Scales Teacup Travels

Here they come, my two intrepid explorers -

Charlotte and Elliott.

I'm their Great Aunt Lizzie, you see,

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

Ah! So, it's Elliott's turn.

Here he comes,

racing to hear another tale from an epic adventurer.

CLINK, CLINK, CLINK!

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, Elliott. 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!

Mmm...

The Roman Scales.

What a choice, Elliott.

I do really love that story.

This is just perfect to drink now.

-So, are you ready?

-Ready!

Let me tell you the story of Great Aunt Lizzie

and The Adventure Of The Roman Scales.

Ahem, ahem!

Oh, yes, of course!

Let me tell you the story of ELLIOTT

and The Adventure Of The Roman Scales.

It all began long, long ago in an ancient empire,

where towns and cities of marble and gold nestled among the hills

and fields in a land we now call Italy.

After trekking across the Roman Empire, with its mosaic domes

and majestic colonnades, Elliott arrived one sunny morning

in a small town.

The streets were still quiet, but just then his eye was caught

by a couple surrounded by a large pile of luggage.

How curious!

So exciting to be finally moving to Rome!

-A new start in a big beautiful city.

-No more apple juice.

Although the apple juice shop has been good to us -

-it's paid for all this.

-True.

And we have a successful business to hand over to Giuliana.

She'll take to running the shop like a duck to water.

-Where's my purse?

-Our daughter is a good girl

and she's wonderful at making apple juice.

-But not without this she won't.

-The apple juice recipe!

Our family's secret apple juice recipe.

But if she doesn't have the recipe,

she cannot make the apple juice. We have to take it to her.

We can't go back to the shop now! We'll miss the carriage to Rome!

What are we going to do?

Always eager to assist in a crisis, Elliott offered to help.

-Excuse me, I could take it back for you.

-Really?

Oh, that would be wonderful.

It's the apple juice shop next to the Roman Baths,

-you can't miss it.

-OK. I'll go straight there!

Elliott raced along until he found the little apple juice shop.

Inside, the couple's daughter, Giuliana,

was waiting nervously for her first customer.

My first day in charge of the shop! I'm so excited.

Elliott was about to go in to give her the recipe,

when a rich man arrived.

-Good morning. I'd like to try some apple juice, please.

-Of course.

This is our family's famous apple juice.

That is delicious! I'm having a Pomona Festival party tonight

-and I'd like YOU to provide the apple juice.

-Yes, of course!

-Three of those pots should be enough.

-Three?

Three whole pots?

If you could drop it by this evening, that'd be wonderful.

Thank you. Good day.

Bless Pomona! Three whole pots of apple juice!

On my own.

I've never made any on my own before and now I've got to make

three whole pots!

Well, first things first, she decided to begin with the recipe.

Right... Where is the secret recipe?

Not surprisingly, she couldn't find it.

-Fortunately, Elliott was there, ready and waiting.

-Hello!

-I've got it! Your mum and dad asked me to bring it to you.

-Oh, thank you!

Thank you so much!

It's not going to be easy, but at least we've got a chance now.

-I can help you.

-Wonderful.

If we've all this apple juice to make before tonight,

we better get started! First, the apples.

Giuliana and Elliott squashed and squeezed and sieved

until after hours and hours of hard work,

they were ready to taste the first batch of juice.

-It's very sour!

-It needs more honey and cinnamon.

That doesn't taste like my family's apple juice at all.

-What are we doing wrong?

-I know, we forgot the scales!

You need scales to make sure you have the right amount of everything.

-Where are they?

-Oh, no!

They're usually right here, hanging on a cloth back on the counter.

My mum and dad must have taken it with the recipe book!

I'll try and catch them before they leave. I'll be as quick as I can!

Elliott thought getting the scales would be as easy as apple pie.

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

He made it back to the town square, imagining they would still be

waiting for the carriage to Rome, but he was too late!

They had already gone.

It wasn't even midday

and already it had got so complicated.

He had taken the recipe back to the young woman in the apple juice shop.

He'd watched as the rich man ordered three whole pots of juice.

He'd helped the young woman make the apple juice,

but it hadn't tasted right at all.

It's very sour!

And he thought getting the scales back would be

easy-peasy lemon squeezy, but he was wrong.

He couldn't go back to the apple juice shop

without the scales, could he?

There was nothing else for it

but to get a wriggle on to Rome to find the couple in their new house.

So, off went Elliott in his old battered boots.

He scrambled up the rugged mountain paths until...

when he was almost out of breath,

the path ran out!

ROCKS TUMBLE

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

Elliott took a deep breath.

DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS

BOARDS CREAK

Safely across, Elliott set off once more until, there before him,

was the Imperial city of Rome.

But there was no time to catch his breath.

Elliott had to get those scales!

The afternoon sun shone on the little back street,

as he found himself outside Vitus and Octavia's new house.

They were still sorting out boxes when Elliott arrived.

They were astonished to see him so far away from their hometown.

-Hello. What are you doing here?

-I've come to get the scales.

-I think you packed them by mistake.

-Let me see if I can find them.

Not here... Not here...

Oh, bless us, they're right here! We packed them.

Elliott watched as Octavia set up

the complicated black, bronze scales.

-Your daughter has to make three whole pots of apple juice.

-Three?

-She'll certainly need the scales for that!

-Hang on, they're broken!

They must have got broken in the move.

You can't weigh anything with these - the weight is missing.

What a calamity! To have come so far and still not have the scales.

Suddenly, he saw something in the bottom of the little cloth bag -

it was heavy and about the size of a plum.

-Is this it?

-Yes, that's the weight.

They added the weight to the bronze scales

and Elliott was in business again.

Back came Elliott in his old battered boots,

across the open plains and down the mountainside.

It was the end of a long,

long day when Elliott made it back to the apple juice shop,

where Giuliana needed those scales to weigh

the ingredients for the special recipe.

I got the scales!

Oh, that's wonderful. Thank you!

As quickly as he could, Elliott set up the scales.

Carefully, they weighed the ingredients...

Just the right amount of honey...

..and added everything to the pot - honey, juice and spices.

Two cinnamon sticks...

And now the moment of truth, we taste it.

-Mmm! Delicious!

-Perfect! My family's famous apple juice.

-Shall we have a proper cupful?

-Yes, let's!

And that was that, the whole kit and caboodle.

Elliot And The Adventure Of The Roman Scales.

I liked when the rich man ordered all that apple juice!

Imagine moving to Rome and taking the secret recipe with you!

And the bronze scales.

But you managed to get them both back, weigh the juice,

add the ingredients and make enough juice for a party.

We did! And it was delicious!

Well, I never! Is that the time already?

Come on, your mum will be here in a minute.

Your coat.

Well, how did that get there?

Home time now, Elliott.

-Thanks, Great Aunt Lizzie!

-Cheery-bye, Elliott!