Paws & Tales

Dave: I am ready. Ned?

Ned: No, Dave, I have an idea.

Dave: No, Ned, just do the script.

Ned: No, no, I have it, Dave. Beatnik poetry. Coloring sheets, happy and free. Picture of others, but mostly of Ned.

Dave: That is so weird, Ned. Stop. Download a free character coloring sheet for your kids. There are more cast members to come, so check in weekly.

Ned: Relax, Dave. Dave, relax. Relax is Dave. Ned, is that a beret? Where did you get a beret? Download a beautiful map of Wildwood, also for free. Is it a map of Wildwood or is it life? A map.

Dave: You're starting to freak me out, Ned. Just log on to pawsandtales.org for these fun things and more.

Ned: Pawsandtales.org. Happiness or is happiness pawsandtales.org? So hard to know.

Dave: That's it. Joel, stop tape.

Insight for Living: Welcome to the world of Paws & Tales. Wild Mountain can be a pretty dangerous place. If you stay on the trails and stick with me, there is adventure to be had there, too.

Insight for Living is proud to present Paws & Tales. Howdy, and welcome to Wildwood. Everyone has their favorite time of year. Stacy loves the fall with the turning of the leaves. Goose likes spring because that is when the flowers all pop up. Marsha, she loves it best this time of year when the fancy of young moose girls turns to spelling bees.

Miss Harbor: All right, class. Settle, please. Once again, it is time to begin preparations for the regional spelling bee. We will have the class competition on Friday, and the top two winners will go to Cucamonga for the regionals.

CJ: Marsha! Marsha! Marsha!

Guest (Male): Is Marsha the local favorite?

Goose: You bet she is. Marsha is the queen bee of spelling bees.

Stacy: It is true. Marsha won the regionals last year. She is the best speller in Wildwood.

Marsha: The whole region.

Tiffany: How wonderful for you.

Marsha: It was a group effort, really.

Miss Harbor: All right, class. Let's start. Who would like to be first? Marsha? Who would like to compete with Marsha? Ned?

Ned: Thank you, no. When it comes to humiliation, I can wait.

Miss Harbor: Someone else? Lily? Sammy?

Tiffany: I will, Miss Harbor.

Miss Harbor: Oh, good. Marsha and Tiffany then.

CJ: Marsha! Marsha!

Miss Harbor: CJ, that will be enough.

CJ: Sorry.

Miss Harbor: Are you girls ready?

Marsha: Yes, ma'am.

Tiffany: Yes, I am.

Goose: Go easy on her, Marsha.

Miss Harbor: The first word is redwood. Marsha?

Marsha: R-E-D-W-O-O-D. Redwood.

Miss Harbor: Excellent, Marsha. Tiffany, your word is galaxy.

Tiffany: Really? Marsha, don't help her.

Miss Harbor: Class. Tiffany, galaxy.

Tiffany: G-A-L-A-X-Y. Galaxy.

Miss Harbor: Good for you. Marsha, your word is dollars.

Marsha: D-O-L-L-A-R-S. Dollars.

Miss Harbor: Tiffany, your word is presence.

Marsha: She is going down.

Tiffany: Can I ask a question?

Goose: No clues.

Miss Harbor: Tiffany, what is it?

Tiffany: Is the word presence, your presence is requested? Because then it would be P-R-E-S-E-N-C-E. If it was like Christmas presents, it would be P-R-E-S-E-N-T-S. If it was the town of Wildwood presents, then it would be...

Miss Harbor: Thank you, Tiffany.

Ned: What did she say? I wasn't listening. What did she say?

CJ: I say we have another speller in the room.

Miss Harbor: Very good, Tiffany.

Tiffany: Thank you.

Marsha: Wow, I guess you have done this before.

Tiffany: A couple of times.

Marsha: Have you won something like the regionals?

Tiffany: No, not the regionals.

Marsha: Well, that is okay.

Tiffany: I won the Southern Tristate Championship, and I was the Eastern Seaboard spelling runner-up.

Ned: Runner-up is second place, right?

Miss Harbor: I am very impressed.

Ned: I am sorry, what did she win second place in? I was busy thinking.

Tiffany: Oh, and I won the honorable mention in the spelling bee while we were overseas, but that doesn't count.

Ned: What is honorable mention?

Miss Harbor: Usually, it means fourth place.

Marsha: Fourth place. I wouldn't go around advertising that one.

Ned: Why doesn't it count? Fourth place is pretty good.

Tiffany: Well, it really doesn't count because it was in French.

Guest (Male): Like another language, French?

Tiffany: So you see, it really isn't the same thing at all.

Miss Harbor: Well, it looks like we might just have a great couple of spellers for the regional championship. That is great.

Insight for Living: Well, Tiffany was once again the talk of the town. The only difference is that this time, all the talk was good. Her father, Mr. Rockler, is the richest man to ever set foot in Wildwood, and Tiffany is determined to remind folks of that fact as often as she can. After school, CJ and Ned were sitting on the floor of the general store looking through Mr. Crawford's catalog of toys.

Ned: Look at this. You fill it with air and jump on it like a trampoline.

CJ: Let me see.

Ned: Don't take it, just look at it.

CJ: I can't see.

Mr. Crawford: Hey there, kids.

Ned: Hello, Mr. Crawford.

CJ: Afternoon, Mr. Crawford. Tiffany, say something in French.

Tiffany: Merci beaucoup.

CJ: It sounds like you're singing a song.

Tiffany: It is a very beautiful language. Look at this material. Don't they get anything nice here ever? Is that where your mother is, in France?

Ned: What?

Tiffany: I was just wondering about where your mother is. Don't you ever. Don't you ever talk about my mother. Do you understand? You little bumpkin. You don't know anything.

CJ: I just wondered.

Tiffany: If I ever hear you or anyone talking about her, you will rue the day. This town is full of nothing but gross bumpkins.

Ned: Well, that was interesting. Rue the day. I like it. Rue the day. Yeah, I'm going to start working that into conversation. Rue the day.

CJ: How are you going to work that into conversation? I'm not done with that page, turn it back. She is the meanest thing I have ever seen. You think she is misunderstood?

Ned: I think she is mean and spiteful.

CJ: Yeah, me too. I'm not done with that page. Give me the catalog.

Ned: You do that again, and you will rue the day.

CJ: Not bad.

Ned: Thank you. Oh, wow. Look at the fishing poles. Very nice.

CJ: I'm kind of a bamboo pole guy. All that fancy stuff won't impress the fish one bit. That mean girl is going to be our new spelling bee champion, isn't she?

Ned: She probably will.

CJ: Then we will rue the day.

Ned: Nicely done.

Insight for Living: While the club was working on Marsha, there were preparations going on for Tiffany as well, but preparations of another sort entirely.

Tiffany: Okay, Tiffany, let's go through this list of words. Let me look at your list. Never mind this. I know them.

Guest (Male): You know them all?

Tiffany: Yes. Is he here yet?

Guest (Male): I believe Mr. Soto has arrived, miss.

Tiffany: Well, send him up directly.

Guest (Male): Yes, miss.

Guest (Female): Mr. Soto? I cannot believe it. You hired a spelling coach?

Tiffany: Hardly. I hired a detective.

Guest (Female): Why would you do that?

Tiffany: My father calls it having the eye of the tiger. It is when you want something bad. He never goes after something he wants with only one plan. You need to attack from at least two directions at once.

Guest (Female): We are still talking about a spelling bee, right?

Tiffany: Yes. I am without question the superior speller in this dreadful little hamlet. That is my first weapon.

Guest (Female): Your first spelling bee weapon?

Tiffany: Yes. My second is intimidation. I will scare them with my very presence. You know, make them feel like they have no right to even be competing with me.

Guest (Female): Intimidation is your second weapon.

Tiffany: Good, you're keeping up. My third, if the first two are not enough, is background information. Mr. Soto will go out and dig up things about the kids who I will be competing against. Bad stuff. Hopefully embarrassing things. Things that I can whisper in their ears just before they go on stage to spell.

I want them thinking about how their most embarrassing moment will be displayed for all the world to see if they win. It is how those of us who win, well, win. You can leave nothing to chance. I want this. I take no prisoners. I will win at all costs. I will succeed.

Guest (Female): Tiffany, that is just creepy.

Guest (Male): Mr. Soto, miss.

Tiffany: Wonderful. Send him in.

Insight for Living: Well, the day of the regional spelling bee arrived. Most of Wildwood had come on the train to Cucamonga for the big day. The competition between Tiffany and Marsha had whipped up a frenzy of excitement in the town.

Miss Harbor: All right, now. Is there anything that I can do for either of you?

Marsha: Not at the moment, Miss Harbor.

Tiffany: No, ma'am.

Miss Harbor: Okay, well, you let me know if there is. You're making me nervous. Sorry. Okay, I'm just going to be down there if you... I'm going to go sit down now.

Marsha: Tiffany?

Tiffany: Yes, Marsha.

Marsha: Are you nervous?

Tiffany: I would be if there was any chance of one of these bumpkins being able to keep up with me, but there is not, and I am not.

Marsha: Who are they?

Tiffany: Oh, they're the rest of the spellers.

Marsha: Who is the girl?

Tiffany: That is Gabby. She is from Modesty. She was runner-up last year and is perhaps the only one who stands a chance.

Marsha: I thought that no one stood a chance. Gabby, what a pleasure to meet you. My name is Tiffany Rockler. I was wondering if we could just get to know each other a bit.

Ned: Marsha! CJ! Stacy! Ned! Oh, I'm so glad to see you guys.

CJ: So how's it going?

Marsha: I don't know if I can stand it. I'm so scared.

CJ: You'll do great. Just relax. You're ready.

Ned: I can't do it! Is that Gabby?

CJ: Yeah. What could have made her so upset?

Tiffany: Oh, hello, you two.

Ned: Did you see what happened to Gabby?

Tiffany: Yes. Pity she broke down like that. And just before she is up to spell. Is that raccoon over there, Shadow McMillan?

CJ: Yes, he's from Harmony. The town's best hope for a champion.

Tiffany: Excuse me, I believe I'll go say hello.

Ned: She looks like a snake just before it strikes. She's doing something. Everybody's scared of her.

CJ: Never mind her. You're prepared, and you're going to win it for Wildwood.

Marsha: Oh, I really, really want to.

Ned: I'm going to go look around. Good luck, Marsha. See you.

Miss Harbor: U-N-Q-U-E-S-T-I-O-N-A-B-L-Y. Unquestionably. All right, that is correct. Well, that concludes the second round. When we return, we'll have our two finalists, Tiffany Rockler and Marsha Moffit, both from Wildwood. They're going to pair off to determine who is this year's regional spelling bee champion. We'll take a break and recommence in 10 minutes.

Marsha, Tiffany, you are both doing wonderfully. This is so exciting.

Tiffany: Exciting, I know.

Miss Harbor: Marsha, how do you feel?

Marsha: I'm just surprised I made it this far.

Tiffany: As am I.

Miss Harbor: Well, I'm not. Now, you just relax, both of you. Mayor Boggs.

Mayor Boggs: You've done well, Marsha. I underestimated you.

Marsha: Thanks.

Tiffany: I wanted to chat with you before...

Stacy: Marsha, come here now.

Marsha: Stacy, I'm so nervous. I don't think...

Stacy: Listen, listen to me.

Marsha: What's wrong?

Stacy: Tiffany has been going around to all of the spellers and saying terrible things to them. Things that will scare them or embarrass them, upset them, whatever to make them lose.

Marsha: Well, that explains a lot. We got to tell Miss Harbor.

Stacy: She is not cheating. There aren't rules for this kind of meanness. Who would have thought someone would do something like this just to win a spelling bee? Do not let her talk to you. She will make you angry or embarrassed.

Marsha: Of course she would. The only reason she hasn't done it yet is that she didn't think I'd get this far. She'll try to embarrass me. Oh, she knows all about all the things I've knocked over, all the times I've slipped on the ice. Oh.

Stacy: Enough. You can't let her win this way. You need to get tough.

Ned: Hey, I've got it. I've got it.

CJ: Ned, what?

Ned: CJ and me, we just talked with Gabby. Now, listen to me. I know how you can win. I know how you can beat Tiffany. All you have to do before you both step up to the stage is tell her that her mother is in the audience.

Marsha: Her mother's here?

Ned: No, no, she isn't. Who knows where she is? All you have to do is say anything about her mother, and she'll flip her lid. She'll go knots. She won't be able to spell her own name.

Marsha: That's the meanest thing I think I've ever heard.

Ned: I know. Oh, you mean like bad. Marsha, that's cruel. It's exactly what she's been doing to everyone else. I say give her a bit of her own medicine.

Miss Harbor: All right, all right. Everyone out into the seats now. We're getting ready to begin again.

Ned: You know what to do, Marsha.

Stacy: Stacy?

Marsha: I don't know. Marsha, you are doing so well. How do you feel? Miss Harbor, how important is it to win?

Miss Harbor: Well, I'm not sure I understand the question.

Marsha: I can win. I think you can. No, I mean I can win if I do something that is really mean, something that will only hurt a very mean person. If I do this thing, I will win today.

Miss Harbor: I see. How important is it to win? Sit down, Marsha. It's good to win. It's good to try your best. It's good to be tough. But it's a very bad thing to win if you have to cheat.

Marsha: Oh, I don't have to cheat. I just have to be really mean.

Miss Harbor: What would Jesus think of your being really mean in order to win?

Marsha: Well, she doesn't worry about that. She's been terrible to everyone and she might win. Is that what Jesus wants?

Miss Harbor: He doesn't want you to win if you have to act like her.

Marsha: What would happen if I did?

Miss Harbor: Oh, I don't know. You might win the championship and lose the respect of your friends. You might win first prize and be miserable because you didn't win it without hurting someone, even if they are very mean themselves. Do it right, Marsha. You might win and you might not. But most of all, you want to make God smile.

Marsha: Yes, you do. Where did you hear that?

Miss Harbor: Papa Chuck.

Marsha: They're ready. You all right? I think so. Marsha, make him smile.

Tiffany: Marsha, this is a big moment for both of us. I certainly hope you don't do anything to, well, embarrass yourself like you did last spring.

Ned: And when Marsha spelled conciliatory, I thought I was going to go through the roof.

CJ: I was so nervous for her, I chewed my nails to the nub. Mom's going to scream. Oh, here she comes. Marsha! We are so proud of you, Marsha. Everyone, here they come.

Guest (Male): And now I am proud to introduce you to this year's regional spelling bee champion, Tiffany Rockler.

Tiffany: Thank you. Thank you all. I am very honored to have won this for the town of Wildwood. Miss Tucker, where's my father?

Miss Tucker: He saw you win, but had to rush off. It was an emergency. He was very proud though.

Tiffany: I would especially like to thank my teacher, Miss... Where's Miss Harbor? Oh, here, Tiffany. There you are. And I would like to thank all the tutors who prepared me over the years. And mostly for my father, who is my constant source of inspiration and guidance. Thank you all.

Miss Harbor: She is the spelling bee champion, but you, Marsha, you are the big winner today. You made God smile.

Marsha: Thanks.

Goose: She was very, very good. You did great.

CJ: I knew you were good, Marsha, but I didn't know you were that good. Anybody got Band-Aids? My fingers are a mess.

Ned: Tiffany wins another one. She didn't need to do all that mean stuff. She's great.

Stacy: I'm very proud of you, Marsha. We all are.

Marsha: Thanks, Miss Harbor. Hey, there's my mom.

Ned: Hey, there's our parents.

Stacy: Train's leaving. Let's go home.

Song: I want to do what's right from A to Z. I want to live the Father's way, you see. But I must do much more than simply say these things I know. I've got to let it show. So let my life spell out His love, to Him be true in all I do. I want to be a light for the Lord above, so let my life spell out His love.

How do you spell out His love? I just remember, I shouldn't be put first but come after you, as in Louisiana? Yeah, except it's not a lesson you'll learn from the dictionary. You have a way to know what's right, no doubt. Why? Because we have God's word, it's all spelled out. So when I'm tempted, I'll just say N-O, no how, no way. And to God, I'll say O-K, okay.

So let my life, L-I-F-E, spell out His love, L-O-V-E. To Him be true, T-R-U-E, in all I do, D-O. I want to be a light for the Lord above, so let my life, L-I-F-E, spell out His love, L-O-V-E. Here we go.

I want to be a good example, E-X-A-M-P-L-E, with a heart that's always kind and pure. For my Lord has a reward, R-E-W-A-R-D. So I'll live by His holy word, the B-I-B-L-E. So let my life, L-I-F-E, spell out His love, L-O-V-E. To Him be true, T-R-U-E, in all I do, D-O. I want to be a light for the Lord above, so let my life, L-I-F-E, spell out His love, L-O-V-E. Oh, let my life, L-I-F-E, spell out His love, L-O-V-E.