"NARRATOR:" "Once upon a time, there was a brave little mouse who loved honor and justice and always told the truth." "(CAPTAIN BARKING ORDERS)" "No, that's not him." "(YAWNING)" "That's a rat." "And anyone who knows anything, knows there's a big difference between a mouse and a rat." "Ohhh." "First of all, rats hate the light." "(GROANS)" "They spend their lives in the darkness." "They're also terrified of people, which is why they slink and cower all the time." "Ooh!" "And as far as telling the truth is concerned, well, that's impossible because, as everyone knows," "(CLEARS THROAT) a rat can't talk." "Tell me that thing again, please." "Come on." "Just once, I promise." "Tell me one more time, and I won't ask you ever again." "I swear." "(SIGHS)" "Fine." "We are headed to Dor, one of the most magical places in the whole world." "No, that's not what you said before." "You know, every place has something special." "And, in Dor, it's the soup!" "SAILOR:" "Land ho!" "(SAILORS CHEER)" "Ohhh." "SAILOR 1:" "It's down below, I tell you." "SAILOR 2:" "Give it a heave." "I can see it!" "Ooh, I can smell it!" "I can smell it." "ROSCURO:" "Oh, I can't wait to taste the soup!" "Just stay close." "We leave again at 6:00." "You know, we ought to think about staying here just a little longer." "Don't even think about it." "Remember Shanghai?" "Yeah, but this place is different." "I mean, this is special." "NARRATOR:" "On any given day, just one whiff from one of the soup shops was almost like having a full meal." "But on one very special day every year, the kingdom of Dor was magically transformed." "(CROWD CHEERING)" "In Dor, Christmas was nothing." "Well, they still celebrated it, but it was nothing compared to Soup Day." "Watch it, watch it." "Incoming potatoes!" "Hurry!" "Hurry!" "Excuse us." "Every Dorian, young and old, would flock toward the castle because they knew that, at that very moment, deep within the royal kitchens, a masterpiece was being created." "DELIVERY MAN:" "Potatoes coming up!" "COOK 1:" "Let's go!" "COOK 2:" "Don't forget the parsley!" "COOK 1:" "Make sure it's clean!" "NARRATOR:" "Everyone knew Chef Andre was a genius, but they got reminded of it on the first Sunday of every spring." "At exactly 12:00 noon, he would unveil that year's royal creation." "More onions!" "More onions!" "More onions!" "More onions!" "They would jam the town square, and, as the aroma began to build, so did their anticipation." " Ohhh!" " Ow!" "Sorry." "(TRUMPET FANFARE PLAYING)" "(CROWD CHEERING)" "Wow." "Thank you." "(CLEARS THROAT)" "It's my pleasure to announce this year's royal creations from the kitchens of Chef Andre." "Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" "Something is wrong." "I need more time!" "But we're late already!" "This is not right!" "Everyone out!" "Out!" "NARRATOR:" "Now, it's hard to be a genius all by yourself." "In fact, sometimes, it takes a little help." "You changed something." "You're crazy." "I did not touch it." " I can smell it." " Hmm?" " What's this?" " What?" " This!" " Ow!" "Garlic." " Garlic." " Yeah, a little garlic." " It was already there." " No." " Yes." " No." " Yes." " Not this much!" "Ow!" "You ruined my soup!" "I save your soup!" "Those people wait all year, and you want to give them this dishwater." "Dishwater?" "Dishwater." "Dishwater?" "Ow!" "Cut it out!" "(CLAMORING)" "(CROWD CHEERING)" "And this year's soup is a spring tureen with a mélange of roasted vegetables..." "Oh." "...fresh herbs..." " Mmm!" "...and wild mushrooms." "Oh." "Roscuro?" "Roscuro?" "Oh." "Evening." "CHEF ANDRE:" "I don't have to stand here and listen to a big talking garbage can!" "BOLDO:" "Ha!" "And I don't have to stand here and listen to a coward!" " Coward?" " Yes, a coward!" " You call me coward?" " Yes!" "(SCREAMS)" "(GASPS)" "Oh, no!" "(EXCLAIMS)" "(BOLDO YELPS)" "Oh, no, no, no, no, no." "(MUTTERING) That did it." " Hmm?" " Mmm." "BOTH:" "Mmm!" "(CHUCKLES)" " Bellissima!" " It's fantastique!" "Roscuro!" "Roscuro, where are you?" "(TRUMPET FANFARE PLAYING)" "Ohhh." "(DRUM ROLLS)" "(ALL GASP)" "(SNIFFS)" "Whoa!" "(SNIFFS)" "Voilà!" "This is amazing!" "CHEF ANDRE:" "Wait till Your Highness tastes it." "Hmm?" "QUEEN:" "This is..." "Whoa!" "...absolutely... (EXCLAIMS)" "Oh, it moved!" "My soup moved!" "No, it isn't..." "It did not move." "Oh, Your Highness." " Ahhh!" " Darling?" "Oh!" "A rat!" "There's a rat in my soup!" "Madam, I know that this is unfortunate." "And I know that while on first glance, I might..." " A rat!" "In my soup!" " No." "Please." "Shh, shh, shh." " And I ate it!" " Your Highness, hold on... (GAGGING)" " Uh-oh." " She's right!" "It's a rat!" "(GASPS)" " Please..." " Ahhh!" "It's a rat!" "Get me that rat!" "Now, I really believe you're jumping to conclusions." "And I'm sure that the rats you met last time might have caused you to create a stereotype, but..." "But I..." "But..." "It's just..." "I'm just..." "I'm not really from around here." "I'm..." "I'm from..." "Oh..." "Oh!" "That's very aggressive." "GUARD:" "Get him!" "Kitchen..." "He's going into the kitchen!" "Oh!" "GUARD:" "Over there!" "Stop that rat!" "Whoa!" "GUARD:" "I got him!" "Uh-oh." "He's going near the soup!" "GUARD:" "There he is!" "If..." "If I could just tell..." "GUARD:" "On the kettle!" "That's him, right there!" "Look, up there!" "(SIGHS)" "Sweetie?" "Darling?" "She's..." "She's..." "She's..." "Blimey, she's dead." "Get him!" "GUARD:" "Don't let him escape!" "We'll get you, you rowdy rat!" "Oh!" "No, no, no!" "No, not there!" "(SOBBING)" "You don't need to be afraid." "I know it's dark, but you'll get used to it." "Who..." "Who are you?" "Just a rat, like you." "Come with me." "NARRATOR:" "When something hurts this much, there must be a reason." "There must be someone to blame." "(CLEARS THROAT)" ""From this moment on, soup," ""the making of soup, the selling of soup, or the eating of soup," ""is hereby outlawed in the kingdom of Dor!" ""Rats are to be considered illegal as well" ""and are hereby deemed unlawful creatures in the kingdom of Dor!" ""From this moment on," ""anyone harboring, sheltering or possessing a rat in any way," ""shall face the full wrath of the law!"" "NARRATOR:" "So think about this." "What happens when you make something illegal that is just a natural part of the world?" "You may as well make flies illegal." "Or sweat." "Or Monday morning." "But that's what the King did out of a terrible sadness." "Sunlight left and the world went gray." "Colors faded into each other and dark clouds filled the sky." "And for a long time, it wouldn't rain." "The clouds just stayed and stayed and stayed." "(SIGHS)" "I wish it would rain." "You and the whole world, madam." "Ow!" "Oh, sorry, milady!" "Well, at least I can still feel that." "Louise, do you think there's a bit of light somewhere in the world?" "Don't know, ma'am." "I think there is." "You just need to know where to find it." "NARRATOR:" "Okay, remember when we told you how, once upon a time, there was this brave little mouse?" "Well, if you know anything about fairytales, you know that a hero doesn't appear until the world really needs one." "(MICE SCREAMING)" "MOUSE:" "Oh, look out!" "Alms for the blind!" "Alms for the blind!" "(EXCLAIMS)" "(MICE CHATTERING)" "Excuse me." "Excuse me." "Excuse me." "Excuse me." " Whoa!" " I'm sorry." "Sorry." " Tilling?" " Oh!" "Mr. Mayor, hello!" "Where are you going?" "(STAMMERS) Oh, well, my baby is having a..." "No, my wife is having a..." "Oh, right." "Congratulations." "Thank you." "Thank you, sir." "I'm sorry, I..." "I really..." "Goodbye." "His eyes are open." "Don't worry about it." "Sometimes they are." "But he isn't cowering." "He's looking right at us." "Don't worry." "He'll learn to cower." "They all do in time." "ANTOINETTE:" "But he isn't!" "Wow!" "He's so puny!" "And look at those ears!" "NARRATOR:" "And, from the very beginning," "Despereaux Tilling heard more, saw more and even smelled more than any of the other mice." "Despereaux, don't do it." "(GASP)" "MOUSE 1:" "Don't look." "Don't look!" "MOUSE 2:" "I won't, I won't." "(GROANS)" "Mmm." "NARRATOR:" "Despereaux Tilling had no idea he was small." "He wasn't just small in human terms." "He was small even for a mouse." "But, to tell you the truth, he didn't even notice." "In fact, in his own mind, Despereaux was a giant." "We're worried about him." "He doesn't scurry." "He doesn't cower." "At first, we thought he would grow out of it, but..." "Well, he scurries sometimes." "But not when he's scared!" "He just does it for fun." "And he never cowers." "We've showed him how, but he..." "Well, some kids are slower than others." "He'll cower in time." "We'll work on it." " Yes, but..." " It'll be fine, I promise." "All right, settle down." "Ready, class?" "(ALL GASP)" "Good." "ALL:" "Mmm!" "Ah!" "Good." "Excellent." "(ALL SCREAM)" " Despereaux!" " Yes?" "You didn't cower." "Looks like a sword." "It's a carving knife." "It's beautiful!" "It's dangerous." "Do you have anymore?" "Despereaux, what are you doing?" "We're not even supposed to be here." "That's the dungeon." "They have rats down there." "And they'll eat you." "And pull your arms off!" "How far down is it?" "I don't know." "No one's ever come back." "How come?" "'Cause... 'Cause..." "'Cause that's where you go when you get... (STAMMERING) When you get..." "Banished." "What do you get banished for?" "Oh, you know." " Rules and..." " Breaking." " We can't even..." " Talk about it..." " Because..." " That's one of the..." "ALL:" "Rules!" "MOUSE 1:" "Despereaux!" "I just want to have a quick look." "We got to get out of here!" "MOUSE 1:" "Oh, gosh." "MOUSE 2:" "Oh, no." "ALL:" "Oh, jeez." "Uh-oh." "Despereaux!" "You can't feed them." "Hello?" "(ECHOES)" "Here you go, whoever you are." "(CHUCKLING) Nice." "You are crazy!" "What I say?" "I said nothing!" "Well, you heard exactly what I said." " I say you crazy." " No, no, no, no!" "(PLAYING MUSIC)" "(ALARM BELL RINGING)" "RAT:" "Hurry!" "(RATS CHANTING)" "(CROWD CHEERS)" "SMUDGE:" "Ha!" "They look hungry, sir." "Mmm-hmm." "Dinnertime." "(CLAMORING)" "(CHUCKLES)" "You're not eating." "Uh, I was." "No, you weren't." "Well, I'm just watching, sir." "Well, that's not very grateful of you after I've taken you under my wing." "(STAMMERING) Well, I'm grateful, really." "I am." "You miss something, don't you?" "Uh, no, I don't." "There's nothing up there, Roscuro." "Nothing at all." "Oh, no, I know that!" "Absolutely." "Uh, nothing!" "Nothing." "Nothing at all." "He's a tough one." "You're not gonna turn him." "Nah, you're not." "Oh, I don't know." "A rat is a rat." "It doesn't really matter where you come from." "ROSCURO:" "I'm sorry." "MOUSE:" "He is so weird." "(LAUGHS) No kidding." "That is so beautiful." "I wonder what's out there." ""February 1:" "Doesn't scurry." ""February 3:" "Didn't cower." ""Didn't cower." "Didn't cower." ""Wouldn't scurry."" "Oh, here's one:" ""Drew pictures of cats on his notebook."" " No!" "Cats?" " Oh!" "I can't imagine!" "I'm afraid so." "Named it Fluffy." " Oh, I had no idea!" " Oh!" "That's terrible." " Despereaux." " Yes, sir?" "Come in, please." "Despereaux, why do you think you're in school?" "To learn?" " To learn, yes." " Yes." "To learn what?" "(HESITATING) To learn how to be a mouse, sir." "That is correct." "And you can't be a mouse if you don't learn to be afraid." "Oh, Despereaux, this..." "There's so many wonderful things in life to be afraid of if you'd just learn how scary they are." "Yes." "Yes, sir." "How about his brother?" "His brother?" "What about him?" "Yes, is he, you know, timid?" "Oh!" "Oh, yes!" " Yes, very timid." " Yes." "So timid!" "As timid as the day is long." "Good." "Good." "Sometimes they just need to see the older ones do it." "No one starts out afraid." " Understood." " Of course." " You coddle that boy, that's the problem." " No." " Yes, you do." " No, no." " Yes, you do." "You've been doing it for years." " He was always..." "He's little." "I've had to help him." "He's not going to be afraid unless you allow him to be afraid." "Well, Furlough will teach him." "Do what he does." "And don't do anything he doesn't." "And if he's afraid of something..." "Then you need to be afraid of it, too." "Oh!" "Wow." "Come on, Furlough, hurry up!" "Whoa..." "FURLOUGH:" "All right, now, you start nibbling right along that edge there." "The glue is all right, but it's the pages that taste the best." "Hmm. "Once upon a time." That's great, isn't it?" ""Upon a time."" "And they don't even tell you what time that is yet." "It's like you have to find that out." "You're not supposed to read it, Despereaux." "You're supposed to eat it." "Good." "I'll come back in an hour." "And no reading!" "It's a rule." "NARRATOR:" "Once upon a time, there lived a fair princess, fairer than any in any other land." "Hmm." "Fair." "And, as the story goes, she was locked up in a faraway castle, where she could see the world but could never touch it." "She longed for a prince." "A brave knight who would deliver her from all of this." "Someone with courage and honor and decency." "But in a cruel and frightened world, men like this were scarce indeed." "(DRAGON ROARING)" "(GRUNTS)" "They lived in a special world built on courage and chivalry and honor." "They pledged their lives to each other." "To fight for truth, to defend the weak, to seek justice, and to always..." "LESTER:" "How was the library?" "Fine." "Spoil your appetite?" "No." "Helped it, actually." "Made me hungrier." "Good lad." "Ha-hah!" "Did you see they're putting up a new front on the crumb shop?" "ANTOINETTE:" "Oh!" "But I loved the old front." "LESTER:" "Quite modern." "Yes." "NARRATOR:" "Did a book ever speak to you?" "Almost like it was written for you?" "Despereaux loved it all." "Every bit of it." "The truth, the justice, the bravery, the sword-fighting." "He even loved things you wouldn't suspect." "The story said she was a prisoner, but that wasn't totally true because she had hope, and whenever you have hope, you're never really anybody's prisoner." "Someday, my prince will come." "But how did she know that?" "Yeah, how did she know that?" "(LUTE PLAYING)" "(SNIFFLES)" "(GASPS)" "(PRINCESS PEA CRYING)" "DESPEREAUX:" "Why are you crying?" "(GASPS)" "Why are you crying?" "Down here." "(GASPS) Are you a rat?" "No." "What are you?" "A mouse?" "I am a gentleman." "(CHUCKLES)" "And how do you do?" "You're sad." "Yes." "Because you have longing." "You're a strange little mouse." "Thank you." "Come on." "Where did you hear that?" "About the longing." "In a story." "A story?" "About what?" "About a princess, like you, in a castle, like this." "Oh." "You're a smooth little mouse, aren't you?" "Bet you tell that to all the princesses." "I am sworn to tell the truth." "It is a code of honor." "Ah." "Not just a gentleman, an honorable gentleman." "Well, then, how does this story end with this princess who's locked in a castle?" "I don't know..." "I haven't finished it yet." "I'd love to know." "Oh, I wish it would rain." "I wish there was soup again." "I even wish there were rats!" "Will you promise me that?" "Will you promise to finish your story and tell me how it ends?" "Yes." "It will be my quest." "Your quest!" "You are a very brave mouse." "Thank you, my good gentleman." "Whoa!" "Whoa." "(EXCLAIMS)" "Whoa!" "(EXCLAIMS)" "NARRATOR:" "Now, there are all kinds of princesses." "Some are born that way, some marry into it, and some are destined to be princesses only in their own minds." "But at one time or another, every little girl longs to be a princess." "I'm gonna live right there." "Right up there, near the tippy-top." "Quit your daydreaming and feed those swine!" "Yes, I know." "It's gonna be all mine." "No, you deaf little urchin." "I said feed those swine!" "(EARS RINGING)" "NARRATOR:" "Miggery Sow had been shoveling slop for as long as she could remember." "Her Uncle Ned had put a shovel in her hand from the minute she could hold one." "But it turned out all right because she got on quite nicely with the pigs." "That's right." "I'm gonna have a special room just for my dresses and another whole closet just for my knickers!" "In fact, Miggery Sow could see her future so clearly." "She could see the tiara, the fancy dresses, the maids-in-waiting, and when things got really bad around the farm, she could see the moment that she would finally be delivered from all of this." "Not long now." "I promise you that." "20 for the big ones, 15 for the sow, and 12 for the girl." "15 for the girl, same as the sow." "I told you!" "I told you I'd make it to the castle!" "Whoa!" "So sometimes, it doesn't take much for your dreams to come true." "You just have to be able to see it that way." "She was beautiful!" "Like an angel." "FURLOUGH:" "You are crazy." "And she smelled so amazing." "Like a garden." "Despereaux!" "You can't talk to a human." "That is the worst thing you can do." "No, it's the best thing I ever did." "They will throw you in the dungeon." "You will get eaten by rats!" "It would be worth it." "They could tear at my flesh." "Oh, this is bad." "Oh, and when she held me in her hand, it was..." "It was so soft, like floating in a pillow." "You know what?" "I'm worried about you." "That's the point, Furlough." "There's nothing to be afraid of." "Quiet!" "They will hear you." "Come on." "Just try it." "Just for a second, just try being brave." " Oh!" " And stop cowering!" "What's going on in here?" "What's all this talk about princesses and bravery?" "Furlough, I want to see you in my study, right now." "LESTER:" "Are you sure?" "FURLOUGH:" "That's what he said." " A real human?" " A princess." "(SIGHS)" "We need to tell them." "We need to tell the Mouse Council." " But they'II..." " This is bad." "This is very bad." "If they find out..." "If they find out that they didn't find out..." "Oh, then they'll find out that it was me who..." "Oh, no." "But they will send him to the dungeon!" " Oh, he'll get eaten by rats!" " Oh!" "No, not if we beg." "If we really beg and show them that he's changed." "That he's afraid." "That he's afraid, and he's turned into a real mouse." "Despereaux!" "NARRATOR:" "Of course, destiny is a funny thing." "We go out to meet it, and we don't always know that we are." "KNIGHT:" "For glory and honor!" "Surround him!" "MAYOR:" "Despereaux Tilling." "(GASPS)" "How long have you been working on this book?" "Hmm..." "A week?" "A week?" "You've hardly cracked it." "Well, I was..." "I just wanted to see how it ends." "(BELL TOLLS)" "(CROWD MURMURING)" "INQUISITOR:" "Refused training as a mouse." "Refused to respect the will and guidance of elder mice." "Repeatedly engaged in bold and un-meek behavior." "Triggered willfully not less than 17 mousetraps." "(CROWD GASPS)" "Just shameful!" "Had personal contact with..." "With..." "With a human being." "(CROWD MURMURING)" "Isn't there something you can do?" "Antoinette, stop right now!" "Stop that." "You have to trust them." "They are the Council." "They're the Council because..." "Because they're the Council." "They're the Council." "Is there anything you wish to say in your defense?" "Well, it was a very good story, and she was a very beautiful princess." "(CROWD MURMURING)" "Despereaux Tilling, our laws are here to protect us and our way of life." "And when one of our citizens strays from that way of life, he becomes a threat to us all." "It's an easy question." "Are you a man or are you a mouse?" "And your actions have told us that you have a great deal of trouble being a mouse." "It is the judgment of this court that you should be banished from these walls forever." "You shall be remanded into the custody of Hovis, the Threadmaster, who will prepare you for your descent into the dungeons of Dor, from which no mouse and no light has ever escaped." " Shh!" " My baby!" "Quiet." "Be quiet, my dear." "There's nothing to be done." "Come with me." "Stand there." "Red?" "Ah, so they tell me." "So you're the brave one." "I guess." "It's good." "It'll carry well down there." "Wear it proudly." "There's no shame." "It's time." "It's all right." "They're too scared to come down here." "In there?" "I'm afraid so." "Courage, right?" "And truth." " And honor." " Good." "But especially courage." "I'm ready." "All right, then you need to... (EXCLAIMS)" "(GROANS)" "What?" "Whoa!" "(SNORING)" "(RATS CHATTERING)" "Hello?" "Hello?" "(GRUMBLES)" "Whoa!" "(WHISTLES)" "Lads, let's go, on the double!" "(EXCLAIMS)" "Who is that?" "Who goes there?" "Who is that?" "Despereaux Tilling." "Are you a man or are you a mouse?" "I am a gentleman." "(CHUCKLING) Oh." "(RATS CLAMORING)" " It's a mouse." " I'm hungry." "Shh!" "Quiet, lads." "Patience." "And what makes you a gentleman?" "A code..." "A code of honor." "(LAUGHS)" "You're a strange little mouse, aren't you?" "And where did you find this code of honor?" "Well, in a legend." "A legend that I read." "Fine." "Oh, tell me this legend of yours." "I could do with a good story right now." "Well, it's about a princess and a knight" "and his quest to save her honor." "Ah." "It was a princess that took away my soup." "She didn't take it." "In fact, she misses it, too!" "(RATS MURMURING)" "How do you know all this, then?" "I've seen her." " Seen her?" " I've talked to her." " Talked to her?" " That's why they sent me down here." "Mmm-hmm." "And what did this princess tell you when you had your little audience?" "(LAUGHING) Eh?" "Eh?" "Oh, you must be a royal mouse." "Is that it?" "She told me that she missed the soup and the rain and, most of all, the sunlight." "And that she just wanted it all to come back again." "Well, I don't want to hear your little stories about princesses and sunshine." "Go tell them to the rats!" "(GRUNTS)" "(RATS MURMURING)" "All right, boys, come on!" "(RATS SHOUTING)" "(CROWD CHEERING)" "(GRUNTING)" "(LAUGHING)" "Good crowd, isn't it, sir?" "Yes, it is, quite." "CROWD: (CHANTING) Mouse!" "Mouse!" "Mouse!" "Mouse!" "Ah, Roscuro!" "I'm glad you could make it." "I thought you didn't like the arena." "Huh?" "Oh!" "No, no." "It..." "It's an honor, sir." "Oh!" " BOTTICELLl:" "Good." " Mmm." "Well, enjoy." "(STAMMERING) Oh, uh..." "Thank you." "(CROWD CHEERING)" "Let the games begin!" "(ANIMAL SQUEALING)" "CROWD: (CHANTING) Mouse!" "Mouse!" "Mouse!" "(MEOWING)" "(CROWD CHEERING)" "(CROWD GROANING)" "RAT:" "Come on!" "(SNARLS)" "(MEOWS)" "(CROWD CHEERING)" "(SQUEALS)" "(SNARLS)" "Hold on!" "CROWD: (CHANTING) Eat!" "Eat!" "Eat!" "(RAT SHOUTING)" "ROSCURO:" "Wait!" "(STAMMERING) Can I have him?" "Can I have this one?" "Please?" "(CROWD GRUMBLING)" "What?" "It's just that that one looks tasty." "Well, this is progress." "Perhaps we're starting to leave the past behind us, eh?" "Enjoy, my friend." "Don't leave a morsel." "(STAMMERING) Oh, I won't." "(SNAPS)" "Pull!" "(WHIMPERS)" "(CROWD GRUMBLING)" "(ALL CLAMORING)" "Come on, let's go, buster!" "That's it." "That's it." "You keep moving!" "(WHISPERING) It's okay." "Keep walking." "Come on, keep moving!" "Let's go, come on!" "(WHISPERING) It's right up there." " Huh?" " Keep walking." " Oh." " See that?" "Light." "Real light." "It's mine, but you can share it." "It isn't much, but there isn't much anywhere since everything turned gray." "You're not gonna eat me?" "No." "I don't eat mice." "Then what do you eat?" "Crumbs." "When I can find them." "So you are a gentleman." "Tell me that story." "About the Princess." "Tell me what she looked like." "Well, she was..." "Was she angry?" "No." "No, not at all." "Her heart was full of longing." "What's longing?" "NARRATOR:" "And that's how a friendship is born." "Over the next few weeks, he told Roscuro everything he knew about loyalty and honor and chivalry and courage." "He told him about the Princess, and where her longing came from." "That she missed the rain and the soup and even the rats." "Even the rats?" "NARRATOR:" "He told him about their code of honor, about his noble quest, about duty and loyalty." "And there, in the darkness of the cellar, two knights pledged devotion to a princess who was trapped inside a castle." "Trapped in a life full of pain and longing." "Even if no one could tell." "Your crown, ma'am." "Oh." "I don't want it today." "But it's beautiful, ma'am." "I know, but I don't want it." "You look so pretty in it, ma'am." "Like a princess." "I know." "I am the princess." "Oh, I know, ma'am, but such a fine princess, with a little, pretty, glittery..." "I don't want it!" "All right, Mig?" "Very well, ma'am." "Please, take it away." "MIG:" "Princess." "Who's the princess?" "I'm a princess." "I'm the princess." "My comb, my hat, my gloves and my pretty powder on my pretty princess face." "And what do you think you're doing?" "Ma'am!" "Where did you get all this?" "I just borrowed it, ma'am." "Borrowed it?" "I was gonna put them all back." "See that you do!" "And you can spend the whole week taking slop to the dungeon for your little escapade." ""Princess"!" "God!" "She's the princess." "(SCOFFS)" "And now I have to carry the sloppy, gloppy, stinky stew down in the damp, dark, dingy..." "A person could get lost forever down here." "Oh!" "(SNORING)" "Din-din." "Slop." "No, don't stop!" "I said "slop"!" "(SIGHS)" "How am I supposed to eat this swill?" "Oh, stop that!" "I don't have to be putting up with all this!" "I serve the Princess." "(LAUGHING)" "Right." "You serve the Princess." " That's a bit of a laugh, isn't it?" " I do." " I bring her tea and..." " Well, I don't want to hear it!" "Had me own little princess once." "And now I don't." "Oh." "What, you had a princess?" "Yeah." "Every dad's got a princess." "GREGORY:" "Till he stops being a dad, of course." "(BABY COOING)" "Sorry." "So, so, sorry!" "Oh, well, I've got a real one." "And she's got a tiara and fancy robes, and she's got shiny bits all over every frock in her closet." "And I get to see her every single day." "DESPEREAUX:" "What kind of a quest?" "Uh..." "To right a terrible wrong." "But who did you wrong?" "Okay." "Do you remember when they banished the rats?" " Sure." "Yes." " Okay." "Well, it wasn't all the rats they banished." "I mean, they did, but it was all because of one particular rat in particular." "Oh." "Mmm-hmm." "If I could just tell her I'm sorry, that I'm, you know, I'm really sorry." "And that I didn't mean for any of this to happen." "If she could just hear me say it, you know, just..." "Just hear my voice," "(STAMMERING) she would know how much I meant it." "That is a very noble quest." "ROSCURO: (STAMMERING) Your Highness?" "Your Highness?" "Is that you?" "My little mouse?" "Oh, I'm not a mouse." "I... (STAMMERING) I'm a..." "Oh." "I forgot." "You're my little gentleman, aren't you?" "Have you come to tell me how the story ends?" "Did you finish your quest?" "Where are you?" "I have come to apologize." "Oh, you are noble, remember?" "You have nothing to be sorry about." "Oh, but I am." "I am sorry." "(GASPING) I know you." " No, no." " Oh, no!" "No!" "Please, please listen." "Please." " A rat!" " Please." "I just want to tell you." "(SCREAMING) Someone, please!" "Listen." "It's okay." "Get it off me!" "There's a rat in my room!" "Please get him off!" "(SCREAMING)" "What?" "(PRINCESS PEA SHRIEKING)" "Rat!" "(PRINCESS PEA SHRIEKING)" "Oh!" "PRINCESS PEA:" "It's a rat!" "GUARD 1:" "Quick, rush him!" "GUARD 2:" "Get him!" "GUARD 3:" "Filthy rodent!" "Uh-oh." "Oh!" "GUARD:" "Where'd he go?" "(GRUNTING)" "(PANTING)" "NARRATOR:" "What would you do if your own name was a bad word?" "If John or Beth or Bill was an insult." "Well, that's how Roscuro came to feel about who he was." "When your heart breaks, it can grow back crooked." "It grows back twisted and gnarled and hard." "Even as he changed, Roscuro still had longing." "But now he just longed for someone whose heart was as hardened as his was." "Pretty princess." "Pretty, pretty princess pie." "What a pretty princess!" "My gloves." "My comb." "My jewel-y, girly hat, all sitting on my princess head." "Who's the pretty princess pumpkin pie?" "You are." "Right." "I am." "You are." "And you should be dressed in those clothes." "Quite right." "I should." "Mmm-hmm." "And you should lounge in that bed." "Lounging." "Lounging round, yes, the whole day!" "And you should be wearing that crown." "I should be wearing a frown?" "No." "No, no, no." "Not a frown." "A crown." "Wow!" "Can't hear me own self think." " Ah!" " Shh!" " Ah!" " Shh!" "Shh!" " Ah!" " Shh!" "Who are you?" "I'm here to help you." "I can't be caught with a real rat in my bunk." "I don't think so." "(INHALES)" "And what if they find you with a painting of the Princess?" "You think that's as bad as a rat?" "I want the same thing you do." "(CLANKING)" "Allo?" "(BOTH EXCLAIMING)" "What are you doing?" "Uh..." "I need it for a baby." "No, not a baby!" "For milady." "(STAMMERING) I mean milady." "Yes." "To chop apples." "Mmm." "She'd like some apples." "Now turn and leave." "Now turn and leave." "No, no!" "Just turn and leave." "Oh, right." "Sorry." "Sorry." "Bye." "Oh, I can't hear you, see, because deaf, but..." "A bit deaf." "NARRATOR:" "You know, hurt is a funny thing." "The same thing that makes one person angry can put another person into grief." "Here, take care of me little princess." "I can't no more." "Oh, I will." "Don't worry." "(BABY COOING)" "I'm sorry." "Sorry." "So, so sorry!" "NARRATOR:" "Gregory always said that she had too much heart." "And that's why they had to put some of it on the outside." "But let's face it." "It's hard to see something on your back." "In fact, you can have a good heart and not even know it." "You can do this." "You know you can." "I know I can." "She belongs in the dungeon, and you belong in the palace, like a princess." "(CLATTERING)" "What are you doing?" "I'm cleaning, ma'am." "(GROANS)" "With rope?" "It helps, ma'am." "Well, stop it." "You look ridiculous." "Sorry, ma'am?" "I said you look ridiculous." "(ECHOING) Ridiculous, ridiculous, ridiculous." " You can't do this, Mig." " Gor." "Seems I am, ma'am." "You'll get in a terrible amount of trouble." "Don't listen." "You're the princess now." "I'm the princess now." "And you belong in the palace." "I belong in the palace." "And she belongs in..." "PRINCESS PEA:" "No!" "You can't do this!" "Help!" "Help!" "Someone help me!" "Help!" "Help!" "(FAINTLY) Help!" "Help!" "(INDISTINCT CHATTER)" "PRINCESS PEA:" "Help!" "Help!" "Help!" "MIG:" "I'm in here!" "Help!" "You filthy, stinking rat!" "You tricked me!" "(RATS CLAMORING)" "RAT 1:" "Here's the spot, rats!" "SMUDGE:" "What's Roscuro brought us, then?" "RAT 2:" "Hungry!" "Yum!" "Hungry now!" "Not yet, lads." "No, no, you've got to wait." "It's nowhere near dinnertime." "Oh, come on, Smudge, I'm starving." "(PRINCESS PEA SOBBING)" "RAT 1:" "Something special for dinner tonight." "RAT 3:" "Smells delicious!" "RAT 2:" "Smells human to me." "A young one." "RAT 3:" "And not just any human." "RAT 2:" "Let's have a look." "RAT 3:" "It's the Princess!" "SMUDGE:" "Oi, you'll wait for your dinner like everyone else." "RAT 2:" "Come on, Smudge, give us a little look." "SMUDGE:" "No, no, no!" "SMUDGE:" "Boss doesn't want her getting nervous." "Spoils the meat, doesn't it?" "(CRYING)" "DESPEREAUX:" "Milady!" "Psst!" "Milady!" "Oh, my little mouse!" "It's you." "I will deliver you from this evil, ma'am." "Oh, no." "Just go find my father." "Take this chain from around my neck." "To show him you are honest and truthful." "Oh, I am!" "Honest and truthful and loyal and..." "I know." "But hurry." "Here." "Take it." "There isn't much time." "(GRUNTS)" "Whoa!" "Ha-ha!" "Oh, oh!" "(LUTE PLAYING)" "(CROWD CHEERING)" "RAT 1:" "Hey, did you get some?" "RAT 2:" "Oh, yeah." "Here you are, sir." "Fresh worms." "Oh, um..." "Thank you." "Well done, Roscuro!" "You hear that?" "That's all because of you." "Come, my friend." "Look at your handiwork." "(CROWD CHEERING)" "(PLAYING LUTE)" "DESPEREAUX:" "King!" "King!" "Sire, your daughter is in danger!" "Sire, up here!" "Your Highness!" "Please, sir!" "Oh, come on." "Oh!" "Hey, Sire!" "Your Highness!" "Look, Your Highness!" "Look!" "Hello, Mr. King!" "Hey, hello!" "Whoa!" "Down here!" "Hello!" "Down here!" "Listen, your daughter is in danger!" "She's in a dungeon!" "You're the only one who can help!" "She sent me to get you!" "Sir, please!" "Sir..." "Ooh!" "Sire!" "Your Highness!" "Look down here!" "Whoa!" "(GRUMBLES)" "(EXCLAIMS)" "Dad?" "Dad, listen." "You've got to help me." "(STUTTERING) But you're dead!" "No." "No, I'm not." "I'm not dead!" "Now, listen." "The Princess is in danger." "She's locked in the dungeon." "Oh, my golly, you're dead." "Dad!" "Dad, I'm not dead!" "Dad, I'm not dead!" "Oh, Dad, wake up, please!" "(EXCLAIMING)" "Furlough, listen." "You've gotta help me." "(STUTTERING) You're..." "No." "No, I'm not dead." "Listen, the Princess is in danger." "She's locked in the cellar." "Oh, my God, you're dead!" "No!" "Whoo!" "DESPEREAUX:" "Guys?" "Listen." "Okay, look." "Now, I'm not dead." "The Princess is in danger, and she's down in the dungeon and you've gotta..." "You've gotta help me!" "Somebody?" "Whoa!" "(BELL TOLLING)" "Whoa!" "Whoa!" "Hmm." "Oh!" "Oh!" "Oh, ho, ho!" "Ah!" "Whoa!" "(SHOUTS)" "Oh, I must have been..." "Enough!" "Ah-ha!" "(WATER BOILING)" "Ah!" "(SNIFFING)" "(BARKS)" "(BARKS)" "(HUMMING)" "Voilà!" "Look at you!" "You are still brewing tea." "If you want to make a statement, what do I say?" "Make it a good one!" "Ah, it's so great to see you!" "BOLDO:" "Fantastic!" " Ah." " Marjoram?" "Mmm-hmm." "Love it." "Perfect." " Ah!" "Superbe!" " Bellissima!" "Basil, will you look at that?" "Oh!" "Look up there!" "Marge, come and have a look at this!" "Oh, my!" "(SNIFFING)" "Mmm!" "Cauliflower?" "Perfect." "Perfect, yes, it's about time." "Basilico." "Eh, some celery?" "Hey, hello!" "Good, celery." "Parsley, maybe." " DESPEREAUX:" "The Princess is in danger!" " No, no, no." " Garlic!" "Should I use the garlic?" " Look down here!" " I mean not too much, but just a little bit." " Oh, no, no, no, of course." " It is fantastic!" " Yes." "Bellissima!" "Brav-ow!" "Oh." "The Princess is in danger!" "Ooh!" "You are a cute little mouse." "Would you like some soup?" "No, I don't want..." "The Princess is in danger!" "And a talking mouse, too." "Listen, you've gotta help me." "Perhaps a little cheese?" "No, I don't want any cheese!" "The Princess!" "She's in danger!" "She's locked in the dungeon!" "(GASPS)" "In the dungeon!" "Oh, don't be silly, my little mouse." "Everything is fine!" "The Princess is perfectly safe up in her... (GASPS)" "(VILLAGERS CHATTERING EXCITEDLY)" "Oh, my." "Boldo!" "Look!" "It's..." "Boldo." "Where are you?" "Charge!" "Tell me again." " Chivalry!" " Mmm." " Bravery!" " Mmm-hmm." "Honor!" "Chivalry!" "Bravery!" "Honor!" "I love it!" "Oh, it feels so good to be out of the kitchen!" "Let's go!" "Into the breach!" "Down there." "Andiamo!" "Whoa!" "Ha-ha!" "(GASPS)" "Where did she go?" "(CROWD CHEERING)" "BOTTICELLl:" "My friends!" "My friends, there are rats, and then there are rats!" "And I would like a huge round of applause for our good friend here for delivering us our princess!" "Come on, let's go!" "Oi!" "Hang on!" "Where you going?" "Help!" "Hurry!" "Look at that!" "Let's get him, boys." "Ow!" "Ow, ow, ow!" "Keep going!" "Keep going!" "Please!" "Oh, no, get off of me!" "Nice shot!" "That's my onion!" "(DESPEREAUX SCREAMING)" "MIG:" "Hello?" "Help!" "Help!" "Can anybody hear me?" "Help!" "I'm in here!" "(GASPING)" "I'm in here!" "I'm in here!" "(SOBBING)" "(GREGORY GASPS)" "(KEYS CLATTER)" "Oh, gor!" "What took you so long?" "I've been screaming in here for over two hours." "My little princess." "Rain." "Yes." "Papa!" "Papa, look!" "Up there!" "(ALL GASPING)" "The sun!" "(GROANING)" "Go on, Despereaux." "(ALL CLAMORING)" "Wait!" "Wait just a moment!" "Patience!" "(GASPS)" "Not just yet." "(CROWD CHEERING)" "The honor is all yours, my friend." "CROWD: (CHANTING) Eat!" "Eat!" "Eat!" "Eat!" "Eat!" "Eat!" "NARRATOR:" "Okay, remember when we said that grief was the strongest thing a person could feel?" "Well, it isn't." "It's forgiveness." "Because a single act of forgiveness can change everything." "No." "What?" "No." "You worthless little..." "CROWD:" "Eat!" "Eat!" "Eat!" "(SCREAMING)" "(SNARLING)" "Help!" "(SNARLING)" "(ALL SCREAMING)" "Who let him out?" "Hey, you!" "It's that mouse!" "Get him!" "Ah, if it isn't our brave little knight." " I wonder." " No!" "Should I finish you off myself or turn you into cat food?" "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty." "What is that?" "(SCREAMING)" "(CAT GROWLING)" "Please." "Nice kitty?" "No, no, no, no!" "(CAT SNARLING)" "Hmm?" "(ALL EXCLAIMING IN PAIN)" "Thank you, my good gentleman." "(GASPS)" "I am sorry." "I'm the one who should be sorry." "I'm so, so sorry." "You've no idea how sorry I am." "That's all right." "(TOWNSPEOPLE CHEERING)" "I'm so sorry." "NARRATOR:" "So, you could call all of this a big misunderstanding if you wanted to." "A king was hurt, so he hurt a rat." "And a rat was hurt, so he hurt a princess." "And a princess was hurt, so she hurt a servant girl, without even meaning to do it." "And that servant had been hurting for so long, that almost nothing could make her feel better." "But was it a mistake or was it just good luck?" "Because the servant girl went back to her farm." "And the jailer finally found his princess." "And the King found something stronger than grief." "And the mice finally got rid of their fear." "And the people of Dor lived side by side with their rats." "All except one." "Who went back to sea and felt a cool breeze each morning and the sun in his face every afternoon." "And we'd tell you that they all lived happily ever after, but..." "Whoa!" "NARRATOR: what fun is that?" "Whoa!" "Kapila R Jayasooriya" "Kj media present" "The Tale of Despereaux"