The Long Road Home Arthur

# Every day you walk down the street Everybody that you meet

# Has an original point of view

-# And I say, hey!

-Hey!

# What a wonderful kind of day We can learn to work and play

# And get along with each other

# You gotta listen to your heart Listen to the beat

# Listen to the rhythm of the street Open your eyes! Open your ears!

# Get together, make things better By working together

# It's a simple message And it comes from the heart

# Believe in yourself For that's the place to start

-# And I say, hey!

-Hey!

-What a wonderful kind of day

# We can learn to work and play And get along with each other

# What a wonderful kind of day, hey! What a wonderful kind of day, HEY! #

Hey, DW!

-HEY!

-Whoa!

Arthur! You're never going to believe what fell out of the sky!

What? A meteor or something?

Close, but no. A soccer ball!

Seriously - it fell right out of the sky!

Want to see it? It's signed by someone named El Boomerang.

No! It can't be!

Can't be what?

A friend of mine lost a soccer ball a few months ago

that was signed "El Boomerang". I wonder...

Adil, could I ask you a favour?

Hey, Arthur! I have something for you.

And I have something for you!

It's an invitation to my birthday party, a week from Saturday.

Just a few close friends. Think you can make it?

Yeah, of course. Thanks a lot!

-You said you had something for me?

-Huh?

Oh, yeah. It's a comic book. I'll give it to you later.

This isn't it. This is just a box.

From Turkey. It's a meteor... or something.

See ya!

This is going to be the best birthday gift EVER!

WHISTLE PEEPS

Get ready, George! You're going to bring us home!

All right! There's no way we can lose now!

THEY CHEER

Did we win? Did we win?

No! We didn't win! You call THAT running?

I was going as fast as I could!

Oh, really?! I've seen sick turtles run faster than that!

You just gave up, that's all!

I did NOT give up!

Are you sure it's the same ball?

Uh-huh. Brain examined Alberto's soccer ball when Francine had it,

and I showed him this one the other day.

There are more scuff marks but see this elliptical smudge pattern,

1cm from the seam? It's identical.

I'm 99% sure it's a match.

How do you think El Boomerang got all the way to Turkey?

That's easy! It sailed to South America,

then made its way to Europe, China, India and Africa.

Then maybe it went into space and...

HE SIGHS FRUSTRATEDLY

Why do I even bother to ask you these things?

-< FOOTSTEPS

-There's George. Hey, George!

-Come in here for a second.

-I thought you hated running.

HE PANTS

I do, but I thought I should practise.

Here. I haven't touched my water.

Thanks. I feel really bad about losing yesterday's race.

I didn't give up - I swear. I'm just slow.

We know, George. It's no big deal if you aren't fast.

Yeah. My uncle Stu is in great shape and he just walks everywhere.

Once, he almost walked from Crown City back to Elwood City.

Wow! That's really far.

It took him seven hours but at the very end,

he twisted his ankle on a tree root and couldn't finish.

I wonder if anybody has ever done that walk since.

Well, maybe someone will!

FRANCINE LAUGHS You can't be serious!

You're going to walk from Crown City to Elwood City?

That would take, like, a gazillion hours!

A gazillion and a half,

because I'm going to use back roads and bike paths.

I've got it all mapped out.

And you're going to do this all on your own?

No, my dad's coming with me. And Wally.

Would you like to sponsor me? I'm raising money for Autism research.

A dollar for every hour I walk.

A dollar for every hour? Sure. Why not? I've got 50 cents I can spare!

SHE LAUGHS

Walking to Elwood City from Crown City! Ha!

HE GROANS

This Saturday at 8am, I'm going to walk from City Hall in Crown City

back to Elwood City and I was wondering if you...

Yes. Yes, by all means. Excellent idea. Now take your seat, please.

HE LAUGHS

HE LAUGHS

Sure, I'll give you a dollar for every hour...if you carry this!

28...29...30...

Is that all you can do?

Come on! Give me ten more! And put some socks on!

I feel like I'm lying next to two wedges of old cheddar.

31...32...

You found El Boomerang? But how?

I have friends all over the world, Alberto.

I got a lead from my contact in Istanbul.

This is the best present I've got!

It's even better than the helicopter!

Arthur, from this day forward, we are officially ketchup brothers!

Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy.

Destroy.

ALARM BUZZES

ALARM STOPS

Ha! today is the day you show the world

that George Lundgren does not give up!

We can't walk in the rain - I'll get mouldy.

We're doing it, Wally. Here, you can wear this.

I'm not wearing that thing, but I'll use it as a pillow.

-Let me know when we get there.

-HE SNORES

Goodbye, Mom! I'll see you back in Elwood City!

Lucky for us, the rain stopped for our hike.

Ah, there you are. I was beginning to think I'd come to the wrong place.

Er...I think you misunderstood, Mr Ratburn.

I was just asking you to sponsor me, not to walk with me.

Oh, dear, and I brought such delightful trail mix.

Well, as long as you're here, you might as well join us.

Splendid. You won't be disappointed.

I memorised the prologue to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales to entertain us.

And the rain has stopped.

Oh, this fine day is just getting finer.

Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote

The droghte of March hath perced to the roote

To caunterbury-ward, I mene it so

And homward he shal tellen othere two

-Of aventures that...

-Wait. We're going west.

We should be heading east.

I think we're on the wrong path.

Hm. If we cut through this forest, it looks like we'll hit a road.

But first, a little rest and refreshment.

K-ration?

Thanks, but I don't want to stop. I want to keep going.

All righty. Now, who wants to hear madrigals?

"Dark Bunny vs The Crouton Creature". Ha. I don't have this one.

So, he fights an evil piece of bread?

I had something much better to give you. Something you really wanted,

but I can't find it. It just disappeared.

I'm just glad you're here. Have some empanadas.

HE SIGHS

This way!

And my great, great-grandfather, Obadiah Ratburn,

he was the black sheep of the family...

George! You're two-thirds of the way there! Keep going!

-I'm not stopping.

-How much do I owe you so far?

-8.27.

-That much? Then you can stop now.

Ha-ha! Just kidding! See you at the finish line!

Legend has it, PT Barnum wanted her for a side...

Hey, did you hear?

Some kid is walking from Crown City all the way back here.

-You mean George?

-I don't know his name,

but we want to see him when he comes down Main Street. You coming?

Yeah! I'll go get my camera.

-MR RATBURN SINGS

-I'm not giving up.

I'm not giving up!

# Foot bone's connected to your ankle bone... #

I see it! I can see the clock tower! We're almost there!

Oh!

Ow! Dear, sweet, Cicero. I think I twisted my ankle.

-I'll call for help.

-Don't be silly. Go on without me.

Just leave me your portable telephone and I'll call for help.

-BEEPING

-'Check the number and dial again.'

No. We'll wait with you until someone comes. This isn't a race.

He should have been here by now.

I hope he's OK.

I suppose there is the possibility that he gave up.

There he is!

-HE PANTS

-Here, can you take Wally?

THEY ALL CHEER

El Boomerang!

You returned!

-Way to go!

-That was magnificent!

-I did it!

I actually did it! Ha-ha!

George, you're not the fastest kid I know, but you might be the toughest.

Congratulations!

You have so many new scars, El Boomerang.

Where on earth have you been?

Well, I can tell you where it was last.

Turkey. That's where my friend found it. Happy birthday, Alberto.

That nice paramedic fellow who gave me the crutches

looked just like my uncle Cyril.

He was the REAL fascinating one in the family.

Owned an emu farm in Sedona, but his real passion was the accordion.

# Every day you walk down the street Everybody that you meet

# Has an original point of view

-# And I say, hey!

-Hey!

-# What a wonderful kind of day

-Hey!

-# What a wonderful kind of day

-Hey!

-#