Day 21: Astro Auto

Astro Auto
by
Matt Zurbo

 

Oh no!
(Dad and kid in little Jestons-esque flying car, there is a pop and small explosion at the back)

What’s up Dad?
Hmm… Better take it to the mechanics.
(“Car” jacked up on bricks, bonnet up, steam coming out)

Dad, why’s the mechanic called that?
I don’t know. Why don’t you ask him…
(Car towed to and out front of grimy Astro Auto, with snazzy space ship logo. Mechanic out front, stubble, overweight leaning into a “car” fixing it, plumber’s crack showing. Kid looking at sign.)

When I was a boy, other boys wanted to wrestle dragons,
or fight pirates.
(Kid watching mechanic in wonder, as mechanic claws his fingers in the air, like a wrestler, as he tells his tale)

I wanted to be an astronaut!
(Boy, clearly a younger mechanic, dressed as an astronaut, costume made out of household boxes and grey paint)

I saw myself hurtling into space!
(Boy in astronaut costume, in toy peddle car, front blocked up by bricks, pointing to the sky. Boy braced as if fighting g-force)

Fighting space monsters…!
(Boy in costume, wrestling happy puppy)

Finding new planets!
(Boy in costume, pointing boldly to basketball, and hubcaps with big gear cogs for plant rings and so on, he has set up on strings like dangling planets of our solar system, from a tree branch. Plate with quarter slice of lemon cake left is in middle, representing the sun. Puppy happily running alongside rocket/converted peddle car)

Helping aliens!
(Boy helping tired dog dressed in alien costume – fishbowl over its head)

But I was no good at studying.
(Boy, in costume, helmet off, hand on chin staring down at study book, bored out of his brain)

I could dream alright…
(Boy on school bus, hand on chin, imagining huge aliens attacking city, which we see as reflection on window)

But homework?
(Back of boy, old dog beside him, as he is running into the playground, with space gear on)

Besides, I also wanted to be a fireman!
(Boy dressed in makeshift costume as a fireman, on short ladder, rescuing dog from cubbyhouse)

And a dinosaur hunter… (and wrestler on weekends)
(Boy dressed in boxes painted to look like a boxy T-rex, carrying a butterfly net)

In the end, though, I helped my dad a lot.
(Boy, in space costume, handing dad a spanner. Dad is under an old school car)

And lot!
(Boy, now a teenager, working on a motor with his now older dad. Car is far more modern. Boy has space t-shirt or jacket, but no costume)

And became a mechanic.
(Boy, proud chest out, now a young man, surrounded by Jetson “cars”)

I set up here near the space station so I could be near the astronauts.
(Mechanic working, smiling to Astronaut who is walking by with playing kids, smiling to him.)

And listen to their stories.
(Mechanic in workshop office with astronaut, who is making big hand gestures while little mechanic kids, splitting image of dad, right down to oily overalls, spanners etc… in hands,  run around, arms out as if flying.)

Now, every time I fix a car, I put a toy spaceship on the dash, so that maybe…
(Kid back in the “car”, fingers on dash, staring wide-eyed at rocket, Dad and Mechanic shaking hands in the background)
Just maybe…

One of my customer’s kids will grow up,
(Main kid holding toy spaceship, as if flying it through the air, mechanic in background)

study hard,
(Kid, now a teen, at school desk, learning maths hard, toy rocket on desk)

and a little bit of me
(Kid, now an adult, chest out, helmet under arms, real rocket ship prepping behind. Can just make out a toy rocket ship in pocket)

will go with them, hurtling into space!
(Close up of adult kid’s clenched mouth, on an upward angle – flying into space, rocket now clearly in pocket)

(Wordless image of adult kid doing what mechanic dreamed of as a kid – fighting space monster)

(Exploring planet)

(Helping an alien)

(Landed ship, press all taking photos and filming as adult kid rushes through them to hug Dad)

(Adult kid, with astronaut kids of own, furiously shaking hand of happy, but a bit startled mechanic, now old)

Dare to dream! Stop in any time… That will be One-trillion-Bazillion-Dollars and 50 cents, please!
(Final image of out front of mechanics Astro Auto shop, Mechanic out front, smiling, smiling adult kid/astronaut to his left, with astronaut partner, Dad to right, press behind them, kids runs past the front of all of them with toy rocket ships as if flying)

The End