Gary CurtisBy
Powerpuff Girls created by Craig McCracken. All related characters owned by Cartoon Network.
EXT - CITY SKYLINE - DAY
MAYOR: (off camera) The city of Townsville is under attack!
NARRATOR: (dramatically) Oh, will it never end?
(Shot pulls back to show the MAYOR standing in his office at Townsville Hall, with the city skyline visible through an open window. Nothing is happening, though. He is looking at a map pinned to a bulletin board with a gigantic thumbtack and all that can be seen are the letters T and E where Townsville is supposed to be.)
MAYOR: Ms. Bellum! The city of Townsville is under a tack! I can't see it!
NARRATOR: (deadpan) Like I said...will it never end...
(Pan to MS. BELLUM, who sighs and takes two steps to the board, takes down the map.)
BELLUM: Then just take it down!
MAYOR: What this town needs, Ms. Bellum, is bigger maps and smaller tacks.
BELLUM: (under her breath) No, what it really needs is bigger brains and smaller mouths.
(She hands him the map and he sticks himself with the tack.)
MAYOR: Owie, owie owie owie!
NARRATOR: Hmmm, I think she made her point. That Ms. Bellum is one sharp lady.
(The mayor holds out his injured thumb.)
MAYOR: Kiss my boo-boo?
BELLUM: (sighs) Only if you promise to put that map away and get to work on that new funding for Townsville Park.
MAYOR: Gee, I'd love to, Ms. Bellum. But money doesn't fall from trees, you know.
NARRATOR: You got that right, mayor. For once...
(Cut to a close up of a $20 bill in a background of green. Shot widens to show it lodged in a tree in Townsville Park, where children and grown-ups are engaged in various fun things. Among them are the POWERPUFF GIRLS. BLOSSOM and BUBBLES are playing hopscotch while BUTTERCUP sits in boredom against the tree trunk.)
NARRATOR: Hmmm, or maybe it does...
BUBBLES: C'mon and play with us, Buttercup!
BUTTERCUP: I'm sick of baby games! This place needs something for me to do!
BLOSSOM: Things cost money, Buttercup. Use your imagination; that doesn't cost a penny!
BUTTERCUP: (crossing her arms) Pffft. There could at least be some swings or something.
BLOSSOM: I know, but the city can't afford it right now.
BUBBLES: (breaking into a smile) Hey! Maybe we could raise the money ourselves!
(Just then, a breeze dislodges the bill and it begins to float down toward Buttercup.)
BUTTERCUP: Where are we gonna get money from? It doesn't grow on trees, y'know!
BLOSSOM: I wish it did. We're not very good at getting money.
(The $20 lands on Buttercup's head. Bubbles points at it and starts to giggle.)
BUTTERCUP: What's so funny?
BUBBLES: Leaf head!
(Buttercup scowls and grabs it. She frowns at it, then reacts, jumping up.)
BUTTERCUP: Girls, look! It's money!
(Her sisters rush over and Blossom takes it. The other two stare at it in open-mouthed wonder.)
BLOSSOM: Whoa...twenty dollars!
(They all stare up at the tree.)
BLOSSOM: Maybe it does grow on trees!
(With that, they take off into the tree, flashing from branch to branch, pulling off leaves, staring and frowning for a second, then discarding the non-money and trying again. At the end of this short sequence, the shot pulls back to show them floating in front of a totally barren tree.)
BUTTERCUP: Whoa...look what we did...
BUBBLES: (sadly) I guess money doesn't grow on trees after all.
BUTTERCUP: (cheerful) Well, I still got twenty bucks! Let's go give it to the mayor!
BLOSSOM: No, Buttercup. Somebody lost it, and we should find out who and give it back.
(Buttercup reacts and tries to take her bill back from her do-gooder sister.)
BUTTERCUP: What? No way! Finders keepers!
(But before Buttercup can get her money, a man walks by walking his dog.)
BLOSSOM: Excuse me, sir, did you lose twenty dollars?
(The man pulls up short and blinks in surprise. Then he breaks into a wide smile.)
MAN: Why, I sure did! I've been looking all over for it!
(He takes the bill out of Blossom's hands and stuffs it in his pants pocket. Pan on him as he walks away smiling. The dog raises one paw to its mouth as if stifling a chuckle.)
MAN: Gee, thanks, Blossom! You Powerpuff Girls are the best! (under his breath) What a sap!
(Pan back to the Girls. Bubbles and Buttercup stand either side of Blossom with crossed arms and very angry scowls.)
BLOSSOM: What?
BUBBLES: That was stupid!
BUTTERCUP: You just gave away my money!
BLOSSOM: But, that man lost it!
BUBBLES: Duh! Watch, stupid! (cupping her hands to her mouth, loudly) Hey, did anybody lose twenty dollars?
(The Girls are nearly stampeded by the crowd that surrounds them, all shouting 'Me!'. Blossom blinks dumbly.)
BUBBLES: See?!
BUTTERCUP: (to the crowd) Well, you better start looking for it, 'cause we sure don't have it! (she finishes with a pointed look at Blossom.) C'mon, Bubbles.
(They fly off, leaving Blossom standing in the center of the crowd. Tight shot on a forlorn-looking 'Puff.)
BLOSSOM: Gee, I was only trying to do the right thing!
NARRATOR: Awwww, we know you were, Blossom. Hmm, better check my wallet...hey, that was my twenty bucks! Oh, well...easy come, easy go. I forgive 'ya. Now, let's go out to the Girls house and see if her sisters have forgiven her yet.
INT - UTONIUM LIVING ROOM - DAY
(Buttercup and Bubbles are sitting on the couch. Buttercup has a smirk on her face.)
BUTTERCUP: She still hasn't gotten the point, Bubbles.
(Close-up on her hand reveals a thumbtack in it. Light glints off the sharp point.)
BUTTERCUP: (off-camera) But she's gonna!
NARRATOR: I keep forgetting...Buttercup's motto is 'Fight first, forgive later.' Much later.
(Shot pulls back to show Bubbles covering her mouth with both hands. We can't quite tell if she's stifling a giggle or fearful of what's about to happen. Blossom and PROFESSOR UTONIUM walk in. She's holding a bowl of popcorn and he has three cans of soda on a tray. He puts it on the table in front of the couch and sits down with Blossom. Close-up shows the tack sliding into position. Blossom leaps up suddenly, spilling popcorn everywhere.)
BLOSSOM: Ahhhhh!!
(She pulls the tack out and shows it to the professor while rubbing her sore heiney with her other hand. It's now clear how Bubbles feels as she and Buttercup are giggling.)
BUTTERCUP: Is it sinking in yet, Blossom?
BLOSSOM: (pointing) Why, you!
PROFESSOR: (holding the tack) Girls! That wasn't nice!
BUTTERCUP: But, Professor!
PROFESSOR: Buttercup, I know you're still upset with your sister, but that's not the proper way to express it. And Blossom, you're not helping any.
BUBBLES: Yeah, Miss Naïve.
PROFESSOR: No, Bubbles, that isn't the problem. The problem, Blossom, is that you're still refusing to admit you made a mistake.
(Blossom, surprised and hurt at first by the professor's criticism, begins to scowl.)
BLOSSOM: Fine! Well, all of you can just kiss my boo-boo!
(She is still rubbing it as she crashes through the ceiling. Pan on her as she rises into the sky, leaving behind her shrinking, surprised family as they stare after her. Pan on her from above as she flies out of the city toward a large forested area.)
NARRATOR: You tell 'em, Blossom! (softly) There's one girl who won't take things sitting down...
(Blossom floats down into a clearing in the woods, finds a log to sit on and hurriedly jumps up, rubbing her backside. Unable to sit, she paces, rubbing her chin.)
BLOSSOM: Gee, I thought I was just being honest, but...maybe they're right. Maybe I am naïve. Maybe I should've checked with the lost and found first...
(The shot of Blossom pulls back to show her being watched on television by HIM, the red-skinned demon.)
NARRATOR: Oh no...not HIM again! I'd like to put a tack on that guy's chair!
HIM: (Feminine-sounding voice) Yeeeeess, my sweet little flower! You were being honest and naïve, just like all good little girls. But...you're about to trade those in for deceitfulness and greed. After all, you know what they say about money. It's the root of all...(evil voice)...evil!!
BLOSSOM: (a nasty grin appearing) ...or maybe I should've just kept my big mouth shut and we could've kept the money!
HIM: (FV) Very good! (EV) Now, for a little positive reinforcement!
(HIM transforms himself into a swirling pink and red cloud and disappears.)
NARRATOR: Uh oh...the evil HIM has Blossom seeing dollar signs...and I think it's gonna cost her dearly...
EXT- FOREST - DAY
(Blossom has stopped pacing.)
BLOSSOM: I have to make it up to Buttercup somehow...but where am I gonna get twenty dollars?
(There is a sudden gust of wind that swirls around Blossom, scattering leaves in the clearing. She looks all around her.)
BLOSSOM: Wh-who's th-there?
(Shot of the ground from her POV. Against her left shoe is $20.)
BLOSSOM: (off-camera) Well! Ask and ye shall receive!
(Shot of her smiling as she holds up the bill. Then she reacts to something she sees and gasps.)
BLOSSOM: Whoa! There's another one!
(Pan to a tree, where a bill is bouncing along slowly in front on the breeze. She flies over to collect it and spots one more across the clearing. She gets that one, too.)
BLOSSOM: Wow, sixty whole dollars! There's one for each of us! I wonder if there's any more...
(A quick series of shots as she checks trees and bushes but doesn't find any more.)
BLOSSOM: I guess that's all. But won't the girls be surprised!
(She takes off for home, her cash clutched in one fist. Close-up on one bill. Andrew Jackson's face briefly morphs into HIM's evilly grinning one before changing back.)
NARRATOR: Hmmm. There's something queer about those bills.
INT - UTONIUM LIVING ROOM - DAY
(The professor is on the couch reading the paper and the two Girls are on the floor watching TV when Blossom bursts in the way she left, through the ceiling. They jump.)
BLOSSOM: I'm back! (contrite) And I have to admit you all were right, and I'm sorry. (animated, smiling) And, to make it up to you, Buttercup... (pulls a bill from behind her back) ...here.
BUTTERCUP: (shocked, takes it) Blossom! Where did you get this?
BLOSSOM: (handing Bubbles hers) Here's one for you, too, Bubbles, and I got one, too!
(Bubbles takes it and just looks at it in amazement.)
PROFESSOR: Blossom, where did you get all this money?
BUTTERCUP: Yeah, did you find it?
BUBBLES: Or did Mojo sell it to you?
BLOSSOM: (sees her sisters frowning, acts nonchalant) Oh, no, I learned my lesson, Girls. I'll tell you where I got it, but after we make sure nobody has a legitimate claim on it, I think we should keep this to ourselves or everybody will go there and destroy the place looking.
INT - GIRLS' ROOM - DAY
(They are lounging when the hotline goes off. Blossom rushes to answer it.)
BLOSSOM: Hello? Yes, Ms. Bellum? Uh huh...uh huh...really? Wow, that's great news, Ms. Bellum! Thanks! (hangs up, screaming) PROFESSOR!!!
(Her sisters react in shock. He comes running in.)
PROFESSOR: Girls! What's the matter?
BLOSSOM: Great news, everybody! Ms. Bellum says there's no reports of any lost money or any money missing from all the robberies we solved! And, she says the mayor will be very happy to put it toward some really neat stuff for Townsville Park!
BUTTERCUP & BUBBLES: Yay!!
PROFESSOR: That's wonderful news, Blossom, but now, where did you get that money?
BLOSSOM: I was just thinking things over out at Townsville Forest when a $20 bill blew up against my leg, and then I found two more. Can we go back out there and do some more looking?
BUTTERCUP: Yeah! Can we, Professor?
BUBBLES: After we go see the mayor first?
PROFESSOR: All right, Girls, but I want you home in time for supper.
EXT - FLYING OVER TOWNSVILLE
(From above, the Girls are seen heading toward the forest. Shot on their faces, flying ahead.)
BUBBLES: Oh, I hope there's more!
BUTTERCUP: Yeah. Ms. Bellum said all sixty bucks'll get us is donuts for the guys who put the stuff in.
BLOSSOM: Well, even if we don't find any more money, it's a start.
(They drop down into the clearing.)
BLOSSOM: I think it was here. Spread out, girls and start look-
(A bill hits her smack across her mouth. She pulls it off and it's another twenty. Her sisters' eyes go wide.)
BLOSSOM: Start looking!
(Each girl quickly finds several bills, chasing them down as the wind scoots them along, but soon there aren't any more to be found. They meet in the middle of the clearing. Blossom counts it.)
BLOSSOM: Two hundred! But, where is this all coming from?
(Bubbles' eyes have continued to sweep around and her expression freezes and she points off-camera.)
BUBBLES: (awestruck) Loooook...
(Cut to a tree at the edge of the clearing. Its leaves are all $20 bills.)
GIRLS: (awed) Whoa...
BLOSSOM: A money tree!
BUBBLES: I don't believe it!
BUTTERCUP: Well, don't just stand there! Start picking!
(She flies at it but Blossom grabs her foot.)
BLOSSOM: No, wait. Remember what we did to that tree in the park. If we take all of it, we might hurt the tree.
BUBBLES: Yes, but what if somebody else finds it and tells?
BUTTERCUP: Good point.
BLOSSOM: Okay...maybe it'll grow more. Powerpuff Girls, clear out!
(A few moments later, the tree is bare and their hands are full of cash.)
BUTTERCUP: I'm telling Mayor I want that new rocket slide first!
BUBBLES: I want a nice big sandbox with pretty red pails!
BLOSSOM: Do you think we can keep Mojo off the monkey bars?
(They laugh as they fly off.)
NARRATOR: Money might grow on trees after all, but something else is growing inside our Girls, and it's not good. And so, the next afternoon...
INT - MAYOR'S OFFICE - DAY
(The Girls are standing in front of the mayor's desk. He is seated with stacks of money piled in front of him. Bellum stands to the right.)
BLOSSOM: So, can we get started on the new playground at the park, Mayor?
(He puts a metal strongbox on the desk and sweeps all the cash into it.)
MAYOR: Oh, I think so, Girls.
GIRLS: Yay! Thank you, Mayor!
BELLUM: Girls, before you go, there's something I'd like to know.
BLOSSOM: Yes, Ms. Bellum?
BELLUM: The money you gave us yesterday you said you found. Did you find all this, too?
(Realizing their oversight, the Girls look at each other uncertainly.)
BUTTERCUP: Uh...no!
BLOSSOM: We got so caught up in wanting to help the city that we sold all our extra toys!
BUBBLES: Yeah, and we hope there'll be lots more where that came from!
BLOSSOM: Uh...yeah! We're going to try raising more money somehow...
BUTTERCUP: Someplace...
(They giggle.)
MAYOR: Well, aren't you just little sweethearts! Right, Ms. Bellum?
(The Girls smile big smiles and fly away.)
BELLUM: Hmmm...right, Mayor...
EXT - FLYING OVER TOWNSVILLE
BUTTERCUP: That was a close one!
BLOSSOM: You said it. Maybe we should wait longer before giving them more money.
BUTTERCUP: And we hafta come up with something better to explain where we got it.
BUBBLES: But, what about the tree?
BLOSSOM: We don't have any choice, Bubbles. We'll just have to take our chances. We don't want anyone getting suspicious.
(Shot pulls back once more to show HIM watching on television.)
HIM: (FV) Oh, they're getting the hang of this better than I dreamed they would! Don't you worry your pretty little heads about the tree, Girls! I'll make sure it's there for you! (evil laughter)
NARRATOR: Oh no. Just like the roots of that evil tree, our Girls are getting themselves in deeper and deeper.
BEGIN MONTAGE
[The Girls are happily watching construction underway at the park. A massive slide is being put up and the foundations for other things are being poured from cement mixers. Cut to the forest, where they gleefully clean out the once-again-full tree. Cut to Mayor's office, where they hand over the money to a happy Mayor. He puts it in the strongbox while Bubbles holds out a plate of fresh cookies and Blossom shows off her hand-made 'Bake Sale' sign. The Girls are all smiles as they fly away.
At the construction site, the Girls exchange high-fives when they see the carpenters hammering together the last boards of Bubbles' sandbox and a dumptruck fills it. The half-built monkey bars are also seen along with the earlier things. Cut to the forest and another joyful 'defoliation'. Cut to Mayor's office and another deposit to the strongbox. This time, Blossom displays a rather crudely drawn sketch of a robot and Buttercup holds up a scribbled 'Bill of Sale' signed at the bottom by 'Profeser Utonium'. Bellum's back is to camera as she watches them fly off, and her arms are crossed in front of her.
Now there is a large sign that reads, 'Townsville Park Playground - Swinging Into Action Soon!'. The monkey bars are finished, all the big plastic animals to ride and tubes to crawl through are in, and the huge swing sets are being assembled. The Girls' smiles couldn't be any bigger. Cut to the forest, where the tree is no less-full than before. Cut to Mayor's office. The cash is handed over and stashed one more time. The Girls are holding color photographs of themselves that appear to be autographed.]
END MONTAGE
MAYOR: Well, Powerpuff Girls, you've done a splendid job. You raised enough to pay for the entire project! In fact, we're going to have a special ceremony next week when we officially open the new playground and you Girls turn over all this cash that you raised to the builder personally!
BUTTERCUP: Wow! That's quite an honor!
BLOSSOM: Thank you, Mayor!
MAYOR: Thank yourselves! We wouldn't have that marvelous new sandbox without you! I've got my pail and shovel all ready!
BUBBLES: (bashful) Aw, shucks!
BELLUM: (slightly sarcastic) Tell me, Girls. Where'd it come from this time?
BLOSSOM: From these signed photos of us!
BUTTERCUP: Yeah! Who'da thunk someone would pay so much for our scribbles on a picture?
BUBBLES: Tee hee!
BELLUM: How much are you selling them for, Girls?
(The Girls are happy to get rid of them and hand Bellum what they have.)
BUTTERCUP: Here, Ms. Bellum. No charge for our friends!
BLOSSOM: Be sure to tell us when the ceremony is, Mayor.
BUBBLES: Bye!
(The Girls fly off.)
MAYOR: Aren't they sweet.
BELLUM: Mayor, aren't you the least bit suspicious about where all this money is coming from?
MAYOR: Of course not, Ms. Bellum! I know where the money is coming from!
BELLUM: (sighs) That's not what I meant, Mayor. I mean, really. Bake sales? Autographs? And since when are the Girls Professor Utonium's business managers?
MAYOR: What are you driving at, Ms. Bellum?
BELLUM: I think we should take a closer look at that money, sir.
(She lunges for the strongbox. He wraps his arms around it protectively.)
MAYOR: Oh, no you don't! This cash belongs to...er...the city of Townsville! Sounds to me like you're a teensy weensy bit jealous. Eh, Ms. Bellum?
BELLUM: Well...maybe a little. I wonder how much I could get for one of these autographed pictures?
NARRATOR: Oh, no. Even Ms. Bellum's been corrupted by HIM's filthy lucre.
EXT - FLYING OVER TOWNSVILLE
(The Girls are headed home.)
BLOSSOM: Well, Girls, we did it!
BUTTERCUP: We paid for the whole thing ourselves! Or, the money tree did...
BUBBLES: What should we do next?
BLOSSOM: I'm sure we can find another worthy cause.
BUTTERCUP: We did our good deed. I say we start living it up a little!
BLOSSOM: No! That would be wrong. The money isn't really ours.
BUBBLES: Why not? We found it, didn't we?
BUTTERCUP: And it's not stolen or reported missing.
BLOSSOM: Well...maybe it would be okay to spend a little on ourselves...
BEGIN MONTAGE
[First stop is the money tree. Next, the Girls exit Mr. Cooper's shop with huge swirled lollipops, licking them happily as he waves goodbye. Next, Blossom hands over a wad of bills to a spiky-haired male clerk in a store's video game department while her sisters are floating with armloads of game cartridges. An exterior shot of the Bank of the Imperial Garden, then inside where the Girls wait patiently in line to make a deposit. Back to the tree to load up. Then the Girls are buying tickets to a movie, then inside munching candy, hotdogs and popcorn and drinking sodas while the light from the screen flickers on their faces. Finally, they are at the beauty salon, being pampered by a trio of young female attendants. The Girls' faces are covered in some bluish goo as they recline in chairs getting manicures and pedicures. They look very contented.]
NARRATOR: 'Spend a little on ourselves', she says...oh, Girls, don't you see that you're buying nothing but trouble?
END MONTAGE
(Shot pulls back to show HIM watching again.)
HIM: (FV) Oh, yes, Powerpuff Girls, the trouble you'll soon be in...Easy to come, easy to go, there will always be a tomorrow. But when you Girls run out of dough, then you'll have to pay...(EV) ...IN SORROW! (evil laughter)
FADE TO BLACK
INT - GIRLS' ROOM - DAY
(Blossom looks off to her right with a peeved expression. Buttercup floats, arms crossed, with a matching one. They are dressed as always, except both are wearing strings of pearls, and Blossom's hair, instead of hanging down, is done up in a fancy 'do with the ever-present bow on top. Buttercup has a yellow rose in her hair.)
BLOSSOM: Hurry up, Bubbles! The limo will be here any minute!
(Bubbles zips out, presumably from the bathroom, wearing matching pearls, a small bouquet of blue and white flowers in her hair, and her pigtails tied off with blue ribbons. Just then, the professor appears from the right, dressed in a tuxedo with a red carnation on his jacket.)
BUTTERCUP: Wow, you look great, Professor!
PROFESSOR: Thank you, Buttercup, but Girls, what's this about a limousine?
BLOSSOM: We deserve to ride in style to the ceremony, don't you think?
(Her sisters' faces say they agree. He frowns.)
PROFESSOR: Blossom, I want to know where you got all this money to pay for the playground all by yourself!
BLOSSOM: (nervously) Um...from saving our allowance?
PROFESSOR: (pointing off somewhere) Girls, I got calls from all over Townsville about your recent spending habits.
(They know they can't fool him like they've been fooling Townsville. Their hands cover their mouths in worry. Then they slump in resignation.)
BLOSSOM: We got it from the money tree in Townsville Forest.
PROFESSOR: (incredulous) What?! A tree that grows money?
(He pauses, then blinks in surprise before smiling.)
PROFESSOR: (animated) That's incredible! I gave up trying to make one of those years ago! After the ceremony, I want you to show it to me!
(They look momentarily happy again but then his face falls.)
PROFESSOR: But Girls, why didn't you just tell me the truth?
BLOSSOM: We're sorry, Professor.
BUBBLES: But we wanted to protect the tree!
BUTTERCUP: No, Bubbles. That's what we told ourselves, but what we really wanted to do was keep the money all for us.
BUBBLES: But I still don't want the tree to get hurt.
(The professor takes her in his arms.)
PROFESSOR: It was good you wanted to save the tree, Bubbles, but telling the truth is more important. But don't you worry. No one's going to hurt the tree. That's what we've got you Girls for, right?
BUBBLES: (brightens) Oh, yeah!
PROFESSOR: That tree is a treasure that belongs to all of Townsville. Girls, after the ceremony we're going to explain to the mayor where you got the money from, and to all those other people, too. I'm sure they'll understand.
NARRATOR: I wouldn't be too sure about that, Professor.
EXT - TOWNSVILLE PARK - DAY
(A ceremonial yellow ribbon is draped across one of the new swing sets. In front of that is a podium. Mayor stands behind it with Bellum to his left. Buttercup floats to the far left holding a pair of shears almost as big as she is to cut the ribbon. Blossom holds the strongbox. To her left, next to the mayor, is a man in shirt and tie with a yellow hardhat. Bubbles is at far right, holding her plastic red pail and blue shovel, ready to start playing. Professor stands proudly between her and Bellum. A crowd is gathered all around, including a contingent of police, presumably for crowd control.)
MAYOR: And now, the moment we've all been waiting for. Especially you Powerpuff Girls. And why not, since you hard-working little ladies raised the money all by your little selves!
(The crowd cheers loudly, but the Girls look momentarily nervous, putting a hand each to their mouths and looking to the professor. He gives them the OK sign and a reassuring smile, and they smile back.)
MAYOR: And now, Blossom, if you'll do the honors?
(Blossom hands the strongbox to the man and clears her throat.)
BLOSSOM: On behalf of my sisters, it gives us great pleasure to...um...(remembering that it really wasn't their money to begin with)...here's your money, sir! It looks like you and your crew did an excellent job!
MAN: Thanks, Powerpuff Girls!
(Everyone waits expectantly as the flashbulbs pop and the man starts to open the box. His face registers shock, then anger.)
MAN: Hey! What's this stuff? Where's my money?
(A tight shot on the open strongbox shows that the bills inside have shriveled, turned brown and crumbled, just like dead leaves are supposed to do.)
(From the previous POV, a startled Blossom takes the box, looks inside and gasps. Shot becomes a split-screen, with the left side showing a horrified Blossom dropping the box and it falls slowly to the ground. The right side shows rapid cuts of shocked people finding in their cash drawers the crumbling currency and it falling apart in their hands: Mr. Cooper, the store clerk, the bank teller, the ticket seller and lastly, one of the salon girls who is out her tip money. Shot returns to a full screen as the strongbox hits the ground, throwing up in slow-motion a cloud of little brown pieces. Buttercup drops the shears and Bubbles, her pail. Everyone gasps.)
MAYOR: (pointing at Bubbles and the professor) Arrest those no-good counterfeiters!
(Cut to a heavy door with steel bars slamming shut. Shot widens to show the Girls and the professor in a jail cell with the mayor and Bellum looking in at them. In Bellum's hands is a copy of the Townsville Tribune with mug shots of the four and the huge headline, 'BAD MONEY!'. A uniformed cop appears and unlocks the cell, and the prisoners are released.)
MAYOR: I knew there was a good explanation. We can't have our heroes being crooks, now, can we?
BLOSSOM: We're sorry we lied to you, Mayor.
MAYOR: Oh, well, no harm done, right, Ms. Bellum?
BELLUM: Well...unbelievable as it sounds, that money does look exactly like dead leaves. If that tree is there like you say, Girls, all charges will be dropped.
(One more time, HIM is watching the scene.)
HIM: (FV) Oh, the tree will still be there...but when you try to clear your names, Girls... (changing to a high-pitched, nasty, sneering voice) ...your little friends will think you've gone nuts! (evil laughter)
EXT - TOWNSVILLE FOREST - DAY
(In the clearing, nervous-looking Girls and Professor are surrounded by a group of angry police, the mayor and Bellum, who has her arms folded in front of her.)
PROFESSOR: Girls...I believed you...
BLOSSOM: I-I don't understand it, Professor!
BUBBLES: (in tears) It was right here!
BELLUM: Girls, the only thing on that tree is-
(Cut to tree. It looks like the same tree, but the leaves are just plain, green leaves and hanging from the branches are...)
BELLUM: (off-camera) Acorns!
(Cut to group.)
MAYOR: Take 'em in, boys! You too, Professor, you ringleader you. Imagine, getting the Girls to pass your funny money!
(The cops move in. Blossom, Bubbles and the professor shrink back but an angry and defiant Buttercup flies past them, up to the tree and gives it a sharp kick.)
BUTTERCUP: Aw, nuts!
VOICE: (off camera) Ow, you little brat!
(It is HIM's evil bark. Everyone gasps. HIM's snarling face appears in the tree trunk.)
GIRLS: HIM!
(The demon's laughter fills the air. The roots and trunk thicken dramatically and the tree grows three times in height. The ends of the branches become claws, reaching out and grabbing for the Girls. The acorns triple in size and become explosive, flaming grenades. HIM begins launching them at the police, who have drawn their guns and are firing uselessly back. The explosions send them flying. Blossom and Buttercup are caught in his claws and strain to escape. Bubbles has avoided capture and begins to act on Blossom's orders, carrying Professor, Mayor and Bellum out of harm's way.)
BLOSSOM: Bubbles, take the others to safety! (to HIM) So, you're the one trying to ruin our good name!
HIM: (EV) Oh, you did that all by yourselves!
BUTTERCUP: You sick piece o' wood! You aren't getting away with it!
(She and Blossom free each other by burning eye-beams through the wood branches, but as soon as the claws release them, new ones entrap them.)
HIM: (EV) But I already have! You won't escape me this time!
(Suddenly, he begins to vibrate and his face in the tree trunk shows bewilderment. Blossom and Buttercup don't know what's going on, either, until they look down and shout gleefully.)
BLOSSOM & BUTTERCUP: Bubbles!
(Bubbles has HIM by the trunk and is ripping him out of the ground, roots and all.)
BUBBLES: (happily) I think I found the root of our problem!
(His power gone, he can't trap the Girls when they free themselves. Bubbles slams him, branches first, into the ground and his face scrunches up in pain.)
BLOSSOM: (with a nasty grin) We're gonna strip you of more than just your dignity!
BUTTERCUP: (with a matching look) And you can take that to the bank!
(Defenseless as the Girls start to tear his branches off, all he can do is shout...)
HIM: Nooooo!!!!
(From his POV, the Girls pull their arms back, ready to deliver the final blow.)
(The screen explodes in stars and a big 'POW!', then is full of fluttering bills floating downward, all with HIM's face on them. The denomination is $3.)
(Shot pulls back to show the bills being shuffled in Blossom's hands. The Girls are in Townsville Park near the new (and busily being enjoyed) playground, floating at a covered vending booth. Blossom, with a fistful of cash in her right hand and waving a black cane in her left, is wearing a circus barker's striped red and white jacket and straw hat and is hawking her wares. Her sisters, in matching jackets and hats, happily distribute the bills to crowds of people in exchange for REAL money.)
BLOSSOM: Step right up, folks, and get your souvenir 'HIM' three dollar bill! Just five bucks and you'll help pay for our new playground!
NARRATOR: Hahahahahaha!!! How do you like that! Raising cash and a little Heck at the same time!
(Standard closing sequence.)
NARRATOR: And so, the day is saved...by ME!
(The Girls are shocked.)
NARRATOR: Hey, it was my twenty bucks that started this whole thing.
Story written January 18-19, 2003.