PUMPKIN AND STRETCH
EPISODE 1: THE CAVE
Written by Vincent Teetsov
PUMPKIN (a squirrel-like creature, see show encyclopedia) and her friend STRETCH (a dog-like creature) get lost in a scary cave while out on a hot chocolate delivery route and need to find a way out, using all of their strength and a few mysterious clues along the way.
INTRO CREDITS (to the swaying samba sound of “If You Want” (the Pumpkin & Stretch theme song))
Based on the Pumpkin & Stretch book series by Vincent and Laani Teetsov.
INT. COZY KITCHEN - DAY
A molten, delicious stream of hot chocolate is pouring towards us slowly. We are looking from the perspective of the mug being tilted back and sipped. We then see a fuzzy grey MOLE who is drinking it, lying down on some pillows, curled up with a book on astronomy. An adjacent MOLE is snacking on a slice of pizza.
MOLE
Ahh…
The first MOLE rubs his fuzzy stomach, full from many rich snacks and drinks that we see scattered around the room.
NARRATOR (mysterious, theatrical V.O)
Everybody knows, moles love hot chocolate…
The first MOLE looks into the mug and sees that it’s drained.
NARRATOR (V.O. cont’d)
…And they were due for a delivery!
Both MOLES wander off, looking for something else to drink or eat. All of their cupboards are empty. We hear a distant crashing of plates and cupboards. Then the sound of his squeaky back door opening up and fumbling around outside, too.
EXT. PUMPKIN VILLAGE - DAY
PUMPKIN and her friend STRETCH are walking down a lane in their hometown, a verdant and colourful village with cozy wood and stone buildings, known as Pumpkin Village.
NARRATOR (V.O. continued)
Pumpkin and Stretch always remembered to bring extra for them.
PUMPKIN and STRETCH are carrying a basket with metal canteens full of delicious hot chocolate.
NARRATOR (V.O. continued)
Luckily, Pumpkin and Stretch were on their weekly route, with fresh canteens in hand…
STRETCH tries to open a canteen, but needs to open his paws wider to grip the lid.
…I mean, fresh canteens in mitt!
STRETCH sees that the canteen is still hot and steaming. He smiles. PUMPKIN walks up to the door and rings the doorbell. No one responds.
PUMPKIN
Hello? Anybody home?
PUMPKIN knocks on the door, making a muffled paw sound against the wood, but no one responds. She stands on her tip toes and looks through a window pane into the living room. She sees the carnage of a mole’s snacking and relaxing
STRETCH
See anything Pumpkin?
PUMPKIN
No… Nothing at all. They must have gone out for the day.
Pumpkin looks dejected. She and Stretch just made a fresh batch for the moles.
STRETCH
Hmm… Pumpkin, something doesn’t seem quite right. Usually the moles are home on Wednesday. It’s three o’clock right now, which means they would have come home just after their water aerobics class at Snowsoot Spa.
A big cumulonimbus thunder cloud casts a shadow over Pumpkin and Stretch. They hear a rumbling in the distance. The wind picks up, blowing against their fur. They both look up, worried. Then rain drops start to tinkle down on the metal canteens.
PUMPKIN
Hey Stretch? I think we better head back home, it’s starting to rain pretty heavily now.
STRETCH
I guess so… Maybe we should leave a note with the hot chocolate, so they know we tried to meet with them.
PUMPKIN
Good idea.
Pumpkin crouches down, takes a pad of paper and pen out, rips off some paper and writes a quick note while Stretch looks around the house.
PUMPKIN (continued)
I just hope it stays warm!
EXT. FOREST PATHS - EVENING
PUMPKIN and STRETCH then head off deeper into the forest, on their way back home. The wind is now buffeting them heavily. They meet a fork in the road. Unsure which road to take, they hesitate, go one way, then stop and turn back and go the other way. They are looking at each other for reassurance.
Pretty soon, their boots start to get squishy and splash with water each time they step. They climb over hill and dale, their ears drooping more and more in the rain. They’re wet, cold, and tired.
STRETCH pushes away thick branches and vines as they move into denser vegetation.
PUMPKIN
Stretch, are we lost?
STRETCH
No no, we’re not lost… I don’t think so… Well, maybe just a little bit? But look! A cave!
PUMPKIN
Where?
STRETCH
Over there!
PUMPKIN
Ohhh!
PUMPKIN glows with happiness, perking up a bit. They march through a marshy clearing and walk into the cave, looking up curiously at the mouth of the cave with long overhanging rocks as they enter.
INT. BIG CAVE CHAMBER - EVENING
PUMPKIN
What a relief! Looks like we can stay safe and dry in here until the storm passes.
STRETCH
I think so, Pumpkin. I think so.
STRETCH snuffles around the cave, investigating what’s there. He notices the squishing in his boots again, stops, and tries to take off his boots. Pulling them while standing up isn’t working. He wobbles around. Then he tries sitting down. When he pulls, he slides off the rock onto his bum with a crash. Flustered, he tries wedging his boot between two rocks. The rock shatters and pieces go flying everywhere.
The rock dust settles and PUMPKIN follows suit. They both struggle a bit, wriggling with the rubber, falling over as they pull at each other’s boots. PUMPKIN then pushes at a rock to see how heavy it is, stands behind the heavy rock, and tries to pull STRETCH’s boot.
PUMPKIN
OK. One, two, threeeeee!
PUMPKIN and STRETCH fly off in different directions, bounce off the walls in a rubbery manner, like a bouncy ball, and collide into the back of the cave. The cave floor vibrates and makes a grinding noise. The rocky floor cracks and crumbles beneath them, sending PUMPKIN and STRETCH into a huge freefall.
Darkness consumes their surroundings as we hear the whistling of their fall. It’s a deep cave and we see its levels with a strange flickering of lights going by every few milliseconds. Eventually, there is a splash and a thump.
INT. BOTTOM OF CAVE DROP - EVENING
PUMPKIN has landed on a rock pedestal, with a slight glow of shiny crystal light reflecting onto her position. STRETCH is flat on his back and paws, stars spinning around his head. His fur is scuffed up, scruffy, and wet from landing in a cave puddle.
STRETCH
Oh, Pumpkin? I don’t feel so good.
PUMPKIN
Streeetch! Are you OK?
STRETCH faints on the ground and Pumpkin scurries carefully down the pedestal, nudging him to get up, then to try and move him out of the puddle.
The screen fades darker and the viewpoint shifts slowly to the right.
INT. SMALLER CAVE SPACE - EVENING
NARRATOR (V.O.)
The cave was dark and scary.
PUMPKIN’s tail starts to flutter back and forth in agitation. She is visibly nervous, looking ahead and behind regularly while pulling STRETCH alongside her. He is slowing down and shaken up.
PUMPKIN
We have to keep going, Stretch. I feel like something is watching us!
STRETCH holds his stomach with both paws.
PUMPKIN (continued)
Is your tummy hurt?
STRETCH
No. But I’m really, really hungry. It’s been at least one hour since we had a snack!
We hear the grumbling of a stomach. But not an ordinary stomach of a normal-sized creature like STRETCH. In the corner of the screen, there are some big, sharp teeth-like objects. Pointing upward and downward, glinting in the limited cave light.
PUMPKIN
Is that you, Stretch?
STRETCH
No, that wasn’t me!
There are some gnashing sounds echoing around the cave, but it’s hard to pin down what they are exactly and where they are coming from. It could be a hungry monster. STRETCH looks around, eyes darting until they make contact with a growing patch of light, which reflects right next to him, showing the jagged “teeth.”
STRETCH
Waaaaah!
PUMPKIN dives out of the way, behind a low rock. Her ears tuck back. She’s deeply fearful. STRETCH is so nervous he is petrified, standing still, unable to move except for shivering in place. PUMPKIN’s face becomes determined as she musters up some protective feelings and bravery. She climbs over the low rock and bundles STRETCH out of harm’s way.
PUMPKIN and STRETCH are out on the floor again. We can hear stomach grumbling again, but this time, it’s from STRETCH.
STRETCH
Pumpkin, I want to eat, not be eaten!
The viewpoint slides over to the right again in the darkness, transitioning to the next cave chamber as the NARRATOR speaks.
INT. ANOTHER CAVE CHAMBER - EVENING
NARRATOR (V.O.)
The cave was dark and scary.
PUMPKIN and STRETCH are walking in a dimly lit tunnel with gloopy floors underneath. Something is sticky and slimy.
PUMPKIN
Eughhh, what is this stuff?
STRETCH
It feels like we’re walking through pizza!
PUMPKIN
When have you walked through…?
PUMPKIN stops questioning STRETCH mid-sentence and seriously contemplates whether it might be cheese. She then pauses to smell around her.
PUMPKIN (continued)
Good point. But, it doesn’t smell like pizza.
The two creatures walk into another cave chamber where light is coming in from above. Looking up to the ceiling, we see illuminated droplets, falling slowly down towards PUMPKIN and STRETCH.
One long stream of goop lands on PUMPKIN’s big button nose.
PUMPKIN
Ahh, get it off, get it off, get it off!
STRETCH swipes his paw/mitt across PUMPKIN’s nose and collects the goop between his paws, stretching it out like putty, with a big grin on his face.
STRETCH
Hey Pumpkin, look at this!
STRETCH is highly amused by the fun and games of the ceiling slime, while PUMPKIN is not amused at all. She marches out of the chamber into another tunnel, mumbling and grumbling.
PUMPKIN
Nyaoww… I don’t like being slimy…
STRETCH sees a discontent PUMPKIN. He stops his playing with the slime and rushes over to PUMPKIN to make things better. A colony of bats rushes through, startling STRETCH again. They hold each other tightly, sitting down in a dark, foggy chamber.
STRETCH and PUMPKIN [together, howling voices echoing in unison]
What dooooooo?
NARRATOR (V.O.)
The cave was dark and scary.
A big water droplet sound echoes through the air.
NARRATOR (V.O. continued)
And there was no way out…
In the shadows, we continue to see different scary shapes emerging and disappearing, cackling and ominous laughing, crashes, explosions, and water rushing quickly. Suddenly, a dot of light grows from the middle of the darkness and gets bigger and bigger until it covers the whole screen.
INT. BRIGHTER CAVE CHAMBER - EVENING
The light fades down again, revealing a cave painting on the wall. The view scans across the painting, done in luminous white paint. It shows what appears to be two creatures diving through a watery tunnel.
NARRATOR (V.O. continued)
Unless, they looked a little bit closer.
PUMPKIN stands in awe, looking at the cave painting. She beckons STRETCH to come over and look, too.
PUMPKIN
Look! These creatures are swimming through the tunnels!
PUMPKIN emulates swimming through the tunnel, freestyle, with her paws alternating in front of her. She taps STRETCH on the shoulder and runs over to a pool of water nearby. PUMPKIN swishes her paw through the water, looks inside to see if it’s deep, and plunges in. Shaking the water from her ears and round, squirrely cheeks, STRETCH cautiously approaches. He dips his feet in one at a time and grabs PUMPKIN’s paw.
PUMPKIN
Ready? Hold your breath!
INT. UNDERWATER CAVE TUNNEL - EVENING
PUMPKIN kicks fiercely with a fast flutter kick and pulls STRETCH along, down a tunnel, around a rocky bend, and up again towards some glowing, colourful rocks. STRETCH’s face goes from worried, looking to PUMPKIN for reassurance, to being at ease.
On the other side, STRETCH puts his paw on PUMPKIN’s shoulder, feeling thankful.
INT. ANOTHER CAVE CHAMBER - EVENING
STRETCH
Dinkoo my Pumpkin!
PUMPKIN
See! It wasn’t so bad after all!
STRETCH nods and climbs up over the lip of the watery passageway. He then finds a second cave painting, showing the same creatures drawn before, this time meeting some worm-like creatures.
From above, the painting is illuminated by friendly glowworms—smiling, glowing, and inching across the stalactites. They were the ones who made the slime, which has been illuminating their way through the cave! The glow is reflecting off of his round nose.
STRETCH
These creatures are following the glowworms!
PUMPKIN reaches out to a glowworm, which illuminates in her eyes.
WORM
Hi, my name is Gormy!
PUMPKIN
Oh, a pleasure to meet you Gormy! My name is Pumpkin.
GORMY vibrates with happiness at the sight of new friends. The light grows brighter.
STRETCH
[shy but friendly, smiling with his paws behind his back] Hi Gormy, I’m Stretch.
The glowworms start to descend from the ceiling onto PUMPKIN and STRETCH.
GORMY AND GORMY’s FAMILY
Come follow us!
INT. BEAUTIFULLY ILLUMINATED CAVE CORRIDOR - EVENING
PUMPKIN, STRETCH, GORMY, and GORMY’s FAMILY walk through another cave corridor, where the ceiling is dotted with light like the night sky. At GORMY’s prompting whistle, an arrow begins to form out of the glowworm light on the ceiling, pointing them in the right direction.
INT. ANOTHER CAVE CHAMBER - EVENING
PUMPKIN finds a third cave painting, showing the creatures climbing up some treacherous boulders. She is surprised by this, as well as by the little paw prints marked in white paint on the cave wall.
PUMPKIN
These creatures are climbing the rocks! And it doesn’t look like they did it too long ago, either.
STRETCH is happy-go-lucky, swinging from the stalactites, trying to go from one to the other like he’s on monkey bars.
STRETCH
These weren’t teeth after all! And I know we can climb rocks—let’s go find them!
INT. THE HALL OF BIG BOULDERS - EVENING
STRETCH leads the way with GORMY on his shoulder and another glowworm wrapped around his tail. A third worm is on the rocks and a fourth is on top of PUMPKIN’s head. They are working up a sweat, putting all the strength in their hearts to inch up the colossal boulders and pull themselves up. Yet, they are smiling: encouraged, happy, and confident about finding their way back to the surface safely.
We can hear PUMPKIN and STRETCH and their new friends laughing as the light from outside becomes brighter in our view.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
[more hopeful in tone] The cave was dark and scary.
EXT. OUTSIDE OF THE CAVE - NIGHT
It’s nighttime, but the moon and stars are beautifully illuminating the colourful rainbow rocks, a tree, tall grass, and flowers. Butterflies and moths are fluttering quietly in the warm breeze. PUMPKIN and STRETCH are holding hands and looking up at the moon and stars with the glowworms snuggling close all over their fur.
PUMPKIN and STRETCH look happily at each other for a moment and then look back up to the sky.
NARRATOR (V.O. continued)
But Pumpkin and Stretch had friends on their side…
INT. DEEP CAVE CHAMBER - NIGHT
Fade out from this idyllic scene back to the inside of the cave. It’s not so scary anymore. We hear giggling echoing, growing louder, and then see a MOLE and his other mole friend inside one of the cave’s chambers, both wearing shiny head lamps. They are painting on the wall with oily white implements. Their paw prints are on the wall and on the surrounding rocks. It’s showing two creatures, who look like PUMPKIN and STRETCH, holding hands and looking at the moon and stars just like we saw a moment ago.
NARRATOR (V.O. continued)
And they loved the hot chocolate, too.
On the rocks around them is the canteen of hot cocoa that PUMPKIN and STRETCH left at the MOLE’s doorstep before. The moles are also good friends of theirs, somehow finding out where PUMPKIN and STRETCH went and helping them find a way out of the cave, safe and sound.
EXT. OUTSIDE OF THE CAVE - NIGHT
Fade to black again, before the viewpoint returns to PUMPKIN and STRETCH looking up at the stars. The credits begin to roll to the sound of “The Cave Song” (from the Pumpkin & Stretch music album “Ready to Repeat.”)