D.W.'s Snow Mystery[]
Introduction[]
(Mrs. Read puts an old children’s book in a box and puts the box out with the trash.)
D.W.: That's my favorite book! I wanna save it!
(Arthur looks out of the window.)
Arthur: D.W.’s funny. I think if she had room, she'd save everything! Last fall, she saved all the acorns she could find.
(Flashback: D.W. plays on her bed. Kate opens a drawer and is buried in acorns.)
D.W.: Kate, I hope you didn't crack any of my acorns!
Kate: Booboo.
(Flashback: D.W. stands on a chair to open the freezer and pat her snowball.)
Arthur: But the silliest thing she ever saves is in the freezer: a snowball from last winter. It's in the freezer.
Mrs. Read: D.W., please close the freezer. Your snowball's not going anywhere.
D.W.: I was just checking.
(She closes the freezer.)
Title Card: Super Sister[]
(D.W opens the freezer and looks inside. The snowball and the plate are gone.)
D.W.: (gasps) She closes the freezer. Maybe I'm dreaming. She pinches her cheek. Ow! No, I'm awake!
(She looks into the freezer again.)
Upstairs Mrs. Read is changing Kate.
D.W.: Aarrgghh!
(Birds fly up in front of the house.)
(Mrs. Read comes downstairs with Kate. D.W. stands in front of the open freezer. Ice has formed on her hair.)
Mrs. Read: What's wrong, D...? D.W., what on earth are you doing??
D.W.: My snowball is gone!
Mrs. Read: Wait, wait, hold on. It must be in there somewhere.
Pal sniffs a bit of ice that fell to the floor. He eats it and makes a face.
D.W.: No. The most important thing I ever owned is gone!
Mrs. Read: D.W., it was just a snowball!
D.W.: It was not just a snowball. Don't you remember?
Flashback: The previous winter Arthur builds a snow fort in front of the house. D.W. looks out and throws a snowball at him.
Arthur: Argh!
Flashback: Mrs. Read pulls D.W. and Kate on a sled.
Flashback: Arthur tries to make Pal pull his sled.
Flashback: D.W. makes a snow angel.
Flashback: Arthur rolls a big snowball for a snowman. D.W. is stuck to the ball.
Arthur: (grunts)
Flashback: Arthur and D.W. have built a snowman and a snowwoman. Pal sniffs at a snowdog with a carrot for a tail.
Flashback: Arthur and D.W. look out of the snow fort and throw snowballs at their dad.
Mr. Read: Ah!
He dramatically falls backwards into the snow.
Mrs. Read: (giggles) She gets hit by a snowball. Huh?
Arthur+D.W.: (laugh)
Flashback: Mrs. Read is washing dishes when D.W. brings in a snowball.
Mrs. Read: Hold it, young lady! A snowball doesn't belong in the house!
D.W.: But I wanna freeze it.
Mrs. Read: Why?
D.W.: Because this was the best day of my life and I always want to keep a piece of it. So can I?
Arthur behind her nods.
Mrs. Read: Okay. But put it on a plate so it doesn't stick to the freezer.
She puts the snowball on a plate and the plate in the freezer.
Flashback: In summer D.W. and Arthur play in the sprinkler.
D.W.: Yippee!
Arthur: Quack-quack!
Flashback: D.W. checks the freezer in her swimsuit.
D.W.: Even in the summertime, always checked on it and it was always there!
The flashbacks end.
D.W.: And... and now it's gone!
Mrs. Read: I don't know who would have taken your snowball.
D.W.: I bet Arthur knows!
***
Arthur, Buster and Francine are building a clock tower out of toothpicks in Arthur’s room.
Buster: Steady. Easy does it!
When they hear D.W. they all try to steady the tower.
Arthur: D.W., what are you looking for?
D.W is searching Arthur’s cupboards and throwing things on the ground.
D.W.: As if you didn't know!
Francine: Is something missing, D.W.?
D.W.: You wanna know what's missing? You wanna know what's missing?!
Arthur+Buster+Francine: Yes! The tower collapses. Aww.
D.W.: My snowball!
Francine: Snowball?
Arthur: She had an old snowball in the freezer since last winter.
D.W.: (sobs) It wasn't just some old snowball!
She wipes her face with Arthur’s pillow.
Francine: When was the last time you saw the snowball, D.W.?
Buster: This calls for detective work. Take me to the crime scene.
He takes out a notebook and pencil.
***
Buster looks into the fridge. He tastes some icing from a slice of cake.
Arthur: It was in the freezer, Buster.
Buster: When was the last time you saw the snowball, D.W.?
Francine: I asked that ten minutes ago.
D.W.: (sniffs) I last saw it yesterday at lunchtime.
Buster: Did anything unusual happen between yesterday at lunch and today?
D.W.: Hmm. Yes!
***
D.W.’s flashback: Mrs. Read opens the door.
D.W. (narrator): Grandma Thora and her friend Mrs. McGrady stopped by on their way home from bingo.
Grandma Thora: Hello, everybody.
Mrs. Read: Hi.
Mrs. McGrady: Hello, dear.
D.W.: Grandma!
Grandma Thora: D.W.! My favorite grandchild! D.W. runs up to her and they hug. Oh, hi, Arthur.
Arthur: (sniffs loudly) He wipes his nose with his sleeve. Hi, Grandma.
Grandma Thora: D.W., you're so wonderful! And how's your snowball?
D.W.’s flashback ends.
Arthur: Hold it! Hold it! That's not what really happened. Grandma never even knew about the snowball.
D.W.: Well, maybe...
Arthur: I'll tell you what happened.
***
Arthur’s flashback: Grandma Thora and Mrs. McGrady arrive.
Grandma Thora: Hello, children! Arthur! You certainly have grown!
Arthur looks like a muscular teenager.
Arthur: Hello, Grandma!
D.W.: Look at me! Look at me! Look at me! Look at me! Look at me!
Arthur: D.W., you're annoying Grandma.
Grandma Thora: No, of course she's not. quietly: Get me an aspirin. She's giving me a splitting headache.
Arthur’s flashback ends.
D.W.: Grandma did not say that!
Arthur: Maybe not out loud, but I could tell she was thinking it.
Grandma Thora comes in with Mrs. Read.
Grandma Thora: Hello.
D.W.: Why, hello, Grandma. How are you today? (blows raspberry at Arthur)
Arthur: Grandma, maybe you can help us. We're trying to remember what happened when you came over yesterday.
Mrs. Read: Well, I remember what happened.
***
Mrs. Read’s flashback: Grandma Thora and Mrs. McGrady arrive. Arthur and D.W. run through the house like wild monkeys.
Arthur+D.W.: (whoop and yell)
Mrs. Read: Arthur! D.W.! Please!
Mrs. Read’s flashback ends. Mrs. Read touches her forehead.
Grandma Thora: Pardon me, dear, but I remember it a little differently.
***
Grandma Thora’s flashback: Grandma Thora and Mrs. McGrady arrive. Arthur and D.W. stand beside their mother looking well-behaved.
Arthur+D.W.: Hello, Grandma. We love you.
Two halos appear over their heads.
Mrs. Read: Would you ladies like some ice cream?
Grandma Thora’s flashback ends.
D.W.: That's right! Mom went into the freezer for ice cream.
Buster: Was the snowball there?
Mrs. Read: I didn't notice. Hm.
***
Mrs. Read’s flashback: She opens the freezer and takes out ice-cream. Pal lies on the floor.
Mrs. Read’s flashback ends.
D.W.: Wait a minute! That dog was in the kitchen!
Arthur: So you think Pal took your snowball?
D.W.: It's possible.
***
D.W.’s flashback: Mrs. Read closes the freezer. Pal grins and pushes a chair up to the freezer. He pushes over an umbrella stand and holds the umbrella in his mouth to open the freezer from the chair. When he accidentally presses the button, both the umbrella and the freezer open. Pal ends up on the ground, but then he leaps into the freezer and starts throwing things out. He eats the snowball, blows a smoke ring and shivers.
D.W.’s flashback ends.
D.W.: Then he just jumped down.
Francine: Impossible. Dogs can't open umbrellas.
D.W.: Maybe he learned. What else does he have to do all day?
Flashback: Pal watches tennis on TV.
Announcer (on TV): …went to Agassi. That’s thirty-love.
The flashback ends.
Francine: Don’t forget Buster and I were here yesterday too.
***
Francine’s flashback: The kids sit at the table with Grandma Thora and Mrs. McGrady. A halo appears over Francine’s head.
Francine (narrator): Arthur's mom invited us all to have ice-cream.
Grandma Thora: I wish my grandchildren were more like Francine.
Buster messily drinks from the ice-cream carton.
Francine (narrator): But Buster was a P-I-G. Pig.
Buster: (burps) Huh? No ice cream left!
Mrs. Read: There's more ice-cream in the freezer.
Buster: Oh. I'll get it!
Buster has stuck his head inside the freezer and eats chicken. He sees the snowball.
Buster: Huh? Mmm!
He eats the snowball and shivers.
Francine’s flashback ends.
D.W.: You're not writing, Buster.
Buster: Because that never happened! We were all having ice cream...
***
Buster’s flashback: Everyone is having ice-cream.
Buster: …and the other snake says “You can’t love me. I'm your other end!"
All: (laugh)
Francine looks jealous and drinks soda.
Mrs. McGrady: Remind me to tell Mr. Haney to put you ahead a grade, Buster.
Francine spits out the soda.
Francine: Hey, Mrs. Read. You gave me warm soda. Thanks a lot!
Buster: I'll gladly get an ice cube for you.
Grandma Thora: He's so nice!
Francine walks out.
Francine: I can get my own ice cube.
Francine searches the freezer.
Francine: Darn it! There isn't any lousy ice in here. She takes out the snowball. Maybe this is big enough to cool it off.
Buster’s flashback ends. Everybody looks suspiciously at Francine.
Francine: Oh, that is so untrue!
D.W.: Wait! What were you guys doing while I played piano for grandma?
***
D.W.’s flashback: D.W. plays “Chopsticks”. Arthur, Buster and Francine watch her from behind a couch.
Arthur+Buster+Francine: (evil chuckle)
Arthur: Let's see how long it takes D.W.'s snowball to melt in the sun!
The freezer stands open. A cloud moves away from the sun. Arthur holds a magnifying glass to make the snowball melt.
Arthur+Buster+Francine: (evil laugh)
D.W.’s flashback ends.
Francine: We weren't there when Arthur did it!
Arthur: Grr! I didn't do it!!
D.W.: Somebody did it. I want a confession! Confess! Confess!
Buster whistles on his fingers.
Buster: I've reached a conclusion by discerning the truth from the eyewitness accounts. It’s very simple. While we were busy, a space alien materialized.
Buster’s flashback: An alien appears in the kitchen at night and starts sniffing around.
Buster (narrator): In a scientific search for samples of human food, he took the snowball and nothing else, because he left in a hurry.
The alien opens the freezer with a long tongue and takes the snowball. A sleepy Mr. Read appears in the door.
Mr. Read: (yawns) Huh?! The alien disappears. Now who left that freezer door open?
He closes it.
Buster’s flashback ends.
Buster: It's the only logical answer. That’s why the plate is missing also.
D.W. makes the “You’re crazy”-gesture.
Francine: That's crazy!
D.W.: One of you took my snowball!
Francine: Why don't you just confess, Buster?
Arthur: Yeah!
Buster: Me? Why don't you?!
Francine: It was probably Arthur.
Arthur: Me? How could you think I would do something like that?
Mrs. Read: Whoever did it should just admit it. It's not nice to do this to a little girl.
D.W.: I think you're all in on it. You're trying to break a child's heart. It's a conspiracy!
Grandma Thora: You know, someone's going to get their feelings hurt if everyone doesn't calm down.
Mr. Read comes in.
Mr. Read: Hey, everybody, look outside!
Arthur: It's snowing.
Buster: The first snow of the year.
D.W.: Big deal. It'll never be the same.
Arthur: D.W., we'll have just as much fun as last year. Maybe more.
D.W.: Promise?
Arthur: Yeah. I do.
They hug.
D.W.: I just wish I knew what happened to my snowball.
***
The snowball lies on a table in a flying saucer. An alien (not the kind from Buster’s flashback) takes a sample with a spoon while another watches the Read house on a monitor..
Alien 1: Hm.
Alien 2: I told you they’d never figure it out.
Alien 1 eats the sample.
Alien 3: So this is what they eat.
Alien 1: Mm. We’ve got to get the recipe.
The flying saucer flies into space.