Sidney's Hiccups Old Jack's Boat

Hello, there. How are you today?

Salty and I have a tale or two to tell you about this beach, and

the rockpools, and all the magical things that have happened here.

# Come with me, we're off to the sea

# To where I used to play

# Looking back when I was a boy and the fun we had each day

# Over the cobbles and through the streets

# Playing in the sun

# Friends to meet with games and treats

# Adventures just begun

# Stories from a magical world Washed in by the sea

# Meet the rockpool creatures there It's amazing what you see

# Looking back when I was a boy

# Shrimps and starfish Crabs and snails

# In twinkly Rockpool Tales

Ha-ha! # Those lovely Rockpool Tales. #

Oh! Ha-ha. Hello!

Beautiful day today, eh?

Look at the sea, Salty.

Brimming with adventures, stories.

What's that you've got?

What have you got? Where do you get... Oh, look at that.

Oh, do you see that?

That is a traditional village hat.

I haven't seen one of these in Staithes for a long, long time.

Yeah, beautiful.

You know, all the women and girls used to wear them to help

them carry the buckets of fish on their heads.

Imagine that, Salty.

Do you know, I remember the day when Little Sailor Sue wore hers

to the beach.

HE CHUCKLES

I'll tell you the story.

Yeah, it all happened when I was a boy,

in a twinkly time, long, long ago.

All right, Ernie? Do you want to meet Sue?

I used to run down to the beach as often as I could.

Hello, Sue.

Meeting up with my best friends Little Ernie and Little Sailor Sue.

One spring day, Ernie and I were playing ball on the beach.

Little Sailor Sue came to join us wearing a Staithes village hat,

which had lots of frills on it.

And she was balancing a basket on her head, too.

-Shall we see if I can balance it all the way to the rockpools?

-Yeah.

So, off we went.

Sue kept her head very straight, and the basket didn't slip once.

Well, soon we'd reached our favourite rockpool.

And as we gazed deep down into the glittery waters,

a magical world appeared before our eyes.

Sally the Starfish and Andrew the Anemone were playing

catch with Sally's bouncy ball,

when they heard the sound of voices,

drifting melodiously across the rockpool floor.

HE SINGS IN HIGH-PITCHED VOICE

"What's that?" asked Andrew.

"I don't know," said Sally, looking baffled.

"Let's go and see."

So, they followed the sound of the singing until they came to

a rather tall and colourful pyramid of sea snails.

Yes! Sea snails.

Sea snails in top hats, sea snails in woolly hats,

sea snails in glasses and beards and moustaches.

And they were singing!

"It's Sidney's Snail Choir", said Sally.

"Don't they sound amazing?"

"Thanks," said a snail with a large moustache.

"We're just getting ready for the Spring Tide show."

"But where's Sidney?" asked Sally.

For although she could see a lot of singing snails,

not one was her dear friend Sidney.

And suddenly, she heard an unusual sound.

HE HICCUPS

Just then, Sidney appeared from behind his friends.

"I'm... I'm here!", he said.

"I've got - hic! - I've got hic-hic-hiccups!"

Poor Sidney! Each time he hiccupped, his shell shot up and spun around.

"I can't - hic! - perform like this," said Sidney sadly.

"And I wanted to sing a special - hic!

"song for all my rockpool - hic! - friends."

"Oh, no!" said Andrew. "That's terrible news."

"My choir will have to - hic! - sing it - hic! - without me. Hic!"

"BOO!"

shouted Andrew, very suddenly waving his tentacles wildly at Sidney.

SALTY WHIMPERS

He wanted to surprise him, because, you know,

they do say that surprises can sometimes make your hiccups go away.

"Nothing surprises me. Hic!" said Sidney. "I'm not a very - hic! -

"surprisable sort of snail. Hic!"

"Well, if you can't sing because of your hiccups,

"come and join our game of catch instead," said Sally.

SALTY BARKS

Yes, yes, Salty, I know. You like a game of catch, don't you?

Oh, dear me, you do. Anyway...

Sally threw the ball to Andrew, Andrew threw it to

Sidney, Sidney stretched out his snail tentacles,

and was just about to catch it when...

"HIC!"

..his shell spun upwards, hit the ball,

sent it flying off in the direction of the thick seaweed.

"Sorry!", said Sidney, as they went to look for it. "I - hic! -

"I hope it isn't - hic! - isn't lost."

Sally peered into the thick seaweed. "Wait, wait!

"I think I've found it," she said.

And then she saw another one, stuck to the seaweed,

and there was something very strange about it.

Andrew came to look, too.

"It looks just like your ball, but it's dancing!" he giggled.

And sure enough, when they looked closely,

they could see lots and lots of little balls jiggling about.

Sidney nudged one gently.

"Um... Hic!

"It's as if there's something inside that wants to get out."

And then, suddenly, almost by magic,

all the little balls started popping open.

HE IMITATES BUBBLES POPPING

Sidney was so surprised,

he did a somersault.

For out swam the most

curious-looking creatures,

with tentacles for noses and flouncy-looking frills all

around their bodies.

"Wow!" said Sally. "Who are you?"

"We're cuttlefish," said one. "We've just popped out of our egg cases."

"Woohoo-hoo!" said another. "Ah, we're so happy we could dance!"

said a third.

"When I'm happy, I usually sing," said Sidney.

"But I can't today, cos I've got hiccups."

"Wait, Sidney!" said Sally, in amazement.

"You're not hiccupping any more!"

SALTY BARKS Yes, I know. The cuttlefish popping

out of the eggs had given Sidney such a surprise that he stopped

hiccupping straightaway.

SALTY WHIMPERS

He couldn't thank the cuttlefish enough.

"Now you'll be able to sing in the

"Spring Tide show for all the rockpool!" Sally beamed.

Well, all the rockpoolers gathered for the song.

The snails jostled into their positions and then they

started to sing.

# When we share our little rockpool with y-o-o-o-u

# We are merry rockpool creatures, wah-ha-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo

# And we'll sing you happy songs from among the seaweed fronds

# When we share our little rockpool with you, with you

# When we share our little rockpool with you. #

Oh!

Everyone loved the song so much they swayed in time and the

cuttlefish showed off a very special skill.

They made beautiful inky patterns in the water.

A smiley face, and a swirly snail shell,

and the best one of all - a heart.

And when the song ended, everyone cheered.

"When the tide comes in we're off to the open sea,"

said one of the cuttlefish, "but it's been wonderful sharing

"your rockpool and hearing your song."

"I couldn't have sung it without you," said Sidney.

"Thank you for getting rid of my hiccups."

# And we'll sing you happy songs from among the seaweed fronds

# When we share our little rockpool with you, ba-rum! #

When we looked up from the rockpool, Little Sailor Sue was excited.

-I've got an idea for a game!

-What's that?

We went back to the beach and Sue put her basket in the sand...

You need to throw the ball in the basket.

ALL: Oh!

..and we took turns throwing the ball.

ALL: Oh!

And we played, and we played...

-ALL: Yes!

-Come on!

..until the tide came in,

and covered the rockpool like a great, seaweedy blanket.

Right, come on, Salty girl.

It's time for us to go and play a game of ball on the beach, too.

Where is it? Where is it? Oh, ho-ho-ho, there it is.

Come on, then! Come on.

Oh, yes, and come back soon for some more Rockpool Tales, all right?

Bye-bye. Come on, girl.