How Badges are Earned

Hello everyone,

During the first few weeks after I was hired at a local theater in my area, I was stationed at the “door”, meaning that I was required to rip customers’ tickets. It just so happened that I had full view of almost all of the posters in the lobby, and one of those posters was an elephantine Up poster featuring Carl Fredricksen’s house floating amongst a brigade of clouds…

Every time I was stationed at the “door”, I got to stare and stare at this poster, and when the sun hit it just right in the morning… it appeared as if the house was drifting within the inside of the poster. It was magnificent…

Naturally, this image was soon replaced with an absolutely revolting Hannah Montana poster, but during the time that the Up poster was hanging in the lobby… I mentally conjured up this piece of fan-fiction revolving around the film. (I was geeking out over Up at the time [and I still am, to be honest], and I love to make up and write stories, sooo…) It basically centers around the two main characters, Carl and Russell, and is how I would imagine a portion of the production (Up) to play out.

                                     [b]How Badges Are Earned[/b]


 “Fredrick. Fredrick? Wake up, dear. Wake up.”
 Carl groaned. His bones ached, yet his countenance was quizzical. That voice…. It sounded so familiar…. Again it spoke, gentle, yet more urgently this time.
 “Carl. Wake up. Get up, Carl.”
 Then, quite suddenly, the voice changed. Whereas the inflections uttered were fabricated and wizened beforehand, they now rode on a smooth and eager tone. The speaker sounded younger, concerned, and agitated.
 “Mr. Fredricksen! Mr. Fredricksen! Come on. Get up!”
 Carl blinked. Someone was standing directly above him – a young, pudgy boy of ten, his explorer’s cap astray… and his brows creased in a tight furrow. A long, pronounced groan seeped through Carl’s lips. For a moment he had thought that his beloved wife was by his side once again. Of course it wasn’t Ellie….

 The young lad was now in a state of sheer panic, his sense of urgency at a point where he was not only yelling at Carl, but also pulling and pushing him.
 “Stop it, Russell. Stop it!” Carl retaliated, waving a hand in front of the boy to halt his continuous tugging, and now fully aware that he was lying on his side in the middle of a dense jungle. The air was heavy with the smell of fresh vegetation and wildlife, and Carl’s vision was equally as thick… and blurry. Frantically, he groped about for his glasses, finally locating them next to his knees. It took but a second to put them on, but within that second… Carl wished that he hadn’t.
 Glancing up at Russell, he could see that the boy’s face was dirtied and bruised, and that his diminutive hands were soaked with blood. Carl made to heave himself up… and instantly let out a gasp of pain before falling to the ground. What was wrong? He twisted to the left. The same burning sensation clutched at his side. A stretch of the arm; a grip of the leg. It was no use. Each time he was greeted with an agonizing throe in his right side, biting him, gnawing at him….
 Presently he realized that his side was also covered in blood; Russell must have gotten it all over his hands in an attempt to pull him up.

 “Please, Mr. Fredricksen, you have to get up!! You’ve got to!” Russell pleaded.
 “Leave me be, Russell,” Carl sighed. “Leave me be.”
 “No, Mr. Fredricksen! Get up!”
 “Let me be, Russell!”
 “No!!”
 The boy was adamant, but Carl had had enough….
 “LISTEN TO ME, Russell!! I am too old, do you understand?! I’ve lived my life dutifully enough… now let me live it out in peace. Don’t bother with me. Find some other impotent soul who can help you earn your badge.”
 It was then that Russell’s expression changed from one of worry to one of perplexity. He stared at Carl, all sign of impatience dissolved by his comrade’s response.
 “Badge?”
 “Yes, your badge! Those things that you wear around your ne-.”
 “You think that this is about my… badge?” Russell interrupted. Carl simply stared, his breathing a bit heavier than it was before. “We don’t just assist the elderly for our badge, Mr. Fredricksen. We do it because… because we want to. You… you see this one, Mr. Fredricksen?” Russell said, pointing to a white badge with a purple paw print embedded in the center of it. “I never would have earned that if I hadn’t WANTED any puppy kisses after I bandaged that dog’s leg. And… and this one right, umm… right here?” he mumbled, pointing at yet another badge, this time with an image of a flower on it. “I don’t like helping out my mom in the garden, Sir, but she sure was happy when we finished planting those daffodils.”
 Carl swallowed.
 “John 15:13, Sir. John 15:13. I realize now that it’s not about the things we earn that matter, but the people who’s face we put a smile on. It’s about honesty, and compassion, and… and… and persevoisance.”
 “Perseverance,” Carl said, his eyes now beginning to water.
 “Yes, Sir. Perseverance. I don’t want a badge anymore. I want you to be O.K. I don’t care about the badge. I care about you…. Now come on! Get up!”
 And Carl did get up. His knees began to buckle, but Russell kept him steady; his side was strained and ached, but the boy urged him on; and when he threatened once more to give up his efforts, Russell once more refused to leave him and admit defeat.
 Eventually, Carl found his footing, just as the sound of a tirade of enraged and nettled dogs could be heard in the distance. The two travelers fled, Russell always leading the way, ensuring that his partner never tripped over a stray rock or a fallen log….


                                                      ~ End~

These songs were really inspirational, by the way:

Thomas Newman - Road to Perdition

Thomas Newman - That Next Place

I take it that it was the Thomas Newman who wrote those. Either way, they’re magnificent…

red - By the way, red, I can and I will read your WALL•E fan fiction story, and I promise you that I will not reply to any comments on my stories here on Pixar Planet until I’ve read your tale.

– Mitch

sniffles That was beautimous! Fantasmical! Some other made up word that expresses how thoroughly wondrous that was!

Honestly, I really felt that you’ve captured the dynamic these two will have. It makes me all the more excited for this film. I especially loved the emphasis on the simple ideal of wanting to help. Pixar films are so moving because of their simple underlying themes, and you’ve definitely expressed that here. I really ought to look up more of your stories, as I very much enjoyed this one.

Great job!

That was so heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time, Mitch! I like your use of description words, and how you managed to hook the reader and keep the suspense going with the blood and bruises endured by the unfortunate duo. The beginning was so sweet, it shows that poor Carl still thinks of his departed wife, even in his dreams! And Carl revealing his true intentions for saving Carl and befriending him is quite touching.

I’m not surprised if a similar scene appears in the movie, where we learn Russell’s true motives for helping Carl.

I must give those Thomas Newman tracks a listen once my monthly bandwidth limit is renewed…

I guess you had a lot of time at that theatre to think up this emotive and affecting vignette. Sometimes my best story ideas come from daydreaming too.

Better keep that vow of silence till you read little_chef’s fic! Trust me, it’s a real kicker! Haha!

All I have to say is wow. the story kept my attention, it was dramatic, and at the same time entertaining. I think that could really fit with UP and how Carl and Russel would talk. Please right more, Mitch! 5 out of 5 stars for Fan Fiction.

Mitch…

Wow. I’m not sure I’ve read anything so far this moving… I can honestly say the first time around reading this, I was brought to tears. I kid you not. It was so beautifully and amazingly written - the use of adjectives and pronouns and adverbs were perfect; like, there weren’t too many where they didn’t need to be and too little where they did need to be… if you know what I mean. The emotions of the characters and their personalities were right-on. I could honestly, sincerely imagine this scene playing out with the characters in it in my mind. Trust me, that’s a good thing - I tend to see everything I read in movie form somehow or another… so if the work doesn’t make much sense (or the characters are even the slightest bit off), the visual image I have is whacked and I have a hard time enjoying the work. But this…? This is brilliant storytelling right here.

I looked up the scripture reference in your story… beautiful match to Russell’s intentions towards Carl. For those of you who do not have a Bible (or do not care to read it… ), I’m going to post the scripture here… (hope you don’t mind, Mitch. If you have a problem with it I’ll just take it down. )

John 15:13: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” - NIV

This is an absolutely, sincerely, whole-heartedly, strikingly beautiful and sincere piece of work, Mitch. I have also taken a look at your WALL•E fic, Aboard the Extricator, and have waited to respond to it once you have posted up a couple chapters… just wanted to let you know I’ve read it.

Oh! And I’m so excited, not to mentioned flattered, that you’re going to be reading my fanfic! Thank you sincerely for taking the time out of your day to do so; it really means a lot to me (I think I mentioned something like that in my last post there…)!

Geez, hope I didn’t just make your eyes glaze over with this post…

little chef