This script was written as a part of Focus on the Family's "Adventures in Odyssey College Writers Scholarship Contest" and is now the property of Focus on the Family.
Scene
1: In the Park
(Eugene,
Emily, Matthew)
Scene
opens with soft orchestral version of first two lines of hymn “Of the Father’s
Love Begotten.” In the park, Eugene is enjoying the peace of a light snow.
EUGENE
(sighs
deeply to himself)
Ahh…
the beauty of the great outdoors. What divine mysteries we find in contemplation…
amidst the wonders of all God’s creation… Ooh, I believe I could possibly find
a song in that. Too bad I didn’t bring my ukulele…
Matthew
and Emily walk up to Eugene.
MATTHEW
Hi,
Eugene!
EUGENE
Hmm?
What? Oh, Greetings, Mr. Parker, Ms. Jones.
EMILY
What
are you doing?
EUGENE
Oh,
um, merely enjoying the beauties of the first snowfall of the year whilst
pondering certain theological mysteries.
MATTHEW
Oh…
catching snowflakes on your tongue again?
EUGENE
Mmm…
something like that, yes.
MATTHEW
Nice.
Well, we’re on our way to Whit’s End. Come on, Emily. Watch out for stray
snowballs, Eugene.
EUGENE
Huh?
Oh, yes, thank you.
EMILY
Wait.
Did you say “mysteries”?
MATTHEW
Oh,
no.
EUGENE
Indeed
I did.
EMILY
You
know, Matthew and I are pretty good at mysteries.
MATTHEW
Actually,
we’re not that great at them. Let’s go, Emily - it’s cold.
EMILY
Speak
for yourself, Matthew.
MATTHEW
Okay…
I’m not that great at them. In fact, I stink so bad…
EMILY
Shh!
You’re brilliant, now be quiet. Okay, Eugene, let us in on this mystery of
yours.
MATTHEW
Here
we go again…
EUGENE
Well,
Emily, I don’t know if I can quite explain it adequately, but I suppose I could
make an attempt.
EMILY
What
kind of mystery is this? Theft? Missing person? Counterfeit operation?
EUGENE
No,
it’s really more of a theological and or philosophical conundrum… a paradox, if
you will.
MATTHEW
A
pair of socks?
EMILY
No,
Matthew. A paradox. It means… uh… what does it mean?
EUGENE
Paradox.
Noun. A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in
reality expresses a possible truth.
MATTHEW
I
knew that. So what self-contradictory absurdities have you been pondering
today, Eugene?
EUGENE
Well…
it was something Mr. Whittaker said, actually. He wanted me to contemplate the
concept of, and I quote, “The kingdom is and is yet to come.”
EMILY
The
kingdom is and is yet to come?
EUGENE
Precisely.
EMILY
I
don’t get it. How is that even possible? Is and is yet? What does
that even mean?
EUGENE
That’s
what I’ve been trying to determine.
MATTHEW
Wait.
What? The kingdom is and is yet to come? So there’s like this castle somebody
built that hasn’t actually been built yet?
EUGENE
Yes!
I mean, no. I mean… uh… castles? Hmm… interesting notion… perhaps I should take
that possibility into consideration.
EMILY
So,
Mr. Whittaker wanted you to find out about this kingdom-castle thingie that
doesn’t even exist?
MATTHEW
No,
it apparently exists without existing.
EUGENE
Can
you understand my dilemma?
MATTHEW
Not
really. It sounds like a messed up fairy tale. I mean, how can the princess let
her hair down from the castle tower if it hasn’t even been built yet?
EUGENE
Because
it has been built!
EMILY
But
you just said it wasn’t.
EUGENE
Yes!
It hasn’t been! So how can the princess let down her hair!? …Unless of course just
as she was letting her hair down she traveled back to a time when the castle
had not yet been built!
MATTHEW
Maybe
she’s a time-traveling princess who showed up at the wrong time.
EMILY
Yeah,
Matthew, that makes a lot of sense.
EUGENE
Ah,
yes! It’s the space-time continuum! How else could the kingdom exist and not
yet exist?
EMILY
Better
question: Why does this princess have such crazy long hair in the first place?
EUGENE
No!
No! You’re breaking my train of thought! Excuse me. I need to go and… be gone
for awhile.
Eugene
runs away, mumbling something about the princess stuck in the time-space
continuum.
EMILY
Is
he going to be okay?
MATTHEW
Yeah.
He gets like that sometimes.
EMILY
Do
you think we should go after him? He was acting kind of weird.
MATTHEW
Not
any weirder than usual.
EMILY
Yeah…
good point.
Scene
2: Outside Whit’s End
(Emily,
Matthew, Wooton)
Emily
and Matthew are walking towards Whit’s End.
EMILY
Hmm…
the kingdom is and is yet to come…
MATTHEW
Would
you stop repeating that?
EMILY
Oh,
right. - Not getting involved.
WOOTON
Hey
guys!
MATTHEW
Oh,
hey Wooton. Wow, nice sword!
EMILY
Um…
Wooton? Why are you dressed like that?
WOOTON
Oh,
I was on my way to the medieval fair over in Connelsville and thought I’d stop
by the Little Theater and get into costume.
EMILY
It
looks like you got into more than one costume.
WOOTON
(chuckle-snorts)
Yeah,
I had a hard time choosing between the suit of armor and the monk’s robe.
MATTHEW
So
you put them both on…
WOOTON
Yeah,
the parts that fit me anyway. The stomach armor was a bit tight… and the helmet
didn’t fit over my hood.
EMILY
And
you’re going to go to the medieval fair like that?
WOOTON
I
don’t want to be underdressed. I was going to use the suit of armor I have at
home, but there was an unfortunate incident with the bathtub… Anyway, I’m off
to go slay dragons with my trusty sword!
MATTHEW
I
repeat - nice sword!
WOOTON
Her
name’s Rhiannon. Together we shall carry forth to rescue fair maiden trapped in
the darkest tower of the enemy’s castle fortress! …followed by a potluck at the
local monastery.
EMILY
Speaking
of castles…
MATTHEW
Ah!
No, we’ve moved past that topic, Emily.
WOOTON
Why?
Castles never get old. (beat) Uh… no, wait…
EMILY
Okay,
fine. I won’t bring it up.
MATTHEW
Yes.
WOOTON
Bring
what up?
EMILY
A
mystery!
MATTHEW
No.
WOOTON
(gasps)
About
castles?
EMILY
Yes!
And a mysteriously disappearing kingdom!
WOOTON
(frightened)
Oh
my!
MATTHEW
Now,
wait a minute, Emily. Eugene didn’t say anything about it disappearing.
WOOTON
Eugene?
EMILY
No,
he said it is and is yet to come… which is just Eugene-talk for
saying that it vanished and he hopes it comes back.
WOOTON
(concerned)
I
hope so, too. I’d hate to misplace a whole kingdom.
EMILY
Maybe
it wasn’t misplaced. Maybe it was stolen!
MATTHEW
You
think some guy hid a whole kingdom under his coat and walked off with it? How
many kingdoms even exist anymore?
EMILY
None…
they were all stolen!
WOOTON
Except
for jolly old England of course.
EMILY
England
could be the next to go!
WOOTON
Sad
day.
MATTHEW
You
don’t actually believe that someone’s going to steal England, do you?
EMILY
That’s
not important. All that matters is that it’s a good excuse to start
investigating. A whole kingdom could be at stake!
WOOTON
You’re
right! We need to do something!
EMILY
The
Jones and Parker Detective Agency is on the case!
MATTHEW
Parker
and Jones.
EMILY
That’s
not alphabetical.
WOOTON
And
Wooton Sherlock Bassett!
EMILY
Alright,
we need more clues.
WOOTON
Where
should we start?
EMILY
We
should start with Eugene.
MATTHEW
Uh…
I think we already did that.
EMILY
I
know, but he wasn’t very helpful. In fact, I bet he was trying to hide
something from us. You saw how nervous he got.
MATTHEW
Well…
I guess that was kind of suspicious. But if he’s hiding something, then why
would we go back to him?
EMILY
We
should follow him from a distance. He might unintentionally lead us to more
clues.
WOOTON
Ooh,
I love a good covert operation… but I might want to change first. I think the
snow is rusting my armor.
EMILY
We
need a base camp.
WOOTON
I
have a tree house.
MATTHEW
A
bit cold for that, isn’t it?
WOOTON
I
just had central heating installed – and a hot cocoa maker.
MATTHEW
Ooh!
Okay, I’m in.
EMILY
Great!
We’ll meet you there in twenty minutes, Wooton.
MATTHEW
By
the way, can I keep the sword?
Scene
3: In Wooton’s Tree House
(Emily,
Wooton, Matthew)
This
scene takes place in Wooton’s tree house.
EMILY
Alright,
Matthew, what do we have?
Wooton
climbs into the tree house.
WOOTON
Here
I am! Don’t start without me!
MATTHEW
Wooton?
You’re dressed up like Sherlock Holmes.
WOOTON
Well,
now that would be stating the obvious, Mr. Watson.
EMILY
No
wonder it took you so long to get here.
WOOTON
Sorry.
You can start now.
MATTHEW
Alright.
Here are some spy goggles and some walkie-talkies in case we get separated.
EMILY
We’ll
be able to watch Eugene from a distance with these. But you, Wooton - you’ll
get closer to Eugene than we will.
WOOTON
Why
do I have to get close to him?
EMILY
It’s
not like he smells bad… and he’s probably on to us. We asked him too many
questions earlier.
WOOTON
Speaking
of Eugene, isn’t that him there now?
MATTHEW
What!
Where?
WOOTON
Oh,
in that car at the stop light.
EMILY
Quick!
We’ve got to follow him!
MATTHEW
He’s
pulling away! Hurry!
Scene
4: Outside the Food Bank
(Wooton,
Emily, Matthew)
They
cease from running and pant heavily.
WOOTON
Oh,
man, I haven’t run so much since I was on Connie’s diet.
EMILY
Detective
rule number one: never engage in a car chase on foot.
MATTHEW
No,
that’s rule number sixteen. Rule number one is never engage in a car chase on
ice.
WOOTON
I
think we’ve lost him. Sorry, guys, I just can’t keep up. I think I’m going to
pass out. Someone please dangle a fresh piece of licorice in front of me.
EMILY
Wait!
That’s his car over there! Look! In front of the food bank!
MATTHEW
He
must have gone inside.
EMILY
You’ve
got this one, Wooton. We’ll wait for you out here. But remember: be casual!
WOOTON
Oh,
don’t worry, I’ll be the most casual mailman dressed as Sherlock Holmes Eugene
has ever seen.
Scene
5: In the Food Bank
(Wooton,
Eugene)
In
the Food Bank, a Bing Crosby-like rendition of “Of the Father’s Love Begotten”
can be heard over the radio at first. Eugene is filling a shopping cart.
EUGENE
Wooton, if you don’t mind my
asking, why are you sporting such unusual attire?
WOOTON
Do you mean why am I dressed
like this? Uh, I’m not at liberty to discuss that.
EUGENE
Okay,
so… what exactly did you wish to discuss with me?
WOOTON
Huh?
Oh, right, right. Well, Eugene, you see I was… Oh, hey, they’ve got mini muffins
here!
EUGENE
That’s
what you wished to discuss?
WOOTON
It
wasn’t, but it is now. Do you know how awesome those things are? You should add
them to your cart. - Oh, wow! Moderately fresh licorice! They’ve got it all
here!
EUGENE
More
or less.
WOOTON
What’s
the name of this grocery store again?
EUGENE
This
is the local food bank, Wooton. I’m making a collection right now.
WOOTON
Oh!
Snack cakes! They’ve got snack cakes! You can’t leave here without getting
snack cakes. Here, let me help you.
EUGENE
Uh…
very well. How did you know I would be here, by the way?
WOOTON
I
didn’t. I’ve just been following you around town.
EUGENE
WOOTON
To
ask you a question.
EUGENE
And,
uh, what would be the nature of this inquiry?
WOOTON
What
do you know about the mysteriously disappearing kingdom?
EUGENE
I
see word has gotten around.
(sighs
deeply)
If
you must know, the concept with which I was wrestling was not a disappearing
kingdom, but more like, um, an invisible one… I suppose.
WOOTON
Oh,
cool, like the cloaking device Power Boy uses to hide his stash of shining
arrows?
EUGENE
Yes…
No… No, not like that. You see, it’s not really invisible, but hidden.
WOOTON
Sounds
like a cloaking device to me… or a really big game of hide and seek.
EUGENE
Hide
and seek, yes! It’s a bit like that! Except
that this kingdom hasn’t gone off and hidden itself somewhere. We’re the
hidden ones.
WOOTON
We
are?
EUGENE
Indeed.
You see when Jesus spoke of this kingdom in the Gospels he said it was within
you.
WOOTON
Within
me? Oh no, I’m
pretty sure I didn’t eat that for breakfast. I had Chewy Choco Chums. But that
gravy I had for dinner last night was a little mysterious. You don’t think-
EUGENE
Well,
the you wasn’t singular.
WOOTON
Oh,
so you could have eaten it for breakfast, too?
EUGENE
Well,
I suppose, in a metaphorical sense. Speaking of breakfast foods, would you mind
handing me that granola?
WOOTON
You
call that breakfast food? No way! Go for the Chewy Choco Chums!
EUGENE
What?
That’s not even food!
WOOTON
Is
too! I put peanut butter and maple syrup on mine every morning!
EUGENE
(shudders)
That
sounds revolting.
WOOTON
Oh!
It’s heaven!
Scene 6: In front of the
Food Bank, later
(Wooton, Matthew, Emily)
EMILY
What did you learn, Wooton?
WOOTON
Not much I’m afraid.
Eugene’s massive intellect was too much for me to penetrate, though I almost
had him on Chewy Choco Chums with peanut butter and maple syrup.
EMILY
That sounds gross.
WOOTON
The only thing I got from
him was that this kingdom is within you.
MATTHEW
Within us?
WOOTON
Yep, like breakfast… uh…
except not quite like that. It’s a New Testament thing.
EMILY
Wait, you mean this is like
a biblical kingdom?
WOOTON
Yeah, but I doubt I can
explain it any better than someone as smart as Eugene can…
MATTHEW
Hmm… Well, what should we
do?
WOOTON
I think it’s time we called
in the experts.
MATTHEW
Like who?
WOOTON
Who else? Harlow Doyle.
EMILY
(displeased)
What? No. That’s not
happening.
WOOTON
Oh, really? Whoops.
EMILY
Whoops? What whoops?
WOOTON
Oh, I already sent him a
text. He’s on his way to the Food Bank right now.
EMILY
Great… Alright, back to base
camp!
Scene 7: In the Food Bank,
later
(Eugene, Harlow)
HARLOW
Aha!
EUGENE
(startled)
Harlow? What are you doing
here?
HARLOW
As if you don’t know about a
missing kingdom.
EUGENE
Does everyone in Odyssey
know about that now?
HARLOW
You, sir, are avoiding the
issue and attempting to hide evidence. But I’m here to tell you that justice
will be served, and this kingdom will be found!
EUGENE
It’s not missing. It’s still
here.
HARLOW
Wait… how am I supposed to
go looking for it if you can’t decide whether it’s missing or not?
EUGENE
It exists here, but it will
also come into existence in the future.
HARLOW
Ooh! I get it!
EUGENE
You do?
HARLOW
Indubitably. This type of
anomaly could not normally happen… unless… unless!...
EUGENE
Unless?
HARLOW
Unless aliens from the
future figured out a way to manipulate the fabric of time and space to journey
into our present perception, carrying with them this alleged kingdom so that
not only would it follow the original time-line by coming into existence in the
future, but it would also exist in our own personal now!
EUGENE
Precisely! Because the
reality of time is that it exists as a whole, past, present, and future, so
what has happened is always with us while what has not yet happened already
exists! …wait, did you say space aliens?!
HARLOW
Jumping Jabberwocky! They’re
trying to alter the timeline! They’ve probably figured out how to use Red
Matter in black holes to erase us from history!
EUGENE
Impossible! History can’t be
erased!
HARLOW
There’s only one hope for us
now! Give me that ketchup bottle! I must extract the Red Matter before the
space aliens erase us all from history!
EUGENE
Mr. Doyle, no! Don’t squeeze the - Ahhh!!!
Harlow begins squirting
ketchup all over the place.
Scene 8: Back in Wooton’s
Tree House
EMILY
Alright, we’re back at home
base.
WOOTON
Time for some hot cocoa.
MATTHEW
Count me in.
EMILY
Alright, so what have we
learned from our investigation so far?
MATTHEW
Well, there’s, uh, not much,
and, uh, not much more.
EMILY
No clues we overlooked?
MATTHEW
Well… Only one that comes to
mind.
WOOTON
What?
MATTHEW
Eugene did say that this
mystery was something he’d learned from someone else.
WOOTON
(gasps)
That’s right! He did!
EMILY
If we could find this other
person, we might find more clues.
WOOTON
But who was this person?
EMILY
AND MATTHEW
Mr. Whitaker!
Scene 9: At Whit’s End
(Connie, Matthew, Emily,
Wooton)
Wooton, Emily, and Matthew
walk into Whit’s End. Connie is at the counter.
CONNIE
Hey, guys.
MATTHEW
AND WOOTON
Hey, Connie.
EMILY
Is Mr. Whitaker around?
CONNIE
No, he’s out running
errands.
What’s going on?
MATTHEW
We were just hoping he’d be
here. I mean, this whole thing did start with him after all.
CONNIE
Start with him? What do you
mean?
EMILY
He was the one who told
Eugene about this scandal.
CONNIE
Scandal!
WOOTON
Yeah… about the mysteriously
hidden kingdom.
CONNIE
What? You aren’t making any
sense.
MATTHEW
Eugene might be getting into
something bigger than himself.
CONNIE
Wait… did you guys say this
is about a kingdom? And that Whit and Eugene were talking about it?
EMILY
Yes. Have you heard
anything?
CONNIE
Well, it’s not like anybody
ever tells me anything… But I did hear Whit say something about doing
some sort of kingdom work right before he left. - Here.
Connie hands Emily a piece
of paper.
EMILY
What’s this?
CONNIE
Whit wrote this address
down. He said he was going there.
WOOTON
You mean this kingdom has an
address? Funny, I don’t remember coming across it on my mail route.
EMILY
Thanks, Connie! Come on,
Wooton, let’s go!
Matthew and Emily grab
Wooton and run out of the shop.
CONNIE
(confused)
Okay… glad I could help.
Scene 10: Outside the Old
Building
(Emily, Matthew, Wooton,
Mary, Jeremy, Logan)
As Wooton, Emily, and
Matthew walk down the snow-covered sidewalk, they pass some Christmas carolers
singing the verse from “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” that begins with “O that
birth forever blessèd.”
WOOTON
You’ve got to love Christmas
carolers. Such a noble trade.
EMILY
Brr… I think it’s getting
colder. – And it’s starting to get late, too. We better find some answers soon.
MATTHEW
Well, here we are. 629
Jackson St.
WOOTON
Wow, this building’s really
big.
EMILY
And really old, too. Do you
think this is what Eugene was talking about? I mean, it looks kind of like a
castle with all the towers and stone walls.
WOOTON
It does, doesn’t it?
EMILY
What do you think, Matthew?
MATTHEW
It gives me the creeps.
EMILY
It’s too late to turn back
now, Matthew. We’re here.
MATTHEW
(hesitant)
Well… Alright.
They knock on the door. It
creeks open. Inside is a woman with an Irish accent.
MARY
May I help you?
EMILY
Hi. My name is Emily. This
is Matthew and Wooton. We’re here because we’re trying to learn about a
kingdom. And we thought this place was connected somehow.
MARY
Oh, I see. Connie called and
said you would be coming. Come on in. I’m Sister Mary, by the way.
They enter the building.
Door closes behind them.
EMILY
Nice to meet you.
WOOTON
This place is really a
time-shifting castle, isn’t it?
MARY
Well, you’re a peculiar one,
aren’t you? This building is a school for orphans.
MATTHEW
Orphans?
MARY
Yes. It was founded by the
Sisters of Charity in 1899 in the hope that children whose parents had died
would be able to receive a proper education, as well as a bed to sleep in and
food to eat.
Two little boys run up.
MARY
Hello there, Logan and
Jeremy.
LOGAN
AND JEREMY
Hello, Sister Mary.
MARY
Are you on your way to the
kitchen? It’s almost supper time.
LOGAN
AND JEREMY
Yes, ma’am.
WOOTON
Supper time, eh? So, this
building wouldn’t happen to be made of, oh say, edible materials, would it?
EMILY
Wooton, this isn’t a
gingerbread castle.
MATTHEW
Great. More messed up fairy
tales…
WOOTON
Well, how else would this
kingdom be within you?
EMILY
I’m starting to think this
place has nothing to do with that.
MARY
Now hold on just a minute.
If this kingdom you speak of is what I think it is, then there might be more of
a connection to this place than you realize.
MATTHEW
Really?
MARY
Logan, Jeremy, go take our
guests to the food pantry. I think they may find the answers to their questions
there.
LOGAN
Will we still get supper on
time?
JEREMY
Yeah, we’re not going to
starve, are we?
MARY
You won’t starve as long as
I’m around, but if you want your supper sooner rather than later I’d suggest
you stop wastin’ time by talking about it. Now go help our guests.
LOGAN
Yes, ma’am.
(to Emily)
The kitchen’s right this
way.
Scene 11: At the Food Pantry
Entrance
(Jeremy, Logan, Wooton,
Matthew, Emily, Whit, Eugene)
They follow the kids down a
hall and to the pantry.
JEREMY
The pantry’s right through
here.
EMILY
Thanks.
LOGAN
Let’s go, Jeremy.
The boys leave and our trio
enters the food pantry.
WHIT
Well, hello there!
EMILY
Mr. Whittaker? What are you
doing here? We’ve been looking for you.
WHIT
I’m waiting for Eugene to
drop off a load of food. I’m going to help him unload and sort it. Why were you
trying to find me?
EMILY
This whole thing started
with you.
WHIT
What thing?
MATTHEW
This mystery about the
kingdom that exists but doesn’t exist yet. It has something to do with this
place, doesn’t it?
WHIT
Kingdom? Oh, you must have
been talking to Eugene about the kingdom that is and is yet to come.
EMILY
That’s the one! We’ve been
trying to figure out what happened to this kingdom all day!
WOOTON
Yeah, Eugene said something
about the kingdom being inside of you like we all shared it for breakfast.
WHIT
Eugene said that?
WOOTON
Well, he used bigger words…
wait… I know what’s going on. You’re stocking up for your long voyage on this
time-traveling castle.
WHIT
A time-traveling castle?
(to himself)
Now there’s an idea. I
wonder if I could invent something like that…
MATTHEW
This place has to be the
kingdom you told Eugene about.
WHIT
You’re close. You see, the
real kingdom I was talking to Eugene about is the kingdom of heaven.
EMILY
The kingdom of heaven?
MATTHEW
Ah… so that’s how the Bible
fits into this.
WHIT
That’s right. And do you
want to know something? The real kingdom of heaven is right on the other
side of that door.
EMILY
What? Are you serious?
WHIT
I am. Do any of you want to
take a look?
MATTHEW
Uh… at heaven? Does that
mean we’re dead?
WOOTON
Oh, man, we must have
time-shifted right into the pearly gates! …they look a lot like the kitchen
door.
WHIT
Well, I don’t know about
that… but heaven truly does lie right on the other side of this door.
Eugene suddenly comes
through the door.
EUGENE
Greetings and salutations!
EMILY,
MATTHEW & WOOTON
Eugene!!!
Eugene is startled, jumps
and makes Eugene-like noises as he drops a large box of snack cakes.
Scene 12: In the Pantry,
after brief musical sequence
(Whit, Eugene, Emily,
Matthew, Wooton)
WHIT
May I introduce you to the
kingdom of heaven… Mr. Eugene Meltsner.
EUGENE
You made me drop my snack
cakes.
EMILY
What? Eugene’s the kingdom
of heaven? I’m confused.
MATTHEW
Yeah, Eugene’s not that
heavenly.
WOOTON
Sure he is! He’s delivering
snack cakes, isn’t he? That’s bread from heaven!
EUGENE
I believe I am also
confused.
WHIT
Maybe I should explain this.
Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is within us… because Jesus lives in our hearts.
This means that we
carry a little bit of heaven around inside of us even though we haven’t made it
to heaven yet.
WOOTON
I’ll have a lot of heaven
inside of me once I get a hold of those snack cakes.
WHIT
People like Sister Mary and Eugene
are sharing the heaven that they have inside of them by helping people who need
help… and when they do that they are making Odyssey just a little bit more like
heaven. They try to turn bad things into good things. So… that is what I meant
when I told Eugene that the “kingdom is and is yet to come,” - because heaven
will come to us in the future even though it is already inside of us now.
EMILY
That makes sense.
MATTHEW
I’m still confused.
WHIT
That’s okay. It still
confuses me, too. That’s the mystery of it. – The divine mystery.
MATTHEW
Hmm… like the song the
Christmas carolers were singing outside?
WOOTON
Oh, I love that song.
(begins singing)
“He is Alpha and Omega/ He
the Source, the Ending He…”
EUGENE
Oh, yes, that’s the ancient
hymn commonly titled “Of the Father’s Love Begotten,” or more originally “The
Divine Mystery,” or in the even more original Latin, “Divinum Mysterium.” It
speaks to the divine mystery of the beginning and the end of all things, past,
present, and future, all being wrapped up into the eternity of God. Heh… now
that really is the divine mystery.
WHIT
Thanks for the history
lesson.
EUGENE
Well, I admit that it still
very much confuses me as well. I doubt I need to point back to my muddled state
in the park which began this investigation.
EMILY
You knew we were
investigating you the whole time?
WOOTON
It’s that massive intellect
of his.
EUGENE
Let’s just say Harlow Doyle
isn’t very good at keeping secrets.
WHIT
Maybe one day we’ll all
understand the kingdom of heaven a lot better than we do now… but for now, we
might as well participate in what we do understand.
EMILY
What do you mean?
WHIT
Turning bad things into good
things. Like this orphanage. How would you like to join us in participating in
the kingdom of heaven?
EMILY
I’d like that, but how do we
join?
WHIT
Well, you’re already part of
it since you have Jesus in your hearts, but you can help bring the kingdom of
heaven to others, too.
MATTHEW
Really?
WHIT
One way would be by helping
us bring all this food inside so the kids can eat breakfast tomorrow.
EMILY
Okay.
WOOTON
Oh, I’d be more than happy
to help deliver some bread from heaven.
WHIT
Well, what are we waiting
for? Let’s go help Eugene.
Whit and Wooton begin
helping Eugene carry food.
EMILY
Are you coming, Matthew?
MATTHEW
Yeah… I was just thinking.
I’m still kind of confused about this whole kingdom of heaven thing.
EMILY
Yeah, me too. But I think
we’ve answered as many questions as we can for now… I guess we’ll have to put
this case in both the solved and the unsolved mysteries files back at the
office.
MATTHEW
Heh, yeah, I think you’re
right. - Hey Eugene, can I help you with that box?
Scene
ends with soft orchestral version of last two lines of first verse to hymn “Of
the Father’s Love Begotten.”
