Grannie Island's Ceilidh - Annie Jessie and the Merboy Katie Morag


Grannie Island's Ceilidh - Annie Jessie and the Merboy

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# Katie Morag Ran away across the ocean

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# Katie Morag Over the sea to Struay

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# Katie Morag Ran away across the ocean

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# Katie Morag Over the sea to Struay

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# Katie Morag. #

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'I love parties,

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'and I reckon Grannie Island's are the best in the whole wide world.

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'They go on way past our bedtime.

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'But as long as we've brushed our teeth

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'and put on our jammies, we're allowed to stay up.

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'Grannie Island doesn't call them parties. She calls them ceilidhs.'

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Right then, boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen.

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Let's gather round. Who's ready tonight for some real entertainment?

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'We may not have a cinema, or a swimming pool, or even a bus,

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'but everyone agrees that Struay's got talent.'

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Time for another story. Whose turn is it to pin the tail on the island?

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Me! Me! Me!

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Er, I think you'll find, Agnes, it's Sasha's turn. Come on, Sasha.

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There you go.

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There you go now.

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'We always play pin the tail at Grannie Island's ceilidhs.

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'The children take turns of sticking a wee pin on the map of Struay.

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'Then one of the grown-ups tells us a tale about that part of the island.'

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Mmm-hmm. The island of Fuay.

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Who knows a story about the island of Fuay?

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-I know a wee story about the Isle of Fuay.

-Matthew it is, then.

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Here, Peter, pass me over one of those shells, will you?

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Thank you.

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Long ago, here on Struay,

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there lived a teenage girl called Annie Jessie.

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She was born in a house on the headland beyond the new pier,

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and from that place there is a lovely view of the Isle of Fuay.

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When Annie Jessie was young she had to look after

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her brothers and sisters as her mother had sadly died.

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Her father was a teacher

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and he was away all day at the school.

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When he got back with the older children,

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he expected the house to be clean and tidy,

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and the evening meal on the table.

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Not only had Annie Jessie to look after the family,

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but also the cow, the pig, the hens, the sheep,

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the dogs and the cats.

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After breakfast, her father would go off to school, and Annie Jessie,

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after she had fed all the animals,

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would go to the peat bank with the little ones,

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and collect fuel for the stove.

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At the end of the day, once the children were asleep

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and with her father working at the table,

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she would get into the boat and row out into the bay to catch fish

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for the next day's breakfast and supper.

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Now, one particular evening it was wild weather.

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Annie Jessie sheltered behind the boat on the shore,

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waiting for the storm to pass.

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She listened to the wind roaring and screeching around her.

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But there was another sound, like someone crying.

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Annie Jessie stumbled over the slippery seaweed

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and saw the most amazing sight.

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Now, I'm sure you all know what a mermaid is.

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But what she saw was a merboy.

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He was in front of her,

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sitting on a rock with tears streaming down his face.

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Annie Jessie asked why he was upset.

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The merboy said he had lost his comb

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and that the Sea King would be furious.

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"He is in charge of all us sea creatures

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"and can be very fierce.

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"We merboys and mermaids must comb our hair twice a day."

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Annie Jessie told him to dry his tears.

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"I'll get you another comb," she promised, "and bring it tomorrow."

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The merboy smiled for the first time - such a lovely smile -

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and disappeared into the foaming waves with a happy flip of his tail.

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How was Annie Jessie to get a comb?

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There was only one comb in HER house,

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which was needed every morning for all the family.

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And it was often lost.

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As she wandered back along the shore she saw some long, flat razor shells

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just like this one, and put them in her pocket.

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That night Annie Jessie couldn't sleep.

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Feeling cold and lonely, she remembered her promise to the merboy

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and remembered the razor shells in her pocket.

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Her fishing knife was sharp.

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It wouldn't take long to carve one of those long, flat shells.

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So she lit a candle, and sat close to the light.

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But the shell was brittle and soon broke in two.

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The second, third and fourth shells all shattered.

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Dawn was breaking and it came to the last shell.

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And pffft! The candle guttered out.

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In the half-light of the skylight window, Annie Jessie worked

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ever so carefully, and this time made the most beautiful comb.

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She carved some hearts and kisses on it, then raced down to the shore.

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"Merboy, here is your new comb!" Annie Jessie called.

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"Thank you," he smiled, as he took it from her.

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"It is beautiful.

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"And so are you."

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Annie Jessie smiled. She thought HE was beautiful, too.

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The merboy told Annie Jessie to untie the boat and follow him,

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and he would find her the best fish,

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and would continue to do so from that moment on.

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Being with the merboy was the best part of the day for Annie Jessie.

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The family had mounds of fried fish for breakfast,

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and colossal fish pies for supper.

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Grateful though she was to the merboy,

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she knew he could not help with her other chores.

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When the weather was too bad for fishing, she sat beside him

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on the rocks,

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and told him how lonely and exhausted she sometimes got.

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And how she wished she could have a life with him.

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"Would you really like to live with me?" he asked, hopefully,

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for he had had the same thoughts.

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The Sea King had heard about their romance

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and decided to do something about it.

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So a large, rolling wave rose far out to sea,

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and as it came close to land, it turned into a team of white horses

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with foaming manes, pulling a huge shell chariot towards the shore.

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The Sea King stood tall and fierce. He boomed out his message.

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"A little sea bird has told me you have fallen in love

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"and want to be together."

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Annie Jessie and the merboy agreed wholeheartedly.

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But she knew she could not leave her family, and told the Sea King.

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"They will be fine," bellowed the Sea King.

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"I'll send a new teacher to Struay who will help your father

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"at the school, and at home.

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"And I will make you a beautiful place to live."

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And so saying, he turned to the sea and raised his hands.

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The setting sun darkened, and suddenly it was deepest night.

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Thunder and lightning grumbled and flashed.

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Annie Jessie and the merboy huddled together on the rocks.

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"Look," commanded the Sea King. And he pointed to the horizon.

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Where there had been dark sea a moment before,

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there was now a small island bathed in sunlight.

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"This is your island," announced the Sea King.

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And so it was

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that Annie Jessie and the merboy went to live on the island.

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And what do you think they called it?

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They called it the Isle of Fuay.

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One fine evening, Annie Jessie met the new lady teacher

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who was helping her father dig up the tatties.

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"I like it here," smiled the lady teacher.

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Annie Jessie's brothers and sisters all cheered.

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Annie Jessie made razor shell combs for all the family

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and the lady teacher, and a spare one for the merboy,

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just in case he lost his special one.

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And that is the story of the Isle of Fuay.

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APPLAUSE

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That was great, Matthew. I loved that story.

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I think it's one of my favourites.

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Alistair and Jane, come on. It's time you gave us a tune.

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'We love the ceilidh stories, and always want to hear more.

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'But Grannie Island says the same thing, "Time for another tune."

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'And by the time the grown-ups have finished dancing

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'we're usually fast asleep.'

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