ᴋᴀɪʀᴏꜱ

ɪx.

ɪx. ᴍɪꜱᴇʀʏ ʟᴏᴠᴇꜱ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ
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Shawn and Henry are eating breakfast outside at the picnic table. Henry is reading the newspaper. Shawn slurps the milk from his empty cereal bowl before reaching for the box to put more in. Nothing comes out. He slams the box on the table.

"This isn't happening to me!", Shawn cries in anguish.

"What isn't happening to you, Shawn?", His father asks.

"Only the worst thing ever! A missing Captain Delicious magic mood ring! Dad, this is a crime. Can you have them arrested?"

"First of all, Shawn, no, this is not a crime.", Henry says as he looks up from his paper.

"Can't you just haul them in for questioning? Lay into them a little?", Shawn asks with a hopeful look.

"And who is "them"?"

"You know, the cereal people?"

"Oh, the cereal people, huh? Well, I'll tell you what, Shawn, you can spend a lot of time calling 411 to get the number for your cereal people, they're gonna stick you on hold forever, listening to bad music. Finally, you're gonna get some dimwitted secretary, who's gonna take your message, and then she's gonna throw it in a waste bucket. Or you can use the skills I taught you and you can outsmart them.", Shawn turns the cereal box about in his hands, looking at all sides.

"What am I missing?", He asks.

Henry takes the box and sets down in front of Shawn.

"Where is the ring?"

"Well, it'd be at the bottom.", Shawn tells him.

"Not in this box, you're right. The big old bad cereal company messed up.", Henry says as he takes a new box and sets it in front of Shawn.

"So, you grab another box, tough luck. Where's the ring now?"

"At the bottom. Now I got to eat the whole box.", Shawn complains.

"And where's the ring now?", Henry turns the box upside down.

"At the top!", Shawn exclaims happily.

"That's right. You see, sometimes, Shawn, you don't have to dig so deep. All you gotta do is turn something upside down to make it right side up. And then... you get your prize.", Henry opens the box and takes out the ring.

"Thanks, Dad!"
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Shawn, Emily and Gus are strolling the sidewalk. Shawn is eating Chinese food from take-out container and Gus is carrying a coffee and closed take-out container.

"Explain to me again why we couldn't sit in a restaurant and eat like civilized people.", Gus asks Shawn.

"Moving is good, Gus, it helps the digestion. Plus, we never do this anymore."

"What? Eat and jog?", Emily scoffs.

"No, talk. Just talk. Check in with each other, as men. I wanna know how you are. I wanna know how Gus is."