Bonus 33. Elsie’s Got Go

Elsie’s Got Go!
by
Matt Zurbo

Elsie dreamed of flying.

Day and night… flying!

So, one day, she told Tyrone; “I’m going to fly!”
“Pfft!” Tyrone scoffed. “Come and play dodge ball, like the other kids.”

Like. The. Other. Kids.
(kids pelting her with doge balls, one bouncing off her head)

“GAH!” shouted Elsie, and started building a kite.
(A BIG kite!)

Tyrone was so impressed he decided to help.
(boy straining, holding a rope attached to girl leaning over a wall, with kite tied to her back)

But… Nope!
(girl crashed with kite, other kids holding dodge balls, pointing and laughing)

Next, Elsie tried to make a dragon.
(Small hang-glider done up to look like a Chinese dragon)

It took weeks.

The big day arrived.
(girl nervous. Boy scared)

Aaaand… Nope.

“Okay,” sighed Tyrone. “Now let’s go and play with the other-“
But Elsie was already drawing up plans for her very own sort-of-plane!

“What’s a ‘sort-of-plane?” Tyrone squawked.
“It’s a bit like a normal plane, but designed by ME!” Elsie smiled.

And set to work.

Soon, everybody in the neighbourhood got wind of what Elsie was up to.

It was hard not to notice!
(girl, straining hard, using shopping trolley to cart huge bits towards small, half-built plane.)

“She’s got go!” said Freddy Frip.
“Determined,” agreed Ali and Paco.

The kids of the block were so impressed, they decided to help.

The parents (garbage truck drivers, wrecking yard boss, supermarket employee, shoe store attendant) were so impressed with all their kids, they decided to help, too.

Everybody helped!

Even though they thought it would never work.

The big day came.
(small 30s style, patchwork cargo plane with two-wheel pushbike under/in, being peddle by girl, the front a bubble window with her inside.)
“Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy…” Elsie whispered with excitement!

“I canna watch!” squealed Tyrone.
(plane peddling down hill)
“Come on, Elsie!” cried her Mum and Dad.
(boy, mum and dad and dog and a few others running behind, encouraging/trying to keep up, some falling over.)

“LET’S GO!” Elsie called. It felt like the first time she had really SHOUTED in her whole life.
(girl, determined biting tongue as plane takes off.)

And…
(flying one foot off the ground, crowd’s hand and fists in air)

And…
(flying happy, free, boy, on top of a large rock in bottom of frame, punching air in victory)

AND…!
(Plane wobbling, everybody under it ducking)

LOOK OUT!
GAH!
WAH!
(out of control)

CRASH!

Ohhhh…! Nope!

“I failed,” Elsie moped.
“ARE YOU NUTS!?” Tyrone wailed.
(Everyone walking away, back into shops, etc… girl still sitting on bum, dejected, boy, exasperated, hands in air, shouting at her)

“You tried, when others didn’t. You believed when they wouldn’t…”

“You dreamed, when we all should have,” he insisted.

“And, one day… when we’re all playing-dodge ball, you’ll be writing an amazing book, or beautiful song…

Or, eventually, be making something that works.”

And Elsie smiled, and said “Oh boy oh boy, oh boy…”

And started building a rocket ship!

The End