With The Boxtrolls

Chapter Twenty-Two: Epilogue

At the square. (Name) looks up at the clear, blue sky over Cheesebridge. (Name) then looks back to her sister as she narrates.

"There we were, trapped in his sweaty armpit..."

Madame Frou Frou’s cabaret cart has been repainted, with a new sign reading 'WINNIE & (NAME)'. Winnie stands mid-stage orating her horrific tale. She turns to her sister who narrates the next part.

"Until he swelled like a balloon and.. POP!" (Name) yells and -BLAM! A boxtroll bursts out of the trapdoor below the stage, releasing a cloud of confetti that explodes everywhere while the dog howls in the background.

They  perform for a mixed crowd of townspeople and boxtrolls.  Winnie narrates arms wide. "-An ocean of guts exploded over us like a hurricane of YUCK!"

The crowd applauds, townspeople clap their hands and  boxtrolls drum their boxes. Lord Portley-Rind and Lady Cynthia applaud the loudest.

"My little angels. My weird little angels." The sisters curtsy deeply, head down.

"(Name)! Winnie!" They look up and spot Eggs standing at the edge of the crowd. Under his arm he is holding an old record album. 

"Huh?"

Eggs quietly questions the sisters. "Where’s Fish?"

"Uhh." Winnie didn't know. (Name) shrugs, 'I don't know' as Winnie starts another story.

"And now I will tell the heroic  story of the Naked Boxtrolls and the Crusher of DOOOOOOM!" Winnie gestures to the stage curtain, which moves to reveal  Knickers- wearing only his knickers- standing beneath a  mock cardboard ‘1 TON’ WEIGHT.

Eggs walks away from the stage as boxtrolls scramble to get better seats.

The square is cleaned up from the battle and there are a few new additions. Eggs spots Oil Can, hard at work lubricating the cables for the One Man Band’s kick drum. Oil Can smiles and they both move on to reveal: A tent with a sign for SPARKY’S SCRAP SHACK- a boxtroll  appliance repair service- hanging from it.

Sir Langsdale stands next to his toaster as Bucket and Sparky peer inside it. "It hasn’t worked right in years!"

Boulanger speeds around the repair tent, making rusty squeaks with each wheel rotation while his grandson, Vincent chases him. An excited Oil can squeals and  chases with Vincent Boulanger’s wheelchair.

Back to Langsdale and his toaster. "I said I like it burnt, then she says well I don’t! So here I am." Suddenly Eggs appears next to Langsdale.

"You guys seen Fish?" Bucket and Sparky grunt 'No' and get back to work. They both raise forks and prepare to plunge them into the toaster. "Thanks!"

Eggs walks away as Langsdale backs up. "Oh. I... I don’t think that’s a good idea." As Eggs walks away, a loud BZZZT sound and a bright light go off behind him.

Specs mans a control switch at a boxtroll manhole exit. He throws the switch and Sweets shoots up out of the manhole, blown by a strong wind. He lands just as Eggs walks up. "Have you seen Fish?"

Specs shrugs ‘No’ but Sweets brightens- He gugles with toothless mouth. "Mushurgle, mushmoogle, mushmushgurgle..." He mumbles until his teeth suddenly shoot up out of the manhole. He grabs them, jams them in. "Nope."

Sweets walks off. Suddenly the sound of a loud honk. Eggs looks up to see his father. "Ahh, there he is." 

"Eggs!"

Snatcher’s vehicle appears. Herbert is driving and Fish is  riding in Snatcher’s old seat. A new logo has been painted over the old silhouette of a rampaging boxtroll. In its place is a kinder silhouette of a boxtroll holding a light bulb, surrounded by a circle made of three arrows - it’s the prototype of the international sign for recycling. 

Eggs holds up the record- a new copy of the Quattro Sabatino's album from the old music machine. "Look what I found!" Fish gurgles happily as Eggs hands him the album and climbs aboard the vehicle.

"Brilliant, son!" The record is being put on the player on top of the vehicle. The record begins to play. Fish sits back in Snatcher’s old seat, Eggs holds on to the side.

"And now we go like this." Fish and Eggs start rocking out, bobbing their heads to the music like they used to. Fish and Eggs hum to the tune.

"Ahh. I’ve missed so much." He joins them in the head-bobbing.

As the music fades away, two familiar silhouettes pause from sweeping up some trash. 

"Aww, ain’t that lovely?" Trout empties his dust bin into a trash barrel. A loud snuffle can be heard.

"Yeah... all happy ‘n tidy." Pickles says and Shoe sticks his head out of the barrel, covered in dust.

Shoe gurgles angrily.

"Like the end of a story, if our lives were a story."

Shoe climbs out of the barrel. He pulls Lord Portley-Rind’s white hat out of the trash. It is filthy and torn. Shoe  frowns at it, tears a frilly ribbon off the top, and tosses  the rest back in the trash.

"Not sure what we’d do next, though."

Shoe looks around defensively, grunts quietly, and scampers to the center of Market Square. He jumps down an open manhole.