Maria Speaks Arthur

# Every day when you're walkin' down the street

# Everybody that you meet

# Has an original point of view

-# And I say, hey!

-Hey!

# What a wonderful kind of day If 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 The rhythm of the street

# Open up your eyes! Open up your ears!

# Get together and make things better By working together

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

# Oh, believe in yourself For that's the place to start

-# And I say, hey!

-Hey!

-What a wonderful kind of day

-# If we can learn to work and play And get along with each other,

-Hey!

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

(Hey, DW.)

Hey!

GLASS SMASHES

And then the ref said it was out when it was clearly in.

It was so unfair.

Maria has always been really quiet.

She's the best at hide and seek.

Where is she? We've been searching for two hours.

OK, Maria. We give up! You win!

She almost never talks in class.

Who knows the answer to number 12?

Maria?

Correct.

She's even quiet on Halloween.

DOORBELL RINGS

Oh, a mime.

What a creative costume.

Now that I think about it,

I don't think I've ever even heard her speak.

Hey, Mari...

Where did she go?

Phew!

Exciting news, class.

Lakewood is starting its very own, student-run live TV news show.

It'll air every Friday and this week it's our turn to produce it.

I've assigned each one of you a role.

Francine, you'll be the director.

Buster, you'll do the weather.

Muffy will be in charge of arts and culture

and our lead reporter will be Maria.

This is a d-d-disaster. Now everyone will know that I s-stutter.

It's no big deal.

Besides, I thought you were seeing a speech therapist.

Yes b-b-but this is live TV.

Well, I think you'd be an amazing reporter.

Who knows, it could be the start of a great career.

You'd travel the world, be watched by millions of fans.

Maria Pappas here, reporting live from Egypt.

What are your thoughts on the discovery of a brand-new pyramid?

CAMEL GRUNTS

That would be p-p-pretty amazing.

But if you don't want to do it,

I guess they'll find someone else.

No, I mean I'll d-d-do it.

Now I j-j-just have to find a way to hide my stutter.

So we'll start the show with weather.

Hmm, partly cloudy with a 70% chance of an alien invasion.

SHE SIGHS

Then Maria will introduce George on sports.

Wait, where is Maria?

Miss Pappas is sorry she's late but she was doing vocal warm-ups.

As I was saying, after George we'll have Muffy on arts then

a story from our lead reporter.

What have you got, Maria?

INAUDIBLE WHISPERS

Miss Pappas will be doing an interview.

OK... With whom?

INAUDIBLE WHISPERS

Miss Pappas is exploring her options.

Well, you'd better decide soon.

We don't have a lot of time.

OK, let's practice the opening.

Hello? Yes, I'm sure she'd love to interview you, Mr President.

(Sorry.)

She's a big fan of yours too, Sir.

That's funny, I didn't even hear her phone ring.

And you thought I was a prima donna.

What am I g-g-going to do?

I c-c-can't a-a-avoid talking forever.

Maybe you should just tell Francine the truth.

Sh-she'll just ask Ratburn to replace me.

JENNA'S MUM: Jenna, did you take out the trash?

Yes.

OK, I haven't yet but I'm going to do it right after dinner, promise.

Wow, your m-m-mum's good.

Yeah, she has this way of getting me to talk.

All she has to do is give me that look and I spill the beans.

Hmm...

M-M-Maybe there's someone I c-c-could interview who would do all

the t-t-talking for me.

Buster, no-one cares about the current weather on Pluto.

Tell that to the Plutonians!

Hey, Maria. Excited for our first show tomorrow?

So today is our last rehearsal.

Who have you decided to interview?

Muffy?!

Why you want to interview M...?

You want to interview me?

What a brilliant idea.

OK, ask me anything.

Maria's interview with Muffy, rehearsal take one.

I'm M-M-M...

I'm h-h-here with...

Muffy Crossfire, entrepreneur, style guru

and heir to the Crosswire Motors dynasty.

Em, OK... I'm a Gemini.

I love clothes, pop music, opera and, eh...

and helping people.

What? You don't think I like helping people?

I do.

I mean, I know sometimes I can come across as selfish but...

OK, you're right.

Sometimes I am selfish

but it doesn't mean I don't care about people.

You think it's easy being this smart,

pretty and popular?

I feel so much pressure.

Sometimes, it's just more than I can bear.

This is a news show, not Hoping with Hoprah.

Sorry, Maria, but you're going to have to

find someone else to interview.

Ahh, I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

You really are good.

G-G-Great.

Where am I going to f-f-find someone who loves to talk as much as Muffy?

There must be someone out there.

It's a one-act puppet opera based on Cervantes's Don Quixote.

I'm performing it next month at the community centre. You...

Bingo!

Goodnight, Goldie.

Wish me luck for tomorrow.

And now the...

With Buster Baxter on weather,

George Lundgren and Wally on sports,

Muffy Crosswire with arts and culture and

lead reporter, Maria Pappas.

SHE BAAS

HORN BLARES

What's wrong with her?

SHE GARGLES

-She can't talk!

-She has a frog in her throat.

No, she has a...

stutter!

LAUGHTER

Huh!

SCHOOL BELL RINGS

Hey, ready for your close up?

This is it. Great idea to interview Mr Ratburn, by the way.

We're on in ten!

Everyone to their places.

And we're live in three, (two), (one).

G-G-G-G-G...

-G-Good m-m-m-morning...

-(Cut to Buster!)

Good morning, fellow students, earthlings

and extraterrestrial life forms.

BUSTER: Let's look at...

-What happened?

-Are you OK?

She's probably just nervous.

N-N-N-No, it's n-n-n-not just the nerves.

I have t-t-trouble...

You have trouble with what?

Maria, wait!

She has a stutter!

It was so humiliating.

I bet everyone thinks there's something wrong with me.

Why can't I talk to them like a talk to you?

Animals are easier to talk to.

I used to practise lines before school plays

in front of my hermit crab, Theroux.

I'm sorry I r-r-ruined the show.

I'm sure F-F-Francine w-w-would be h-h-happy

to take my place.

-Oh, I'm not here to replace you.

-But my s-s-stutter.

I know. But we've got a few weeks until our next show

and with practice and some help,

I'm sure you'll do an excellent job.

That's why I choose you.

Now, let's try our interview again.

I think you'll find my story quite interesting.

Now relax and speak slowly.

M-M-My name is Maria.

M-M-Miss Morgan, how did it feel

to be named athlete of the year?

G-ood morning, Lakewood.

T-oday's headlines...

M-aria takes Elwood City by storm.

Where is she? Mr Ratburn told me she'd be here.

After what happened last time, who could blame her for not showing up?

-MARIA:

-I'm here!

You sure you want to do this?

OK, and we're on in three, (two), (one).

G-Good m-morning, Lakewood.

I'm Maria Pappas.

Today I'm r-reporting on an important issue,

k-kids and adults s-stuttering.

L-lots of famous people have been stutterers,

Lewis Carroll, Winston Churchill,

Marilyn Monroe and my next guest.

Thank you for joining us, Mr R-Ratburn.

A pleasure to be here, Maria.

So when did you first begin stuttering?

Well, it all began when I was three...

And when I won the role of Captain Corcoran

in our seventh-grade production of the HMS Pinafore,

I knew I'd arrived.

There you have it!

I'm Maria Pappas, signing off.

And we're out!

Nicely done.

-Great job!

-That was amazing! ARTHUR:

-Who knew Ratburn stuttered?

Why didn't you just tell us that you stuttered?

I d-d-didn't want to seem d-d-different from everyone else.

I understand.

Think how I feel being the only fashionable one at this the school.

S-So when do we start p-planning our n-next show?

I've got a tonne of ideas!