Emily Brown and the Elephant CBeebies Bedtime Stories

CBeebies Bedtime Story.

TELEPHONE RINGS

Hello?

Hello?

Oh! There's nobody there.

Oh! Hello! I'm David.

Did you just ring me on the phone?

You didn't? Oh. Somebody did.

Oh! I know who it was.

It was Matilda's mummy.

Matilda is the elephant in tonight's bedtime story

and her mum likes to phone her a lot.

The story is by Cressida Cowell and Neal Layton

and is called Emily Brown And The Elephant Emergency.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl called Emily Brown

and an old grey rabbit called Stanley.

One day, Emily Brown and Stanley were white water rafting

down the Zambezi River with their great friend Matilda.

Matilda was just steering them skilfully

over the very last rapid with her trunk,

when there was a "Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!" on the emergency telephone.

Emily Brown answered it. "Emily Brown speaking. Can I help you?"

"Help!" said the voice.

"This is Matilda's mummy here, and I'm terribly worried.

"I'm worried that your boat might sink,

"that you might get eaten by crocodiles,

"that the hippos could be bad-tempered,

"and Matilda isn't wearing her Wellington boots.

"Matilda has to be careful she doesn't catch a cold."

"Elephants don't wear Wellingtons," replied Emily Brown,

"and this phone is for emergency calls only.

"Please do not phone unless you have an emergency."

And Emily Brown put down the phone politely.

A few days later, Emily Brown and Stanley

were searching for a new species in the land of the dinosaurs.

They were just investigating a set of footprints

with their good friend Matilda,

when there was a "Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!

"Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!" on the emergency telephone.

Emily Brown answered it again.

"Hello? This is Emily Brown. What is your emergency?"

"It's Matilda's mummy again.

"Can I speak to Matilda? I'm even more worried than I was before.

"I'm worried that a brontosaurus might sit on someone,

"that the T rex might give Matilda a nip with his pointy teeth,

"and it's past five o'clock and Matilda hasn't had her tea yet.

"Matilda has to have her tea on the dot at five o'clock."

"Elephants do not have tea times," replied Emily Brown.

"Matilda will eat when she is hungry.

"Again, can I ask you not to call this phone

"unless you have a real emergency?

"This telephone is for emergency calls only."

And Emily Brown put down the phone a bit more firmly this time.

A few days later, and Emily Brown and Stanley

were climbing the peak of Mount Everest.

Matilda was having trouble holding on to the rope

because of her Wellingtons and her lunch box getting in the way,

when there was a "Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!" on the emergency telephone.

"Hello!" snapped Emily Brown,

"Emily Brown speaking, and this better be a proper emergency."

"It certainly is!" said Matilda's mummy.

"I am more worried than ever.

"I'm worried that Matilda might get caught in an avalanche,

"that Matilda might get frostbite,

"and Matilda has forgotten to wear her nice clean socks again.

"Matilda is a smart elephant and she like to look spotless AT ALL TIMES."

"Matilda's mummy!" cried Emily Brown, very firmly indeed,

"elephants do not wear socks, clean or otherwise,

"and clean socks are not an emergency!"

A few days later still, and Emily Brown and Stanley

were searching for diamonds in the deepest caves of the earth.

But Matilda was not joining in.

She was worried she might lose a Wellington or drop her lunch box

or dirty her nice clean socks,

so she sat and watched Emily Brown and Stanley

and waited for the telephone to ring. She already had her helmet on,

because she knew that was what her mummy would want.

Poor Matilda waited.

And she waited.

And she waited by the emergency telephone.

But still Matilda's mummy did not call.

And then poor Matilda grew sad and ill.

Tears rolled down her floppy trunk.

"My mummy has forgotten me!" cried Matilda,

and the light on her helmet flickered and went out.

Emily Brown looked at Stanley and Stanley looked at Emily Brown.

Matilda was one unwell elephant.

This really was an emergency.

Emily Brown picked up the emergency telephone

and called Matilda's mummy.

But Matilda's mummy did not answer.

So Emily Brown and Stanley took Matilda gently by the trunk

and they went to find Matilda's mummy in the heart of the big city.

It turned out that Matilda's mummy needed rescuing herself.

She had been kidnapped by a great, grey busy-ness,

and it would not let her go.

Matilda perked up immediately,

threw off her Wellingtons, chucked away her lunch box

and tossed her clean socks into the nearest puddle.

It was a very daring rescue.

A few days later, Emily Brown, Stanley, Matilda and Matilda's mummy

were searching for the source of the Nile in the jungles of Africa.

They were surrounded by crocodiles.

Nobody had on their Wellingtons, it was way past tea time

and Matilda's mummy's socks would have been the dirtiest of all

if she had been wearing socks, which she wasn't,

because elephants don't wear socks.

Suddenly, there was a "Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!"

on Matilda's mummy's mobile phone. But one of the crocodiles ate it.

So we'll never know what the emergency was.

I wonder if it was important.

And that story was called Emily Brown And The Elephant Emergency.

-TELEPHONE RINGS

-Oh!

Hello?

Yeah. Yeah, I know. It's time for bed. I...yes, I know.

I need to tell everyone to make sure they've brushed their teeth

and cleaned their faces. Yes, yes, yes.

Hold on a minute.

That's Matilda's mummy. She says it's time for you to go to bed.

I'll see you soon for another story. Night!

OK. So where are your Wellington boots?

And what kind of adventure are you and Matilda on tonight?

Oh!

Ooh!

OK.

Good luck.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Limited

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