Sandals Teacup Travels

Here they come, my two intrepid explorers,

Charlotte and Elliot.

I'm their Great Aunt Lizzie, you see,

and I wonder which one is coming to see me today.

Ah, so it's Elliot's turn.

Here he comes,

racing to hear another tale

from an epic adventurer.

TAP! TAP! TAP! TAP!

And what wonderful adventures they were.

So long ago and so far away.

I collected a few souvenirs along the way.

But my most precious possession of all

is my extraordinary collection of teacups.

You've still got your coat on, Elliot. Come on,

no time to count the clouds, we've got stories to tell.

Now...

let's have a lovely cup of tea.

But first we need...

A teacup!

But which one?

That one.

Oh.

The Egyptian Sandals.

What a choice, Elliot. I do really love that story.

This will be just perfect to drink now.

So...

-..are you ready?

-Ready.

Then let me tell you the story

of Great Aunt Lizzie

and the Adventure of the Ragged Sandals.

A-hem!

Oh, yes, of course!

Let me tell you the story of Elliot

and the Adventure of the Ragged Sandals.

It all began long, long ago

in ancient Egypt,

where towering pyramids

and gigantic limestone statues

graced the golden sand dunes.

After exploring the giant monuments

that baked beneath the desert sun,

Elliot went in search of shelter from the blistering heat.

Soon, he came to a small town of simple houses

where he found shade beneath a tree.

As he stood, he noticed a man lining up strips of wet grass,

one by one by one.

Mr Shayteptawi?

That's me. He who pacifies the two lands,

in case you were interested in the meaning of my name.

"What an interesting name," thought Elliot.

I have a water delivery for you, fresh from the River Nile.

Excellent. Can you leave it here, please?

It's such a hot day, isn't it?

People are saying it's the hottest day of the year.

At least my reeds will dry quickly.

What is it you're making?

-Papyrus paper.

-Papyrus paper?

If you ever need to write something down -

a shopping list, a speech, a love letter -

I'm your man, Mr Shayteptawi.

Thank you.

-Have a nice day, sir.

-You too.

Names can be tricky when you haven't heard them before.

As Elliot watched, another delivery woman called Kaya

-struggled with a familiar-sounding name.

-Mr...

Mr Shay...

tip...

Mr Sha-a-ay...

Mr Sha-a-ay... Shaytip?

Elliot thought he recognised the name immediately.

-Are you looking for Mr Shayteptawi?

-I think so.

I've got a delivery of reeds for him.

Well, you're in the right place. He's in this tent.

Oh, hello. How can I help you on this very hot day?

-I have a delivery of reeds for you, sir.

-That was quick.

-I was expecting them next week.

-Well, we do our best.

-Superb.

Can you please just leave them here?

And if you ever need something to write down - a sign, a joke,

wedding invitation - I'm your man,

Mr Shayteptawi, the papyrus papermaker.

-Thanks.

-And don't forget to drink plenty of water.

-They say it's the hottest day of the year.

-Have a nice day.

-You too.

Oh!

-Are they broken?

-Yes.

I knew they were a bit loose. Oh, well.

Poor woman. This was certainly no day to walk barefoot on the sand.

Oh!

Elliot picked up the sandals and looked at them.

It's really hot! Ow!

They were very light

and looked like they were made of short strips of thick dry grass.

There was nothing much wrong with them apart from one broken strap.

Just then, Elliot had one of his brilliant ideas.

Ah! Oh! Ah! Oh!

Excuse me! Excuse me, miss!

Would you like me to tie your sandals for you

-until they get fixed?

-Oh, that's very kind. Thank you.

Oh, what a relief. Thank you very much.

-Now all we need is a cobbler.

-To mend my sandals.

Let's hope he isn't too far.

This is even worse than not good. This is...

awful.

Terrible.

Horrible. Horrendous.

Morning, sir. Could you mend my sandals, please?

-You and the entire town, too?

-Excuse me?

I am sorry. On any other day, I would have been happy to help.

But even the best cobbler can't fix sandals without reeds.

I was expecting a delivery today and it hasn't arrived yet.

I even had to pull apart my own sandals to fix other people's.

I delivered some reeds to the papermaker this morning.

What was his name?

Mr...

Shaytip. Mr Shaytip...

Shayteptawi.

-Wait a minute, that's not right.

-Let me see that.

Mr Shayteptali. That's me!

You're telling me you've delivered my reeds to the papermaker.

I think so. I'm so sorry.

Oh, dear, what a terrible mix-up!

I know how to solve this in no time.

Elliot knew he was partly responsible for the mix-up,

so he rushed round to the papermaker to sort it out.

Oh, hello.

How can I help you on this boiling day?

-There seems to have been a little bit of a mix-up.

-Mm-hm.

The bundle of reeds you received earlier

should have gone to the cobbler, Mr Shayteptali.

I'm so sorry, it was partly my fault.

We have such similar names - Shayteptawi, that's me,

Shayteptali, that's him.

-Shayteptawi, Shayteptali.

-Exactly.

So, if you were to give me the reeds now,

-I could take it back to the cobbler and sort things out.

-Oh, dear,

I've already got them soaking in water for making paper.

-Oh, no.

-I am sorry.

He can have my delivery, once it arrives.

-Didn't you say it'd be a whole week?

-I'm afraid so.

Elliot still thought getting reeds would be a breeze.

But of course it was never going to be as easy as that.

Where did the reeds come from?

-The marshes.

-The marshes?

OK. Is it far?

It's miles away.

And it's such a hot day, too.

Oh, what a fine mess

Elliot had managed to get himself into this time.

He'd thought he was being helpful

when he told Kaya the papermaker's name.

Are you looking for Mr Shayteptawi?

He tried to help Kaya get her sandals mended.

Oh, what a relief!

But he never imagined the cobbler would have no reeds left.

When Elliot realised the cobbler's reeds were at the papermaker's,

he tried to get them back. But it was too late.

Elliot couldn't go back to the cobbler with no reeds, could he?

There was nothing else for it

but to set off quickly to the marshes and get some more.

So off went Elliot in his old battered boots.

He crossed the desert peaks until...

when he was almost out of breath...

the path ran out.

There was only one way to get to the other side.

Elliot took a de-e-ep breath.

Safely across, he set off once more

when sparkling among the dunes

he saw an oasis of emerald green and sapphire blue.

But there was no time to stop and stare,

Elliot had to get those reeds.

Excuse me, madam, I'm here to collect some reeds.

You see, there's been a mix-up and the cobbler's reeds,

that's Mr Shayteptali,

has ended up with the papermaker,

-that's Mr Shayteptawi.

-Mr Shaytip...

-lawli?

-Tawi.

I just need to pick up the ones of the papermaker

and take them to the cobbler.

I wish I could help, but I've not got any left.

Oh, what a huge disappointment.

Had he made it all that way for nothing? Of course not.

Elliot was not going to give up that easily.

What about these ones on the sand?

There's not many, but if you gather them up I'll cut them for you.

They'll do for now.

And so the reed collector trimmed some good strong reeds

to get the cobbler started

and promised to send more as soon as they were ready.

Have a safe journey back.

And don't forget to drink plenty of water.

-They say it's the...

-Hottest day in the year. I know.

Thank you for your help.

Back came Elliot in his old battered boots,

over the desert peaks and down the mountainside.

It felt like a very long journey indeed

when Elliot finally made it back

to the cobbler's workshop.

-I've got some, just enough to get you started.

-Excellent!

-Thank you!

-Thank you so much!

Let's have a look at these sandals.

We'll get these fixed in no time.

-You must be exhausted.

-It was VERY hot.

-Let's get something cool and refreshing drink.

-Yes, let's.

And that was that, the whole kit and caboodle.

Elliot and the Adventure of the Ragged Sandals.

-Does it really get that hot in Egypt?

-Oh, yes, it does.

That's why everyone wore sandals.

What was the name of the cobbler?

Mr Shayteptali or Mr Shayteptawi?

Mr Shayteptali.

The papermaker's name was Mr Shayteptawi.

Or was it the other way round?

-Anyway, in the end, everyone got their reeds.

-They did.

But most importantly they got their sandals.

Where would we be without sandals?

Blow me down with a feather, is that time already? Come on.

Your mum will be here in a minute.

Your coat.

Now how did they get there?

Home time now, Elliot.

Thanks, Great Aunt Lizzie!

Cheery-bye, Elliot!