The Spiderwick Chronicles

There it is.

Pretty much how I remember it.

I was younger than you last time I was here, Simon.

Well, it's big.

Yeah, so I can get bigger pets here, right, Mom?

Sure! Get a cow. Get a whole flock.

Herd.

That, too. What do you think, Jared?

Jared?

Okay. Here we go.

It's okay, Mr. Tibbs. It's okay.

It has that old people smell.

It's just an observation, not a judgment.

You're angry about the move. I get that.

Just what are you expecting your silent protest will get you?

At least acknowledge this isn't the way to deal with your anger

the way you said you were gonna do.

Say yes with your head.

Two blinks.

Nothing.

Mal, you and Simon take your stuff.

Wait in the foyer while I go look for the main circuit breaker.

Okay, Mom.

- Get out of the car right now. - You're not my mother, Mallory.

No, I'm worse, because Mom doesn't believe in hitting.

- Come here, you little... - And he's out of the car! Thank you!

Stop it! I'm not gonna let you keep acting like a jerk!

- I'll do whatever I want. - No, you won't!

Mom needs this to work, so cut it out!

- Simon, get her! - I'm a pacifist.

You're so annoying. You think you know everything!

- Well, I know stuff you don't. - Like what?

Nothing.

- Thanks for having my back, bro. - I don't do conflict.

- What are you doing? - Unpacking.

Why? I told you it was only temporary.

Dad's coming tomorrow, and he's gonna take us back with him.

- I know. But what about Mom? - She can have Mallory.

Come on, Simon, we can't stay here.

Look at this place. It's the house that time forgot.

- And it's got that... - Old people smell, I know.

And what's this?

Salt. There's salt on the window.

I know. It's on all the windows.

Yeah, and that's not weird.

I'm guessing she put it there.

- Is that the nut bag and her husband? - No.

That's Arthur Spiderwick, you know, our great-great-uncle.

The little girl's the nut bag. I mean, Aunt Lucinda, his daughter.

She's the one who lived here before they took her away to the...

To the...

To the nut house.

Right.

And why'd she get taken there?

Because she said her father was abducted.

Because she said her father was abducted.

By?

By faeries.

Exactly.

Our crazy aunt stayed here her whole life and never left, ever!

That's not gonna happen to me, or you.

End of discussion.

Has anybody seen my keys? I know I left them right here.

Nope.

I guess Aunt Lucinda liked honey with her oatmeal, huh?

And tomato sauce.

Wow.

Where is my fencing medal, Jared?

- Hanging on your bed? - It's not there anymore.

Well, find the bed and you'll find your medal.

I'm not talking about the bed...

You know what?

I'm not acknowledging your existence until you bring my medal back.

Promise?

Well, actually, you'd have to acknowledge his existence

in order to receive the medal from him.

Thanks, Spock. You're the pride of the Federation.

Jared, give it back.

I didn't take the stupid medal!

- You're such a liar! - Conflict.

- Shut up, Simon! - Shut up, Simon!

Hey!

We're not gonna do this.

New town. New house. New job.

This is our new life.

Let's not fall into old ruts, okay?

I know this house isn't perfect, but we can make it work,

if we want to make it work.

- All right? - All right, Mom.

Shut up!

Hi.

- Dad. - Dad.

Yeah, we made it.

What's that noise in the background?

You know, scratch that. I don't want to know.

- Just because I don't. - I'm gonna go look for my medal.

I'll help you.

What?

It's your dad.

- Hi, Dad. - Hey, buddy.

How's the Addams Family mansion?

Oh, the house? Yeah, it's great,

if you like big creepy houses in the middle of nowhere.

- Now, come on. - Seriously. There's nothing here.

- You'll see. - Yeah, well, listen...

- You're still coming tomorrow, right? - Yeah, maybe. I'm gonna try.

- Why maybe? - Look, don't worry. I'm coming.

There's something we need to talk about.

But tomorrow might not work out, okay?

- Yeah, I understand. - Okay, good.

- You'll try though, right? - Absolutely.

But I'll see you soon, though. Definitely.

Okay.

- See you, Son. - Bye, Dad.

What did you say to him?

Can't you at least pretend you want him to come and see us?

Jared Grace, put that broom down!

- There's something in the wall! - Now!

You said you were gonna stop hitting things when you got angry!

I know I said I was gonna stop yelling. Please, please, don't do this.

We'll clean it up, Mom. You go to bed. You need to sleep.

- Nice move, pinhead. - Shut up.

Something's in there, moving.

Probably a red squirrel. Very common in this region.

Or it could just be a rat.

We don't need any more holes in the wall!

Great. I'll get blamed for that.

Check it out.

This is one of those things they use to send food upstairs.

- What are they called? - Dumbwaiter.

Hey, those are Mom's keys.

And my medal!

What? You still think I took it.

Yeah, Mal, you busted me.

I took your medal, hid it here and re-plastered the wall.

I don't know how you did it.

I just know you did it, because you always do it.

- And now you're gonna clean it up. - You told Mom we were gonna clean it.

We means you.

Simon, don't you want to know where this thing goes?

Not really.

Simon!

Simon, wake up!

I went up. It's a room, a secret room, upstairs.

There's a desk and a chest, and I found this book!

- Something was in there! - A red squirrel?

No, not a squirrel. Unless squirrels can spell.

It wrote in the dust on the desk, "Jared Grace, leave this place."

Wow.

That's really... impossible.

It's late.

Just go to sleep.

"Do not dare to read this book,

"for if you take one fateful look,

"you barter at your life's expense and face a deadly consequence."

What the...

How did you guys get out?

Dear reader,

what you now hold in your hands is the culmination of a life's work.

And you will soon see, as I have,

that there are fantastical creatures living among us,

hidden through mimicry and magic.

This book will give you the tools and techniques

needed to lift the veil and see the unseen.

The secrets you are about to learn have been kept hidden for ages,

secrets that many of this realm would prefer to stay hidden.

The creatures you will meet are truly a sight to behold,

and most of them do not like being observed.

But, over time, I have garnered their trust.

Some, I am quite happy to report, I now call friend.

But a rare few are, quite frankly, to be feared.

The darker forces of this realm all live in service of one creature,

the ogre, Mulgarath.

The secrets herein are powerful, more powerful than even I was aware.

Never before has knowledge of the fantastical realm

been assembled in one tome.

And so I implore you, dear reader, to use this information wisely,

for the ogre, Mulgarath, seeks this knowledge

with relentless persistence.

If he were to obtain the information in these pages,

I can assure you his intentions would be of the vilest sort.

He assumes many forms,

and so you must constantly be on guard.

I deeply fear that the more I learn,

the more I place everyone around me in grave danger.

So, reader, beware.

I beseech you, beware.

Mom!

- What's going on? - Mom! Mom, please, help!

What happened to you?

- Hold still. - Please, Mom, just cut it! Cut it!

- Okay, calm down. - Mom, please!

Just cut me out! Cut it out!

Please, just get a scissors! I don't care!

- What happened? - He ruined my hair! Get him out!

Jared, you've gone way too far this time.

- Mom, please! Please! - What? I didn't do this!

I've been sitting in a footlocker for the last two hours, reading!

Yeah, right!

Ask Simon.