Katie Morag and the Wedding - Part 1 Katie Morag

# Katie Morag

# Run away across the ocean

# Katie Morag

# Over the sea to Struay

# Katie Morag

# Run away across the ocean

# Katie Morag

# Over the seat 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 pooh sticks.

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

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

# Katie Morag. #

'Neilly Beag had gone over in the ferry

'to ask Grandma Mainland if she'd like to marry him.

'He hadn't said that was why he was going, but everybody knew.'

How do you think he asked her? Do you think he got down on one knee?

Yeah, I think so too.

'That's the thing about places like Struay.'

SHE GASPS

'Everyone knows everything about everything.'

Honestly! You'd forget your head if it wasn't stuck on.

'What we didn't know was if Grandma Mainland said yes.

'And that's what everyone was desperate to find out.'

She said...

yes!

Yes!

-Can I go tell Grannie Island?

-Of course you can.

-I'm so excited.

Oh...

It was really great. You should have been there.

I've more important things to be getting on with.

More important than a wedding?

It wasn't a wedding, Katie Morag.

It was Neilly Beag fetching up with a piece of very foreseeable news.

Well, there's going to be a wedding

and we only have one week to get ready. What are you going to wear?

-Who says I'm going?

-Why wouldn't you?

I don't particularly like weddings.

-You enjoyed your own.

-Well, that was different.

That wasn't some foolishness by two folk old enough to know better.

What?

I'm trying to imagine you in a wedding dress.

It's beautiful.

Uh-huh.

Still fits. More or less.

You wore a crown?

A tiara.

Grandad brought it back for me from Paris.

Have you still got it?

Aye, somewhere.

Grandad in his uniform.

He's handsome.

Oh, look at the time. You'll be late for lunch.

Tablet!

SHE KNOCKS

Come in.

-I forgot the tablet.

-So you did.

-Do you think he might come?

-Who?

Grandad Island.

Oh, I very much doubt it.

Why not?

Well, he'll be busy doing what he does best -

scooting around the world in that helicopter of his.

I don't think he'll have the time

to come to Neilly Beag and Grandma Mainland's wedding.

-You must miss him.

-Sometimes.

Come on, you'll be late for lunch.

'I think you might agree with me -

'sometimes grown-ups can be difficult to understand.

'But I think I understood Grannie Island.

'She liked living on her own

'but once in a while I think she missed Grandad Island.

'I had a brilliant plan to cheer her up.'

Liam, what do you think of the letter I wrote to Grandma Mainland?

"Dear Grandma Mainland, Grannie Island is down in the dumps

"and I think it's because she's missing Grandad Island.

"Could you please invite him to your wedding?

"That way, he would come to Struay and she would get to see him,

"and I think that would cheer her up a lot. Love, Katie Morag.

"PS - I am very glad you said yes to Neilly Beag

"when he asked you to marry him.

"He is a very nice man and he will make a brilliant Grandpa.

"PPS - Liam hopes you and Neilly Beag will have lots and lots of babies.

"Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss.

"Kiss, kiss, kiss,

"kiss.

"Kiss, kiss, kiss."

Liam, do you want to put the stamps on?

'I could have sent an e-mail, of course,

'but Grandma likes getting proper letters with an envelope and a stamp,

'and anyway, Mum and Dad run the shop and post office here in Struay

'and if nobody wrote letters from time to time,

'they wouldn't have anything to do.'

I knew it would take a while for Grandma Mainland to write back to me,

'so over the next few days, I kept myself busy

'getting everything ready for the big day.

'Weddings are a lot of work. They're like your birthday,

'Christmas Day and Halloween all rolled into one.'

Nope.

Hmm. I don't think so.

Nah.

Definitely not.

Now that's a pair of wellies for a wedding.

Anything for me?

'It was a bit soon for a reply from Grandma Mainland,

'but there is no harm in hoping.

Did you order half a dozen old copies

of Bride and Bridegroom magazine?

Hmm... Nope.

Must be Neilly Beag, then. How about running them down to him?

'Neilly Beag had decided to decorate the hall for the wedding himself,

'and he was hoping to get some good ideas from the magazines.'

I like this one.

"Lady Araminta Abercrombie marries her prince."

They've got brilliant decorations.

Aye, but where would I be finding a dozen chandeliers?

Or those crystal palm trees?

We'd never bring them over on the ferry.

Well, not in one piece, anyway.

I'm sure Grandma Mainland would like them.

Ah! What about these?

-I love balloons.

-Me too!

'And balloons it was!

'25 packets of them.'

Come on, Katie Morag, keep up.

'I always thought balloons were a bit like chocolate biscuits.

'You can never really have too many,

'but by the time we'd got through 15 packets,

'I was beginning to change my mind.'

'All the while, I kept my eye on Grannie Island, of course,

'and I did my best to cheer her up.

'I think all the talk about weddings

reminded her how much she missed Grandad Island.

'I could hardly wait for him to arrive.'

-What?

-Nothing.

Katie Morag.

-I'm just smiling, that's all.

-Hmm.

'It was going to be the best surprise ever!'

-Anything for me?

-Afraid not.

What is it you're waiting for?

Doesn't matter.

'I knew it sometimes took a few days for letters to arrive,

'so I wasn't too worried. Not yet, anyway.

'I only really started worrying on the day of the wedding.

I still hadn't heard back from Grandma Mainland

'and I began to think that maybe she hadn't got my letter.

'Neilly Beag was even more worried than me.'

-Any sign?

-No.

You sit yourself down and I'll bring you a cuppa.

Thanks.

'Grandma Mainland was coming over on the ferry

'but it was already half an hour late.'

What if she doesn't come at all?

All those balloons.

HORN TOOTS

Hey, that's the ferry in!

'But his troubles weren't over yet.'

She's not there.

She's not coming.

She must have changed her mind.

I just knew it was all too good to be true.

Of course she hasn't changed her mind.

I'm sure there's a perfectly simple explanation.

'Poor Neilly Beag. He'd been so excited about getting married

'and now it looks as if it might not happen

'and what about my big surprise for Grannie Island?

'If Grandad didn't come, she'd never cheer up.'

MOTOR WHIRS

Katie Morag! Oh!

The last time I saw you, you were this size.

-I was never that size!

-Well, you've certainly grown up.

You're a beautiful big girl now.

Dad?

Well, this is a surprise!

Look at you. More like your mother every day.

-Peter.

-Nils.

-'Everything had worked out so perfectly

'and the best was still to come.

'I just couldn't wait to see Grannie Island's face

'when she realised Grandad was here.

'It was all going to be perfect.'