey…where are we going? (go to a skyscraper and up a bunch of stories) "Sam Shovel, private eye"…well, let's see what going on!
Sam: [The date: October 9th, 1947. The dame walked into my office, and you could see she needed my help. Trouble followed this dame wherever she went…] Can I help you, miss?
Blossom: (in full 1940's dress, high heels, hair, and everything, voice all breathy) Yes…(sniff) please, oh I do hope you can help me!
Sam: What seems to be the trouble, Miss?
Blossom: Please call me Blossom…it's horrible! My sister, Buttercup, has been…kidnapped!
Sam: Well, tell me everything you know.
Blossom: The last time I saw her, she was going to meet Elmer at Bonsai Gardens in Little Tokyo…I searched everywhere in the Gardens and all I found was…this (holds out Buttercup's wicked sunglasses)
Sam: Did you check for fingerprints?
Blossom: Buttercup doesn't have fingers.
Sam: Well, there's nothing to do but go to the scene of the crime.

(Cut to Sam & Blossom at Bonsai Gardens, still daytime)

Sam: Well, there's nothing more here. Not a clue in sight.
(suddenly, Bubbles flies up, also in full 1940's regalia)
Bubbles: Blossom! I just got back from the east and heard about Buttercup! (eyes full of tears) What happened? (to Sam) who are you?
Sam: Hello, I'm Sam Shovel, pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss.
Bubbles: Please, call me Bubbles.
Blossom: Buttercup was on her way to meet Elmer at the Gardens and she disappeared! We don't know what happened.
Bubbles: *gasp* Elmer? Oh, no! (puts hands to mouth)
Blossom: What is it, Bubbles?
Bubbles: Well, there's a story…see, Elmer went to China a few years ago.  Rumor is, when he was there he heard the tale of a fantastic bird, encrusted with diamonds of every sort! The bird itself was made of pure gold! When he heard of this fantastic bird, the Chinese Crow, he became obsessed with finding it!
Sam: So you think your sister's disappearance had something to do with this bird?
Bubbles: (nods)
Sam: Well, I think it's time to pay your little "friend" a visit.

(cut to Elmer’s apartment, we see Elmer having a drink and reading the paper. There is a knock on the door. Blossom and Bubbles have gone home.)

Elmer: (opens the door) What do you want?
Sam: [this guy meant trouble. He had that “trouble” look on his kisser.]  Hi. I’m private detective Sam Shovel. I’ve got a few questions about a certain Buttercup Utonium.
Elmer: I don’t know nothing, okay? (tries to shut the door)
Sam: Hold it, buddy. I just want to ask a few questions. (holds the door open)
Elmer: I’m innocent, okay?
Sam: So you’ll have nothing to hide!
Elmer: okay, okay, I’ll tell you what I know. Please, take a seat... (walks over to mini bar) Care for a drink?
Sam: No thanks.
Elmer (gets himself one): Well, as you probably already know, a few years ago I went to the east. China. I heard of this bird~ called the Chinese Crow.
Sam: Yes, I know the story.
Elmer: Well anyway, it became my mission to find it. I looked everywhere, every nook and cranny, for three years. I almost found it once, but it slipped from under my nose. That was in England, six months ago. Since then, I hear the bird has acquired a coat of black enamel to hide its precious jewels. Anyway, I heard that this girl, Buttercup, knew something about it. So I asked her to meet me, over in Little Tokyo. But she never showed up. I’d hired a guy to trail her, see what she was up to. Guy wouldn’t give me his name, everyone just called him “Him”. Quite a character. Anyway, ever since she disappeared, I can’t get in touch with Him. Seems the fellow has vanished off the face of the earth.
Sam: so you don’t know where I can find Him?
Elmer: You could check out his place, I suppose. It’s at (whispers an address we can’t hear)
Sam: Thank you, Elmer. You’ve been quite a help.
Elmer: I hope you have more luck than I've had.

(cut to Sam at a payphone, Bubbles on the other end.)

Sam: So, apparently I have to go to (whispers address again) to talk to Him.
Bubbles (crying): That’s horrible, I can’t believe it was…it was...HIM.
Sam: You know Him?
Bubbles. Uh-huh! He’s the worst villain ever…the evilest of evil! The cruelest of cruel! Oh Buttercup, why did this have to happen to you?
Sam: Listen, Bubbles, it’ll turn out all right.
Bubbles: (sniff) thank you Mr. Shovel.

(we see Sam at Him’s door.)

Him: (female voice) Come iiiiiiiiiiiiin!
Sam: So you’re the guy who calls himself “Him”?
Him: That would be me!
Sam: So, tell me what you know about Buttercup Utonium.
Him: (borderline male voice) Why would I know anything about her?
Sam: I know you were working for a certain Elmer Sglue on the night she disappeared. You were trailing her. What happened? Are you in it for the bird, too?
Him: Why would I want a nasty old Chinese Crow?
Sam: [he knows what I’m talking about. How else would he know I was referring to the Crow?] So, it was you! That’s it! You wanted the Crow, and you thought she had it. So you posed as a private eye and trailed her. When you kidnapped her, you found out she didn’t have it, but found she knew who did. She told you, and you’re holding her to make sure she wasn’t lying to you.
Him: (evil laugh) Ohhhhh, you’re so close. It’s a pity telling you you’re (male voice) WRONG!

(cut to Sam on pay phone w/Blossom on the other end)

Sam: Yes, I found out a few key facts. But the telephone isn’t safe~ can I speak to you ladies at your house?
Blossom: Certainly, come over anytime.
Sam: Thank you.

(at the girls’ house)

Sam: (knocking)
Blossom: (opening the door) Hello, Mr. Shovel. Please make yourself comfortable.
Bubbles: (sitting on the couch) What news do you have?
Sam: Well, it seems that…hey, what’s this package?
Blossom: (tries to hide a paper-wrapped package in the vague shape of a bird under the coffee table) oh, it’s just Christmas present from the professor.
Sam: It’s October.
Blossom: (laughing nervously) Well, you know that professor!
Sam: so…you wouldn’t mind if I open it?
Blossom: Well…it’s a Christmas present!…you can’t open it until Christmas!
Sam: We’ll see about that! (grabs  it and rips it open. It’s a crow, covered in enamel.) Some Christmas present!
Bubbles: Blossom! It was YOU! I can’t believe it! Some sister you are!
Sam: Where’s Buttercup?
Blossom: ha! You’ll never find her! (Flies through the roof)
Bubbles: I think I might know where she put Buttercup! Come on. (they go down to the basement and Bubbles opens a secret door to a hidden tunnel. We can hear someone screaming, but it’s very muffled. Sam shines a flashlight into the tunnel, and we see Buttercup, bound and gagged.)
Bubbles: BUTTERCUP! (Sam gets her binds off) Are you okay?
Buttercup: Yeah, I’m fine. But I’m really hungry.
Bubbles: Come upstairs, you can eat while you tell us everything.

(cut to upstairs in the girls’ kitchen.)

Sam: so it was Blossom?
Buttercup: Yeah. She knew Mojo had the crow, and that he was in cahoots with Him. She stole it from Mojo.
Bubbles: Mojo is involved in this too?
Buttercup: No, Mojo wasn’t involved. He only had the crow.
Sam: You said he was in cahoots with Him.
Buttercup: He was. He said he would give Him the crow if Him got rid of the Powerpuff Girls, but Mojo never actually took action. And Blossom got the crow before Him could. She wanted it as much as anyone. She took me because I knew too much.
Bubbles: I can’t believe it was Blossom!
Buttercup: Believe it, sister.
Sam: So, where could she have gone?
Buttercup: I know. I’ve got a plan, but Bubbles and I can’t go. She’ll be too suspicious.
Sam: Give it to us.
Buttercup: Okay. First…

(cut to Blossom at Brick’s apartment)

Blossom: Oh Brick, I knew you’d help me.
Brick: Anything for you…do you swear you’re not using me to escape your troubles again?
Blossom (batting her fake eyelashes at Brick): Of course not! Don’t you believe me? (eyes start watering up)
Brick: Don’t worry, I believe you.
(Sam suddenly comes in the door, which was unlocked.)
Blossom: Brick, help me!
Brick: Here she is, Sam.
Sam: Thanks, old buddy. (to Blossom) Off to jail for you, Miss.
Blossom: (using every ounce of feminine charm she has) You wouldn’t do that to me! Don’t you love me, Sam?
Sam: Maybe I do and maybe I don’t. I’m not really sure.
Blossom: But Sam, I love you!
Sam: I’ll decide later, and in the meantime, it’s off to jail for you.
Blossom: Sam, no! (sobbing) You can’t do this to me! (policemen come in the door and take her away in handcuffs) SAM!!!!
(Buttercup and Bubbles walk in the door)
Buttercup: Thank you. I didn’t want to put away my sister, but it was our only choice.
Bubbles: (hanging her head) Yeah. (cheering up) Wanna go to a sockhop?
Buttercup: Bubbles, this isn’t even the right decade for that!
Bubbles: Oh yeah.

Narrator: Once again, the day is saved, thanks to the powerpuff girls! Well, two out of three ain’t bad!

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