Mountain Post Rocket's Island

-If you've got a mum, why are you here?

-She didn't care about me.

And I don't care about her.

So read it.

Maybe you'll get a reason why.

What's your mum doing under your bed?

She died.

I'm Amy.

Your sister.

We've done it!

We've conquered the north face of the mighty Glambrin,

the island's only mountain.

It's not a mountain. It's a hill. Anyone can see that.

OK, yeah, it is.

But it's only 165 centimetres short of official mountain status,

so, if we stand on our tiptoes...

We are now at mountain height.

Well, me, you and Brandon are, but these three aren't.

They're not big enough. Strictly speaking, they're still hill level.

That doesn't matter.

The only important thing is this -

today, the six of us were

the first people in history to reach this point.

So breathe in the air, guys.

For no-one hath ever breathed it before.

"Hath"?

How can we be the first people in history

when a postman comes up here every single day?

-Ugh, Rocket!

-Fine.

Maybe we're not 100%,

definitely the first people to have reached this point then.

But there's no way anyone would come

all the way up here to post something.

And if they did, no postman would be collecting it.

Well, it must be here for a reason.

Yeah. And we need to find out what.

Ah!

That postbox isn't just any postbox,

it's a postbox that allows you to correspond with anyone from history.

The people of the island used to call it Mountain Post.

If you wrote a letter to any historical figure

and posted it there, you always got a reply.

But, Grandad, we ARE going to need proof.

Fine, I've plenty!

I used to get regular advice from a certain Mr Julius Caesar for years.

Yeah, right. And I'm getting texts off Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Exhibit One. You need a working knowledge of Latin to appreciate

JC's jottings, but trust me, they're chock full of words of wisdom.

Why don't you let yourself believe, hmm? Just for a day.

Anyone?

Anyone.

Dead or alive?

I'm going to try it.

You lot are soft in the head, you're not going to get a reply.

You know why? Because it's one of his made-up stories.

I'm going to write to Winston Churchill.

Winston Churchill? Why?

Well, they say he's basically the greatest Briton who ever lived.

And that's what I want to be one day.

So I really need to pick his brains.

I need your help.

I'm writing a letter.

Who to?

My mum.

What's that?

It's my new favourite TV channel, W2TV.

W2?

Wayne II. I attached a camera to his collar

so I can see the world from his point of view, 24/7.

"Dear...Mr...Churchill..."

Ugh.

"Yo, Winnie!"

I won't ask.

Hey, I thought of a great way to show your dad

that your days of getting into trouble are long gone.

-I've doubled all your chores.

-This is an outrage!

And when you can do all of this without any fuss or complaints,

then your dad'll know that the next time somebody comes to stay

he won't need to worry about the effect it has on you lot.

-DIBBER:

-Ahhh!

When I kick back tonight with a hot bath and some essential oils,

I'll really feel terrible for you guys.

Izzy, you're up first.

You're not to leave the house today.

You have to clean and dust...

FRONT DOOR CLOSES

Izzy!

This is NOT going to end well.

Made out like I weren't interested.

But just imagine if it really worked.

I've got so many questions about stuff.

I might actually get the answers to them.

-Brandon...

-What?

She's...

Dead or alive. That's what he said.

He also said he's 997.

Well, maybe he is. Weird stuff does happen, doesn't it?

Amazing stuff.

Look, I couldn't write a whole letter myself.

It'd take me forever.

And I don't want any of the others doing it.

So will you?

No.

People from the past can't help you.

Only those in the here and now can.

Brandon!

Brandon, your phone!

SMALL BELL CHIMES

What are you doing? You heard what my mum just said.

What? What did she say?

If we get in trouble again, any of us,

then there won't be any more kids coming to The Knot after we're gone.

-So?

-Imagine if the kids who'd been here a few years ago

had thought that? Eh?

There wouldn't be a you, and there wouldn't be a me.

And I don't know how happy you were before you came here,

but there's nowhere else I'd rather be.

You need to make sure everything on that rota gets done.

We all do.

This is our chance to show Dad that everything's fine again.

OK?

Are you lot idiots?

-Telling Brandon to write to his mum?

-We didn't.

He can't do that.

Grandad didn't actually mean people that he'd met,

or been around really recently.

What if he gets a reply?

-We need to do something.

-I'll ring him.

I wouldn't bother.

Brandon!

Just missed him. Went out a few minutes ago.

-Where?

-Erm...

Said something about going back up a mountain?

Maybe we've beaten him to it.

No, you haven't.

It's posted now.

All I've got to do is wait and see if I get anything back.

Well...

if he's in...

then so am I.

Don't let me down, Winston.

(Izzy!)

ROOSTER CROWS

He's been there for 17 minutes, and I don't think he's blinked once.

LETTERBOX OPENS

P Boulsworth.

S Boulsworth...

P Boulsworth.

I'm sorry, mate.

No, you're not.

Because for the first time,

I believed in something more than you did.

I didn't treat it as a joke.

Now I'm one.

So, yeah, go on.

Have a good laugh.

It'll be OK.

Oh, will it?

Me mum's gone, and I can't ever speak to her again.

What are you doing?

-Brandon, where are you going?

-I'm off to Wish-cave.

Where's Brandon?

What's wrong?

If you can't say it, draw it.

Sorry, one more.

B Kelleher.

OK, thanks.

Hey, Izzy!

Don't worry, we'll sort it.

Brandon, don't!

What?

We thought you were going to set fire to the cave.

As if.

Just wanted to light a candle for me mum, that's all.

I'm always going to wish

I'd got in touch with her when I could've done.

It's too late now, isn't it?

Is it?

This came for you.

"Love always, Mum."

I didn't want you to do it

in case it said something you didn't want to hear.

Now you know how proud she is of you, how you turned your life around.

Have...

Have any of you done this? Because if you have, it's not funny.

Why don't you write to her again?

Ask her something only she could know?

That'd sort it out.

SCHOOL BELL

Dibber!

That's the worst advice ever.

-Now he's going to realise it's all a con.

-Eh?

You don't think it's someone we know, do you?

Yeah, I do.

And I know who.

Do you have any idea what you're doing?

When Brandon finds out it's not really his mum,

it could undo everything.

And Peter and Sarah are going to go absolutely mad.

-There are some things you just don't mess with.

-Wait.

Just let her speak.

I've asked what my favourite toy was when I were little.

No-one else on the island knows that.

Brilliant! Post it, quick!

ROOSTER CROWS

KNOCK ON DOOR

It wouldn't fit.

Why would you do it again?

It's only going to make everything a trillion times worse.

I mean, you don't even know the answer to Brandon's question,

so why would you keep it going?

You thought it were her?

It's not. Look!

She hasn't just answered my question, she sent it.

My kaleidoscope, with my initial still on the side.

I haven't even seen it myself since I went into care.

Mountain Post works.

It works.

We're sorry.

Where were you going though?

When I saw you sneaking out of the house?

You said we had to make sure everything on the rota got done.

-Yeah?

-Well, ever since Brandon heard about Mountain Post,

he hadn't done a thing. So I've been doing all his chores for him.

See? Brandon's right - his mum is really writing to him.

What did you just say?

You...have gone too far this time.

Your Mountain Post story's had some interesting results -

Brandon's started writing to his mum,

and he reckons he's getting replies.

What?

I thought I made it quite clear

it must only be used on people of historical achievements.

-This isn't funny.

-Who says he's joking?

This is a letter that I got from the Mountain Post.

And this is the one that I got from me mum when she was still alive.

Look, the handwriting is exactly the same.

It's my mum, I know it is.

This is so unfair, I still haven't had a peep out of Winston.

-That handwriting is the same!

-So what are you waiting for?

Why aren't you writing to her right now?

-What are you doing?

-Look, it's simple.

Either Mountain Post is collected by a bird or a cloud of something,

or it's someone we know.

All we need to do is tune in to W2TV.

That's it, lad! Well done.

This is never going to work.

Course it is.

Hey, someone's there!

Who is it?

Look up, boy.

Look up!

DOG BARKS

Wayne II? What are you doing here?

Get in.

Why?

It was Alli behind the letters.

No, it wasn't.

It's my mum's handwriting.

And it's my kaleidoscope.

-How could Alli have done that?

-We don't know.

But she does.

And according to W2TV, she's heading for the village.

Hey, you do NOT get on that bus!

-JADE:

-We know it was you, Alli, writing the letters.

-It wasn't.

ROCKET: Why are you running away then?

Just come to meet someone, that's all.

Who?

I thought that...

If you had a ton of questions about when you were little and stuff,

there was someone in the here and now who could answer them.

And sometimes only a big sister will do.

All I did was get Amy's number from your phone

and see if she'd talk to you.

It's not Alli's fault.

I asked her to get the letters and read them to me.

It was my choice to reply in the way that I did.

As soon as I realised how far it had gone,

I told her that she had to come over.

And tell you the truth.

I actually believed that me mum could still write to me.

Be proud of me.

-How dumb am I?

-But she did!

She is and she did.

So that's just it -

your mum's not you think, Bran.

Your mum's...

..me.

When I had you...

..I wasn't ready to be a mum.

I didn't know what to do, so...

..I left you with your nan and ran.

You know, I've been to college and uni.

And I've done things I never thought I could do.

But I can't undo leaving you.

I wish I could.

Why didn't you just tell me at my birthday when you came?

I saw how amazingly you were doing.

I didn't want to mess that up.

It was only when Alli read those letters to me that I thought, maybe,

you might want a mum after all.

And if you do, you've got one.

And if you want to come and live with me on the mainland...

I mean, we've got a lot of catching up to do.

This were mine, you know.

I scratched the B on it.

And I gave it to you the day I left.

And Mum always kept it.

Even when you'd gone.

She's asked me if I want to go and live with her.

But how can I?

After everything that everyone's done for me?

I couldn't leave you lot, even if I wanted to.

But...you could.

No-one's meant to spend their whole lives here.

That's not how it works.

The Knot looks after us when we haven't got no-one else, doesn't it?

You have now.

If that's what you want.

It's not like we couldn't stay in touch.

It doesn't matter where you go,

Knot kids are Knot kids forever.

What is it?

I know I can't leave here yet,

but next time you leave, I want to leave with you.

How come?

Because you're my mum.

ENGINE STARTS

SMALL BELL CHIMES

There's something I don't get.

Why didn't you say it wasn't you writing the letters when I asked you?

Sometimes it feels like you're in a completely different world,

and that we don't exist any more.

-It's as if...

-What?

You've been enchanted or something!

Well, maybe that's because I have.

This island's full of fairies, isn't it?

And goblins and dragons and sprites.

So maybe that's it, maybe I have been enchanted.

Maybe I see things you don't see.

(Maybe I'm one of them too.)

You know, one of the best things about Amy being my mum...

..is that I only have one sister again.

And that's all I want.

You.

SHE SOBS

Jade!

Just the one.

J Hollis.

SHE SOBS

Wait!

A letter came for you.

I don't believe this.

It's only from Winston Churchill!

Do you know, it's amazing that he ever got to be the greatest Briton.

Why?

Cos his handwriting and his spelling were well bad.

Nice one, Brand.

HE SHOUTS HAPPILY

This is where we put the newborn calves.

Why are you taking them away from their mums?

Why would you come here

if you thought this really was the same castle?

It sounded nice, the knights found a home

and they got to stay, and everyone was happy for ever.

This story doesn't have a happy ending, Jade -

the knights were cursed.