The Wiggly Lugworm 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-ha-ha!

# Those lovely Rockpool Tales. #

TOOT!

Oh, hello! Ha-ha!

Salty and I just got back from a walk on the beach.

We were investigating worm casts.

Do you know what they are? No?

Oh. Well, let me show you.

This is my old sketchbook of Whitby wildlife.

And that is a lugworm.

You know, when the tide is out,

you might see the little piles of sand that they make on the beach.

Now, that's called a worm cast.

And to see the worm,

you need to dig down into the sand, where they live.

Do you know, that reminds me of a story.

Yes! Yeah, let me tell you.

Well, it all happened when I was a boy

in a twinkly time long, long ago.

Ha-ha!

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

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

-We were walking along near the water's edge...

-Look!

..when Ernie bent down to have a look at a little spiral of sand.

-"What's that?" he said.

-It's a worm cast.

And that means there are lugworms under the sand.

I looked around. There were lots and lots of worm casts.

I expect there are lots of lugworms.

Ernie scratched his head.

Just think, holes all over the sand where little lugworms live.

Well, we all liked the idea of lots

and lots of little holes on the beach,

and we followed the line of worm casts all the way to the rockpools.

And as we gazed deep down into the glittery water,

a magical world appeared before our eyes.

Once a year, Reginald the Great Wise Limpet, who lived up top,

visited the rockpoolers below.

Sally the Starfish and Andrew the Anemone were really excited.

They whizzed around and around the rockpool.

They kicked up sand and knocked over pebbles

and scattered shells as they went.

But one rockpooler was not so happy.

Bertrum the Butterfish.

Every year, he spent the entire day worrying about Reginald's visit.

"This rockpool needs to be tidy today", he said to himself,

as he set out with his broom and his trolley

and his hat tilted at a determined angle.

But when he saw the mess that Andrew and Sally had made,

his hat wibbled a bit.

Sally dashed over. "Hello, Bertrum.

"We've been having fun whizzing around.

"We were excited about Reginald's visit."

"There will be no more whizzing", he said.

"I need you two to help tidy up.

"I want the rockpool to be amazing

"and spectacular for Reginald's visit." And he left.

Sally stared at the mess

and she sighed as she picked up a pebble,

placing it carefully on Bertrum's trolley.

Bertrum's trolley wobbled.

Then it wobbled again.

Then one end of the trolley started to go up in the air.

Sally and Andrew looked at each other in surprise

and the trolley gave a lurch and tipped right over.

Underneath was the face of a very long worm.

"Hello", he said.

"I'm Tony. I'm a lugworm."

And he disappeared back down the hole.

Sally and Andrew blinked.

"Um...hello?" said Sally to the hole.

"Are you still there?"

"No, I'm over here."

It was Tony again. He popped out of another hole right behind them.

Sally and Andrew went over to him,

but as soon as they did, he disappeared again.

Then Andrew had and idea.

"Sally, you stay by this hole and I'll go back to the first hole.

"That way, one of us will catch him when he pops up again."

So that's what they did.

Sally shouted, "Hello?"

Andrew shouted, "Hello?"

And they waited.

"Hello", said Tony.

And he popped up out of another hole.

Oh! He was fun.

"You're very good at making holes", laughed Andrew.

"I am", said Tony.

"See if you can guess where I'll pop up next. Hoo!"

Well, this was a wonderful game.

Sally and Andrew whizzed around the rockpool,

trying to guess which hole Tony would pop out of next.

And Tony kept making new holes to pop out of,

so it got harder and harder and more and more fun.

Ha-ha-ha!

Suddenly, Andrew saw Reginald making his way

slowly down into the rockpool.

"Ooo!" said Andrew.

"Reginald's on his way and we haven't tidied up yet."

Sally stopped and looked around.

The rockpool was still a mess.

And now, there were holes. Lots of holes everywhere!

Tony popped up.

"Are we still playing?" he said.

"We can't", said Sally.

"We're supposed to have tidied the rockpool

"for Reginald's visitor, and look at it now!"

Tony looked at all the holes he'd made,

and just then, "How's that tidying coming along?" called Bertrum.

Sally gazed out at the mess and the many, many holes.

And she had an amazing, spectacular idea.

"I'm off", she shouted, and she whizzed off, just like that.

Bertrum looked at the mess.

"Where did all these holes come from?" he said.

Andrew and Tony were about to explain when...

"I have arrived", a voice said.

It was Reginald.

Bertrum didn't know what to do.

"Um...Reginald, how wonderful to see you! A-huh!

"About the holes..."

"I believe you have something amazing

"and spectacular for me", said Reginald.

"Well...", said Bertrum, wondering what he could possibly say.

When suddenly, every single hole

started to spout bubbles, like a fountain.

Lots and lots of little fountains

like bubbly firework displays all over the rockpool.

It was amazing! And it was spectacular.

"Wonderful! Wonderful! Bravo!"

said Reginald, as Bertrum stared in disbelief.

Then Sally floated back down to join everyone.

"I asked Bluey the Whale

"to blow water into the rockpool from underneath", she said.

From out on the big, wide sea,

they heard Bluey's enormous voice.

"Hello!" he boomed.

"I thought it might be a nice way

"to use the holes our new friend Tony has made", said Sally.

She had created a bubbly water display for Reginald.

Reginald watched it and smiled,

and smiled, and smiled.

Even Bertrum smiled, because this really was amazing,

and spectacular.

And the best visit from Reginald ever.

Ha-ha! And Sally and Andrew smiled, too,

because they had made a new friend, Tony the Lugworm.

The maker of holes.

We looked up from the rockpool, grabbed our buckets and spades

and ran off down the beach to go digging.

Look!

Guess what I've found? A wiggly, wiggly lugworm!

Hello, Tony!

I put our Tony back and watched him wriggle away,

burrowing deep down into the sand.

And we carried on down the beach, going digging,

looking for creatures that live on the seashore...

..until the tide came in

and covered the rockpool like a great seaweedy blanket.

Your old blanket's got a lot of holes, too, hasn't it, Salty?

Oh, dear! Look at it! I don't know what you've been doing.

I don't think that's lugworms, either.

We're just getting on a bit now, aren't we, girl?

Well, you join us for some more Rockpool Tales next time. Goodbye.