20x26 - Skiff & the Mermaid

[bunniefuu]

[whistle toots]

[bouncy music]

♪ ♪

children:

♪ They're two, they're four ♪

♪ They're six, they're eight ♪

♪ Shunting trucks

and hauling freight ♪

♪ Red and green

and brown and blue ♪

♪ They're the really

useful crew ♪

♪ All with different roles

to play ♪

♪ Round Tidmouth Sheds

or far away ♪

♪ Down the hills

and round the bends ♪

♪ Thomas and his friends ♪

♪ ♪

[whistle toots]

[instrumental music]

male narrator:

Skiff and the mermaid.

♪ ♪

male narrator:

Skiff is a rail boat:

a sailboat that can go

in the water and on the rails

because he has wheels too.

Skiff works at

Arlesburgh Harbor with Joe,

the lighthouse keeper...

[laughter]

Giving rail boat tours

of the harbor to tourists.

[all exclaiming]

[camera shutters clicking]

♪ ♪

- So we'll see

the mermaid tomorrow?

- Oh, yes, if not sooner!

♪ ♪

- A mermaid?

[whistle toots]

[engine chugging slowly]

- Hello, Skiff!

- Guess what, Duck?

Sir Topham Hatt just said

there's a mermaid

coming tomorrow!

- A mermaid?

What's a mermaid, Skiff?

- A creature that lives

in the sea

and has the body of a woman

and a tail like a fish!

- A fish-woman?

You must have misheard him.

There's no such thing.

- Oh, there is, Duck!

I've heard lots of tales

about mermaids,

just never actually seen one.

Oh, but I'd love to!

[whistle toots]

♪ ♪

narrator: Skiff spent the rest

of the day looking out to sea,

hoping he would be the first

to spot the mermaid.

- Hello, Mr. Skiff.

[whistle toots]

Why are you staring out to sea

like that?

- There's a mermaid

arriving soon, Toad!

I really want to see her,

but Duck didn't seem to believe

mermaids really exist.

- Well, unexpected things

can happen.

Once Toad saw a whale stranded

on the beach

and I didn't believe him,

but it was true.

- That's right, Mr. Skiff!

It was!

- Mm.

♪ ♪

narrator: The next day,

Skiff was up and about early,

as he didn't want

to miss seeing the mermaid.

♪ ♪

But by lunchtime, there was

still no sign of her.

[whistle toots]

♪ ♪

- Come on!

[laughter]

- Wait!

[laughs]

- I have it on good authority

that the mermaid is on her way

right now!

- Oh, how marvelous!

- [chuckles]

- Did you hear that, Duck?

She does exist

and I'm going to make sure

I see her!

- Oh.

Well, maybe it is true, Skiff.

[bell dings,

children laughing]

- Hello there, you two!

All ready for your trip

round the harbor?

- We're ready!

- Hello, Skiff!

Can I trim your sail?

- [laughs]

We'll see about that.

I'll just go to get jackets

for the children, sir.

- Now, children,

you mustn't get into Skiff...

[grunting]

Until Joe comes back

with your life jackets.

- Which do you like best, Skiff,

being on land--

- Or being at sea?

- Mmm, both!

- I like going in the sea,

but I don't like

getting my face wet.

- [laughs]

Me neither,

but I'm getting used to it!

[gasps]

♪ ♪

There it is!

[gasps]

Up anchor!

Up anchor!

- Oh, yes.

[chuckles]

Right.

♪ ♪

- [exclaims]

- [yells]

No!

Skiff, stop!

- Oh, no!

- Grandfather!

- [yelling]

♪ ♪

- Oh, no!

♪ ♪

[water splashes]

- [grunts]

♪ ♪

[groaning]

- We need to go over there, sir.

Use the port and starboard

jib sheets to control my sail.

- [groans]

I didn't understand

a word of that.

Oh, please, Skiff,

I just want to go ba--

[yelling]

We're going the wrong way!

Turn back, Skiff!

Turn back!

[grunting]

[yelling]

[grunting]

No!

- There's no sign of it

anywhere.

Oh.

I'm not sure where it went.

- [grunts]

♪ ♪

- Oh, dear.

I can't see them at all.

- Who?

- Skiff and Sir Topham Hatt

are out there...

somewhere.

- Deary, deary me.

What are you going to do,

Captain Joe?

- We'll keep looking,

but I'm sure he's okay.

Your grandfather is

a pretty resourceful man.

- Oh, this could not

get any worse.

[seagull squawks]

[exclaims]

[yelling]

Oh, shoo!

Shoo!

Shoo!

[seagull squawking]

Hey, no!

[exclaiming]

Go away!

Go away!

[groans]

[yelling]

Oh.

♪ ♪

Oh, no!

[seagull squawks]

[alarm blaring]

♪ ♪

- To the rescue!

- Duty calls!

[blades thumping]

♪ ♪

- I wonder how long it will be

before we see civilization

again, Skiff.

- I'm sorry I took off

without my captain, sir.

The thing is I saw something

in the water, and--

- Of course,

it could be hours...

days...

weeks even.

[gasps]

I wonder how long I can survive

without food.

I need to build a fire,

make some sort of shelter.

It'll be night soon.

♪ ♪

- Oh, not for hours, sir!

We haven't gone very far,

so once the tide turns

we can just sail back.

- If you think I'm going back

out to sea in you again, Skiff!

Oh, no!

No, no, no!

I'll find firewood,

forage for food.

Ooh, it's a good job I was

a Boy Scout.

[grunting]

- Sir?

- Dyb, dyb, dyb.

♪ ♪

narrator: But Skiff was right.

They hadn't really gone far

at all.

- Captain, I see Skiff

and Sir Topham Hatt.

Over.

- Radio through their position,

Harold.

Over.

narrator:

And it wasn't long before

Captain came to rescue them.

- Put a hat on.

Keep your head warm.

[chuckles]

See your friends back in Sodor,

won't we,

when we get back there.

When we get back!

[chuckles]

[gasps]

[exclaiming]

Here!

We're here!

Oh, thank goodness

they've found us, Skiff!

- Yes.

- Over here!

♪ ♪

- [gasps]

both: Grandfather!

♪ ♪

- Oh, Grandfather!

- Oh, we were worried about you.

- Oh, hello.

[chuckles]

Well, I'm safe now.

No thanks to Skiff.

- I cannot apologize enough

for what happened today, sir.

- I'm sorry too.

I only raced off because

I thought I saw...

the mermaid!

- What mermaid?

- The one you said

would be here today!

- Oh, Skiff,

I'm afraid you've got the wrong

end of the stick.

[whistle toots]

[chuckles]

There's your mermaid, Skiff.

[chuckles]

♪ ♪

- Oh, she is beautiful,

isn't she, Mr. Skiff?

- Yes, but I so hoped to see

a real mermaid, Toad.

Ah, well.

At least now I know

there really is no such thing.

- Night, Mr. Skiff.

- Night, Toad.

[yawns]

♪ ♪

[gasps]

Wow!

♪ ♪

[bouncy music]

♪ ♪

[children singing]

♪ ♪

[whistle trills]

[children singing]

♪ ♪

[whistle tooting]

[bouncy music]

♪ ♪