With The Boxtrolls

Chapter Nineteen: Snatcher's Coronation

Snatcher hits a button and the mecha box is lowered to the ground. 

"Yes. And then we can eat cheese together." Portley-Rind looks excited just by thinking about the cheese. "In the Tasting Room."

Snatcher laughs and climbs down from the mecha drill. Gristle has removed his hat and taken a knee, Snatcher uses his head as a step stool. "Haha, FOOT!"

He hands a remote control to Trout, who is huddled nervously with Pickles. Gristle stands and returns his hat to his head, grinning.

"Do the honors." Snatcher strides off towards Portley-Rind.

Pickles whispers to Trout. "I thought this was all gonna be a show, like with Frou Frou." He pulls out fake mustache. "I brought my mustache and everything."

"This really does stretch the limits  of the term 'hero', doesn’t it?" Trout whispers back and Gristle glares at them. He growls, threateningly.

"HAT!"

Pickles quickly puts on his mustache and Trout presses the button to raise the mecha box. Eggs in his monster disguise swings on the chain.

Snatcher steps in front of Portley-Rind. He removes his red hat. "Musician, drum-roll!" The One Man Band excitedly strikes up a drum roll. Snatcher tosses his red hat away. "Mr. Trout! Lower the beast down."

Trout reluctantly maneuvers Eggs over the furnace’s mouth.  Eggs struggles to free himself. He presses a button and the furnace doors open wide and white-hot flames pour out of the coal fire.

Snatcher takes a knee, and presents his head. Portley-Rind reluctantly removes his hat, breathing hard. "Repeat after me: With this hat, I, state your name..."

"With this hat, I, Archibald Penelope Snatcher..."

Trout begins to lower Eggs into the furnace. He and Pickles are sweating, intensely reluctant to kill the boy.

Portley-Rind slowly begins to lower the white hat onto Snatcher’s  head. "With profound esteem for dairy and  dairy products... proudly swear to uphold the dignity of the White Hat." The hat creeps lower as Portley-Rind matches the last  boxtroll’s progress toward the flames. 

"Proudly swear to uphold the dignity of the White Hat." Suddenly, (Name) and Winnie bursts out the front doors and see Eggs moving closer and closer to death. 

"Father! Father!" Winnie calls out while (Name) runs to Pickles and Trout telling them to stop.

"Not now, Winifred!"

Exasperated, Winnie follows her sister.

"And henceforth, whereupon and  thereupon... the placing of this hat... we shall conclude by... ushering our newest member into a world of privilege, pride, and  pasteurized dairy!"

"I can’t, miss. Apologies."

"We’re just doing our jobs."

"Your JOBS? Are you pest exterminators or evil henchmen?! That's what it looks like to me!" (Name) yells pointing at them.

Pickles lets out a long, hurt gasp. "I knew that’s how people saw us."

Winnie goes beside her sister. "You don’t have to do this!"

"Please! You're going to kill a human being!"

"They have a point, Mr. Pickles. This could be our chance for redemption."

"A second chapter!"

"People love a flawed hero!"

"Sure, yes, whatever! Just let him go!" Pickles and Trout stare at each other, unsure of what to do.

"Come on!" (Name) practically begs them.

Trout and Pickles smile at each other.

"Yeah?"

Mr. Pickles nods. "Yeah." Trout stops the machine and the mechanical arm reverses it’s direction, moving Eggs away from the fire.

Snatcher growls as Lord Portley-Rind swiftly pulls his white hat away and the One Man Band finally stops his drum-roll, and collapses exhausted.

Trout and Pickles turn to the girls who looks like they're about to cry in happiness.

"Redeemed!"

"Thank you, misses"

Gristle suddenly lunges in and seizes the controller. "Ha HA!"

"STOP IT!" Winnie and (Name) try to take the controller from Gristle, but he snaps his teeth at them menacingly. Gristle turns the mecha drill arm back on! Eggs resumes his  descent.

Mr. Trout pulls Winnie out of the way while Pickles does the same to (Name)

"Watch yourselves."

The tips of Eggs’ boxtroll-suited feet are licked by the  flames, and he pulls them up out of the way. Gristle laughs heartily at Eggs’ precarious situation. "Ha Ha HAAAAA!"

In the quiet hush of the ceremony, suddenly a faint sound can be heard growling louder. "Jelly! Jelly! JELLY!" Gristle turns to the sound.

"Hmm?"