The Wolf Tree Rocket's Island

I packed my things and started walking,

-I couldn't wait another minute.

-Friends for ever.

WHISTLES

Wayne! Fetch help!

Are we seriously putting our lives in the hands of a dog?

Wayne won't let me down.

We have to trust him.

Once upon a time...

DOG BARKS

Wayne? Here, boy!

Wayne?

Here, boy!

What is it, Wayne?

SHEEP BLEATS

There's a sheep stuck on the cliff.

DOG BARKS

-What you doing?

-Letting Dad know there's a problem.

ROCKET EXPLODES

Rocket, what's he doing?

There's a sheep trapped on the cliff.

Dad, please be careful.

Mind, it's slippery.

-Dad! Dad!

-Stay back!

You all right?

I'm OK. I'm OK.

Is he OK?

That's it!

All right, upcoming!

He's got him!

Good job, Mr B, hold on!

Dad, Mum's pulling you up now.

Dad, are you all right?

Nearly there, Dad.

That's it. There we go!

What were you thinking?! Sheep can't abseil,

everyone knows that!

Don't ever do it again.

DOG WHIMPERS

Wait!

There's something wrong with Wayne.

Oh, no, no, no, no.

Right...

HORN BEEPS

Wait.

Stop!

What do you think you're playing at?!

You've just earned yourself a ticket.

Officer Beddoe.

Gerry...

Just come and have a look.

Wayne's not well. We need to get him to the vet.

Well, why didn't you say?!

RINGS BELL

Clear the roads, coming through.

Out of the way, Jonathan! This is an emergency!

Hi, Mum! Bye, Mum!

What did they say?! Is he injured?!

No.

What is it then?!

Well, he's just old.

Too old for charging around and saving sheep, that's for sure.

Bit much for his heart.

There is something that they can do, though, isn't there?

Well, they've given him some medicine...

..but you can't turn back time.

We just need to get him home, let him rest,

and see how he goes on.

I know what'll cheer you up.

The rope swing!

I'm not leaving Wayne.

Well, he won't sleep with you staring at him!

Why don't you all go, eh?

Got to write that story for English.

Better get a move on then,

we don't want to upset Dibber's mum again, eh?

I'd best be getting home.

Come on, Rocket, let's go.

You all right, Daniel?

Brandon-the-Bestmate-Stealer is doing my head in!

I've been coming round here for years,

but he's already better with animals than I am!

You know, they do say that if a creature is wary of you,

it's often because

you've got the greatest animal-handling gift of them all.

-And what's that?

-Thought-snatching!

Some folk, they can put their hand over an animal's head

and actually hear what it's thinking.

Mr B, I'm not a total wally.

Hey, I don't tell stories now, do I?

No, it sounds to me

like you could be one of them.

You might just be a junior Dr Dolittle.

Hey, you have a go!

Look...

Why does anything or anybody have to grow old?

Why can't we just pick an age and stay like that for ever?

Come on, mate.

Did you see that?!

It must've just been asleep.

Birds don't sleep on their backs, Brandon!

Well, that one did!

No, it didn't. That bird wasn't asleep, you know it wasn't.

That bird just came back to life!

Oh, do one, Madison.

Er, nice to see you too!

I'm warning you. I'm seriously not in the mood today.

I'm...

I'm not here to be funny.

Yeah?

What are you here for then?

You hung a ropey from the Wolf Tree?!

Why, that's like riding a unicycle in a church!

You're not really saying

that some weird old tree brought a bird back to life?

Of course I'm not! I wasn't there, was I?

But I'd say there's a fair chance,

it does have the power of rejuvenation.

Rejuva-what?

It's like when you make something old young again.

In ancient times,

when someone on the island was getting on a bit

or not feeling so well,

their loved ones would come to Ballabungie,

and hang as many shells

from the branches of the Wolf Tree as they could.

And then they'd rub two sticks together until they had a spark,

plant it at its foot

and put one of the poorly person's possessions next to it.

And come the next morning...

they'd be good as new!

I'd rather go to the Walk-In Centre any day.

Every 80 years or so,

I have a pootle across, whack up a few shells,

take a snooze by a sparkler, and come sunrise...

I'm a teenager again!

Rocket, can we go? I think Not-The-Oldest-Man-In-The-World

is having one of his turns.

If you're prepared to wait till 2018, I'll prove it to you.

You have to believe in it, though,

that's the most important thing.

You have to believe in it with everything you've got.

I don't!

Well, I'd like to.

And tonight, we're going to try it!

What have we got to lose, Brandon?

The second it goes dark,

we're going to rejuvenate Wayne!

You all right?

I don't know how to write a story,

do I?

It's dead easy.

Every good story has got a beginning, a middle, and an end.

Why?

Oh. I don't know.

I suppose a story without an end

wouldn't be much of a story at all, would it?

It's the shape of things that really make them sparkle!

How am I meant to come up with one?

Ah, well, stories are everywhere.

You just need to look for them.

Don't hold back. Go on.

Off-load anything you like.

Eughhhh! I didn't mean that!

What am I doing?

I ain't no mind-reader.

Half the time I don't even know my own thoughts.

This is stupid!

Exactly!

Was that my thought?

Or yours?

We had a Scottie for years. Baxter.

When he started getting ill all the time,

I tried everything to make him better.

Got really into it,

I actually thought I was going to be a vet, can you believe it?

Well, why not?

Have you seen my grades?

Yeah, but...

It's not cos you're not clever, is it?

It's cos...

you don't try.

Cos you mess about.

He was obsessed with tennis balls.

Used to spend all day chasing them around,

like he was practising for Wimbledon or something.

Wayne used to be the same with this Frisbee we had.

Whenever I see a green Frisbee,

I'll always remember him.

I mean...

..when he's not around any more.

I don't hate you, you know.

I don't hate you either.

Brandon!

Grass. Grass.

Grass.

Goat, you have a one-track mind!

Erm, excuse me, I don't appreciate that sort of language.

If you can't think anything nice, don't think anything at all.

I'll take my fingertips elsewhere!

What are you doing?

Thought-snatching! Peter reckons I've got the gift.

Do you think it'll work on Bethany Summer?!

What's she doing here?

She came to see me, all right?

Come on, boy.

What are you doing?

I'm going to take him to the old tree in the field,

-he's going to sleep there tonight.

-He's not well enough.

That's why we're doing it, it's going to rejuvenate him!

-I don't think...

-I don't care what you think!

Hey, leave him be.

No, Dad, you don't understand, something weird happened before.

At the Wolf Tree.

The Oldest Man In The World reckons it might have some power.

Dad, I know you won't believe that, I'm not even saying I believe that,

but just imagine if it's true,

if we could really turn back time.

-Rocket.

-Wayne's not to be moved.

You know what the vet said.

Rest.

You don't think Jess has got what Wayne's got, do you?

She's hardly moved today.

You can't catch old age, Jade.

Don't worry, boy.

I won't let you down.

Your dad said we're not to move him!

Well, then, we need to make sure he doesn't find out, don't we?

Even if it makes Wayne a little bit better, it'll be worth it, won't it?

Talking about the Wolf Tree thing, are you?

-Right, homework!

-Keep your mouth shut, Healey.

I haven't done it. I hate stories!

Well, I want one on my desk by nine o'clock tomorrow.

But tomorrow's Saturday!

I'll still be here,

and now, so will you!

That's not fair!

And for complaining, my office after school!

Thing is, I've got a pair of pongy old socks at home,

and if I leave them next to your tree,

they'll be as good-as-new in the morning, won't they?

Save my mum from having to wash them...

Brandon Kelleher, sit down!

Right, you can join her!

And if you don't let go of Jonathan in three seconds,

you're excluded.

One...

Two...

Thank you.

It's going to take more than a few seashells to perk Wayne up.

The dog's ancient!

Rocket Boulsworth!

If you want to be a vet,

then you can, I know you can.

Madison?! A vet?!

You've got to be having a laugh!

The only animal I've seen you with

-is that scabby dog you used to have...

-Tyler!

You have to be like mega-good at science to be a vet.

-Yeah, Alli. I'm not a total swot like you so I don't think so.

-What?

You're the one who talks to chickens.

SHE CLUCKS

Alli Boulsworth!

We have to do it.

What?

Take him to the Wolf Tree!

Rocket...

Come on. Please.

We need to give it a try.

Who's in?

What a family!

Wayne? Here, boy.

Wayne.

I'm...

I'm sorry, Rocket.

Are you really a thought-snatcher?

Doubtful.

I did have thoughts in my mind.

But there's a chance they were just my own.

How's Wayne?

Worst thing of all is,

I'm pretty sure Jess isn't right either,

but everyone's too upset to notice!

I thought you might be able to read her mind

and find out what was wrong.

Come on, hand,

let's see what you can do!

KNOCKS ON DOOR

-Hurry up!

-Eh?

We need to get the others

and take the shells and hang them on the tree!

Rocket, Wayne's gone.

I know, but he can come back!

Me and Brandon saw it happen.

-Rocket...

-You said you'd come!

You all did.

Yeah, I know,

but things have changed now, haven't they?

Well, good,

cos I wouldn't want you there anyway!

The Oldest Man In The World,

he said that you have to believe in it, and I'm going to.

What is it, eh?

What's the problem?

What?!

I don't believe it.

You have to call the vet for Jess! You have to!

Jade, how many more times...?!

Dibber snatched her thought, and if he's right,

she really does need help, and she needs it now!

See you in the morning, Wayne.

Once...upon...a time.

Believe.

Believe.

Wayne!

It worked!

It worked!

CLEARS THROAT

What are you doing?

Was waiting to tell yous about Jess.

It's Jess.

Yeah?

She was pregnant!

I knew it!

I am Dibber Dolittle!

Alli!

Done it!

Only just!

And?

You couldn't photocopy it for me, could you?

Brandon!

You can't take a puppy away from its mum.

It needs her to keep warm.

It's really important.

I... I didn't know.

We can keep that one, though?

What would we call him?

Dibber, why don't you ask him?

I'm not going to snatch any thoughts any more.

I'm hanging my fingertips up. It's a lot of responsibility!

Peter.

Puppy,

what would you like to be called, Puppy?

You're one too?!

He says...

..Wayne The Second!

Wait for me!

It's like you said.

Everything needs an end just as much as a beginning,

it's the shape of things that makes them sparkle!

So...I wrote this.

And now we can read it over and over again!

Come on then, Wayne The Second,

let's get you back to your mum,

and settled in.

The Story...of Wayne.

Once upon a time, there was a puppy

with a collar that was two sizes too big.

And when he first saw the Boulsworth family,

he didn't wait to be chosen,

he chose them.

Say hello to Archie Beckles.

Great(!) Another weird kid.

He can't speak, can he?

They say dragons could talk, but chose not to.

Woe betide anyone who tried to make them.

SCREAMING Jade?

There's a dangerous snake on the loose.

ALL SCREAM