Deleted Scenes

Eegads, there are so many deleted scenes in this story to choose from! I might as well post the entire first few drafts. We chopped this book to bits and restarted a couple of times. Here are a few scenes to give you an idea of things we had to cut during the editing process. These scenes are very raw and lack the more detailed descriptions that we'd add in later drafts to aid the illustrator.

FREDDIE AND JACK SCOUT OUT THE BLUNDERBOAR BUILDING

JACK CAPTION: "We'll need to verify rumors that the giants employ highly dangerous invisible trolls. Let's see...Freddie might be good for that task."

[Freddie sniffing his way into an alley, Jack is waiting]

JACK: You're still in one piece, so I assume the rumors are false.

FREDDIE: Well, I didn't see the invisible trolls.

JACK: You don't say? Shocking.

[Holds up a ball of nothing in each hand.]

FREDDIE: But I found...these!

JACK: I don't see anything.

FREDDIE: Bingo! Here, smell.

[Jack sniffs his hand.]

JACK: Ew. What is it?

FREDDIE: (looking pleased) Troll droppings!

[Freddie drops the droppings and begins to stroke his chin, thinking. Jack stares at him, disgusted]

FREDDIE: From the places I smelled droppings, I'd say Blunderbore has his building pretty well surrounded.

JACK: Okay then. Let's...uh...regroup at HQ so we can all wash our hands.

FREDDIE: Right-o!

[as they walk away, Jack looks back. He can see his mother through a window in the building, maybe looking down with a hand on her forehead as if she's worried. She doesn't see Jack.]

NO COPY

[Jack looks back the way he's walking, more purpose in his expression]

NO COPY

JACK AND RAPUNZEL TRY TO GET INTO THE BLUNDERBOAR BUILDING AND RUN INTO AN OLD FRIEND

[They run around the corner, the Ant People following. Ant People should make some eerie attacking noise, like SCREEEEE!]

JACK: We've got to go back tonight. By tomorrow their security will double and we'll never have another chance.

RAP: But how? With no distraction, no one to open the door, no one to dig us in...

JACK: There's got to be a way.

RAP: If only we had some serious muscle.

[turn corner, bump into Brute]

BRUTE: There you are! You said come visit Shyport sometime, and I've been looking for you since...hey, something's behind you.

[Brute punches first Ant Person in the face, knocking him flat. Fight ensues, Jack and Rap helping.]

BRUTE: Tough city.

JACK: Yeah.

RAP: Pretty tough.

[Brute smiles.]

BRUTE: So, this is Shyport, huh? You gonna show me the sights?

[Rap and Jack bend over the knocked out bodies, investigating. One of the ant heads has fallen off and rolled a few feet away. Brute is looking at it.]

[Beat.]

BRUTE: One a' their heads came off.

RAP: It's not a real one, Brute.

[kicks one of the bodies lightly]

RAP: Giants dressed up like Ant People. Ain't that a sur-prise.

FALLEN GIANTS: uhhhh... BRUTE: Folks like dressin' up round here, don't they?

JACK: Yeah, well...before they wake, we'd better--

[one of the fallen giants sits up, his hand on his head. Rap is still holding his ant helmet. In the distance, we see a large group of giants headed their way]

GIANT: ug...

GIANTS IN DISTANCE: I thought I saw the night crew go this way.

GIANTS: That them up ahead?

[The three take off]

JACK: Whoops.

BRUTE: Why're we running?

RAP: ÔCause there's a whole lot of them.

BRUTE: We could knock their heads again.

JACK: Brute, my friend, you'll have that chance very soon.

CAPTION: We explained the situation on the way, or some of it at least. Brute doesn't care much for details.

BRUTE: Blunderbore's giants are bad. Got it.

AFTER JACK AND RAPUNZEL STOP BLUNDERBOAR SOMEHOW, THE CITY'S MAYOR SHOWS UP...AND THERE'S A WHOLE PLETHORA OF DELETED CHARACTERS!

[mayor bursts into the penthouse with several colleagues (police?). We recognize him from newspaper articles earlier]

MAYOR: What in all the lands is going on? There's a doggone riot in the streets. Where's Blunderbore?

RAP: On the roof, about to flee over the ocean and to the Old World, would be my guess.

JACK: (hands mayor papers and ant suit) The Ant People were Blunderbore's hoax, Mayor. Here's the evidence.

[mayor takes papers]

MAYOR: Well, paint me a fool, I never should've let that fellow bully me into turning over the city.

JACK: An easy mistake. It was a stroke of luck that we discovered otherwise.

MAYOR: Luck? Humph! Seems you went to an awful lot of trouble to turn this around. You expecting a reward, boy?

[jack looks at Rap, smiles]

JACK: No, sir, we're just doing our civil duty.

MAYOR: That so? Come see me after this mess is all cleaned up. I just wonder if you don't have a career in politics.

JEWEL: He's a thief.

RAP: A reformed thief.

MAYOR: Like I said, made for a career in politics. Come on, boys. Let's settle that crowd down.

[Mayor and cronies leave]

JACK: All that's left is to get to the dungeon and free Che and the shaman. Daphne?

DAPHNE: (lost in Brute's eyes) Hmm?

JACK: Could you show us the way to the dungeon?

DAPHNE: (paying attention now) Dungeon?

JACK: The dank hole where you keep prisoners?

DAPHNE: Oh, the pokey! That's on the roof.

JACK: On the roof!?!

DAPHNE: Yeah. Next to the zeppelin pad.

[Jack and Rap look freaked]

[Cut to Rap, Jack and Brute running up the stairs]

JACK: ...nobody...*huff*...has a prison...*huff*...on the roof...*huff*...stupid...*huff*...giants...