Whistle Teacup Travels

Here they come.

My two intrepid explorers.

Charlotte and Lokesh.

I'm their great aunt Lizzie, you see,

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

Your turn!

Ah, so it's Lokesh.

Hello, Lokesh!

Hello, Great Aunt Lizzie!

Once upon a time, I travelled the world discovering treasures

from long ago and far away,

and no end of stories to remind me.

But my most precious possession of all

is my extraordinary collection of teacups.

Here we are!

No time to count the clouds.

Let's have a nice cup of tea and a story.

But first we need a teacup!

But which one?

-That one!

-Ah...

The whistle.

It doesn't really look like a whistle.

That's because the clever Mayan people made whistles

in all different shapes and sizes.

-Are you ready?

-I'm ready.

Then shall I tell you the story of

Lokesh and the Adventure of the Mayan Whistle?

Yes, please!

This story begins in ancient Mexico...

..where the land was hot and the warm rain fell in steamy jungles

that covered the hills in every direction.

Deep in the forest one morning, Lokesh found himself awestruck!

He gazed in wonder where a pyramid rose

like a mountain across a shimmering lake.

How could anyone build such a thing here in the heat of the jungle?

Just then he heard the sound of tapping a little distance away.

TAPPING ON STONE

He saw a stonemason chipping away at what would soon become

the base of a brand-new pyramid.

The man stopped to take a better look at his work.

Perfectly straight edges.

Nice work, even if I do say so myself.

-HE EXHALES

-OK, one rock at a time

and we'll get there in the end.

Now the mortar to stick the stones.

Tepin?

Tepin! Where is that girl?

Lokesh didn't know if he could help the man...

but he thought he should at least try.

Excuse me. I wondered if I could help.

Well, it depends on how loud you can shout.

I need my assistant Tepin to bring the mortar to fix the stones.

But she never comes when I shout because she sings all the time,

and she sings so loud she can never hear me call her.

-Oh, dear.

-I've got too many rocks to cut to run after her,

but without the mortar I'm stuck!

Tepin!

TEPIN!

It's useless.

I'm going to make myself hoarse shouting for her.

Maybe you could whistle. She might hear that.

Whistle? What, like this?

HE WHISTLES FAINTLY

Or with your fingers, like this.

But I'm not very good.

LOKESH FAINTLY WOLF-WHISTLES

I'll try.

HE BLOWS AIR

-Don't think that's going to work.

-Neither do I.

I tell you what, until we think of something better,

why don't I go and tell Tepin that you need some mortar?

Great idea, thanks. Just listen for someone singing.

-I'm sure you'll find her.

-I'll be as quick as I can.

So, Lokesh went in search of Tepin.

TEPIN SINGS

And it wasn't long before he heard her singing.

TEPIN SINGS MAYAN SONG

Excuse me?

SHE KEEPS SINGING

Excuse me?

-Are you Tepin?

-I am.

Okeeb sent me. He says he needs some mortar.

Oh, dear, has he been calling me?

Yes. A lot.

Oh, he's going to be ever so cross!

I'm always in trouble for singing! I just don't hear when he calls!

Why don't you stop singing?

I can't stop singing! I love singing!

It makes me so happy.

TEPIN SINGS

As Tepin disappeared with the mortar,

Lokesh heard a sound echo in the distance...

WHISTLING

A shimmering note, a Mayan whistle.

Maybe a whistle would fix everything.

Lokesh followed the sound to the edge of a deep valley.

WHISTLE ECHOES

What was Lokesh to do?

Should he follow the whistle,

or should he keep trying to teach Okeeb to whistle?

It was only lunchtime and already it had got so complicated!

-Some whistles have peas in them, you know.

-Do they?

Yes, but they're not real peas.

They're made of wood or metal.

It's an awfully long way for Lokesh to go just following the sound.

-It is.

-And the person could stop whistling at any point.

-They could.

-But I don't think Tepin is going to ever stop singing.

LOKESH BLOWS AIR LIZZIE CHUCKLES

-I wish I could whistle with my fingers.

-Practice makes perfect.

So, if I practise, I'll be able to do it one day?

I'm sure you will, Lokesh.

Well, Okeeb doesn't have time to practise,

so if Tepin was never going to give up singing...

Then Lokesh was never going to give up

trying to find the clay whistle, was he?

So, off went Lokesh in his hat, bag and boots.

Across the widening valley...

..and up the misty mountainside.

Until, when he was almost out of breath...

..the path ran out!

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

Lokesh took a deep breath...

At last he came to the top of the misty mountain.

But there was no time to wonder.

Lokesh had to find the whistler... WHISTLE CHIRPS

..while they were still whistling.

As he approached a farm, he saw a woman cooking tortillas.

Then she stopped and blew two shrill blasts on a whistle.

WHISTLE CHIRPS

-Excuse me?

-Oh, hello!

-Where did you come from?

-I'm Lokesh, and I followed your whistle

from the other side of the valley.

I wish my husband would move so fast.

He gets so carried away up in the mountains with his vegetables,

he forgets to come down for his lunch.

Every day, I blow the whistle.

One blast when I start making it, two when it's ready.

WHISTLE CHIRPS TWICE

That's loud!

It has to be for him to hear me up the mountain.

-I don't suppose I could borrow your whistle, could I?

-I'm afraid not.

It's all I've got to call him with.

What was Lokesh to do?

He'd followed the trail of the whistle for miles,

and he was still no nearer to getting one.

-Lovely. I'm so hungry!

-Oh, so you did hear my whistle?

Of course, Anca. I was out searching for the ripest and best!

Aw, thank you. This is Lokesh.

He followed the sound of the whistle from the other side of the valley.

My friends are building a new pyramid there,

and they need a whistle to call for mortar to put in between the stones.

Building a pyramid? Sounds like important work.

Here...

Have mine.

But don't you need it?

It's not like he uses it.

And I can always make him another one in a couple of days.

Lokesh realised it was in the shape of a woman making tortillas!

I made it to remind him where he's supposed to be coming back to.

Me and the tortillas.

-It's beautiful.

-Try it.

WHISTLE CHIRPS

-It's so loud!

-All my whistles are extra loud.

Now, Lokesh, I bet you're hungry after trekking across the valley.

Why don't you join us for some fresh tortillas?

Lokesh didn't like to delay getting back with the whistle,

but he was very hungry.

They do smell delicious, but I'm not sure I've got time.

Then take one away with you. Tortillas are made for carrying.

Thank you! And thank you for the whistle.

It's a pleasure, Lokesh.

Bye!

Back came Lokesh.

Down the misty mountain...

..and across the great valley.

-I got a whistle!

-Oh, well done!

So does that mean I can keep singing whilst I'm mixing the mortar?

Yes! Now you can sing and still hear Okeeb.

OKEEB BLOWS WHISTLE

-It's really loud!

-Thank you, Lokesh.

Bless Ixtab! That's loud enough for the gods to hear!

So you can hear even when you're singing!

It's a woman making tortillas.

That's Anca. She makes the whistles.

She makes delicious tortillas, too.

And you make excellent mortar, Tepin.

It's the singing that helps it mix!

THEY LAUGH

I'm not sure about that.

Now, I've done enough pyramid building for today.

Tomorrow, we'll start again with our brand-new whistle.

Sounds good.

May I?

And that was that. The whole shebang.

Lokesh and the Whistle!

LOKESH WOLF-WHISTLES

-You're almost there!

-It's harder than it looks.

Lots of things are, Lokesh. You've got to keep practising.

HE WHISTLES

Did you like the story of Lokesh and the Whistle?

Yes, thank you. It's amazing!

We still use whistles even now,

like in the playground at the end of play.

-Or when people are getting on trains.

-Or at football matches.

Whenever it's important to get someone's attention, like Okeeb!

Oh, my goodness, we must pay attention!

It's time for you to go home!

Now, how did that get there?

Home time now, Lokesh.

-Thanks, Great Aunt Lizzie!

-Cheerie-bye, Lokesh!