Give A Rest

Lyrics: Thomas Richard Hart Jr. Music: Thomas Richard Hart Jr. (*OPEN! DogDay greets everyone in the CRITTER CREW as they get up from their houses and run to the center .*) DogDay: Rise and Shine, Critter Crew! I’ve got a BIG surprise for all of you! Picky: Is it a tasty apple? Craftycorn: Or a new sketchbook? Bubba (excited): Or a new REGULAR book?! DogDay: Better! A new FRIEND! Bobby: Ooh, that’s the best new thing of all! DogDay: Sure is! Say hello, CatNap! CatNap (Nervously): Um…hello? Kickin: Sup, new guy? Want me to show you around? Hoppy (Whispering to CatNap) Say no… KicKin: HEY! DogDay: Why don’t we ALL show him together? Welcome to our happy home sweet home! ALL BUT D&C: You’re gonna love it, oh you’re gonna love it! DogDay: Where the smiling critters freely roam! ALL BUT D&C: Don’t go out of it, never go out of it! AFABS: Everybody’s caring, kind and nice! AMABS (-C): If you let them have their little vice! ALL BUT CatNap: Spend your days with us in paradiiise! DogDay: Just one thing you gotta do! Here, we love to lend a helping hand! ALL BUT D&C: Work together, we all work together! DogDay: Doin’ all the special things we can! ALL BUT D&C: Do whatever, we can do whatever! AMABS (-C): There’s no problem that we can’t defeat! AFABS: When our talents kinda let us cheat! ALL BUT CatNap: That’s what makes our perfect home compleeete! DogDay: Tell ‘em, critter crew! Bubba: I think things out with my smarts! Bobby: I hug things out with my arms! Crafty: I entertain with my art! Kickin: I entertain with my charm! Hoppy: I make sure everyone plays! Picky: I make sure everyone’s fed! Dogday: I make everyone’s day! ALL BUT CatNap: WHAT CAN YOU DO, WHAT DO YOU SAY? CatNap: …It’s late, go to bed? ALL but C&D: AWWWW…. Chorus/ALL But C&D: No one wants to go to bed when there’s so much to do! Crafty: Why don’t we sit and paint instead? Bubba: Or read a book or two? ALL But C&D: You’ve gotta have another way to help bring out our best! Dogday: C’mon, it’s his first day! ALL But C&D: OH, GIVE IT A REST! CatNap: YOU should be resting! Sleep is very important for your health! Picky: So is eating, and that’s WAY more fun… Hoppy: Exercising, too! Kickin: Can’t you do somethin’ cooler? Dogday: Sure he can! We just gotta figure it out! Hoppy: We could all play jump rope with your tail! ALL BUT C: We won’t scratch it, promise we won’t scratch it! Picky: You could catch the rat that steals our mail! ALL BUT C: You could catch it, betcha you could catch it! (*Brief cameo: Touille, hands full of stolen JUNK MAIL, hyperventilates in fear behind a wall*) AMABS (-C): We can think up lots of stuff to do! AFABS: That contributes to the critter crew ALL BUT CatNap: Tell us, CatNap, what sounds good to you? CatNap: Helping you rest? OTHERS: (*GROAN*) Ughhh... CatNap: Everybody needs eight hours of sleep! ALL BUT C: That’s so boring, really super boring! CatNap: Without it, you’ll be tired and weak! ALL BUT C: Stop the snoring, there’s no time for snoring! AFABS: DogDay wakes us when the sun is bright! AMABS (-C): Even if we stay up late at night… ALL BUT CatNap: WE GO PLAY AND EVERYTHING’S ALRIIIGHT… Bubba: With no side effectszzzz. (*Bubba collapses to the floor*) DogDay: I’m glad you came to our town.. Picky: Don’t mind one more mouth to feed… Hoppy: But man, you’re bringin’ us down! Kickin: ‘Cos everyone is agreed. Crafty: Going to bed is a bore… Bobby: So maybe it’s for the best! Bubba: You pick a different chore! ALL: SHOW EVERYONE YOU CAN DO MORE! CatNap: ♬Just take a rest… ♬ ALL BUT C&D: NO WAY! ALL But C&D: No one wants to go to bed when there’s so much to do! Kickin: Why don’t we play some games instead? Hoppy: Or run a lap or two? ALL But C&D: You’ve gotta have another way to help bring out our best! Dogday: He needs a place to stay! ALL But C&D: OH, GIVE IT A REST! Bobby: You’re being REALLY nice, DogDay, but… Hoppy: The guy just won’t listen! Bubba: The Critter Crew only works when everyone works together! Picky: And CatNap isn’t really… working with us… CatNap: You all seem tense. Why don’t we sleep on this for now? Kickin: UGH, MORE sleep talk? You’re SO annoying! Is THAT why your folks abandoned you here? (*pause as everyone else is shocked. CatNap is crushed.*) Kickin: WHAT? We’re ALL orphans! DogDay: That’s TOO FAR, Kickin’! The Smiling Critters never put down a friend in need, no matter how annoying he is! Just look at the poor guy! (*CatNap, hurt that even Dogday said that, scuttles away.*) Crafty: But, he’s gone… DogDay: Great, now WE abandoned him too! Kickin: Hmm…does that make him a double orphan? DogDay: KICKIN! (*CUT AWAY to CatNap, having gotten fairly FAR AWAY from the rest of the critters as he picks up a LARGE BAG the size of his body from DogDay’s PORCH and walks into DEEP WOODS.*) CatNap: They needed sleep, but I just yapped… I’m Nothing but a nag… No one likes that…Stupid CatNap… Get back in the bag… (*CatNap settles into the BAG, which, as he loafs into it, can be seen with a paper message reading “FREE TO A GOOD HOME”*) CatNap: I wish I had a better way, To share what I know best, Bring balance to their day, And give them a…rest… (*A CAMERA in a Forest tree watches CATNAP. A GAS SPRAYING sound can be heard as HARLEY Gasses the area.*) (*Suddenly, CatNap wakes up on a SURGERY TABLE. A procedure of some sort has been completed.*) CatNap: (*Yaawn*) Huh?! Where am I? Who are you? (*DOCTOR HARLEY SAWYER stands above Catnap, in SURGEON gear.*) HARLEY: Good evening, my feline friend. Your sorrows touched me, child. And so, the Doctor took you in, To help bring back your smile. CatNap: Ugh, my throat hurts. HARLEY: It shall fade. So pay it little mind. You’ll love the changes I have made, As you are soon to find. You’re right, you know. Your friends need sleep. They simply cannot see, The value that you offer them, And also offer me… I think you’ll find yourself of use now, No longer a pest, So run along, honor your vow, And give them a rest… (*CatNap wanders back towards DogDay’s HOUSE. It is DARK outside and nobody is outside. CatNap sees a GLOWING (Light-Up, not radioactive) DogDay CLOCK in a garbage pile that reads 12:00 as he walks.*) CatNap: Is it midnight already? But it was just dawn! Oh well. Surely they’re all fast asleep by now- (*CatNap opens the door to DOGDAY’s house, where all the critters EXCEPT DogDay are partying.*) Crafty: Oh, there you are! Bubba: DogDay’s been looking everywhere for you. Hoppy: Wanna join our slumber party? Picky: I baked cookies! CatNap: You’re all up past midnight AND EATING SUGAR? Kickin: And YOU’RE bein’ a Party Pooper. CatNap: You don’t understand… All of you need to go to bed right now… Kickin: Or what? CatNap: YOU’LL HAVE NIGHTMARES! (*Upon speaking, CatNap suddenly, uncontrollably exhales a HUGE gust of RED SMOKE into the room, affecting each critter. They suddenly fall unconscious.*) CatNap: (*GASP*) (*CATNAP, shocked, puts his hands over his mouth, trying in vain to stop whatever he just unleashed. The critters are all already knocked out though.*) DogDay: CatNap? What did you do to them- CatNap: AAAH! (*CatNap turns around and is SHOCKED by DogDay suddenly appearing behind him, spraying him right in the face with his red smoke breath. DogDay, too, collapses.*) (*Suddenly, the world around CatNap FADES TO BLACK as smoky red glimpses into the NIGHTMARES of his friends begin to surround him and menacing music plays.*) CatNap: No no no no…what’s happening…huh? They’re…dreaming? I can…see them dreaming…Wake up…PLEASE WAKE UP! (*A NIGHTMARE SEQUENCE PLAYS OUT. CatNap tries to call out in response but it never works.*) Crafty: NO MATTER WHERE I LOOK, IT’S GRAY! CatNap: Wake up, wake up, why can’t you hear? Hoppy: THESE WORMY LEGS CAN’T HOP AWAY! CatNap: They’re dreaming of their greatest fears… Picky: DON’T WANNA EAT YOU, BUT I’M STARVED… CatNap: I never wanted this at all… Bobby: I DIDN’T MEAN TO HUG SO HARD… CatNap: But I’m talking to a wall… Bubba: I GOT AN F?! I REALLY BOMBED… CatNap: At least a few of them are mild… Kickin: NO, PLEASE, DON’T FRY ME UP LIKE MOM! CatNap: But I’m sure to be reviled… DogDay: I’m so sorry, critter crew, I couldn’t save any of you… CatNap? (*CatNap, in one last-ditch attempt, steps into DogDay’s dream and hugs him. DogDay looks over, shocked, as the scene fades to white.*) (*CatNap finds himself sitting on DogDay’s COUCH, with the sleeping critters all over the floor, just like the original Smiling Critters Cartoon. He wakes up and begins packing his bag and preparing to leave again.*) CatNap: I’m…back…Good. They’re still sleeping. If I’m lucky, they’ll think all of this was just a bad dream. Even me. (*CatNap prepares to leave at the front door.*) CatNap: Farewell, Smiling Critters. ALL OTHER CRITTERS: CATNAP! CatNap: Uhh, Look, I can explain- ALL OTHER CRITTERS EXCEPT DogDay: YOU WERE RIIIGHT! CatNap: What? Bubba: I had the scariest dream! Bobby: It was a nightmare for sure! Crafty: Please be a part of the team! Kickin: I won’t complain anymore! Hoppy: We’ll let you finish our days! Picky: We know that’s what you like best! (*CatNap looks over to DogDay worriedly.*) DogDay (nervously): …It’ll be okay. (*Winks and does a “lips sealed” zipper motion, #a sleepy secret kept.*) ALL BUT CatNap: IT’S UP TO YOU, WHAT DO YOU SAY? (*CatNap’s surprise turns to a mostly-kind grin with the tiniest hint of mischief, as he realizes the power he now holds.*) CatNap: ♬Just take a rest… ♬