The Peanuts Movie Page 6

First there was war. Then there was peace. He counted again. Now he had seventeen words.

  “Only nine hundred eighty-three words to go,” he said with a sigh.

  But he wasn’t going to give up. He kept going. But after a few paragraphs, the metal tip of his pen snapped! The ink splattered all over everything he’d written and covered his hands.

  “Rats!” Charlie Brown exclaimed. He wiped his hands on his shirt and looked for something else to write with.

  “It’s no use,” he said, starting to get discouraged. “I’m just not as smart as they think I am.”

  Then he saw it, glistening in the moonlight. The pink pencil with the white feather on top, sitting in a glass jar on his shelf. He picked it up, admiring it.

  “I can’t let her down,” he said with determination. Then he psyched himself up. “There’s still time. You can do this. You can’t give up on her now!”

  A jolt of new energy flowed through him. He picked up the pencil and started writing again. His hand-writing was neat and perfect. He looked down in awe at the paper. It was like the pencil was magic!

  The pencil flew across the paper as Charlie Brown wrote. He kept writing and writing until the sun came up. Finally, he added his last three words.

  “Nine hundred ninety-eight, nine hundred ninety-nine, one thousand,” he counted. “Finished!”

  He crawled into bed and lay down. Then he pulled the covers up and fluffed his pillow. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

  “Wake up, big brother!” Sally yelled as she burst into his room. “Today’s the assembly to celebrate your perfect score!”

  Charlie Brown woke up, startled. He got out of bed and groggily walked into the living room. Sally was sitting behind a large, old-fashioned cash register. Behind her were stacks of Charlie Brown merchandise she had made herself: Charlie Brown dolls, mugs with Charlie Brown’s face on them, Charlie Brown T-shirts, Charlie Brown hats . . .

  “What are you up to now?” Charlie Brown asked.

  “Not that you’re a big celebrity, I have to move fast,” Sally explained. “The fame that comes with intellectual superiority can be very fleeting. You have to cash in while you can!”

  Charlie Brown smiled and gazed across the street at the Little Red-Haired Girl’s house. Getting her to finally notice him—that’s how he planned to cash in.

  “Today’s going to be a big day for us, big brother!” Sally said confidently.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The Big Assembly

  Charlie Brown forgot about being tired when he got to school. His report was done, and it was beautiful. And he was about to be honored for his perfect score!

  Sally set up her merchandise at the entrance to the auditorium. Balloons printed with her brother’s face floated above her booth. Linus and Charlie Brown walked past her to find their seats. The place was already filled with kids.

  “This is all for you, Charlie Brown,” said Linus, happy for his friend. “You’ve really made it.”

  Charlie Brown spotted the Little Red-Haired Girl in her seat. She was back! Charlie Brown was thrilled.

  “It’s going to happen,” he told Linus. “She’s finally going to notice me for doing something great.”

  Lucy walked into the auditorium. She took in the sight of all the kids wearing Charlie Brown hats and T-shirts.

  She steeled herself and walked up to Charlie Brown.

  “I hate to admit it, you blockhead, but public opinion leads me to believe that after all these years, I may have been wrong about you,” she said. “This has not been easy for me. MY WHOLE WORLD HAS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN!”

  The lights went down in the auditorium, and Charlie Brown hurried backstage as everyone else took their seats. Franklin came out from behind the curtain and stood at a lectern in the center of the stage, followed by Marcie.

  “Can I please have Charlie Brown come to the stage?” Franklin asked.

  The spotlight found Charlie Brown as he walked out from behind the curtain to the applause of the crowd. He stood next to Franklin, who turned to him.

  “It is my pleasure to present to you today, this award, for the highest achievement in this year’s standardized testing. But before I do, the school proclamation,” he said.

  Marcie stepped up to the microphone. “On this day whereas you have upheld the highest of academic standards, and whereas no one would have ever expected that of you, and whereas you are the first to receive a perfect score, therefore, be it resolved that today is declared Charlie Brown Day. Signed, Miss Othmar.”

  Franklin held out a small case. Marcie opened it and took out a gold medal. She pinned it to Charlie Brown’s shirt.

  Charlie Brown beamed with pride as everyone gave him a standing ovation.

  “How about that, Charlie Brown?” Franklin asked. “You’re the star of the school now.”

  The crowd burst into applause again. Charlie Brown could see the Little Red-Haired Girl out there. This was exactly the day he’d dreamed of!

  Then Marcie handed him a piece of paper. “Congratulations, Charles,” she said. “Let me present you with your perfect test.”

  Charlie Brown looked down at the test. It had his name on it, but the bubbles had been filled in to make a smiley face! His stomach sank.

  Oh no! he realized. I must have signed the wrong paper.

  His mind flashed back to the day of the test, when he and Peppermint Patty had been in such a hurry to hand in their papers. That must have been how it happened.

  Of course, nobody had to know that. He could just take his medal and go, and the Little Red-Haired Girl would be impressed. He could walk offstage a hero.

  But that wasn’t right, was it? He started to sweat. He tucked the paper into his back pocket and stepped up to the microphone.

  He cleared his throat. “Before I begin, I’d like to thank all of you for your support,” he began.

  Everyone clapped and cheered.

  “You have all been so kind,” Charlie Brown continued. “It is not often that I get this sort of recognition.”

  Then he paused and cleared his throat again. “But . . . um, there’s been a mistake.”

  The kids in the crowd started to murmur. What was Charlie Brown talking about?

  Charlie Brown pulled the test from his pocket.

  “This is not my test,” he said bravely.

  A stunned silence fell over the auditorium. Until—

  “HA!” Lucy cried, jumping up. “I knew it!”

  Charlie Brown finished. “Therefore, I cannot accept this honor.”

  Sally turned to the classmate next to her. “Can a brother and sister get a divorce?” she asked.

  Charlie Brown unpinned the shiny gold medal and handed it back to Marcie, along with the test.

  “I think this belongs to Peppermint Patty,” he said softly.

  Then he walked out of the auditorium alone.

  His days as a celebrity were over. When recess came, nobody asked Charlie Brown to play with them. He sat on a bench with his head in his hands.

  Linus approached and sat next to him.

  “That was a very admirable thing you just did, Charlie Brown,” Linus said.

  That didn’t make Charlie Brown feel much better. “One moment I’m the hero, the next I’m the goat.”

  Linus looked down at the book report in Charlie Brown’s hand.

  “Maybe things will go your way again after you hand in your book report,” Linus said hopefully.

  Charlie Brown got up and walked over to the seesaw, pacing back and forth.

  “I’m not so sure!” he said, suddenly frantic. “I was up all night working on it and I can’t remember a single word.”

  “Surely it’s not as bad as you think, Charlie Brown,” Linus said. “Let me see what you wrote.”

  Linus picked up the book report and started to read. After a minute his face lit up. He looked at Charlie Brown, astonished.

  “Charlie Brown, the insight you bring to such a complex novel is
beyond reproach!” he said.

  He handed the report back to Charlie Brown, who set it down on one end of the seesaw. That’s when he noticed the Little Red-Haired Girl enter the schoolyard. She stopped and talked to a kid, who pointed in Charlie Brown’s direction. Then she started walking right toward him!

  “Ah!” Charlie Brown cried. He quickly put a paper bag over his head.

  That didn’t bother Linus. He was used to seeing his friend with a paper bag on his head.

  “You two are sure to win the gold star with a book report of this quality,” he told Charlie Brown.

  The Little Red-Haired Girl overheard. “Book report?” she asked. “Were we supposed to do a book report?”

  “Oh, hi,” said Linus. “In light of the fact that you were away, Charlie Brown took it upon himself to complete the report for both of you.”

  Charlie Brown shyly lifted the paper bag from his head to see the Little Red-Haired Girl giving him the biggest smile ever.

  Overwhelmed, he leaned on the seesaw to steady himself. It tilted down, sending the book report flying into the air!

  A gust of wind picked it up and took it higher than Charlie Brown could reach. As he chased after it, the red remote-control plane came out of nowhere! The metal propeller shredded the book report into millions of tiny pieces. They rained down on the school yard like confetti.

  “Aaaaargh!” Charlie Brown cried.

  He held out his hands, trying to catch the pieces of the report. He took two pieces of the shredded paper and tried to stick them back together, but of course it was no use.

  “No, no, no!” Charlie Brown wailed.

  It was hopeless. He placed the pile of confetti in the Little Red-Haired Girl’s hands and ran off.

  “Good grief!” she said.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Curse You, Red Baron!

  Outside the school yard, Snoopy watched the red plane destroy Charlie Brown’s dreams. He shook his fist at the plane. Then he ran back to his typewriter and began to type.

  Clackety-clack-clack!

  Chapter Four: Curse You, Red Baron!

  Woodstock and his mechanics cranked a siren—the Red Baron had been spotted in the skies!

  The Flying Ace jumped into his plane and took off into the air. He chased the Red Baron all the way from the countryside to the city of Paris. He never lost sight of the red plane. He followed it past the Eiffel Tower and the cathedral at Notre-Dame.

  The Red Baron looped around and flew back to the Eiffel Tower. He pulled up at the last second, flying vertically up the side of the tower. The Flying Ace flew right beneath him. A drip of oil spilled from the Red Baron’s plane, splashing the Flying Ace in the face. He shook his head, sending the droplets flying.

  The Red Baron looped and quickly flew back down along the Eiffel Tower, startling the Flying Ace. He tried to make the same sharp turn, but his plane got stuck on the point of the Eiffel Tower! He stood up and stomped on his plane, freeing it. His plane plummeted toward the ground, but he pulled up hard at the last minute.

  The Red Baron’s plane was a red dot in the distance now, and it was growing dark as night fell and a fog set in. But the Flying Ace was not going to give up. He bravely flew into the gloomy fog, chasing the Red Baron.

  When the fog lifted, he realized he was behind enemy lines. He could see the barbed wire of the enemy camp below. Then he looked up—and realized he was flying right underneath the Red Baron! His enemy could not see him. It was the perfect cover!

  The Flying Ace and the Red Baron flew until they reached the baron’s aerodrome. Enemy planes patrolled the skies. Suddenly, spotlights shone on the Flying Ace’s plane, and sirens began to wail.

  The Flying Ace began to descend to avoid the spotlights. Up ahead he saw a wooden tower. There, inside, was Fifi!

  Their eyes met. The Flying Ace circled the tower. Then Fifi pointed behind him, and he turned to look.

  The Red Baron was on his tail!

  The Flying Ace gasped. His plane was hit! He was going down!

  He stood on top of his plane and saluted. She had served him well. Smoke poured from the engines as he landed in the middle of the enemy aerodrome.

  The Flying Ace took cover behind the plane as spotlights shone on him. Shading his eyes from the brightness, he saw a zeppelin flying overhead. Fifi sadly waved out the window of the airship. The Flying Ace watched helplessly as it soared away, accompanied by the Red Baron and his squadron of enemy planes, the Flying Circus.

  Things were grim. It looked like all was lost.

  But he would not give up. The Red Baron could not win! Fifi was counting on him.

  The Flying Ace stormed off into the dark night.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The Long Winter

  Snoopy walked through the backyard, passing Charlie Brown.

  Charlie Brown tossed his ruined book report into the trash can next to Snoopy’s doghouse. Across the street, he saw his sister selling Charlie Brown merchandise for 90 percent off. But nobody was buying. Instead, a long line of kids was trying to return their stuff.

  “No refunds!” Sally yelled.

  Charlie Brown retreated to his bedroom. He stared at the objects on his dresser: his kite, his baseball glove, and 10 Ways to Become a Winner! All examples of his failure.

  He shoved each one of them under his bed. And then he stopped, catching his breath. There was the pink pencil with the white feather on top. He picked it up and looked at it. Was he really ready to give up on the Little Red-Haired Girl, too?

  Yes, he was. He opened his top drawer and stashed the pencil inside.

  Then he sat on his bed and stared at the window. The sun set, and a bright star appeared to light up the darkness. A sliver of hope.

  “Whenever I feel really alone, I just sit and stare into the night sky,” Charlie Brown mused out loud. “I’ve always thought that one of those stars was my star, and at moments like this, I know that my star will always be there for me. Like a comfortable voice saying, ‘Don’t give up, kid.’ ”

  Meanwhile, Snoopy wasn’t ready to give up just yet. He started a new chapter in his book.

  The Flying Ace knew he had to rescue Fifi.

  Snoopy roamed the neighborhood, looking for inspiration to finish his story. He imagined that he was searching for Fifi in the French countryside.

  He spotted Marcie inside her house. A friendly refuge! He borrowed her glasses to use as binoculars so he could scan the neighborhood.

  He moved on. Outside another house, he heard Schroeder playing a beautiful song on his piano: Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.” The music reminded him of the Flying Ace’s love for Fifi. He howled into the sky.

  He had to get closer to that beautiful music. Seconds later he popped up next to Schroeder and howled along with the music.

  Schroeder stopped playing.

  “No dogs allowed!”

  Ejected from Schroeder’s house, Snoopy walked alone through the neighborhood, still imagining he was in the French countryside. He passed Christmas carolers and snagged a scarf and hat from one of them to blend in. He couldn’t risk being spotted by the enemy!

  Then he spotted another house. Could Fifi be hiding there? He jumped up and grabbed on to the Christmas lights leading to the house. He moved hand over hand across the light strand so he could investigate.

  Peppermint Patty spotted him outside her window. She called Charlie Brown.

  “Chuck, that funny-looking kid with the big nose is over here again!” she complained.

  She chased off Snoopy, who returned to his doghouse, defeated. He had no idea how to end his story. Fifi would be lost forever.

  For the rest of the winter, Snoopy didn’t work on his book. Charlie Brown didn’t try to fly a kite. He didn’t practice his pitching. And he didn’t try to talk to the Little Red-Haired Girl. The boy and his dog had both given up.

  Then something happened. The snow slowly melted. The days got longer and warmer and brighter. Blades of grass began
to poke through the dirt.

  Spring had arrived.

  Charlie Brown was walking past the ice pond on a spring afternoon when . . . wham! A kite crashed at his feet!

  He turned to see a little kid on a ladder, holding a ball of string in his hand. The kid pulled the kite back to him. Then he tossed it off the ladder, expecting it to fly. But it just crashed to the ground again.

  Charlie Brown started to walk away, when the kid called out to him.

  “Excuse me, mister, have you ever flown a kite?” he asked.

  Yes, Charlie Brown thought. And every time I do it, I fail!

  But the kid looked so sad, and while Charlie Brown was not the best kite flyer ever, he at least knew that tossing a kite off a ladder was not the way to do it.

  “Sure,” Charlie Brown said, and he approached the kid, giving him his best tips. “Wait until the wind is just right. Keep the string tight. Get a good running start. And most important of all, don’t ever give up!”

  Snoopy watched the whole thing. Don’t ever give up. The words sparked something inside him.

  He never should have given up on his book!

  Chapter Twenty

  The Final Battle

  Snoopy rushed to his typewriter and began to write.

  Chapter Seven: Never Give Up!

  The Flying Ace knew he could never give up on her. He could never give up on himself.

  He repaired his plane and flew back to his aerodrome. Then he gathered his own squadron of Sopwith Camel planes. They took off in the darkness of night, headed for the ocean.

  Early the next morning the Flying Ace spotted the huge zeppelin up ahead, glinting in the sunlight. He zoomed toward it. The Red Baron’s squadron turned and headed toward the Flying Ace and the Sopwith Camels.

  As the Flying Ace flew closer to the zeppelin, he could see Fifi staring out the window of the carriage of the airship. They locked eyes. He surged forward to rescue her.

  Then an enemy plane appeared behind him! The Flying Ace ducked to avoid it, but the plane was hot on his tail.