Katie Morag and the Special Delivery 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 McCall 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.

There are 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. #

'Wednesday is delivery day here in Struay.

'That's when all the packages and parcels come.

'I always wonder if something exciting will arrive.

'But today was a special day. This is the day my mum and dad

'had to go to the hospital on the mainland

cos their new baby was nearly ready to come out.

'Grannie Island showed me how to knit

'so I can make a blanket for the baby.'

There, just in case Mum forgets,

you'll be warm and cosy, little baby.

'Grannie Island had picked up the boxes and parcels from the ferry

'in the tractor, so people could come to collect their packages.

'She was coming to live with me and Liam while the baby was coming.

'Mum and Dad were happy she was there to help us,

'especially on this day.'

Here's your bag, Mum!

-It's got my present in it!

-Thank you, sweetheart.

-Is the baby sleeping?

-Have a wee listen.

I can hear snoring.

THEY LAUGH

Have you thought of a name yet?

We're working on it.

-Mum!

-Come on now, I've got work to do.

Are you ever going to stop dusting?

Well...

I haven't done you yet!

THEY SCREAM AND LAUGH

Morning, Isabel.

Good morning, Neilly Beag.

-It's a fine day, eh?

-It is that.

Are you...ready?

Och! Nowhere near!

What can I get you today?

I'll have a bag of castor sugar, please.

Meringues again?

Well, a man's got to bake what a man's got to bake!

THEY LAUGH

Here, I'll do that.

-Whatever for?

-Well, you're...

I'm grand, thanks. Here!

-I'll leave the money on the counter.

-Thanks.

Bye.

# There once was a cat, a very round cat

# That sat with a rat on a tractor

# On a tractor. #

Do me a favour, love. Give Fabbydoo her breakfast.

Can I feed Fabbydoo while you're away at the hospital?

Absolutely.

You are official chief cook and bottle-washer.

SHE STRAINS

Oh!

Grannie Island says I'm growing every day,

but I don't think my arms are.

SHE LAUGHS

'Fabbydoo was our lovely ginger cat

'and I could always tell that breakfast was her favourite meal.'

Liam, what did I say about spilling things?

Abra-cat-abra! Ice buns for tea. Fabbydoo, come to me!

Ice buns for tea. Fabbydoo, come to me!

Dad!

-Hm?

-Fabbydoo's missing.

Probably out chasing mice.

I wouldn't worry about it, sweetheart.

SEAGULLS CALL

Mum, I can't find Fabbydoo.

Oh, I'm sure she'll be fine.

Just chasing shadows or stalking chickens in the grass.

But she never misses her meal.

She'll be out enjoying herself. Remember what Grannie Island said.

"A cat can squeeze nine lives worth of fun into every single day."

SHE LAUGHS

On the other hand,

she might be hiding in that midden of a bedroom of yours.

SHE LAUGHS

Fabbydoo!

Fabbydoo!

Fabbydoo!

'But no matter where I looked or how loud I yelled,

'Fabbydoo didn't come.'

Fabbydoo, where are you?

'I was very puzzled. She had never gone missing before.'

Where could she be?

Whoa! Easy, tiger!

You mind my good Isle of Lewis crockery there.

That's you. OK.

She'll turn up when she's hungry, sweetheart.

But that's just it. She's always hungry!

She eats her food before it's even on the plate.

Look, you need to get to school now, Katie Morag, or you'll be late.

But why don't you ask there? Maybe one of your friends has seen her.

'I hoped Dad was right, but he wasn't. No-one had seen Fabbydoo.

'Then Agnes said we should make a notice.

'It was a brilliant idea and I was sure it was going to work.

'But it didn't.'

My! That's a long face.

And that's a mucky one!

Oh, my goodness!

Och! KATIE LAUGHS

So, you can't find her and you reckon she's off her food.

-Well, she hasn't eaten anything.

-Hmm.

Oh, I've got together a few things

for your mum to take to the hospital too.

What's that?

It's peat water with a hint of bog myrtle.

One wee sniff of that and she'll feel she's all the way back in Struay.

And I've made up a CD with some nice wee tunes for her too.

That's nice. What type of tunes?

Oh, just a small selection of stirring bagpipe music.

And last but not least, some of my porridges.

BAGPIPE MUSIC PLAYS

'I might have mentioned it before but Grannie Island's porridges

'are the sweetest, stickiest, yummiest porridges

'in the whole entire world.'

The sooner your mum gets on that boat, the better.

She's scarcely stopped working.

I know, and a funny thing is happening.

She keeps on dusting everything. She even dusted me!

Sounds like she's nesting.

-What's that?

-Well, you know the big osprey that flies back across

the sea to Struay after her long winter in Africa?

Well, before she does anything like lay an egg, she tidies her nest.

She barely eats a thing until it's absolutely perfect.

We don't live in a nest!

Well, what do you think your house is?

Oh, it may not be made of leaves and twigs, but it's her nest.

And she has to make it nice and clean and tidy for the new arrival.

Let's get these things over to her

and we'll do some big cat hunting on the way!

'I looked out for Fabbydoo the whole way back...

'..but there was still no sign of her.

'So, I tried to think of all the places I could look

'when I got home.'

'There was a shed where she goes for an afternoon snooze.'

Woo!

SHE LAUGHS

THEY LAUGH

'And the loft where she chases mice.

'And then there was the coal bunker.'

Is she in here?

No.

But I found Peggy Doll.

SHE LAUGHS

Aye, it's an ill wind that doesn't dry somebody's washing!

It's hard to imagine that Peggy was my doll when I was your size,

Katie Morag. And then she was your mum's.

-Was she?

-Indeed she was. Now, where's that card you made her?

Here!

Your mum will treasure this.

That's everything, I think.

-Except for Fabbydoo.

-True...

but I have a feeling she'll turn up much sooner than you think.

Now, let's get everything in the bag before we forget.

CAT MEOWS

-Grannie Island?

-Mm-hm.

-There's something in here.

-There's something moving.

-Oh, not at all!

Good gracious!

Oh!

-Fabbydoo!

-Yes, look!

FABBYDOO PURRS

Right. There you go, Fabbydoo.

And that's not all.

-GASPING:

-Oh, she's had kittens!

Oh, they're beautiful!

All that time, Fabbydoo has been nesting, just like your mum,

finding somewhere nice and cosy to put her lovely wee kittens.

And what could be nicer and cosier than that blanket you knitted?

KITTEN MEOWS

Now, where did I put that bag?

-We found Fabbydoo.

-Oh, good! Where was she?

-In your bag.

-What?!

And that's not all we found.

KITTENS MEOW

Oh, my goodness!

-I didn't even realise.

-Well, you had a lot on your mind.

We figured that you wouldn't want to disturb the kittens,

so we've put together a fresh bag for you.

SHE GASPS

SHE LAUGHS

FERRY HORN BLOWS

Right. Come on, you two.

The ferry waits for no-one - man, woman or, as yet, unnamed child!

-Come on.

-Come on.

Good luck.

Bye!

-Right, then, we had better get to work.

-Work?

Well, there are three kittens in here

and they're not going to name themselves. Come on!

Here we go. Good boy.

Well, you won't need this tonight, Katie Morag.

Night, night.

-Night, night.

-There you go.

Good night wee Tumshie and tiny Mince

and tiny, wee Tatties.

KITTENS MEOW

And good night Mum and Dad, and Baby too,

whatever your name turns out to be.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd