How to Handle a Hamster Grandpa In My Pocket

Not the shrinking cap, Grandpa!

Catch me if you can!

Grandpa!

No, be careful!

Grandpa, stop!

Grandpa In My Pocket.

Hello, little fellow.

'Jemima had brought her school hamster home for the weekend

'cos it was her turn to look after him.'

-What's your name?

-He's called Julian.

Julian? That's a funny name for a hamster, eh, Beowulf?

You'll have the best time ever.

Nobody can handle you as well as I can.

'Little did we know that we were all going to learn...'

I'm going to ask dad if I can have a hamster of my own.

Oh, you are, are you?

Dad was in the garden, sawing some wood.

He was going to mend a hole in the floor in the toilet.

Dad's always mending things, especially bikes,

cos he runs the bike shop in town.

He fixes tyres...

..and wheels...

..and chains.

He's really good at fixing bikes.

But not quite so good at fixing other things.

Don't go in the downstairs toilet.

-I'm fixing a hole in the floor.

-Dad! Dad!

Please can I have a hamster like Julian, please?

Hmmm, if you show me you can look after Julian,

-I might just think about it.

-Yes!

Come on, let's make you comfy.

Ah, I wish Mum could see you, Julian.

Mum was away on a cooking course. Cooking was her latest hobby.

Mum's always taking up new hobbies. One week it's karate...

..then it's salsa dancing...

..then cake decorating...

..the ukulele...

..knitting...

..opera singing.

SINGS HIGH NOTES

But she'd left us this -

a scrummy sausage stew to heat up for our tea.

GRANDPA SNIFFS

Sausage stew, oh-ho! Our favourite, eh, Wolfy?

I can smell a sausage stew a mile away.

Do you fancy a sausage, Julian? No, Grandpa!

-Hamsters eat seeds.

-And they drink water, I'll fill this up.

-No! I'll do it, Jason.

-Let me!

Come on, there we are.

Oh-oh, the door's open...

..he's out, he's out!

-Jemima! Jason!

-What's the matter, Grandpa?

Jemima soon found out what the matter was... Julian had gone.

Julian's gone! Jason, it's your fault,

-you shouldn't have taken the bottle!

-I was trying to help.

He could be anywhere. Maybe he's in the kitchen.

He's so small, he can get into tiny places.

A bit like me, eh? I can get into really tiny places when I'm small.

-'Uh-oh, he was thinking of using his shrinking cap.'

-I'LL find Julian.

Not the shrinking cap!

-Catch me if you can!

-Come back!

'When Grandpa shrinks,

'he can get up to all kinds of magical things.'

Get down, Grandpa!

'He can fly off in my plane.'

Grandpa, stop!

'He can get into my car and make it go.

'Once he's got an idea in his head, there's no stopping him.

-'He drove my car into the hallway.'

-He's not in the kitchen!

We mustn't tell Dad, or I'll never get a hamster.

Bit too long, this one. What's the matter?

-BOTH: Nothing!

-Grandpa gone for a lie down, has he?

I'll try this again.

Whenever Grandpa shrinks, they think he's gone for a lie down.

Why does Grandpa have to lie down when we need him?

'Jemima grabbed her chance.

'She went to look in the toilet

'while Dad was gone. Meanwhile,

'Grandpa was waiting for his chance in my car.

-'Then suddenly we heard...'

-Ah! Oh, no! No!

Julian's gone through the hole in the toilet, we'll never find him!

Oh, yes, we will!

JEMIMA SOBS

Grandpa was off.

He zoomed through the kitchen,

and Jemima was too busy crying to notice him.

I rushed after him into the toilet, but by the time I'd got there...

Grandpa had gone!

Not only was Julian under the floorboards, but so was Grandpa!

Julian! Julian!

Come out, I know you're here somewhere.

Aah! There you are. Come on,

little chap, don't be frightened, I'm only trying to help you!

It's all right, Julian, don't be frightened.

Are you there, Julian?

Come back, Julian!

Where are you?

Come back, Julian!

Come back, Julian, please come back. Please, Julian!

This time, Grandpa had gone TOO far. I was worried

he'd come out of the hole instead of Julian,

but Grandpa wasn't about to come out cos...

I'm completely lost. Bother!

I was trying to work out what to do, when I heard...

BANGING ON FLOOR

Are you there, Grandpa?

Yes, can you hear me?

Yes, are you all right?

Yes, but I'm a little bit lost.

What shall I do?

Put the hamster food next to the hole.

Julian will smell it, and come on out.

But how can we get you out, Grandpa?

Oh, you'll think of something.

-What are you doing, Jason?

-Nothing!

What are you doing, Jemima?

Nothing!

We'll have to tell Dad, he's about to cover up the hole.

And if he does that I'll never see Julian again!

'Of course I was worried that I'd never see Grandpa again.'

'The thing about Grandpa is that he's always fun.

-'We play lots of games...'

-Three!

-Oh, you've won again!

Ha-ha-ha! I certainly did.

'We read Captain Dumbletwit stories...'

..out of the side of a spaceship.

'We share our ice cream...

-'..we suck up our spaghetti...'

-HE LAUGHS

'..and Grandpa is always like this.

'Just then, Dad came back out of the toilet with the plank.'

Wrong size, too short this time. Try again.

I've got a plan, listen.

Jemima put the food in front of the hole,

so that Julian would smell it.

-At last, you've had a good idea, Jason.

-Thanks!

'I couldn't say it was Grandpa's good idea.

'We waited really quietly,

'hoping Julian would smell the food and come out.'

Julian's come out! Look, he's here!

Oh, you're so cute, I'm so glad I found you.

The good news was that Julian was safe.

The bad news was that Grandpa was under the floorboards.

-Can you help me measure this, please?

-Luckily, Dad called Jemima.

'I just had a few minutes to rescue Grandpa.

'I needed a plan and I needed it fast.

'If Julian could find his way back by smelling food

'then it could work for Grandpa!

'So I put the cold sausage stew down by the hole in the toilet.'

GRANDPA SNIFFS

Oh, sausage stew, I could smell sausage stew a mile away.

Grandpa! You're back!

'Course I came back, I wasn't going to miss out on the sausage stew.

Quick, get to your chair.

Grandpa whipped off his shrinking cap

and came back to normal. He was in his chair

just as Dad and Jemima came in with a new plank.

Third time lucky!

Well, Julian, I said I'd find you, and I did.

-Couldn't have done it without Jason, though, teamwork, eh?

-Teamwork!

-Ha-ha!

-He-he!

'Grandpa really enjoyed his sausage stew.'

Wolfy, come one!

'And so did Beowulf.'

Good boy!

Guess what, Dad said I could have a hamster of my own, if I want one.

-But I think they're too much work.

-So do I.

-Huh?

What do you mean, Grandpa? You didn't do anything.

Oh, didn't I?

THEY LAUGH

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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