"¶ Someone once told me the grass is much greener ¶" "¶ On the other side. ¶" "¶ Well, I paid a visit ¶" "¶ While it's possible I missed it ¶" "¶ It seemed different yet exactly the same ¶" "¶ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ¶" "¶ Till further notice ¶" "¶ Till further notice ¶" "¶ I'm in between ¶" "¶ I'm in between ¶" "¶ From where I'm standing ¶" "¶ From where I'm standing ¶" "¶ My grass is green. ¶" "¶ Someone once told me the grass is much greener ¶" "¶ On the other side. ¶" "Captioningsponsoredby THE U.S.DEPARTMENTOF EDUCATION andNICKELODEON" "( cawing )" "( birds squawking ominously )" "( children laughing )" "MS. ZORSKI:" ""Mateo smiled at his reflection and seized a brand-new day," ""for no matter what would happen next, his dragons had been slain."" "And that was written by a 14-year-old, last year's winner of the Emerging Author Award." "GINGER:" "Ms. Zorski, can you go over the rules again for this year's competition?" "Entry applications are on my desk, for those of you who are interested, and remember, the winners get to have their work published." "( bell rings )" "( students laughing andtalking)" "Aha!" "How did I know?" "Short stories and poems must be typewritten, double-spaced." "Deadline is the end of this week." "Oh, my gosh!" "Relax, Ginger-- you work well under pressure." "Then don't relax." "Maybe you should write about me." "Remember the time I slipped and fell during an ice-dancing performance and needed stitches in my chin?" "Thanks, Dodie, but I think it's supposed to be fiction." "Well, you can just make something up that goes at the end, like... maybe I learn to fly." "Not bad, Bishop... not bad at all." "Thanks, you guys, but I think" "I'll just do what I always do-- sit down, clear my mind and wait for the story to come to me." "Yep." "That'll never work." "( door opens )" "The vanishing powder on sale in your shop window..." "Why is it on sale, anyway?" "I'd be happy to charge you boys full price." "CARL:" "Louie, I beg, I plead-- don't be absurd." "The thing of it is, I find" "I only have enough coinage for the vanishing powder and not for the reversal potion, which I see is sold separately." "Buying just the powder without the potion would be irresponsible." "( burps )" "Looks like Louie couldn't give a rat's heinie, huh, Carl." "( sighs )" "I'll take the vanishing powder, please." "No bag-- just a receipt." "Talk to me." "I am listening." "( typewriter keys clicking )" "She chose to walk alone, though others wondered why;" "refused to look before her, kept eyes cast upwards, towards the sky." "She didn't have companions-- no need for earthly things, only wanted freedom from what she felt were puppet strings." "She longed to be a bird, that she might fly away." "She pitied every blade of grass, for planted they would stay." "( kettle whistling )" "She longed to be a flame that brightly danced alone, felt jealous of the steam that made the air its only home." "Well, what do you think so far?" "And you can be honest." "LOIS:" "I think you might want to be careful about who you let catch you talking to major household appliances." "But don't worry, your secret's safe with us." "Right, coolie?" "( taps refrigerator )" "CARL:" "The person we vanish has to be a total nonpresence-- someone that no one would miss." "I believe "expendable"" "is the word you're looking for." "And without Gripling, whose life would we make miserable?" "Without Higsby, who would we make fun of all the time?" "I was thinking we could vanish Higsby, and just, you know, start making fun of Blake more frequently." "If we vanish the wrong person, we run the risk of undoing life as we know it." "So let's choose wisely, shall we?" "HOODSEY:" "Regan Yust?" "Class brain." "Heather Farness?" "Class kiss-up." "Max Montgomery?" "Class obsessive-compulsive hand-washer." "Come on, Hoods-- you'll have to dig a little deeper here." "Look beyond the obvious." "I'm talking living, breathing wallpaper." "Bingo!" "Now, I already told you," "Gripling isn't a candidate." "Who's talking about Gripling?" "I'm talking Sussman, Noelle Sussman." "Who?" "GINGER:" ""Some say she wished too hard." ""Some say she wished too long." ""But we awoke one autumn day to find that she was gone."" "Hmm..." "I think this might actually be good." "Did you hear about Cherry?" "( Asian music playing )" "( chanting in Chinese )" "( grunts )" "( chanting in Chinese )" "Are you sure this is her seat?" "It's what the seating chart says" " Hurry, Carl!" "40 seconds to bell." "It says "apply liberally."" "Should I use the whole box?" "I don't know, Carl, I don't know." "I think I got some on my arm." "Be careful, Carl." "This ought to do it." "It says here she'll vanish within 24 hours." "Cool." "( ticking )" "( bell ringing )" "( quietly ):" "8:35 a.m.:" "Sussman has come into contact with the magic powder." "No immediate signs of vanishing." "MRS. GORDON:" "Ladies and gentlemen, Hoodsey, take out last night's vocabulary homework, and clear your desk of all other paraphernalia." "BRANDON:" "Paraphernalia:" "personal belongings, equipment or apparatus." "No one likes a suck-up, Brandon." "Duly noted." "( imitating children's voices )" "What's she doing, Carl?" "If I'm not mistaken," "I think she's making fun of us." "Is that thumb finger supposed to be me, Carl?" "Yep." "Huh!" "She's funny, Carl." "( continuing to mimic voices )" "Well, what do you think?" "And you can be totally honest, because..." "Sit down, Ginger." "You don't like it." "It's not that, Ginger." "It's not that at all." "It's very well written." "But?" "But... it's a little troubling." "I know." "Isn't it sad?" "I mean, my eyes were practically welling up with tears when I wrote it." "It's as if she was someone I knew." "I mean..." "Ms. Zorski?" "Ginger, I want to show this to Dr. Leventhal, the school psychologist." "Why?" "Just to get her thoughts." "There are some very heavy feelings in this poem, feelings that should be discussed." "But it's fiction." "It's creative writing." "I don't understand..." "what did I do wrong?" "You didn't do anything wrong." "Am I still allowed to enter the competition?" "Of course you are, Ginger." "See Dr. Leventhal first thing in the morning, and let me know how it goes, okay?" "Howisit possible togofromfeelingsogood tofeelingso bad?" "( in alien voice ):" "Surrender." "( in human voice ):" "Never... never!" "I say it again-- never!" "Oh, no." "She's really weird." "No kidding." "How did I not notice this?" "How, Hoods?" "Thank you." "Maybe it won't work." "Thank you!" "I never thought I'd say this, but I hope Louie really did scam us this time... because I have a sinking feeling that Noelle Sussman is anything but expendable." "MACIE:" "Gee, Ginger, I know stroganoff isn't your favorite, but lighten up." "DODIE:" "Ginger, sometimes, when my mother is feeling down, she locks herself in the bathroom and screams into a hand towel." "Do you want to try doing that?" "Maybe just talking about it?" "I really don't want to get into it, you guys." "Okay... it's about what I wrote." "I knew it!" "I knew it." "Draw blood, did you?" "Well, don't come crying to Dodie." "You had your chance." "GINGER:" "Macie," "I finished my poem, and I was feeling great about it." "I mean, here I thought" "I'd written this totally moving piece, but..." "But what?" "I showed it to Ms. Zorski, and she said it "concerned" her and now she wants me to show it to the school psychologist." "She's treating me like I'm a total head case." "I don't understand, Ginger." "What's the story about?" "Nothing." "It's just about a girl." "Can we hear it?" "( groans quietly )" ""Some say she wished too hard." ""Some say she wished too long." ""But we awoke one autumn day to find that she was gone."" ""The trees, they say, stood witness." ""The sky refused to tell." "But someone who had seen it said the story played out well."" ""She spread her arms out wide, breathed in the break of dawn." ""She just let go of all she held, and then, she was gone."" "Poor dear." "We didn't know you were suffering." "What?" "Man, if I'd have known you were, like, clinically depressed," "I might have gone a little easier on you." "You guys, this poem isn't about me." "It's made up, you know, like fiction?" "I mean, there are days I really wished you'd disappear, but I had no idea you felt that way, too." "I don't." "DODIE:" "All right, back to your tables, people-- break it up." "Move along, there's nothing to see here." "You guys believe me, right?" "The poem is just a poem." "I wrote it for the contest." "Sure, Ginger." "You betcha." "Only... if you ever did want to go away, like the girl in your story, we just hope..." "That you'd tell us." "The F.F.'s, you know." "You guys, I am not, I repeat, I am not depressed!" "( sighs )" "If one of you doesn't say something" "I'm going to call one of those parental help hot lines." "I mean it!" "( groans )" "That's just it, Mom." "I mean, what's with the total alarmist attitude?" "Can't a kid lie on the couch apathetically without it being, like, a national emergency?" "Uh..." "Ginge?" "It's just that everyone at school is making this really big deal about something that isn't a big deal." "And now Zorski wants me to see the school psychologist." "And all my friends are treating me like I'm nuts." "Dr. Leventhal, huh?" "Well, if Zorski thinks so." "But I don't want to see a psychiatrist." "I'm not crazy." "Crazy?" "Crazy?" "!" "Crazy is spending four months of allowance to get rid of something that you actually really like!" "That, my friend, is crazy." "( Lois muttering )" "Ow!" "Nicely written, Ginger." "Thanks." "Ginger, are you able to recognize that your leading lady is a, well... a little morose?" "I guess." "Well, that's why we asked you here." "Our concern is that these feelings are coming from somewhere inside you, Ginger." "Are there times that you wish you could disappear?" "Does right now count?" "( chuckles nervously )" "Guess that wasn't the answer you were looking for." "I can't believe it..." "I vanished her," "I, I totally vanished her." "Don't take it so hard, Carl." "You still have me." "Mrs. Gordon, do you have any information on Noelle Sussman's whereabouts?" "Mr. Foutley, while I'm on the subject of Helen of Troy" "I will only accept questions that are relevant... to Helen of Troy!" "Okay." "Does Helen of Troy have any information on Noelle Sussman's whereabouts?" "It's kind of important." "In the hallway, Foutley!" "That's it!" ""Seventh period rap group... for girls like you."" "Girls like me?" "( sighs )" "Courtney..." "what's wrong?" "Well, you're not the only one with problems, okay?" "Things have been really hard for me, too, lately." "You've got to be kidding." "You didn't think I would just sit back and let you corner the problem-child market?" "Well, did you?" "Being miserable earns you scads of extra attention." "And who doesn't need scads of extra attention, Ginger?" "I'm not miserable, Courtney." "Course not." "Not with all that extra attention." "I don't want any extra attention." "Well, stop yelling at me." "I told you I'm in a fragile emotional space right now." "( crying )" "Huh... everyone... just everyone has lost it." "And they actually think there's something wrong with me." "a better place now, Carl." "Ever think of that?" "She was weird, she was genuinely bizarre." "She was right under our noses and we never even noticed her." "How about if I read to you from your favorite reference book of all time?" "Entertaining Penguins?" "You betcha." "Where is it?" "Entertaining Penguins!" "It's not on the shelf!" "Let's just see here." "Um, the book was last checked out by a... oh, Noelle Sussman." "In fact, it's due back today." "She was a fan of Entertaining Penguins?" "The most absurd reference book of all time!" "This just can't be happening." "But it is." "You vanished your favorite book, too!" "Who cares about the book, Hoods!" "Don't you see?" "!" "She was like my..." "my soul mate." "Carl!" "I got to do something." "I got to get her back." "Carl, get a hold of yourself!" "Carl, I beg you!" "CARL:" "Is this all the information we could get our hands on?" "HOODSEY:" ""Is this all"?" "!" "This is a lot, Carl." "Look at all this stuff." "I've got transcripts, photographs." "I think I may even have a urine sample in here somewhere." "She was born in Portugal." "She has a pet flamingo." "She's obsessed with black holes." "She won't touch veal." "And she was an extra on three episodes of Town Square." "( country/western music playing)" "She was left back in kindergarten for noncompliance when she refused to lay down on a mat." "Are you serious?" "I got to get her back at all costs." "She's worth it." "We don't have nearly enough money for the reversal potion." "Louie jacked the price back up." "Then I'll just have to sell something... something with a very high street value." "Carl, you're talking crazy stuff, crazy!" "Let's just slow down a moment here, try to regroup." "Can we do that, Carl?" "Okay, now, sure, Noelle was a real individual and somebody we probably would have even liked to chill with, but she's gone." "And selling the eyeball will only make that gone, too!" "No!" "We can bring her back, Hoods." "If the vanishing powder worked the reversal potion will, too." "But, Carl, who are you going to sell the eyeball to at this late hour?" "It's almost dinner!" "The most motivated buyer I know." "Carl Foutley to Blake." "Come in, Blake." "I know what you're thinking:" "It's like, you can't really make a sandwich without it, but 12 grams of fat per tablespoon, who needs?" "Hi, Mom." "It's not about mayo." "I know you don't want to talk about it, but I just wanted to tell you that I really loved your poem." "It gave me the full-blown chills, and I mean it." "Way to go, kid." "But, Mom, didn't you find it troubling and disturbing?" "Aren't you worried that I'm the girl in the story, tragically depressed and crying out for help?" "No, I know exactly who you are." "You're a bright, sensitive young woman-- the kind of person who understands people's feelings, which is why you can write about them so beautifully." "You always make me feel better, Mom." "How do you do that?" "Listen, kid, you don't have to be afraid of your feelings, ever, no matter what they are." "And no one knows you better than you know yourself." "Don't let people tell you that you're someone you're not, even if they do have a Ph.D." "If you don't like talking to Dr. Leventhal, you could always talk to Dr. Mom." "I'll give you a break on my hourly, too, okay?" "Thanks again, Mom, for making me feel... normal." "CARL ( faintly ):" "The potion, the potion, my eyeball for the potion!" "HOODSEY:" "Carl, I beg you reconsider." "COURTNEY ( crying ):" "It's like... if you want to use my styling products... just ask first." "( sobbing ):" "Just ask..." "that's all I'm saying." "Ask!" "LEVENTHAL:" "Courtney... ( sobbing )" "Yes?" "As heart-wrenching as this story is, maybe we could discuss something else, like, perhaps, your perpetual need to be the center of attention?" "Hmm?" "Tomorrow, students, there will be an in-class examination on the material we cover today, so pay extra close attention, Mr. Bishop." "( door opens )" ""Deposit potion liberally around the vanishing site."" "Carl Foutley!" "What on earth do you suppose you're doing?" "I'm sorry, Mrs. Gordon," "I'm sorry for everything." "This is all my fault." "Yes, you're the one making a mess on my classroom floor." "I'm talking about the disappearance of Noelle Sussman!" "Keep quiet, Carl." "You're selling yourself up the river." "I vanished the most extraordinary girl to ever stroll the Lucky Elementary corridors." "I vanished Noelle Sussman!" "What on earth are you talking about?" "You didn't vanish anyone." "The Sussman family moved across town." "Noelle was transferred to Happy Flower Elementary on Third." "Now take your seat!" "Carl Foutley!" "Get back here this instant!" "( Noelle muttering )" "CARL:" ""What penguins like the most," ""what penguins like the best" ""is for humans to entertain them while they sit back and rest."" "Hello, Carl." "So you didn't actually think you were going to make off with that library book, did you?" "Carl?" "( in harsh nasal ):" "Amazing." "( squeaking like a penguin )" "( quietly ):" "Where have you been all my life?" "Nowthatthewhole grouptherapythingisover" "Iguessit wasn'tthatbad." "I'mkindof glad Istuckwithit." "Imean, talkingaboutyourfeelings isa prettygoodway  topasstime,you know." "Ithinkthereasonmypoem strucka nerve wasbecauseeveryonerelated tothemaincharacter, includingme... because maybe us writers do put alittleof ourselves ontoeverypage andmaybeIdidn'twritethat storyjustforthe contest;" "maybeI hadsomethingtosay." "But,nomatterwhathappens atthecompetition," "Ialreadygotmoreoutofit thanI meantto ... becausesomehow, inwritingthatpoem," "Igotachance to know myself a little better, toseemyself alittlemoreclearly, and I kind of like what I saw." "So,even ifI don'tgetpublished," "Iguessin someways, IalreadyfeellikeIwon ." "( to rap beat ):" "¶ She chose to walk alone, though others wondered why ¶" "¶ Refused to look before her ¶" "¶ Eyes cast upwards towards the sky ¶" "¶ She didn't have companions, no need for earthly things ¶" "¶ She only wanted freedom ¶" "¶ From what she felt were puppet strings ¶" "¶ She longed to be a bird, that she might fly away... ¶" "Captioningsponsoredby THE U.S.DEPARTMENTOF EDUCATION andNICKELODEON" "Captioned by MediaAccessGroupatWGBH , access.wgbh.org" "¶ Felt jealous of the steam that made the air its only home. ¶" "¶ Some say she wished too hard, some say she wished too long ¶" "¶ But we awoke one autumn day to find that she had gone. ¶" "¶ The trees, they say, stood witness ¶" "¶ The sky refused to tell ¶" "¶ But someone who had seen it ¶" "¶ Said the stories played out well ¶" "¶ She spread her arms out wide, breathed in the break of dawn ¶" "¶ She just let go of all she held... ¶" "And she was gone."