The Christmas Quest Old Jack's Boat

And good day to you.

# This is the place to be

# For Salty Dog and me

# Down by the harbour, we'll be there

# Round every corner, there's something to share

# Give us a cheer, our friends are here

# Just Salty Dog and me... #

Ha-ha! Come on, Salty!

# This is the place to meet

# Down at the end of the street

# Seagulls flying up in the blue

# There's always a cup of tea waiting for you

# Out in the sun, having some fun

# Just Salty Dog and me

# Haul away, haul away

# Sing a song of the sea

# Hoist the sail, I'll tell you a tale

# Of Salty Dog and me

# This is the place to go

# And these are the people we know

# The village is busy with things to see

# There's the Rainbow, down by the quay

# There's stories to tell, join us as well

# Just Salty Dog and me... #

PHONE RINGS

OLD JACK HUMS A TUNE

You know what, Salty? Today is not just any old day.

It's Christmas Day!

HE WHISTLES AND LAUGHS

Hey, you know what?

I think it might be a good idea to get everybody together

for a good old Christmas sing-song - what do you reckon?

-Busy, busy!

-Oh, look.

There's Miss Bowline-Hitch.

Shall we go and ask her to join in?

Come on.

Oh, Miss Bowline-Hitch - Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, Jack, and to you, Salty.

I'm afraid I must dash, I'm busy-busy!

Listen, I was going to ask

if you fancied a sing-song tonight.

-Oh.

-Hm?

No - I am sorry. There's no sing-song on my list.

Must dash - busy-busy!

Right - do you want a little push? There you are!

So...never mind, Salty.

Plenty more fish in the sea.

Come on, girl.

-Hello, Emily.

-Oh! Hello, Jack! Happy Christmas.

And a Happy Christmas to you, Emily, yes.

You look busy.

Oh, I'm just packing up some ice-creams and lollipops

to take to the hospital.

Oh, that is kind of you, Emily. Isn't that kind, Salty?

Well, some people have to stay in hospital during the holidays,

so I thought I'd give them a treat.

Yeah, yeah - listen, will you be back tonight?

I thought it would be nice

if we could all have a little sing-song together.

I'm sorry, Jack. I won't be back in time.

But I hope you have a lovely sing-song.

-Bye-bye!

-Bye-bye.

Oh, well - two down, Salty.

Never mind. We'll keep trying.

Hup! Come on.

BELL JINGLES

-Ha! Captain Periwinkle. Ahoy there.

-Oh, ahoy there!

Christmas at the ready, sir.

Tinsel and holly bedecked on all sides.

-So, where's that daughter of yours?

-Shelly?

She asked me to look after things while she's away.

I've closed for Christmas

and I'm going to the cliff tops to keep watch

in case I see three ships go sailing by.

Oh. I don't suppose you'll be back by tonight, then, will you?

I was hoping to have a sing-song with everybody, all together.

-I'm sorry, old friend, but I promised to keep watch all night.

-Oh.

-Never mind. Sing well, sailor! Sing loud!

-Yeah...

-Farewell!

-Yeah - farewell to you, Captain.

Oh, dear.

Huh! Ah!

-Fingers!

-Toes!

THEY LAUGH

-Hello, you two! You look busy.

-We are.

We've got plenty of work to do today.

What, delivering fish? It's Christmas Day!

I know, but not everyone eats turkey on Christmas Day.

We're delivering these to...

-Filey.

-Saltburn.

Eh?

-Saltburn.

-Filey.

-The village down the road.

-Oh.

-They're having a lovely...

-Seafood delight.

They've asked us to stay. I love seafood delight!

It's a pity - I thought we'd have a nice sing-song tonight,

just like the old days.

Oh, I'm sorry, Jack.

-Maybe next year, eh?

-Next year, yeah, done.

Don't forget the most important thing -

-Mary...

-Christmas!

-No, no - Mary...

-New Year?

No, no, no - Mary JONES down at the big hotel

makes lovely mince pies, so pop in.

THEY LAUGH

See you later, Jack!

-Merry Christmas!

-Merry Christmas, Salty!

Bye-bye. Well, that's it, Salty - it's just you and me, innit?

Still, you are the best company I could ever, ever have.

HE LAUGHS

Yes, you are. And I've got a lovely Christmas present for you.

Shall we go and open it? Come on, then.

Good girl.

SHIP'S HORN TOOTS

There we are. Yeah - that's it.

Here we go.

I promised you a present, didn't I, Salty?

Can you guess what it is?

It's a bone, a lovely, tasty yum-yum.

You can have that later. No, don't open it yet.

Save it for your Christmas tea

and I'll rest my old bones over here.

Oh - good girl.

It's a lovely old time, Christmas - isn't it, Salty?

Yes - full of memories.

I've got a good story to tell, Salty.

A winter's tale about a Christmas long, long ago.

Once upon a twinkly time, long, long ago,

I was a young fella, m'lad - you wouldn't have recognised me.

I had a shock of think, black hair and freckles all over my face.

I wasn't Old Jack back then. I was Young Jack.

Oh, it was so long ago.

I had Salty's great-great-great-granddad,

Sandy, with me.

And even he was a little puppy.

So, that Christmas, I woke up in the morning

and I ran all the way down to the harbour

to see my best friend, Sailor Sue.

And there she was, with her great big smile

and her mop of wild red hair.

I said, "Merry Christmas, Sailor Sue!"

And she said, "Merry Christmas, Young Jack!"

Now, Sailor Sue and I had been best friends

ever since we were born.

We spent all our days together,

swimming and playing and messing about with lobster pots.

We always had such a good laugh together.

But that Christmas morning, Sailor Sue looked a bit sad.

I said, "What's wrong, Sailor Sue? It's Christmas Day!

"You're meant to be happy."

She said, "Oh, Jack, a terrible thing has happened.

"I had three Christmas presents, all ready for the big day,

"but then a great big wind came along,

"and it blew them out to sea.

"I've lost them, Jack, and I don't know what to do."

So I said, "I'll help you find 'em, Sailor Sue."

She said, "Will you really, Jack?" I said, "Of course!

"What are best friends for? Come on!"

And we ran along the harbour wall till we got to my boat.

But remember, this was many years ago,

and the Rainbow...wasn't called the Rainbow back then,

cos she hadn't got her stripes yet.

She was a just a little brown tub.

So I said, "All aboard the Little Brown Tub!

"We're going on a quest."

"What's a quest?" said Sailor Sue.

"It's a journey", I said, "a journey to find something."

"And we are going to find your lost Christmas presents.

"Off we go!"

So, we set off on our Christmas quest,

Sailor Sue and me.

Ho-ho! We zoomed along in the Little Brown Tub,

heading north over the cold, wintry sea.

There was snow in the air

and the wind nipped at our fingers and toes,

but we shivered and smiled,

because we both loved being out at sea,

in any kind of weather.

And then we reached a huge iceberg.

It was cold and frosty and towering above us.

Sailor Sue called out, "There it is!"

And she pointed.

And there, on top of the iceberg, was a top hat.

She said, "The wind must have blown it all this way.

"But that iceberg is ever so high - how are we going to get it down?"

I said, "Don't you worry about that."

And I blew a special whistle - it went...

HE WHISTLES

Ha!

And out of the sea came lots and lots of flying fish.

And one of the flying fish leapt up, up, up

and knocked the top hat off the iceberg,

and it came tumbling down, down, down and...I caught it.

And I said, "It's a very nice top hat, Sailor Sue.

"Who's it for?"

She said, "Never mind that. We've got two more presents to find.

"The Christmas Quest continues. Onwards!"

So we said goodbye to the flying fish

and sailed off in the Little Brown Tub,

top speed, heading west.

Then we reached a big cliff-face, looming over us.

It was the shore of some strange, distant land,

but Sailor Sue pointed up and called out, "There it is!"

Halfway up the cliff-face, on a narrow ledge,

there was a bunch of flowers.

"They're so high up", said Sailor Sue.

"How can we get them down?"

I said, "Don't you worry about that."

And I blew another special whistle.

This one went...

HE WHISTLES

And out of the sky came my old friend Brenda the Stork.

I called out, "Can you help us, Brenda?"

She said, "I certainly can. Please be patient.

"Just wait a moment, thank you!"

Brenda swooped down, picked up the flowers in her beak,

then she flew over the Little Brown Tub

and let go of the flowers

so that they fell down, down, down...

And Sailor Sue caught them with both hands.

I said, "That's a very pretty bunch of flowers.

"Who are they for?"

She said, "Never mind that - we've got one more present to find.

"The Christmas Quest continues. Onwards!"

So we said goodbye to Brenda the Stork

and sailed off in the Little Brown Tub,

top speed, heading south.

Soon, we came upon Bluey the Whale.

BLUEY SNORES

He was fast asleep, snoring and bobbing up and down

on top of the waves.

Sailor Sue pointed up and said, "There it is!"

But I couldn't see anything. I said, "Where?"

And she said, "THERE!"

So I got out my trusty telescope and had a look.

There was a gold ring, right on top of Bluey's head.

"It's too high up", said Sailor Sue. "How can we get it down?"

I said, "Don't you worry about that."

And I blew another special whistle. This one went...

HE WHISTLES

And the waves parted

and there was my old friend, Pearl the Mermaid.

We said, "Merry Christmas, Pearl!" And then we told her the problem.

She said, "Don't worry - all you need is this."

And she held up a big, long tickly feather.

I said, "We better stand back, Sailor Sue."

So we did and Pearl swam up to Bluey

and tickled him with the feather.

Bluey woke up and he sneezed a great, big, enormous sneeze.

He went, "Blah...lah...lah...PHOO!"

And a huge fountain of water blew out of his blowhole.

It sent the gold ring spinning through the air,

it went up, up, up and then down, down, down.

Sailor Sue and I both reached out and we caught it - together.

"Hooray!" said Sailor Sue. "Well done, Jack!"

I said, "That's a very nice gold ring, but...who is it for?"

She said, "Never mind. The Christmas Quest is over.

"We found all the presents. Now it's time to go home, Jack."

So we wished Bluey and Pearl a very merry Christmas

and we sailed all the way back home.

As soon as we arrived at the harbour, I said...

"We always have so much fun together, don't we, Sailor Sue?

"I...I wish we could do this all day long.

"But you'd better deliver those Christmas presents,

"before they get blown away again."

And Sailor Sue smiled. She said...

"They were never blown away. I was only pretending.

"I did it myself. I scattered the presents far and wide,

"all over the sea - north and west and south."

I said, "Why? Why did you do that?

"Hold on a minute...who are those presents for?"

She handed me the top hat. She said, "The top hat is for you, Jack."

I said, "Oh! Well, it's very nice. Thank you."

Then she held up the flowers and said,

"The flowers are for me."

I said, "Oh! Well, that's nice. You look lovely."

And she said, "The gold ring is for both of us."

I said, "Is it? Why's that, then?"

She said, "Because I'm going to marry you, Young Jack.

"I'm going to marry you and we can spend our lives together,

"having fun and adventures and quests every single day.

"What do you say, Jack? Will you marry me?"

Oh...I was delighted.

What a Christmas present! I was smiling from ear to ear.

I said, "Oh, yes, I certainly will, Sailor Sue.

"Will you marry me?"

She said, "Yes, I will."

And I said, "Merry Christmas, Sailor Sue."

And she said, "Merry Christmas, Jack, my love."

And we got married!

On Christmas Day, I married the most beautiful girl

in the whole wide world.

And we sailed away and we had fun and adventures

and quests every single day.

HE LAUGHS FONDLY

Oh, that was a long, long time ago.

My hair's no longer black.

And my freckles? Oh, long since gone.

Ah...

But I still think of her, Salty. Every single day.

And on Christmas Day, I think of her more than ever.

Merry Christmas, Sailor Sue.

Merry Christmas, sweetheart.

HE SIGHS

Do you know, it's a shame we never had that sing-song.

Oh, she loved a good old sing-song, did Sue.

MUSIC PLAYS

Eh?

Can you hear that, Salty?

That's music I can hear.

Look, Salty! It's night already. And it's snowing, too!

It really is Christmas, isn't it?

Come on, girl, let's go and take a look.

Well, I'll be blowed! It's my lovely old friends!

# This is the place to be

# We're gathered out here on the quay

# Hoping that all of your wishes come true

# Singing our Christmas song specially for you

# The cold wind will blow We'll sing in the snow

# At Christmas by the sea

# The stars are all set in a blanket of blue

# The moon on the water is twinkling too

# Snowflakes as bright as a million lights

# At Christmas by the sea... #

We wanted to surprise you, Jack!

We wouldn't have missed this for the world.

I organised everything - busy-busy!

She kept us all ship-shape, Jack.

We all remember Sailor Sue, Jack, and she loved a good sing-song.

Merry Christmas, Jack!

# The snow is a-falling Another year ends

# Whatever the weather We're here with our friends

# A wonderful sight on a magical night

# At Christmas by the sea

# A wonderful sight on a magical night

# At Christmas by the sea. #

Oh, aren't you the best friends in the world!

Every single one of you.

Merry Christmas, everyone...everywhere.

Merry Christmas.