Original subtitles

Maybe the world is blind Or just a little unkind

Don't know Seems you can't be sure

Of anything anymore Although

You

Oh, and this one's for survival skills.

It took me all summer to earn it. You spent the whole summer in the

Not exactly.

It was more like a weekend on my treehouse.

Well, it's about time.

You're the slowest mother's help app ever.

Don't push it, Betty.

Remember, I turned down a nap to help you.

Well, where's the ice?

I have to go back for it.

Mother's helper only has two hands, you know.

Forget the ice.

Just start mixing the glue.

Has the word please completely escaped your vocabulary?

You've been barking orders at me all afternoon.

Now, now, Henry.

If you're not a good mother's helper, I'll have to take away your cooperation

badge.

Maria, what'd you get it for? Uh, for having a tidy uniform.

Now, girls, don't be rude.

There's nothing wrong with taking good care of your uniform.

Sorry, Maria.

Nice shine on those loafers.

I, uh, haven't really tried to earn that many badges.

Well, what's the point of being a firefly if you're not gonna go for the

Yeah. Well, Maria just moved here from Detroit.

I'm sure that once she gets settled, She'll earn lots of badges.

You make a very distinguished mother's helper, Mr. Warnemont. Thank you,

I guess clothes do make the man.

Henry, these kids will be hungry before you know it.

Cut the chit -chat and high -tail it up to the kitchen.

Yes, ma 'am.

Right away, Sergeant Major Denmother Johnson.

Okay, fine.

around the table.

Today we're going to make yarn baskets.

Everyone get a balloon.

Now the idea is to glue the yarn around the balloon.

And when it dries, we break the balloon.

Here's my balloon.

What?

You can use my balloon.

For what?

To make a basket. You know, gluing the yarn.

Right. That.

Are you okay, Maria?

Parky, Maria's fine.

She has a bit of a hearing problem. But she can read lips perfectly.

And if we just give her a little time to get used to it, I'm sure we'll all be

great friends.

Oh, Betty, they just delivered this. It says peanut brittle, but it feels like

lead.

It's here, girl. The annual fundraiser is officially on.

Now, whoever sells the most gets two weeks at Camp Kukuluki.

May I be excused?

Mother's helper is developing a hernia.

Remember, we have to work in teams.

Margo, would you and Maria like to be a team?

Um, excuse me, Mrs. Johnson, but... Karen and I live near each other, and I

we'd like to be a team. Oh, okay.

Uh, Tracy, maybe you and Maria.

Uh, sorry, I've already asked Beth to be on my team.

Okay.

Cherry, you and Maria. But Punky and I were gonna be... Cherry, you and Punky

are always together.

Maybe this time, Punky and Maria could be a team.

Okay. Then I'll be partners with Holly.

Sorry, Punky.

Looks like they're stuck with me.

I'm not stuck with you. We're gonna have fun.

That's the spirit, girl.

Maria, would you help me with this?

Sure.

Deaf people can appreciate music. They feel the vibrations.

What?

She said you can feel the vibrations of the

music.

I'm deaf, but I do understand English. You can speak normally.

Yeah, Margot, she's from Detroit, not Mars.

Sorry.

I'm only in this stupid club because my mother says I have to. I know you don't

like me. And as far as I'm concerned, that's just fine.

Brandon, pay attention if you want to earn your cooking merit badge.

Henry, Pep, I've got a problem brewing downstairs.

What is it? Trying to court -martial a firefly for insubordination?

This is serious, Henry.

I think I made a mistake by not telling the girls ahead of time that Maria's

dead.

She is?

Maybe she should have warned all of us ahead of time.

Well, I wanted to, but her mother insisted I shouldn't say anything to

Why not?

She doesn't want Maria to feel different. She wants her to be accepted

other child.

Well, I can understand that, but children can be awfully insensitive

things. What happened?

I'll tell you on the way downstairs.

What this party needs is food fast.

I hope you got more than carrot sticks. Yes, of course.

Cucumber watercress sandwiches.

I spent all morning cutting off the crusts.

Henry, we're feeding fireflies, not the ladies temperously.

Give me the peanut butter and some marshmallows.

And some bananas and some corn chips.

And some Hershey's chocolate bars if you got any.

Oh, and grab a couple of onions.

Here, Brandon.

Have a watercress sandwich.

Where is

everybody? Gone. I guess I should have ruined the meeting.

You didn't ruin anything.

Yeah. Margo always leaves fashionably early.

Sure. And everybody else wanted to rush home to clean their room. I should be

used to it by now.

Well, I say, who needs them?

Let's go inside and eat these yummy graham cracker marshmallow chocolate

whatevers. Not whatevers. They're s'mores.

Whatever.

Maria, I know what the girls did today. It wasn't very nice.

But they're really not like that.

Forget about it. I just make people uncomfortable.

I try to fit in, but I never do.

Hello? Hi, your mom's here.

What took you so long?

Sorry. I didn't think the meeting would end so soon.

Well, it did.

All of a sudden, everybody had something else to do.

You have to be patient, dear. It's never easy making new friends.

That's what you always say, Mom.

Maybe the next time the fireflies could meet at our house?

Gee, that'd be great, Mrs. Aragon.

There isn't going to be a next time.

Can we just please go home now?

Wait a minute.

Don't you think you should say thank you to Punky before we leave?

Thanks for everything. Oh, I mean, thanks for everything, Punky.

Is that how you say thank you in sign language?

Not quite.

It's more like this.

Hey, that's neat.

I taught Maria to sign over a year ago.

Would you teach me how to say other things in sign language?

Sure, other things.

Well, bye.

No, I mean, will you teach me how to talk in sign language?

Why, Panky, you're not deaf.

Sign language is for freaks like me.

And then Susanna said, Oh, Beauregard, don't leave me. Please don't leave me.

And putting Spurge's horse, he raced away from the plantation.

I don't know what the horse's name was.

And what difference does it make?

All right, you two. Lights out. Oh, can we finish this chapter, please?

Down to the nitty -grit.

Yeah, it's a classic love story set in a turbulent era of our nation's history.

Yes, I know.

It's very educational.

I'm learning a lot from this book.

I'll bet.

I didn't even know what grits were.

Brandon, bedtime.

You see, it takes place during the Civil War.

I think that was before you were born.

Thank you.

Now go to sleep, and I'll let you finish it in about nine years.

Oh, by the way, Henry.

What does that mean?

It's sign language for thank you.

Maria taught it to me.

Oh, you're welcome.

What are you thanking me for?

For being a mother's helper at our Firefly meeting.

Oh, don't mention it.

Not ever. To anyone.

I hope it wasn't too awful.

What's a little humiliation as long as you girls have fun?

I don't think Maria had too much fun.

The other kids were rough on her.

Why can't they just forget that she's deaf and treat her normally?

That's what I do.

I'm sure they'd like to.

But sometimes, when you try very hard to ignore a problem, it just gets bigger.

Oh.

You mean like when someone says, don't think of elephants, and from then on,

you can think of is elephants?

Sort of.

You see, dear, Maria is different from the other kids.

Nothing can change that.

The trick is to get them interested in her as a person, and pretty soon,

forget about her being different.

That's a great idea. Thank you.

How'd you get to be so smart?

It's one of the few rewards of old age.

Good night, sweetheart.

Good night, honey.

Suddenly Beauregard appeared in the doorway and pulled

Susanna into his arms and said...

that we've got over 200 coupons.

Oh, why, thank you, Brandon.

Two dollars off on an inflatable poodle?

Well, here's a good one.

Two for the price of one.

It's for bird feed. We don't have a bird.

Yes, I know, but it's still a great deal.

The laundry's done.

I'll go and get it.

You keep clipping.

Oh, hello, Maria.

Come in.

Hello, Mr. Watermont.

Hi, Punky.

Hi, you're early. It'll just take me a minute to change my uniform.

Why don't you have your uniform on?

Punky, I'm not very good at selling peanut brittle.

Oh, that's okay. I've already sold five boxes. And Henry says if I clean my

room, he'll buy five more.

What I'm trying to say is I'm not going out selling with you. I came over to

bring this stuff back to Mrs. Johnson, but she's not home.

Your Firefly uniform?

Your official handbook and your merit badge?

Yeah. I'm quitting.

Why? Those girls don't like me. They just feel sorry for me.

And so do you.

I did it first.

Not anymore.

I'm the one I feel sorry for now.

What?

We're supposed to be partners. How do you expect me to sell all this peanut

brittle by myself?

I guess I can kiss Count Kukuluki goodbye.

I'm sorry, Panky.

Really. But I'm not like the other kids, and I never will be.

Well, you don't have to be like them. Just be like yourself.

It won't work.

Sure it will, once they get to know you.

They'll never know me. They think I'm weird and dumb.

But you're not either of those things.

No, I'm something worse. I'm different, and I hate it.

But, Maria, it doesn't have to be like that.

Look at me.

You think I dress this way to blend in?

No, I just thought you were colorblind.

Maria, I'm serious.

Sometimes being different can work for you.

Forget it, Punky.

You don't know what it's like.

That's right.

I don't know what it's like to be deaf.

But I do know what it's like being lonely.

And I know how awful it is to be in a room full of people who are always

sorry for you.

Then you know why I'm quitting the Fireflies.

Look, I have an idea that might make you change your mind.

Will you give it a try?

Why should I?

Because you can't always quit and run away when somebody gives you a hard

Because I'm asking you to.

What do you want me to do?

Teach me sign language.

How's that going to help?

Trust me.

Firefly. All right, Firefly.

Firefly.

Fireflies, it's time for the treasurer's report.

Let's have a big hand for Margo.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

And now, as treasurer, I feel a deep responsibility to you, my fellow

and the money you've entrusted to me.

I'm happy to report we have a surplus of $27 .18.

Now, I'm... propose we invest this in a mutual fund with dividends paid

quarterly.

Hi,

sorry I'm late.

Oh, hello, Maria, dear.

Can you see my lips from there?

Well,

well, I seem to be in the lead. And would you believe by nine boxes?

on or what?

We're using sign language.

Marie and I made a bet and she won.

See, this means I win.

And this means pay up or else.

No kidding.

Cool. Hey, that can come in real handy at school.

How do you say what's the answer to number five?

Ladies,

that's easy.

What's the answer to number five?

Meet me in the study hall.

Meet me in the study hall.

How about, look, that boy's really cute.

Look, boy's really cute.

to be different you bet it is you're welcome