The Birthday Girl

Narrator: Ahh. Just another carefree spring day at the local park.

(Becky and Violet are flying kites. Violet struggles with her string, then gets it under control.)

Becky: Whoa. Windy!

Violet: Gee, I thought I was gonna fly away with the kite!

Becky: Violet, I think you’re  exaggerating . It’s not that windy.

(Violet’s kite takes off, dragging her along the ground.)

Becky: Maybe it is.

(Violet gets pulled past another little girl, with red hair and and a blue hair bow.)

Eileen: Oooh, your kite is beautiful! Can I fly it?

(Violet manages to stop herself in front of the girl.)

Violet: Sure!

Eileen: Thank you! My name is Eileen, and today is my birthday! I’m ten years old!

Violet: Okay, well happy birthday! I’m Violet, and this is Becky.

Becky: Happy birthday!

Eileen: Look at my necklace. My mommy gave it to me.

Violet: Wow, it’s late. I have to get going. May I have my kite back, please?

Eileen: Nope.

Violet: What?

Becky: Yeah, what?

Eileen: It’s my kite now. You gave it to me! For my birthday!

Violet: Well, actually--

Eileen: Pwease, can I have it? Pwetty pwease?

(Becky cringes at the baby talk.)

Becky: Ugh! Puh-lease! It’s pretty please!

Violet: (pauses) Sure, keep it. Happy birthday!

Eileen: Gee, thanks! You’re the bestest friend ever!

Becky: But Violet, that’s your favorite kite!

Violet: I know-- but it’s her birthday!

Becky: Okay… awfully  generous …

Eileen: Oooh! What a pwetty charm bwacelet! Can I have that too?

Violet: Ummmm… No?

Eileen: But-- I always get what I want. And I want that! Mine! Mine! MINE!

(They watch as she starts growing before their eyes.)

Becky: Did she--

Violet: Uh…

Eileen: I want that BRACEL--- Ahh! (She sees Bob) Monkey! Wittle monkey, you’re so pwecious-wecious! Can I hold you??

Becky: Maybe some other time! We have to--

Eileen: But I want him! Besides, it’s my--

Becky: Birthday! Yeah, I remember! Forget it!

Eileen: I said I want it!

Becky: And I said, too bad!

Violet: Give it up, Eileen! Becky says you can’t have him, so you can’t have him! Now back off!

Becky: Violet! I’ve never seen you like this before!

Violet: Well, it’s okay for people to take my stuff, but nobody-- NOBODY messes with my friends!

Eileen: Oh yeah? Well I say that monkey is MINE! MINE! MINE!

(Her voice begins to echo, and she continues to grow while her skin turns green. She pushes Becky and Violet aside, picks up Bob, then hops away.)

Becky: Hey, come back here! Bob! Word U-- (realizes that Violet is still there) Oh.

Violet: What do we do? She’s getting away!

Becky: Uh, right. Let’s split up. We can cover more ground that way!

Violet: Okay! (runs off)

Becky: I’m coming, Bob! Word UP! (transforms)

(Scene: Eileen’s house. There are birthday streamers and balloons dangling from the ceiling, and presents scattered around. Bob is trying to escape through the windows.)

Eileen: Who wants cookies? Fresh out of the oven!

(Bob has finally opened the shutters, but when he hears the word “cookies”.he closes them and sits down at the table. She brings a plate of cookies to him, which he starts shoving into his mouth.)

Eileen: So-- what should we play first? I know! Let’s play tea party! It’s so nice to have a real guest at my tea party. The bear family and Mr. Moo Cow aren’t great conversationalists! Here, you can wear THIS!

(She holds up a doll dress on a hanger, and Bob crosses his arms and shakes his head.)

Eileen: I’ll get you some more cookies! (He nods in agreement, and she picks up the empty plate.) Be wight back!

(After she leaves, Bob jumps up, opens the shutters and goes out the window. )

Eileen: Guess what! I found some with gooey chocolate chunk goodness! (Bob can’t resist, and goes back inside. Eileen holds up the dress again, and Bob reluctantly grabs it from her.) Hooray! Tea party!

Narrator: Meanwhile, at Ye Olde Fancy Schmancy Jewelry Shop…

Reginald: (looking at himself in a mirror) Reginald, you are so handsome! (looks closer at his face) Oh, dear! What is this? Some sort of growth.

Violet: Excuse me, I’m looking for a 10-year-old girl named Eileen. She’s as big as a house, and is wearing--

Reginald: Oh, please, silly pink-stocking child, stop  exaggerating . I just saw her yesterday.

Violet: But I’m not  exaggerating ! Something happened to her, and she just kept growing and growing!

(WordGirl arrives.)

Reginald: Oh, great. Another one.

Violet: WordGirl! How’d you know I was here?

WordGirl: Super-hearing! And, we have to keep the story moving.

Violet: Oh!

WordGirl: Any luck?

Violet: No. I’ve been all over the city. There’s no trace of them!

WordGirl: Ugh! How can that be? She’s as tall as a house! A big green house!

Reginald: Okay! That’s enough wild  exaggerating !

WordGirl: It’s not an  exaggeration ! An  exaggeration  means to stretch the truth. Like saying that you’re the rudest person in the whole world. That’s an  exaggeration . I mean, you’re rude, really really rude, but I’m sure that somewhere in the world there’s someone who’s more rude-- than-- you-- heh-- oh, or take that Hoboken diamond. To say it’s as big as an elephant is an  exaggeration . It’s a big diamond (chuckles), but it’s not as big as an elephant!

Violet: So we’re not  exaggerating  when we say this 10-year-old girl is really, REALLY big!

Reginald: You really expect me to believe there’s a house-sized 10-year-old running around the city?

WordGirl: Well, yeah!

Reginald: Ha! I’m sure they appreciate your imagination at school, but this is a jewelry store. If you two are not going to buy anything, then I would please ask you to scram!

Violet: Fine! We have work to do, anyway! Come on, WordGirl. (She storms away, dragging WordGirl by the arm.)

WordGirl: Uh, okay! I guess we’re… working together!

(Scene: Back at Eileen’s house. Bob is wearing the dress that Eileen gave him, sipping a cup of tea. Eileen, still large and green, holds a piece of paper in front of him.)

Eileen: Look, I got a gold star in the school paper! I just love gold stars! Gold stars, gold stars, gold stars, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

(Bob stares at her, then holds out his cup.)

Eileen: More tea? (She proceeds to miss the cup and pour it into his lap.) Oooh, I am so sowwy, Bobby Wobby. Come on, let’s go get you a bwand new one! (She picks him up) Upsa-daisy!

(Scene: WordGirl is flying through the city, carrying Violet.)

Violet: Wow, it’s so blue up here!

WordGirl: What? Yeah-- Blue.

Violet: WordGirl, I never knew fighting crime took so long. You’re really--  generous  with your time!

WordGirl: Ah-- heh-- yeah.

Violet: (pointing down below her) Look! Down there! A trail of giant footprints!

WordGirl: Let’s follow it!

(They fly down and go into the house through a large hole left where the front door was. WordGirl examines one of the tea cups.)

WordGirl: They must have left a while ago. This tea has been cold for-- (sniffing) --32 minutes and 16 seconds!

Violet: And look! (She holds up the dress that Bob was wearing.) This dress is much too small to be Eileen’s. It wouldn’t even fit on her hand!

WordGirl:  Exaggerating  a bit?

Violet: Maybe a bit!

WordGirl: (looking at the dress) A-HA! Monkey hairs! Bob must have been wearing it!

Violet: (also looking at the dress) That looks like a tea stain!

WordGirl: And it’s still fresh!

Violet: Hey! Maybe they went out to get a new dress for Bob!

WordGirl: Good thinking, Violet! (looking at the label) Hmm, Debbie’s Darling Dresses.

Violet: Becky and I love that store!

WordGirl: I know! (catches herself) I- I mean, oh really? Wow! (pause) Come on! Back to the city! (takes off with Violet)

(Scene: The dress store. Eileen is looking through a rack of dresses while Bob stands around impatiently.)

Narrator: Meanwhile, Bob is putting up a heroic fight for his last shred of dignity! (giggles) Sorry.

(Eileen holds up a white dress in front of Bob.)

Eileen: You don’t have to thank me! I know I’m  generous ! My mommy said so! Put it on.

(Bob crosses his arms and looks away.)

Eileen: I said, put it on! (She hands it to him and he drops it, then crosses his arms again.)

Eileen: I ALWAYS get my way! MINE! MINE! (She doubles in size.)

(Bob is then standing in front of a mirror, wearing the dress with a scowl on his face.)

Eileen: Oooh, you wook so pwetty!

Narrator: It’s a nice color on you! (clears throat) Right, moving on...

(Scene: Eileen is holding Bob as she returns to her house.)

Narrator: A few minutes later…

Eileen: I’m so happy we got the new dwess, Bobby-Wobby! Now we can go back to our tea--

(She gasps as she notices a large gold star mounted at the top of a building.)

Eileen: The biggest gold star I’ve ever seen! It’s beautiful! And it’s going to be mine! Mine! MINE! MINE! MINE!

(Each time she says this, she grows more. She drops Bob into her pocket and Eileen starts climbing the building. WordGirl and Eileen fly by, and Violet points to them.)

Violet: Look, it’s Bob! And Eileen!

WordGirl: Wow! (She lands on top of the building) You distract Eileen, while I zoom in to rescue Bob!

Violet: Okay!

(WordGirl flies down by Eileen, and Eileen swats at her. On the ground below, several people have gathered, and look up in horror.)

Edith von Hoosinghaus: Wait! The ape should be holding the girl, correct?

Violet: (yelling over the edge of the building) Yoo-hoo? Birthday girl, over here! Uh, hey, Eileen! How’d you like my charm bracelet, huh? I have it right here!

(Eileen reaches the roof of the building and her head appears.)

Eileen: Gold star MINE! Gold star MINE!

Violet: Oh, boy.

WordGirl: Almost… got you… Bob! (She flies up to Bob, but Eileen grabs her.)

Violet: Oh-- No! What am I gonna do? (she stops to think) Wait-- (gets an idea) Eileen! One of my-- bestest friends in the whole wide world!

Eileen: Viowet? I’m one of your bestest fwiends? Weally?

Violet: Of course you are!

WordGirl: (cringing at the baby talk) Uh! Guys, you’re killing me here!

Eileen: Wow! I never had a bestest friend before! What do they do?

Violet: Well, um, they uh… puh-way together and give each other pwesents!

Eileen: Ooh! Ooh! I wanna give you a present! (She takes off her necklace and swings it in front of Violet.) Here! Take my favowite-wavowite necklace!

Violet: (taking the oversized necklace) Thank you! (she falls over from the weight of it.)

(Suddenly, Eileen starts shrinking, and releases WordGirl. Eileen and Bob both fall toward the ground. WordGirl swoops down and grabs them both, and brings them both back to the roof. Eileen is back to normal size, and her skin is normal color.)

Violet: I guessed right! Being greedy made Eileen get bigger, so I figured that if she was  generous --

WordGirl: --she’d shrink! Of course!  Generous  means to be very giving, which is the exact opposite of greedy! Great job, Violet!

Violet: Oooh, if only Becky were here to see this! She would never believe what I went through!

WordGirl: Oh, I have a feeling she will!

Violet: How do you know?

WordGirl: I- I just mean she’ll-- she’s understanding. Anyway, I better go! Uh, it was great teaming up with you, Violet!

Violet: Same here, WordGirl! Same here. Arrivederci!

WordGirl: Word UP! (takes off, then shortly after that Becky walks up from behind Violet.)

Violet: Becky! Where have you been all this time?

Becky: Oh, you know… around… town!

Violet: Ooh, guess what? WordGirl and I teamed up to rescue Bob!

Becky: No!

Violet: Yes!

Becky: Bob! Nice dress. (He looks away) Well, Eileen, I hope you learned your lesson. You can’t just run around taking people’s monkeys! (pause) Or any of their other stuff.

Eileen: Yeah. I wearned my wesson! (Becky cringes again.)

Becky: No, you LEARNED your LESSON! (She repeats the “L” sound several times.)

Eileen: (yawns) Woo! I have to go home now and get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow’s my birthday, you know!

Becky: Uh-- I thought TODAY is your birthday?

Eileen: It is! And so is tomorrow! My mommy says everyday is my birthday! Bye-bye!

(Becky, Violet and Bob stand there with stunned looks on their faces.)

Narrator: Anyway, join us again next time for another  generous  helping of action on another exciting episode of WordGirl!