Detective Twilight/script

TITLE CARD - Detective Twilight (purple title card)

(*The star-shaped iris-in shows a view of Seashell Beach, then in to Parakeet, Tangelo, and Doctor Damien Plasmo swimming alongside with Sapphire following behind. They are not wearing their usual clothes and Tangelo does not have his cap on. Camera cuts to Scarlet and Canary working on a sandcastle; both are wearing a one-piece bathing suit of their respective colors — Scarlet has a picture of a dog on the front of hers while Canary’s has a bumblebee.*)

* **Canary:** I just love summer. Don’t you, Scarlet?
* **Scarlet:** Of course! There’s nothing like kicking back and enjoying the day.

(*Twilight, who dons a purple Hawaiian shirt and dark purple shorts, sits under the umbrella on his purple beach blanket. He looks up to see Helen in a black short-sleeved sun dress and black sun hat. She appears to be a little distraught.*)

* **Twilight:** Mother? I couldn’t help but notice the distress written all over your face.
* **Helen:** My necklace is not where I left it. A one-of-a-kind, irreplaceable work of art! I simply cannot lose it. My mother gave it to me. (*It cuts to Twilight thinking; she continues offscreen.*) I was reapplying my SPF when I realized my necklace is gone. I *couldn’t* have misplaced it on purpose.
* **Twilight:** Well, looks like I’ll have to play a game of detective.

(*The next scene fades to show the Kids gathered around the umbrella next to their mother. Sapphire is wearing a blue one-piece bathing suit with a tiger motif. Tangelo and Parakeet wore simple shorts of their respective colors and motifs — a rooster and monkey, respectively. Twilight has a straw hat resembling a detective hat. Dr. Plasmo wears a dark violet T-shirt patterned with light blue flowers.*)

* **Twilight:** Mother, where do you last remember putting the necklace down?
* **Helen:** If I knew that, the necklace wouldn’t be lost. (*The Kids, Dr. Plasmo, and Helen start searching.*)
* **Scarlet:** Organize a search party. Did anyone bring walkie-talkies?
* **Sapphire:** If only we bought a metal detector, we’d get this done a lot quicker.
* **Canary:** Oh, poor mommy. What if her beautiful necklace is gone forever?
* **Twilight:** Hmm. I think I know where it is.
* **Dr. Plasmo:** Really? You figured it out so quickly!
* **Twilight:** I could tell when the trip to the beach began, strange and mysterious forces were afoot.

(*In his fantasy, he has flashback of the trip with the whole family dressed like people in classical detective stories. In real life, the Kids are following Twilight on the search.*)

* **Twilight:** (*voice over*) When we got there, I could see the distinctive piece of jewelry on our mother’s neck. We arrived at the beach, hidden motives safely tucked away. As the clock struck two, the necklace had not left it’s owner’s neck. But then…

(*Fantasy: Helen puts the necklace on a hard surface.*)

* **Twilight:** (*voice over*) She said she took it off just to put on a thick coat of sunscreen.
* **Helen:** I did, and I put it…

(*The hard surface turns out to be the top part of a portable ice cooler; the necklace is not there.*)

* **Helen:** Now it’s gone.
* **Sapphire:** (*glaring at the others*) Okay, which one of you clowns took it?
* **Tangelo:** Well, it ain’t me! I was swimming the whole time!
* **Parakeet:** Yeah, me too!
* **Twilight:** Please! All in good time.

(*Flashback: Canary puts on the necklace. Real life: Sapphire rounds on Canary.*)

* **Sapphire:** Canary took it! Case closed!
* **Twilight:** Going back and forth won’t get us anywhere.
* **Dr. Plasmo:** Go on, Twilight.
* **Twilight:** We were playing a little game where we each take turns trying to split a watermelon open while blindfolded.

(*Flashback: Canary places the necklace on a beach lounge chair. She comes to find Tangelo blindfolded and spun around slowly by Scarlet and Parakeet. After a while, Tangelo mindlessly walks around and stops. With a short battle cry, he swings down. Real life: Sapphire points accusingly at Tangelo.*)

* **Sapphire:** Tangelo, you’re trying to hit mom so you can try on the necklace?!
* **Twilight:** (*annoyed*) Silence!

(*Flashback: the bat is seen punctured through a hole on the lounge chair. The camera moves over to show the Kids looking at the mess with wide eyes.*)

* **Scarlet:** Look what you did, Sapphire! Now mom and dad are gonna be mad at us!

(*Cue thunderbolt behind a black background; back to real life.*)

* **Scarlet:** I don’t remember a thunderstorm.
* **Twilight:** It’s atmospheric. But as beach hour comes to a close…
* **Canary:** Mommy’s necklace! (*They’re back at their spot.*)
* **Twilight:** So we return to the scene of the events. The question is, who is responsible for the disappearance of our mother’s necklace? It is time to reveal all.

(*He goes straight to the sandcastle and carefully reaches in to take out the necklace. The kids, Helen, and Dr. Plasmo gasp.*)

* **Scarlet:** Mom’s necklace!
* **Dr. Plasmo:** So that’s where it’s been! But how did it end up there?
* **Twilight:** Well, two things: Sapphire’s recklessness and Canary’s decision to build a sandcastle. First, there was the bat.

(*Flashback: the bat was thrown with force toward the lounge chair. It punctures a hole through it, then it cuts to a close-up of the necklace. The force causes the necklace to slide off the chair and onto the sand. Seconds later, Canary scoops up some sand using a bucket; she fails to notice the necklace.*)

* **Twilight:** (*voice over*) When it was Sapphire’s turn to crack open the watermelon, she threw the bat too hard and it hit the beach chair, and that’s how the necklace ended up in the sand. However, Canary fails to notice its presence and it was stuck inside the sandcastle. (*Real life.*) There were no ill intentions. All of that was accidental. Case closed.

(*The others clap and Twilight takes a bow.*)

* **Parakeet:** Yay!
* **Dr. Plasmo:** Excellent detective skills, Twilight!
* **Parakeet:** More like Detective Twilight! (*hugging Twilight*) A truly great detective!
* **Twilight:** You’re crushing me.
* **Helen:** Thanks so much, Twilight. (*putting on necklace*) I hope I never part with this again.

(*Cut to Sapphire looking through some bags.*)

* **Sapphire:** Ugh. Where’s my beach ball?! I know it’s in here somewhere!
* **Parakeet:** This looks like a job for Detective Twilight!
* **Twilight:** (*to the viewers*) Sigh. Another mystery.

End of short.