0:00:09 > 0:00:13Here they come, my two intrepid explorers,
0:00:13 > 0:00:15Charlotte and Elliot.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18I'm their great aunt Lizzie, you see,
0:00:18 > 0:00:22and I wonder which one is coming to see me today.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Ah, so it's Elliot's turn.
0:00:25 > 0:00:26Here he comes,
0:00:26 > 0:00:28racing to hear another tale
0:00:28 > 0:00:31from an epic adventurer.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47And what wonderful adventures they were,
0:00:47 > 0:00:51so long ago and so far away.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57I collected a few souvenirs along the way...
0:01:00 > 0:01:03..but my most precious possession of all
0:01:03 > 0:01:06is my extraordinary collection
0:01:06 > 0:01:08of teacups.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26You've still got your coat on, Elliot.
0:01:26 > 0:01:31Come on, no time to count the clouds. We've got stories to tell.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33Now...
0:01:33 > 0:01:35let's have a lovely cup of tea.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40But first we need...
0:01:40 > 0:01:42A teacup!
0:01:46 > 0:01:47But which one?
0:01:59 > 0:02:01That one.
0:02:01 > 0:02:02Oh.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07The Roman Snake Bracelet.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09What a choice, Elliot.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11I do really love that story.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22This is just perfect to drink now.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27So...
0:02:27 > 0:02:30- are you ready?- Ready.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Then let me tell you the story
0:02:32 > 0:02:33of Great Aunt Lizzie
0:02:33 > 0:02:36And The Adventure Of The Roman Snake Bracelet.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38A-ahem.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Oh, yes, of course.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43Let me tell you the story of Elliot
0:02:43 > 0:02:47And The Adventure Of The Roman Snake Bracelet.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50It all began long, long ago
0:02:50 > 0:02:51in an ancient empire,
0:02:51 > 0:02:55where towns and cities of marble and gold
0:02:55 > 0:02:57nestled among the hills and fields
0:02:57 > 0:03:00in a land we now call Italy.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Elliot was off to explore the Roman hills
0:03:19 > 0:03:22when he made his way into the imperial capital.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29The shops were closed
0:03:29 > 0:03:33and the streets, normally bustling with people, were quiet
0:03:33 > 0:03:35except for a solitary fruit seller
0:03:35 > 0:03:37who was packing his things to go home.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41As he worked, a young woman called Vivian approached
0:03:41 > 0:03:43and spoke to him in a chirpy, cheerful voice.
0:03:43 > 0:03:48Hello. Is it too late to buy a bunch of your juiciest grapes?
0:03:48 > 0:03:53You're just in time, my friend. These are VERY rare. Very expensive.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56- Is it just the one bunch? - Two, please.
0:03:56 > 0:03:57Having a good day?
0:03:57 > 0:04:00One of the best days of my life.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02These are so delicious.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Last night,
0:04:04 > 0:04:07my master gave me my freedom.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11Ten years ago, the Roman army docked me here to work on a farm.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14And today, I'm on my way home to find my mother.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16It's always good to see a happy face.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18Two bunches of grapes...
0:04:18 > 0:04:21I'm afraid that'll be ten sestercii.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23Wow! That is a lot.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28- Everything OK?- My purse, it's gone!
0:04:28 > 0:04:30It had all my money in it.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34- The fruit seller was a kindly man. - Oh, that's terrible.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36But he was nearly as poor as she was.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40- He certainly couldn't afford to give away the grapes.- I have no money.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44I can't afford to give you even the grapes you've eaten.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47- Could you just give me three sestercii?- My purse is gone!
0:04:50 > 0:04:53- You could pay me with this. - Stop! You can't take that!
0:04:53 > 0:04:57- It's broken, barely worth a single sestertius.- It was my mother's.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00The day the soldiers took me away,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03she broke it off a bracelet and wrapped it around my wrist.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07- It's all I have to find her.- I wish I could just give you the grapes,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09but I can't afford it.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Now it's not always good to get into someone else's argument,
0:05:13 > 0:05:15but Elliot wondered if he could help.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Excuse me, I have an idea.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23- He REALLY needs the money. - I know, I know.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26And the bracelet is VERY precious to her.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28Yes, I see that.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Elliot knew that the next bit was going to be difficult.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37So why don't you let him look after the bracelet
0:05:37 > 0:05:39while you go and get some more money?
0:05:39 > 0:05:42I was on my way to a job in the hills picking olives.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47- As soon as you get paid, you can come back.- I'd be very careful with it.
0:05:47 > 0:05:48So, are we agreed?
0:05:48 > 0:05:51But he really felt for Vivian.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53She didn't want to be parted
0:05:53 > 0:05:57from the bracelet her mother had given her, not even for a moment.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59But what else could anyone do?
0:05:59 > 0:06:02They set off for the hills together,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Vivian for her job picking olives,
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Elliot to explore.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09The days passed quickly for Elliot.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12He'd been worried about Vivian and her bracelet,
0:06:12 > 0:06:16so one afternoon he waited on a ridge near the olive grove.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18In the haze was a little hut,
0:06:18 > 0:06:22where have Vivian was laying a sack of olives by the door.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24There, too, was the farmer with a woman,
0:06:24 > 0:06:26a merchant from a distant land
0:06:26 > 0:06:28eager to buy the olives.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32- That's the last sack of olives for today, master.- Thank you.
0:06:32 > 0:06:33Here's two sestercii
0:06:33 > 0:06:36and you can have the rest tomorrow.
0:06:36 > 0:06:37Vivian was delighted.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39In just one more day,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42she would have enough money to buy back her bracelet.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46Meanwhile, the farmer and merchant were trying to make a bargain.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49OK. It's more than I planned,
0:06:49 > 0:06:51but I'll take the lot.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54I'll have to go back to boat for more money.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56But life has a way of springing surprises.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Something Vivian could never have expected
0:06:59 > 0:07:02glinted in the sunlight and caught her eye.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05That's a very pretty pendant.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09I'm not sure if I'd call it pretty, but it's very precious to me.
0:07:09 > 0:07:10I've had it a long time.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13- Is it made from part of a bracelet? - Yes.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Come on, Julie, there's still a lot to be done
0:07:16 > 0:07:19if you're going to be ready to sail home tomorrow morning.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21Right then, Claudius,
0:07:21 > 0:07:24I'll be back with the money first thing in the morning.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28When Elliot saw Vivian slump on the bench and stare into the dust,
0:07:28 > 0:07:30he knew something was wrong.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33Vivian, what's the matter?
0:07:33 > 0:07:37- I think I've found my mother. - That's brilliant!
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Yes, but she didn't recognise me.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42She hasn't seen me since I was a little girl.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45I haven't got the bracelet to prove that I'm her daughter
0:07:45 > 0:07:49and she sails back home tomorrow. I might never see her again.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53- So what are we waiting for? Let's go. - I still don't have enough money.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56If I go and get it, my mother will leave.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58Go and find her, don't let her out of your sight.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02I'll go to Owen and see if he'll take anything less.
0:08:02 > 0:08:03We'll meet here in the morning.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Elliot had thought getting back to Rome
0:08:06 > 0:08:08would be as easy as one, two, three,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11but it was never going to be as easy as that.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13By the time he arrived at the main road,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16he'd missed the last wagon to Rome.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19It wasn't even a week since he'd met Vivian,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21but, deary me, it had got complicated.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24He'd done his best to persuade Vivian
0:08:24 > 0:08:27to let the fruit seller look after her bracelet,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30and he'd managed to convince the fruit seller
0:08:30 > 0:08:32that she'd come back with the money,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35but he'd never expected Vivian to find her mother so soon.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39And, between them, they still didn't have enough money.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42He couldn't go back with nothing, could he?
0:08:42 > 0:08:45There was nothing else for it but to get his skates on to Rome
0:08:45 > 0:08:47to the fruit seller.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56So off went Elliot in his old battered boots.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01He scrambled up the rugged mountain paths until...
0:09:01 > 0:09:04when he was almost out of breath...
0:09:04 > 0:09:06the path ran out.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19There was only one way to get to the other side.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Elliot took a de-e-ep breath.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41Safely across,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Elliot set off once more until,
0:09:44 > 0:09:48as dawn broke, he reached the imperial city of Rome.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53But there was no time to waste.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56Elliot had to get that bracelet.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59He soon found himself back in the market square,
0:09:59 > 0:10:03where the fruit seller had already set up his stall for the day.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06He knew he would have to do his very best
0:10:06 > 0:10:09to try and persuade him to give him the bracelet.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12- Hello again.- Oh, hello.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15- Is something wrong?- I need the snake bracelet my friend had,
0:10:15 > 0:10:19but, well, I don't quite have enough money.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21No, this is only two. We said three.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24I know, but Vivian's just found her mother,
0:10:24 > 0:10:27but she doesn't have the snake bracelet to prove it.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Couldn't you settle for two?
0:10:29 > 0:10:33She only had a few grapes, and she'll pay the rest of the money tomorrow.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Oh, I don't know.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38But the stallholder really was a kind-hearted man.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45It'll make such a difference to Vivian.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48All right. That's a fair trade.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53Tell her I don't need the rest of the money.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55Elliot was so pleased
0:10:55 > 0:10:58to finally have the bracelet in his hand.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01It felt pebble-smooth to the touch.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05It was much lighter than Elliot had expected.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Thank you so much! Bye.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Back came Elliot in his old battered boots,
0:11:14 > 0:11:18across the open plains and down the mountainside.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22With the bracelet in his pocket,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25Elliot arrived back at the olive grove.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29- I'm sorry, I really have to go. - But I'm sure he'll be here.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31I've got the snake bracelet!
0:11:31 > 0:11:33That's impossible. I gave it to my...
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Daughter.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37Ten years ago, when she...
0:11:37 > 0:11:38I mean, I...
0:11:38 > 0:11:40was just a child.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44I'm called Vivian. I think I'm your daughter.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49That's it.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51That's the bracelet.
0:11:51 > 0:11:52- Vivian!- Mother!
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- And it's all thanks to you, Elliot. - My bit was easy.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02Now, shall we go home?
0:12:02 > 0:12:04Yes, let's.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08And that was that, the whole kit and caboodle.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10Elliot And The Adventure
0:12:10 > 0:12:13Of The Roman Snake Bracelet.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17I was so pleased the market trader gave you back Vivian's bracelet.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20- Me, too.- Of course, those little bracelets were so common -
0:12:20 > 0:12:23lots of people made them, all over the Empire.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27But that broken bracelet was PRICELESS to Vivian and her mum.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31Absolutely. That bracelet was the key to them finding each other
0:12:31 > 0:12:33after so long apart.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37Well, I never! Is that the time already?
0:12:39 > 0:12:43Come on, your mum will be here in a minute. Your coat.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58Now, how did that get there?
0:13:01 > 0:13:03Home time now, Elliot.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12Thanks, Great Aunt Lizzie!
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Cheery-bye, Elliot.