The Story of Melanie the Moose 64 Zoo Lane

# 64, 64, 64 Zoo Lane 64, 64, 64 Zoo Lane... #

Hello, I'm Lucy. I live at 64 Zoo Lane

and I have very special neighbours. Look!

# There's one with a hump, one who can jump, and one who is plump

# 64, 64, 64 Zoo Lane

# Some like it hot, some like it chilly, some like it silly

# 64, 64, 64 Zoo Lane

# Some are friendly, some are scary But not one is ordinary

# 64, 64, 64 Zoo Lane

# Some are spotty, some are stripy Prickly...woolly...furry...slimy

# Some are quite big, some are small And Georgina is incredibly tall

# 64, 64, 64 Zoo Lane # 64, 64, 64 Zoo Lane. #

Bedtime, Lucy! >

OK, Mum.

OWL HOOTS

ALL: Hi, Lucy!

Hi, everybody.

Dear Lucy, you don't look very happy.

-Do you want to tell us what happened?

-No.

I mean... Oh, she's so annoying!

-Who is?

-Trudy, of course.

-Trudy? She's your best friend, isn't she?

-Not any more.

I can't be friends with someone as clumsy and stupid as her.

She broke my best fountain pen.

Oh! See? This is all Trudy's fault.

Sorry, Boris.

Oh, never mind.

Just don't make the same mistake I made, Lucy.

What mistake was that?

Breaking off a friendship because my friend was clumsy.

'Of course, Melanie the moose couldn't help being clumsy.

'With her big hooves and big antlers, accidents were bound to happen.'

Timber!

Good morning, Beverley. Can I help you with that log?

No, thanks, Melanie. I can manage.

Oops! This is heavier than I thought.

Oh, no, Melanie. Look what you've done!

Oh, sorry, Beverley.

Hello, Randolph.

Can I help you with your gardening?

Thanks, Melanie, but... SQUISH!

Mind your feet! You're squishing my mushrooms!

Oops! Sorry, Randolph.

Hello, Boris.

Can I give you a lift up to that beehive?

No need. I can reach.

Ow!

Thanks a lot, Melanie(!)

Oh, sorry, Boris.

'Now Melanie felt really bad.

'She wanted to be helpful and useful,

'but all she seemed to do was cause trouble.'

Oh, if only I wasn't so clumsy!

'Then she saw some deer frolicking in a meadow.

'She marvelled at their grace and beauty.'

Oh, they look lovely!

I wonder if I could learn to dance like a deer.

Then maybe I wouldn't be so clumsy.

Hello!

Mind if I join you?

Oh, well, maybe Boris will play with me.

Oh, Boris!

Look at me!

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!

Uh-oh! Who's buzzing me?

I can't see!

HOOVES POUND

Melanie! Watch where you're going!

Is this your idea of dropping in on a friend, Melanie?

Oh. Oh, I'm sorry, Beverley.

'This was one disaster too far.

'Now we were really fed up with Melanie's clumsiness.'

My whole harvest - gone in an instant!

That honey was meant to be for my tea!

My mushrooms could've won first prize in the vegetable competition.

I'd just finished building that dam!

I said I was sorry.

Besides, you know me - I don't mean to be clumsy.

But you ARE clumsy.

And silly. And useless.

You just cause trouble. What's the point in being friends with you?

No point, I s'pose.

I am just a nuisance.

'Poor Melanie. She felt she couldn't do anything but leave us in peace.'

Who needs friends, anyway? I'm better off without them.

'She climbed to the top of a mountain,

'where she stopped to sit and sulk.'

At least there are no beehives to knock down up here,

or mushrooms to squish or beaver dams to break.

Brrrr! It is cold and boring...

and lonely.

'As Melanie sat and sulked,

'it suddenly grew very cold and began to snow.'

Snow!

Brrrr! Oh, it's far too cold up here.

'Melanie decided to go down to the forest, to get away from the snow...

'..but she found it had snowed down there as well.'

Brrrr! Oh, it's cold here too.

'The snowy forest was very quiet.

'Melanie wondered where her friends had gone.'

-Hello!

-HER VOICE ECHOES

Where is everybody?

-Melanie, is that you?

-Randolph!

Melanie, I'm so glad to hear you!

Randolph! Beverley! Where are you?

Over here, Melanie!

Boris, stop playing hide and seek.

Come out so I can see you.

We can't come out, Melanie.

We're trapped under the snow.

Please, can you help get us out?

'Now we realised how unfair we'd been to Melanie.'

We owe you a great big apology, Melanie.

Will you ever forgive us for calling you useless and silly and clumsy?

I already have, and, besides, I AM clumsy!

But the important thing is we are friends,

and we should never be so unkind to each other again.

Yeah, yeah, agreed!

'We were all so happy to be friends again.'

That's the last time I ever broke off a friendship for such a silly reason.

You're right, Boris. A fountain pen is a very silly reason.

I hope Trudy will accept my apology tomorrow.

She'll be as sweet as Melanie and happy to make it up with you.

Do you really think so, Molly?

We'd forgive you. Why shouldn't she?

Thank you, Nelson.

Goodnight, everybody.

ALL: Goodnight, Lucy.

Subtitles by Sarah Aitken BBC Scotland 2001

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