Katie Morag and the Two Peas Katie Morag

# Katie Morag

# Far away across the ocean

# Katie Morag

# Over the sea to Struay

# Katie Morag

# Far away across the ocean

# Katie Morag

# Over the sea to Struay. #

'My name is Katie Morag McColl, and I live on the island of Struay.

'I suppose it's quite wee, but it's ginormous to me.

'And everyone looks out for me

'when I'm out and about, having my adventures.'

This is where I live, with my family!

My mum and dad run the shop and post office.

This is the bedroom I share with my brother Liam.

My mum says it's an absolute midden!

This is the croft where Grannie Island lives

with her animals and hens.

This is the Redburn Bridge where I play Poohsticks!

'And I think it's the best place in the whole entire world

'and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.'

# Katie Morag. #

'Mum says, when ever I am cross, I look just like Grannie Island

'when her tractor breaks down.

'My lips get all thin and my eyebrows scrunch down,

'as if they're trying to tickle my nose.

'And when Liam's cross,

'she says he looks like Grannie Island

'when her hens have forgotten to lay their eggs.

'She's right.

'But, most of all, Mum says me and Liam are just like each other.

'Like two peas in a pod.'

'I like to play on my own sometimes.

'But Liam gets bored and likes to annoy me.'

Liam! Stop it!

-What's going on?

-Liam keeps annoying me.

Did you ask him to stop?

Yes. But he didn't.

Oh, Katie Morag!

Look at the mess!

-I like mess.

-I know you do.

Your room's an absolute midden!

Just play together nicely, you two.

Your dad's off to Uncle Matthew's and Flora's needing a nap.

'Yes, there are some days that I like to play all on my own.'

BABY CRIES

Just a half pound of sugar, please, Peter.

So, it's Matthew's you're off to, is it?

-Yeah.

-Aww.

I remember the pair of you as boys.

Like two peas in a pod, you were.

How is that brother of yours, anyway?

Haven't seen him since last visit, but he seemed grand then, anyway.

-Is that so?

-That is so. Why?

Och, well, you know.

Him and his funny ways.

He's not... Well, he's not...

He's a bit thon way, you know?

Thon way, Mrs Baxter?

Och, well.

Imagine living like that.

All alone over there!

Barely seeing anyone,

barely coming into the village, not even for shopping.

And as for that house of his...

I hear it's a midden.

Well, house work was never his strong point.

Was there anything else, Mrs Baxter?

Oh, no, I must be off.

Now, could you tell Matthew I was asking for him?

I will.

Is it still a midden?

They won't be putting it in a magazine.

Katie Morag!

-I'm here!

-Oh, right.

Do you want to walk a little way along the road with me?

Can I come all the way to Uncle Matthew's with you?

It's an awful long walk.

There and back again?

You said when I was seven I could come!

I'll bring Uncle Matthew sweeties!

That's a nice thought.

I'll make a wee picnic. Tell Uncle Matthew to visit us

and I'll make one of my special stews.

I will!

It's her special stews that keep him away.

I heard that!

Come on, Dad!

'Uncle Matthew is my dad's brother.

'I haven't seen him since I was very little.

'He lives way over on the other side of Struay,

'and no-one sees him very much.

'Dad doesn't even talk about him often.

'I think that's a little strange cos I say things about Liam a lot.

'Although they're not always good things.

'I was curious to meet Uncle Matthew.

'I thought he sounded quite mysterious.

'The rain stayed off

'and Dad told me lots of interesting stories about the places we passed.

'We passed the peat banks, which people dig in the spring

'to burn on their fires in the winter.

'And Lobster Point, where folk come to catch lobsters in the summer.

'We even found the walls of an old cottage.'

This is the stone where you can make a wish.

'Dad told me the big stone there was called Na Sgeulachdan,

'which means "the storyteller."

'It's been here a long, long time,

'even since before Grannie Island was born.

'No-one knows what it was for.

'Some people say it makes your wishes come true.'

-What d'you want? Porridgey?

-Porridgey.

Mum's. One of Mum's.

Are you allowed to tell me?

-Not sure.

-Hmm.

-I wished Liam would stop being so annoying.

-Ah!

-Was Uncle Matthew annoying when you were wee?

-Sometimes.

-Did you send him away?

-No!

-He lives far away because he likes it.

-Liam really is annoying.

I'm not sure I want to send him away to the other side of the island.

Don't worry, we won't.

Oh, what's Mum made? Egg?

'We walked up hills, past the loch,

'through the bruichy bog,

'until finally we were there.'

Oh, it's beautiful!

-Eh?

-It's like a fairy cottage!

-It doesn't even have an inside toilet.

-Toilets are...

-Toilets are boring!

-Well...!

You won't be saying that in an hour.

-Hello.

-Hello there.

-Hello! What brings you two strangers here?

Oh, just happened to be passing.

This can't be Katie Morag!

How old are you now? 15?

Seven, silly!

-I've brought you some sweeties.

-Oh!

D'you know, you've always been my favourite niece.

-I'm your only niece!

-Oh, aye! That's right!

Now, who would like a draught of my elderflower potion?

Don't worry, it tastes better than it sounds.

Sit there, I'll be two minutes.

CORK POPS

POTION SPLASHES

Stop!

You have to remember this moment.

From here on in, your life is in two parts.

Before I tasted Uncle Matthew's potion,

and after!

It's nice.

Nice.

I suppose that'll have to do.

I see you've, er, tidied the place(!)

Aye, well, I knew you were coming.

Do you know, Katie Morag, some grown-ups just don't see

the beauty in all the careful arrangements in this place.

Just don't understand it.

My mum said this place is a midden, just like my bedroom.

THEY LAUGH

'It was good to see Dad and Uncle Matthew laughing,

'though I wasn't quite sure what they were laughing at.'

'Uncle Matthew showed me some of the pictures he had painted

'on the canvas sails.'

Lobster Point, the old cottage, the storyteller, Na Sgeulachdan.

Very good.

I made a wish there. I wished I hadn't.

Aye, it's a tricky one.

Are you allowed to tell me?

I wished Liam would stop being so annoying and ruining all my stuff.

Aye, well, I know what that's like.

Really?

Your dad was a nightmare.

-Jealous of my talent.

-Hoi! I taught him everything he knows.

THEY LAUGH

'They went on like that for ages,

'joking and teasing each other,

'and every time they laughed, it reminded me

'what Mum had said about peas in a pod.'

I'm going to get the green.

'We had the best fun ever.

'Uncle Matthew asked me to paint a picture of my room,

'and Dad helped too.

'A Midden At A Midden, he called it.'

Oh, look at that, artful skills.

'I think they liked being together.

'Maybe it reminded them of sometime a long time ago,

'when they were little, like me and Liam.'

THEY LAUGH

'I wanted to stay longer,

'but Dad said we had a long walk back

'and he didn't want it to get dark.'

-Well, it was nice to see yous.

-Yeah.

Mum worries if I don't check in on you. So does Isobel.

Well, tell them not to. I'm absolutely fine.

Can I come back and see Uncle Matthew?

You'd better! And next time, we'll listen to the plants growing.

You can't listen to plants growing.

-No, YOU can't, cos you live in a metropolis.

-What's a m-m...?

It's a big city.

-I live in Struay post office.

-Exactly! All that commotion!

But with a wee bit of practice, you can learn tae tune it oot.

And then you can hear the plants growing.

Now, I've got you some strawberries, dear.

'Then Matthew gave me some strawberries for Mum,

'and sunflower seeds to plant in the window.

'He said if me and Liam listen really carefully,

'we might hear them growing into beautiful big sunflowers.'

-Aye, well!

-Yeah.

-Good seeing you.

-All the best, eh?

-Aye.

-OK.

-Cheerie-bye!

-Goodbye!

-Bye-bye, now.

That's us, sweetheart. What a day, eh?

That was great.

These are the nicest strawberries I've ever had!

Next time he comes down to the village, Grannie Island

and I will go up and give his place a good scrub.

I told Uncle Matthew that you said

his hut was an absolute midden.

-SHE GASPS

-Oh-ho-ho, don't worry! He laughed.

'But Mum's face went as red as the strawberries.'

'We planted Uncle Matthew's sunflower seeds, and Liam said

'he was going to stay up all night to see if he could hear them growing.

'Mum says we're like two peas in a pod, and that makes me really happy.

'I think my wish did come true.

'He isn't so annoying after all.

'I think he's the best wee brother in the whole wide world.'

(Good night, Grannie Island.)

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd