These resources are for schools who have enrolled in the 2025 Timesliders programme taking place at Drum Castle, Garden and Estate.
Timesliders is an exciting new programme for primary schools, developed by the National Trust for Scotland to connect pupils and teachers with Trust properties. It involves powerful storytelling, live theatre and innovative digital technology.
Timesliders tells the story of two heroic schoolchildren – Kyla and Eden – who are travelling through Scotland’s past, present and future to stop the dastardly Professor Curran from rewriting Scotland’s history! With the help of a time-travelling device called SUSIE, Kyla and Eden visit buildings and landscapes cared for by the National Trust for Scotland, and join real characters from history in repairing the fractured timeline.
We invite your class to join Kyla and Eden’s adventures through a range of different experiences and activities, both at your school and at Drum Castle itself.
Download the teachers’ pack below for more information about the programme. We can provide this in an accessible format – please get in touch with us.
Teachers’ pack
pdf (13.75 MB)
Download a copy of our teachers’ pack for the 2025 Timesliders programme, which contains more information about the various components.
Theatre show
The Timesliders programme begins with an exciting theatre show – The Complete Natural History of Scotland in 30 minutes – which will be delivered at your school.
The show is the starting point of the programme and introduces the pupils to some of the Timesliders characters, as well as the National Trust for Scotland and our role in caring for Scotland’s natural heritage. Two short films on glaciers and food chains, played during the show, can be accessed below.
Transcript
12,000 years ago ...
the sun melted the glaciers
and formed the mountains.
Then ...
the melted water
turned into clouds
and the rain
made things grow.
Transcript
The food chain
Brussels sprouts grow in the ground.
Caterpillars eat the sprouts.
Birds eat the caterpillars.
Foxes eat the birds.
Audio stories and related activities
This series of audio stories will introduce classes to Kyla and Eden, school pupils who travel through time across various National Trust for Scotland places. As they travel, Kyla and Eden try to thwart the evil Professor Curran and her sidekick Thrace who are trying to change Scotland’s history and landscape. With the help of the Supremely Upgraded Subspace Information Engine (otherwise known as SUSIE) – a time-travelling device the children have met in the theatre show – Kyla and Eden meet some famous, not-so-famous and downright infamous Scots from history as they try to stop the Professor.
The episodes each feature a different National Trust for Scotland place, including Culzean Castle, Glencoe and Drum Castle. Each episode runs for around 15 minutes. You should listen to these episodes after the theatre show, but before your trip to Drum Castle.
Each audio story has an accompanying activity sheet. Your pupils can complete this whilst they listen or as a follow-on activity. These activities are optional, and we have created them to assist your pupils’ engagement with the audio stories.
You can print the activity sheets, use them on a digital device, or use as a prompt to create your own activities.
We’d love to see what you produce. Email them to us or bring on your visit to Drum!
Episode 1: Kyla and Eden
Transcript
6 voices: Eden; Kyla; Mr Mackenzie; Professor Curran; Thrace; SUSIE
Scene 1
EDEN: Kyla, Kyla!
KYLA: What do you want?
EDEN: Will you sit with me on the bus?
KYLA: We’ve talked about this, Eden. You’ve got to sit with kids your own age.
EDEN: But …
KYLA: No buts. Now, where’s your bag? Mum’ll be livid if you lose that. It’s got your lunch in it.
EDEN: Fine … it’s over by Mr Mackenzie.
KYLA: Well, go and get it. We’ll be leaving in any minute.
MR MACKENZIE – Right, children. I need you to line up now. The bus is here to take us to the castle. Those of you who’ve been before will need to pair up with someone who hasn’t, please.
EDEN: Please, Kyla. We’ve got to pair up. I haven’t been before.
KYLA: Fine. Just don’t annoy me, OK?
Scene 2
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace! Thrace! Where are you?
THRACE: Coming, Your Magnificence!
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace!
THRACE: Here, Your Magnificence.
PROF. CURRAN: Ah. There you are. Right. Have you calibrated the temporal stabilisers with the flux capacitor power crystals so we can action a shift in the continuum?
THRACE: Um. What?
PROF. CURRAN: Have you fixed the time machine?
THRACE: Oh, yes. The time machine is fixed.
PROF. CURRAN: Excellent. Now it’s time for us to put Operation Stopwatch into action.
THRACE: Brilliant! Just one quick question …
PROF. CURRAN: Yes?
THRACE: What is Operation Stopwatch?
PROF. CURRAN: For the thousandth time, Operation Stopwatch is my masterplan to move through time, changing the course of Scotland’s history, forever!
THRACE: Ah, that Operation Stopwatch.
Scene 3
EDEN: So, where are we going then? What’s this castle?
KYLA: This is the annual school trip to Culzean Castle. You only get to go if you’re in certain years.
EDEN: What’s so interesting about a boring old castle?
KYLA: It’s not boring! There’s lots to do there.
EDEN: I’d rather be back at school playing football.
KYLA: Well, that’s probably better. I wouldn’t want you to get scared.
EDEN: I wouldn’t get scared! Scared of what?
KYLA: Oh, just the ghosts.
EDEN: Ghosts? You never said there were ghosts!
KYLA: You’re more interested in football, so I didn’t think you’d be up for meeting any ghosts.
EDEN: I am SO up for meeting ghosts. I love ghosts. I’ve always loved ghosts.
KYLA: Well, if you’re quiet for the rest of the journey, you may get to meet some when we get to the castle!
EDEN: But … !
KYLA: But only if you’re quiet.
EDEN: Mmmmmmm.
KYLA: That’s better. Now, don’t say anything until we get there.
Scene 4
THRACE: Trouble! There’s trouble, Your Magnificence. Trouble! Trouble!
PROF. CURRAN: What are you talking about, you fool?
THRACE: Trouble!
PROF. CURRAN: Where?
THRACE: There.
PROF. CURRAN: Where?
THRACE: There!
PROF. CURRAN: What? Thrace …
THRACE: Yes, Your Supreme Wonderfulness.
PROF. CURRAN: What is the trouble?
THRACE: Well, there appears to be – and I’m only trying to give you the heads-up here – a bus full of …
PROF. CURRAN: Yes?
THRACE: Well, what are they called? Those small things …
PROF. CURRAN: (gasps) Elves!
THRACE: No, not shelves. You know, the little things. They’re really annoying. They go to school, eat sweets …
PROF. CURRAN: Children!
THRACE: That’s it, Your Splendiferousness. Children! You really are clever. That’s why you’re the boss.
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace, there are not meant to be any children at the castle today. It is meant to be closed.
THRACE: Well, according to the schedule they’ve opened especially for the school. That’s why I came running up and shouting ‘Trouble! Trouble! Trouble!’
PROF. CURRAN: Yes, yes, well, well. This means we will have to step up our plans for Operation Stopwatch.
THRACE: Excellent! Now, what was that again?
PROF. CURRAN: (tuts) Fool.
Scene 5
EDEN: Woah! This place is so cool. Look at it, Kyla – it’s huge!
KYLA: Better than playing football?
EDEN: Much better.
MR MACKENZIE – Right, children – don’t wander too far away. We’ll be meeting our guide soon.
KYLA: Make sure you’ve … Eden? Eden! Eden! Come back here!
Scene 6
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace!
THRACE: Yes, Your Majesticals?
PROF. CURRAN: Are we up to full power yet?
THRACE: Very nearly.
PROF. CURRAN: Well, hurry up. We’re going to be late.
THRACE: How can we be late? We’re going back in time.
PROF. CURRAN: Are you arguing with me?
THRACE: (gulps) Absolutely not.
PROF. CURRAN: I didn’t think you would be. Now, give the machine as much power as you can.
THRACE: Which machine?
PROF. CURRAN: The time machine, you fool!
THRACE: Oh yes, that machine.
Scene 7
KYLA: Eden? Eden? Where are you? You’re in so much trouble when I find you.
EDEN: Boo!
KYLA: Argh! Eden, why did you run off like that?
EDEN: I wanted to see the castle.
KYLA: We’ve got to get back before the rest of them realise we’re not there.
EDEN: Or … we could go exploring on our own. Look! There’s a door.
KYLA: So?
EDEN: Doors are meant to be opened!
KYLA: No, Eden. Some doors are meant to be shut, locked, never opened and walked away from. This one especially.
EDEN: Why this one?
KYLA: Because it says ‘Do Not Open’ on it, in big red letters.
EDEN: Yeah, but grown-ups are always saying things like ‘Don’t do this’, ‘Don’t touch that’, ‘Stop playing with it, you’ll break it’. They don’t really mean it. Come on!
KYLA: They do mean it. Eden!
EDEN: Kyla, it’s a staircase.
KYLA: Great, a really old staircase. Let’s go!
EDEN: I’m going to have a look.
KYLA: Eden, no! Eden, you’re going to get us in so much trouble.
EDEN: It’s really dark.
KYLA: Well, what does that tell you?
EDEN: That the lights aren’t on?
KYLA: No, it means that we’re not meant to be in here.
EDEN: Hang on, I think I can see some light. It’s right down at the bottom.
KYLA: Eden, can you hear that?
EDEN: What?
KYLA: I’m not sure. It sounds like some sort of machine.
EDEN: Oh yeah, I can hear it too. Maybe it’s the ghosts!
KYLA: Don’t be silly! There’s no such thing as ghosts.
EDEN: But you said …
KYLA: Shhhhhh! Look!
EDEN: What?
KYLA: Woah! Look at that! It’s like some sort of secret underground lair. Whose do you think it is?
EDEN: Maybe Batman’s?
KYLA: Batman isn’t Scottish! And anyway, he lives in Gotham.
EDEN: Oh yeah.
KYLA: Look, there’s somebody coming. Quick, hide!
EDEN: Where?
KYLA: Anywhere! Just hide. Look, there’s a desk. Let’s hide under there.
THRACE: So, remind me why are we travelling back in time again?
PROF. CURRAN: I shall explain this only once more to you, Thrace. We are travelling back in time to a number of different locations to alter the course of Scottish history. I have a fool-proof plan to bring about changes that will make me the ruler of all of Scotland. If I have to explain it to you once more, I shall take you so far back in time you’ll meet the dinosaurs.
THRACE: Does Scotland have dinosaurs?
KYLA: Of course Scotland had dinosaurs! Didn’t you learn that in school?
THRACE: Argh!
EDEN: Kyla, what are you doing?
PROF. CURRAN: Children! Thrace! Grab them!
THRACE: Come here!
EDEN: Argh!
PROF. CURRAN: Grab them, Thrace!
THRACE: They’re so fast! I can’t catch up with them!
KYLA: Stop it! Let us go!
EDEN: Let us go immediately.
THRACE: Or what?
KYLA: Or we’ll tell our teacher about all the horrible things you’re doing.
THRACE: Um, boss?
PROF. CURRAN: What?
THRACE: Should I let them go? They said they would tell if I didn’t.
PROF. CURRAN: Of course not, you fool.
THRACE: But I don’t want to get in any trouble with a teacher.
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace, you can get into trouble with a teacher or you can get into trouble with me.
THRACE: Fair enough. You two are going nowhere.
PROF. CURRAN: How did you two get in?
KYLA: We came down the stairs.
PROF. CURRAN: [mocking repeat] What? Through the door that says ‘Do Not Open’?
EDEN: Yes.
THRACE: I told you we should have put a lock on it.
PROF. CURRAN: Silence, you fool!
THRACE: Sorry.
PROF. CURRAN: Tell me, how much of my plan did you hear?
KYLA and EDEN: Nothing!
THRACE: So, you’re saying that you didn’t hear anything about the plan for the Professor to go back to various points in Scotland’s history using our time machine device, and change the course of events so that eventually the Professor could rule all of Scotland?
KYLA and EDEN: Um, no?
THRACE: Phew! No problem then, boss – they don’t know anything.
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace?
THRACE: Yep?
PROF. CURRAN: Shut up!
THRACE: Righto.
PROF. CURRAN: I don’t have time to deal with you two now. I need to make a start on Operation Stopwatch.
THRACE: Careful, boss – you don’t want to give away the plan!
PROF. CURRAN: So, you two will stay here until we get back. Then I will transport you back in time and leave you stranded where you can do no harm. Ha ha ha ha!
THRACE: Ha ha ha ha ha!
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace, what are you doing?
THRACE: Joining in in the evil villain laughter?
PROF. CURRAN: Well, don’t!
THRACE: Sorry.
PROF. CURRAN: Fetch me the time machine remotes. One for me and one for you.
THRACE: Time machine remotes. On it!
PROF. CURRAN: I will make the final preparations and then nothing can stop us. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
KYLA: [whispers] Eden?
EDEN: Yes?
KYLA: I think I can get free. We’ve got to stop these two from changing history. If we don’t, then all my homework will be wrong!
EDEN: How are we going to stop them?
KYLA: I’m going to steal the remotes so they can’t use the machine.
EDEN: OK, can you untie me as well, please?
KYLA: Yes, but don’t look like you’re free. Hold still.
THRACE: Right, I’ve got the remote, boss. How do they work?
PROF. CURRAN: They’re pre-programmed with all the destinations and dates that we need to travel back to in order for my plan to work. And just for you, Thrace, I have loaded onto the device the entire knowledge of everything in history, to help you blend in. Just press that button and ask it a question. Watch. SUSIE, is Thrace unbelievably stupid?
SUSIE: Yes, Thrace is unbelievably stupid.
THRACE: Wow! This thing is good. I am unbelievably stupid. Why’s it called SUSIE?
PROF. CURRAN: It stands for Supremely Upgraded Subspace Information Engine. SUSIE for short. It knows everything there is to know about anything.
THRACE: So, which button do you press to time travel?
PROF. CURRAN: The big green one there.
THRACE: Ah! The one that says Time Travel on it?
PROF. CURRAN: I’ve made it so simple that a monkey can use it.
THRACE: I certainly can.
PROF. CURRAN: Right, you meddling children. I shall see you later on.
KYLA: Now, Eden!
THRACE: Hey! Give that back! It’s mine!
PROF. CURRAN: No, stop! Come on!
THRACE: Give it!
KYLA: Eden, come on. Let’s run!
PROF. CURRAN: After them!
Scene 8
EDEN: Kyla, we’ve got nowhere left to run. We’re trapped.
PROF. CURRAN: Ha! Indeed, you are. So, hand over the device and I might let you live.
KYLA: You’re wrong.
PROF. CURRAN: Oh really? And why is that then?
KYLA: Hold on tight to me, Eden.
EDEN: Why? What are you going to do?
KYLA: Either something really brave or really stupid. There’s one more place to go. We’re not entirely trapped.
PROF. CURRAN: And where do you think you can go then?
KYLA: The past!
PROF. CURRAN: What? …
THRACE: Where did they go?
PROF. CURRAN: They’ve gone back in time. I don’t believe it. This is why I hate children. They always ruin everything.
THRACE: What are we going to do, boss?
PROF. CURRAN: We are going to follow them through time and get that device back. Then we’re going to make them wish they’d never messed with us. Thrace, come here!
THRACE: Righto.
PROF. CURRAN: Hold on tight. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Your Timesliders team
pdf (58.837 KB)
Your class can draw their own Timesliders team to help defeat Professor Curran! Their team can be the full class or a smaller group of classmates.
Complete the crossword
pdf (20.399 KB)
Listen carefully to find out the names of the main Timesliders characters and complete the crossword. Pupils can also name their own Timesliders team and think about why they’re so good at working together.
Episode 2: The Foe of Glencoe
Transcript
6 voices: Announcer; Eden; Kyla; Professor Curran; Thrace; SUSIE
ANNOUNCER: Previously on Timesliders ...
KYLA: Woah! Look at that! It’s like some sort of secret underground lair.
THRACE: So, remind me: why are we travelling back in time again?
PROF. CURRAN: Operation Stopwatch is my masterplan to move through time, changing the course of Scotland’s history, forever!
KYLA: We’ve got to stop these two from changing history. If we don’t, then all my homework will be wrong!
PROF. CURRAN: SUSIE, is Thrace unbelievably stupid?
SUSIE: Yes, Thrace is unbelievably stupid.
THRACE: Wow! This thing is good. I am unbelievably stupid. Why’s it called SUSIE?
PROF. CURRAN: It stands for Supremely Upgraded Subspace Information Engine. SUSIE for short. It knows everything there is to know about anything.
KYLA: Hold on tight to me, Eden.
EDEN: Why? What are you going to do?
KYLA: Either something really brave or really stupid. There’s one more place to go. We’re not entirely trapped.
PROF. CURRAN: And where do you think you can go then?
KYLA: The past!
PROF. CURRAN: What?
THRACE: Where did they go?
PROF. CURRAN: They’ve gone back in time. I don’t believe it! This is why I hate children. They always ruin everything.
THRACE: What are we going to do, boss?
PROF. CURRAN: We are going to follow them through time and get that device back. Then we’re going to make them wish they’d never messed with us. Thrace, come here!
THRACE: Righto.
PROF. CURRAN: Hold on tight. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
ANNOUNCER: And now, on Timesliders ...
Scene 1
EDEN: Where … where are we?
KYLA: Did you see what happened? I just saw a big flash of light and it was like I was falling into a tunnel. Then somehow, we ended up here.
EDEN: Wherever here is. Kyla, look, there’s nothing here. It’s just snow, ice and rocks. It’s so cold. Good job Mum made us wear our huge coats.
KYLA: Have you still got your gloves and hat in your pocket?
EDEN: Um … yep!
KYLA: Put them on or you’ll freeze.
EDEN: What are we going to do, Kyla? Where are we?
KYLA: I don’t know. But we can’t stay out here. It’s too cold.
EDEN: Well, where do we go then? I can’t see anything at all.
KYLA: Hang on. I’ve got an idea. Have you still got that time-travelling thing?
EDEN: Yep.
KYLA: Give it here. SUSIE, where are we?
SUSIE: You are currently in the part of Scotland known as the Highlands, more specifically Glencoe.
KYLA: What? I’ve been to Glencoe and it doesn’t look anything like this. What’s happened to it?
SUSIE: The glen has not been formed as we have arrived in a time period pre-dating the melting of the glaciers.
KYLA and EDEN: What?!
SUSIE: This is the first stop on Professor Curran’s Operation Stopwatch.
KYLA: So, when are we?
SUSIE: That’s a much better question. About 10,000 BC. I can’t be more precise, I’m afraid.
KYLA: Why would Professor Curran need to come here?
SUSIE: That information is not available to me, I’m afraid. However, I should inform you that another time-travel device is about to arrive at this location.
KYLA: Oh no. The Professor. Quick, Eden. We need to hide.
EDEN: Where? There’s nothing here.
KYLA: Um, quick! Behind that rock over there! Don’t make a sound.
Scene 2
THRACE: Argh!
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace! What are you doing?
THRACE: Argh! Screaming!
PROF. CURRAN: Why?
THRACE: Because I’m scared. That was awful. I’m not sure if I like time travel.
PROF. CURRAN: Well, that’s no problem. I can just leave you here!
THRACE: No! Please don’t do that. Although … where is here?
PROF. CURRAN: You’re in the Highlands.
THRACE: It doesn’t look like the Highlands to me.
PROF. CURRAN: That’s because it hasn’t been formed yet. We have arrived in about 10,000 BC, just as all this ice is starting to melt. When it’s finished, in a few thousand years’ time, it will leave what you and I know as Glencoe.
THRACE: [shivering] Oh. So why are we here then?
PROF. CURRAN: Because, my pea-brained sidekick, I don’t want the ice to melt slowly. I want it to melt quickly. Now, come along. We’ve got to set off the thermo-grenades at key points in the glacier.
THRACE: Righto, boss. Oh, boss?
PROF. CURRAN: What is it, Thrace?
THRACE: What about the two kids? Kyla and Eden. Don’t we need to find them?
PROF. CURRAN: Ha! The harsh desolate landscape of the ice age will take care of them. Look around, Thrace. Nothing could survive out here.
THRACE: [shivering] Good point.
Scene 3
EDEN: Why would the Professor want to melt the ice quickly? How is that going to help with Operation Stopwatch?
KYLA: I don’t know, but it can’t be good.
EDEN: Hang on. Let’s ask SUSIE. SUSIE, what’s an ice age?
SUSIE: An ice age is a long period of time when the Earth’s temperature is much colder than normal. In 10,000 BC, the Earth started to warm up and the ice sheets were melting. By 8000 BC, the ice sheets in this area had disappeared, and Glencoe was left.
EDEN: Woah! So that’s why it looks like that.
SUSIE: That’s right. The ice would carve out the U-shape that you know from Glencoe. It took a glacier, which is a big body of ice, over 12km in size to create Glencoe.
EDEN: 12km? That’s huge! So, why would the Professor want to melt the ice quickly?
SUSIE: What happens to ice when it melts?
EDEN: Oh! It turns to water.
SUSIE: Correct! What happens when over 12km of ice melts?
EDEN: Oh, oh! Lots of water!
SUSIE: Correct again. What happens when over 12km of ice melts all at once?
KYLA and EDEN: Floods!
SUSIE: I suspect that the Professor is trying to use the ice of the glacier to cause a flood.
EDEN: But why? There’s nothing here.
KYLA: There might not be anything where we are, but what about other places in Scotland? SUSIE, when did people start living in Scotland?
SUSIE: Early settlers would have existed in Scotland from approximately 12,000 BC.
KYLA: So, the Professor is going to try and use the Ice Age’s glaciers to try and flood the settlers.
EDEN: Well, that’s not very nice! What if they can’t swim?
SUSIE: And Glencoe isn’t the only place to have been formed by a glacier. Most of Scotland and the north of England would have been covered in them.
KYLA: We have to stop them from melting them all at once!
EDEN: How are we going to do that?
KYLA: I think I have a plan. But we’ve got to follow them. Quick, let’s go!
Scene 4
PROF. CURRAN: Put the first one there. Excellent. Now we’ve got another long walk to plant the next one. If this works, we can do this all over Scotland!
THRACE: Yippee.
PROF. CURRAN: Problem, Thrace?
THRACE: No, Your Magnificence, it’s just …
PROF. CURRAN: Just what?
THRACE: Well, it’s very cold and there’s lots of ice and snow everywhere, and I didn’t bring my wellies. I’ve got cold feet!
PROF. CURRAN: Oh. Well, that’s your own fault. Now, stop your whining or I’ll leave you behind, and you can see how well you can swim when I melt 12km of ice in one go!
THRACE: Actually, I’m not that cold anymore.
PROF. CURRAN: I didn’t think so.
THRACE: How are we going to set these thermo what-do-ya-call-ems off then, boss?
PROF. CURRAN: Once all five of them are planted, I will use this remote to detonate all of them at once. They will act like microwaves and heat all the ice in a matter of seconds.
THRACE: I should have brought my surfboard!
PROF. CURRAN: Come on, we’ve got to set the next one.
Scene 5
KYLA: Here’s the first one they’ve planted. SUSIE, what is it?
SUSIE: This is a remote thermo grenade. When all 5 of them are planted, they will be able to be remotely detonated and the ice will melt in a matter of seconds.
KYLA: How do we stop them?
EDEN: I think it’s got some sort of switch on the bottom …
KYLA: Eden!
EDEN: What?
KYLA: Be careful! You could blow us all up!
EDEN: Look, there’s an on/off switch on the bottom of it, right next to these flashing red lights.
KYLA: Give it here.
EDEN: Flick the switch and turn it off.
KYLA: Ok. Here it goes …
EDEN: Is that it?
KYLA: I think so. Bring it with us. We don’t want to leave anything out here that isn’t supposed to be.
EDEN: They went this way. Quick! I found another one!
KYLA: How many is that now?
EDEN: 4.
KYLA: So, there’s one more left. Come on. Look, I can see them up ahead. Careful, Eden, don’t get too close.
Scene 6
PROF. CURRAN: One more device to plant and then we shall retreat to a safe distance to watch the first part of my plan work perfectly.
THRACE: Righto, boss – here we go. All done!
PROF. CURRAN: Excellent. Now, follow me, Thrace. We need to get well away from here.
KYLA: Not so fast, Professor!
PROF. CURRAN: Ugh, that’s all I need. Meddling children getting in my way. You’re too late. The devices have all been planted and there’s nothing you can do to stop them.
THRACE: Yeah! Unless you switch them off, there’s nothing you can do! Oh, sorry.
PROF. CURRAN: You fool! No matter, she’ll have to get through me first.
THRACE: Boss …
PROF. CURRAN: You don’t have it in you, little girl. Do you really think that someone like you can take on someone like me and win?
THRACE: Boss …
PROF. CURRAN: You’ll never stop Operation Stopwatch. Ha! I mean, you’re nothing but a child.
THRACE: Boss!
PROF. CURRAN: What is it, Thrace?
THRACE: Weren’t there two of them?
PROF. CURRAN: Ah.
EDEN: That’s right. There were. And I’ve found the last grenade.
PROF. CURRAN: What? Quick, Thrace – pass me the remote detonator.
THRACE: Here, boss.
PROF. CURRAN: Why isn’t anything happening?
THRACE: I think they found the off switch, boss.
KYLA: That’s right. So, your plan is ruined and you’ll never be able to rule Scotland!
PROF. CURRAN: Ha! You think this was the only part of my plan? I have plenty of other ways to take my rightful place as ruler. Just you wait and see. Thrace, pass me the thunder wobbler.
THRACE: Not the … thunder wobbler!
PROF. CURRAN: Yes! The thunder wobbler!
THRACE: If you’re sure …
PROF. CURRAN: Let’s see how these pesky boys cope with this! Come on, Thrace. Let’s leave these two to perish.
THRACE: Good plan, boss.
PROF. CURRAN: So long! Enjoy your final moments …
Scene 7
KYLA: Well, we stopped the ice from melting but I think we’ve got a new problem.
EDEN: What is it?
KYLA: It looks like a big stick. Can you feel that? It feels like a very small earthquake.
EDEN: Quick! Ask SUSIE.
KYLA: SUSIE, what’s a thunder wobbler?
SUSIE: Oh dear. Oh my. The thunder wobbler is a device that sends vibrations and shockwaves deep into the earth. If you don’t stop it, the ice sheet could split and cause a catastrophic avalanche.
EDEN: What are we going to do?
KYLA: I’ve got an idea, but it might not work.
EDEN: What?
KYLA: We could use one of Professor Curran’s grenades to blow the machine up.
EDEN: How? We haven’t got the remote.
SUSIE: I think I have a plan that might work.
KYLA: Quick, SUSIE. The rumblings are getting stronger.
SUSIE: If you open up the grenade, you’ll find a ‘Detonate Now’ button. If you press that, you won’t need a remote.
KYLA: But we’ll be detonated with it!
SUSIE: I didn’t say it was a perfect plan …
KYLA: What if we time-travelled out of here at exactly the same time as we detonate the grenade? We might just make it away from the blast!
SUSIE: That could work.
KYLA: It’s our only option. Otherwise, we’ll get buried under the ice for thousands of years!
EDEN: Ok, let’s do it.
KYLA: Look, there’s the button. Ready?
EDEN: Ready!
KYLA: SUSIE?
SUSIE: Ready!
KYLA: Here goes nothing!
EDEN: Um … Kyla?
KYLA: Yeah?
EDEN: Where are we?
KYLA: I don’t know. SUSIE, why aren’t we home?
SUSIE: This is the next destination that was programmed into the Professor’s time travel plans.
KYLA: So, where are we?
SUSIE: Cromarty, a small town about 24 miles north of Inverness.
KYLA: Ah, phew! At least I’ve heard of it.
SUSIE: In 1819 …
KYLA and EDEN: What?!
EPILOGUE
SUSIE: Ah, hello there. This is SUSIE here. That stands for Supremely Upgraded Subspace Information Engine, but all my friends just call me SUSIE. I need some help. For some reason, every time we make a jump to the Professor’s next destination, I lose some parts of my memory bank. It would be most helpful to Kyla, Eden and myself if you wouldn’t mind filling them in. It’s really easy – all you need to do is answer the following questions.
Question 1.
What size was the glacier that formed Glencoe? Was it:
a) 5km
b) 12km
c) 25km
Question 2.
What is an ice age? Is it:
a) a long period of time where the temperature of the Earth is much cooler
b) a short period of time where the temperature of the Earth is much warmer
c) the legal age for buying ice in shops
Last question now.
When did the settlers first make their homes in Scotland? Was it:
a) approximately 12,000 years ago
b) approximately 450 million years ago
c) 25 years ago
Thank you so much for helping me keep my system online. It means that I can help Kyla and Eden as they try to stop that dastardly Professor Curran.
I’ll see you next time!
Create your characters
pdf (90.271 KB)
Bring the Timesliders characters to life as you listen to the adventures of Kyla and Eden. Pupils can draw two of the characters from the Timesliders stories – either the heroes Kyla and Eden, or the villains Professor Curran and Thrace. They may also like to draw SUSIE, who they met during the theatre show.
Episode 3: The Drum ConunDRUM (part I)
Transcript
6 voices: SUSIE; Announcer; Kyla; Eden; Professor Curran; Thrace
Prologue
SUSIE: Ah. Hello there. Good to see you. Now, for those of you who haven’t joined us before, you can catch up with the adventures of Kyla and Eden by listening to previous episodes of the Timesliders podcasts.
You can find out how they became heroic time-travellers and protectors of Scotland’s past, present, future and natural history. And what they’ve been doing to stop the dastardly Professor Curran and their nincompoop assistant, Thrace.
We’re going to be dealing with some very complicated time-travelling concepts in the next couple of episodes, but don’t worry, I’ll be here to explain it all.
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is SUSIE. SUSIE is short for Supremely Upgraded Subspace Information Engine. But all my friends call me SUSIE.
I help Kyla and Eden as they travel through time and find themselves in places they know nothing about. If it wasn’t for the constant danger posed by Professor Curran and Thrace, it would actually be a fantastic way to learn about Scotland’s people and places. But as it happens, we’re far too busy trying to put a stop to the Professor’s devious schemes to be learning things.
If you’re listening to this, there is a very good chance that we’ll meet at some point in the future … or your past … or maybe we have met already and we just don’t know it yet. Or perhaps we’re going to meet when we return from your past, which is my present ... It will then become my past, but still your future. You see! Time travel can be so complicated that even I don’t understand it, and I’m meant to know everything.
Anyway, I’m talking to you through a hole in subspace that can travel through time, but the hole is closing …
If you can still hear me, we’re travelling to … hello?
ANNOUNCER: And now, on Timesliders ...
Scene 1
KYLA: That took longer than normal. Where are we?
EDEN: Wow! Look at that tower!
KYLA: SUSIE, have you got any information for us?
SUSIE: I’m still collating all the data I can find, but we’re quite far back from where we were. I can tell you where we are, but not quite when we are, just yet.
KYLA: So, where are we?
SUSIE: We are currently looking up at the Tower of Drum.
EDEN: The Tower of Drum?
SUSIE: Yes. In Aberdeenshire.
KYLA & EDEN: Aberdeenshire?
SUSIE: That’s right! Aberdeenshire is in the North East of Scotland and is full of cultural and natural history.
KYLA: Do you think we might be back in our own time?
SUSIE: I’m afraid not. You see, although my information-gathering sensors are struggling to find an accurate time in history, I can tell you that Drum Tower was built in the 13th century; the castle wasn’t added to it until 1619.
EDEN: Kyla, there’s no castle … it’s just the tower.
KYLA: That must mean that we’re somewhere between the 13th century when the tower was built and 1619.
SUSIE: Sorry I can’t be more help. Something is messing with all my sensors. It’s almost as if … Oh dear.
EDEN: I don’t like the sound of that.
KYLA: Me neither. What’s wrong, SUSIE?
SUSIE: Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
KYLA: SUSIE! What’s wrong?
SUSIE: Well, for some reason, where we are has an unusually large number of time gates floating around.
EDEN: Time gates? What are time gates?
SUSIE: Time gates are portals to other times that open randomly and can transport anyone who walks through them to another time.
EDEN: Oh. Well, that doesn’t sound too bad. We’re very used to time travel.
SUSIE: Yes. The problem is that there is no way of knowing when one of these gates will open, or where they’ll take you. You could end up in the past, present or future … anywhere in the universe.
KYLA: Anywhere in the universe?
SUSIE: I’m afraid so. There are a lot of them about, which is why my sensors are playing up. You best stick close to each other, and I’ll do my best to warn you about any gates that open up nearby.
EDEN: Shhh! I think someone’s coming.
KYLA: Quick! Hide!
EDEN: Who are they? What are they wearing?
SUSIE: One of them appears to be Robert the Bruce.
EDEN: Who’s Robert Bruce?
KYLA: Not Robert Bruce; Robert the Bruce. Haven’t you learnt about him in school yet?
EDEN: No … who’s Robert the Bruce?
KYLA: He was a very important Scottish king who lived a long time ago.
SUSIE: A very long time ago in fact. Robert the Bruce is arguably one of Scotland’s most influential historic figures. If Professor Curran were to do anything to Robert the Bruce, the course of Scottish history would change forever.
KYLA: That must be why we’re here then. The Professor must have a devious scheme that involves Robert the Bruce.
EDEN: I still don’t get why he’s important.
SUSIE: I’ve got some information about Robert the Bruce and his place in Scottish history if you’d like to hear it?
KYLA: Sorry, SUSIE, but I don’t think we’ve got time.
SUSIE: Oh.
KYLA: The Professor and Thrace may already be here. We’ve got to protect Robert the Bruce. Maybe later.
EDEN: Um … Kyla, what’s that?
KYLA: What’s what?
SUSIE: Oh, dear me. That’s a time gate.
KYLA: We’ve got to get out of here.
EDEN: How?
SUSIE: We’re too late! There’s no time. Hold on!
Scene 2
THRACE: That bit never gets any easier! When are we now, boss? It’s a bit dreich.
PROF. CURRAN: If I’ve got my calculations worked out correctly, we should have arrived on top of Drum Tower at a very specific point in 1323.
THRACE: Well, it looks like we’re on top of a tower. Oh, I really don’t like heights, boss.
PROF. CURRAN: Oh, shut up, Thrace. You’re scared of everything.
THRACE: I’m not scared of heights.
PROF. CURRAN: No?
THRACE: No! But I am scared of falling from them.
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace?
THRACE: Shut up?
PROF. CURRAN: Well done.
THRACE: Thanks, boss. So, what are we doing in 1323? Is this part of Operation Stopwatch?
PROF. CURRAN: Of course it’s part of Operation Stopwatch. We’re here to change the course of Scottish history … forever.
THRACE: I know that. We’re always trying to change the course of Scottish history. I’m still not entirely sure why!
PROF. CURRAN: Because I said so!
THRACE: Fair enough. But how are we trying to do it this time?
PROF. CURRAN: Look down there.
THRACE: Where?
PROF. CURRAN: There! Now, tell me what you see.
THRACE: There are some folk over there on horses; some other people around a fire. Uh, two men having a bit of a chat. There’s some trees there. Oh, look! There’s a cute little bunny rabbit over there. Oh, look at him, hopping along ...
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace! Concentrate on the two men having a chat.
THRACE: Righto. Who are they? What do you think they’re chatting about?
PROF. CURRAN: One of them is Robert the Bruce.
THRACE: Ahhh, old Brucey! We’ve met him before. What about the other one?
PROF. CURRAN: That is a chap called William de Irwyn, also known as William Irvine, and he was one of Robert the Bruce’s closest allies.
THRACE: Oh, I see. Boss, what’s an ally?
PROF. CURRAN: [sighs] It’s like a close friend.
THRACE: Ohhh, like us!
PROF. CURRAN: [sighs] Can we just get back to William Irvine and Robert the Bruce?
THRACE: You got it!
PROF. CURRAN: You see those very heavy stones on the tower’s battlements?
THRACE: Yes.
PROF. CURRAN: Well, what do you think would happen if one of them were to land right on top of Robert the Bruce?
THRACE: He’d probably be known as Robert the Flat!
PROF. CURRAN: Exactly. So, here’s a hammer and a chisel. Get one of those stones loose.
Scene 3
KYLA: Eden?
EDEN: Yeah?
KYLA: Oh, thank goodness. Are you okay?
EDEN: I’m fine.
KYLA: SUSIE? Are you okay?
SUSIE: Yes. I’m fine, thank you.
EDEN: Look! Look at all these people.
KYLA: They look like they’re wearing …
EDEN: They’re wearing school uniforms. They’re kids, just like us. Are we … are we back home, like, in our own time?
SUSIE: I can tell you that we’re still at Drum Castle and it looks as if we’re back in your original timeline. The time gate has brought you back to the same day and time that you first time-travelled from Culzean Castle at the beginning of your adventures.
KYLA: That’s amazing!
EDEN: So, we can go home?!
SUSIE: Indeed.
KYLA: But how?
EDEN: We can just find someone and …
KYLA: And what? Tell them that we’re time-travellers? They’ll never believe us.
EDEN: We can show them SUSIE. Then they’ll believe us. Right, SUSIE?
SUSIE: I’m afraid that there’s a more urgent problem with the timeline. My sensors indicate that something is missing, something important, and it’s causing all sorts of problems.
KYLA: What sort of problems?
SUSIE: Whatever has been removed from the timeline is causing time gates to appear all over … all over Scotland! This is an incredibly dangerous place to be. All these children here, they could be swallowed up into a time gate and transported anywhere in the universe.
KYLA: And that could happen anywhere in Scotland?
SUSIE: It is happening. There are multiple reports of people just vanishing from existence.
EDEN: And there’s only one person we know who can be responsible for this.
Scene 4
PROF. CURRAN: Have you finished yet, Thrace? It’s taking you forever to hammer through that.
THRACE: Sorry, boss. But if I remember rightly from my history lessons at school, this building stands the test of time for over 700 years.
PROF. CURRAN: So?
THRACE: Well, anything that’s built to last that long has to be pretty strong, doesn’t it?
THRACE: All done. But boss …
PROF. CURRAN: What?
THRACE: I’m a bit worried that now I’ve chiselled the stone off, that it might not be very safe. I mean, look at that! It’s really loose. It could fall off and hit someone on the head.
PROF. CURRAN: That’s the whole point!
THRACE: Oh, I see!
PROF. CURRAN: All it takes now is a little push, and Robert the Bruce will become Robert the Pancake! Off you go.
THRACE: I’m not pushing it!
PROF. CURRAN: What? How dare you defy me!
THRACE: Sorry, boss. But I don’t want to be held responsible for flattening Robert the Bruce.
PROF. CURRAN: Get out of the way. I’ll do it.
THRACE: Don’t worry, boss. I’ve got you!
PROF. CURRAN: Don’t you dare let go! Pull me up!
THRACE: I’m trying, but boss, it’s very slippy.
PROF. CURRAN: If you let us fall, Thrace, I’ll throw you off the tower.
THRACE: I’m sorry, boss; I think we’re going to …
Scene 5
SUSIE: You two may want to step out of the way, very quickly!
EDEN: What was that?
KYLA: It nearly squashed us!
SUSIE: That came from 1323, where we’ve just come from. This is very bad news indeed. The time gates are so unstable; anything could come through at any time.
KYLA: We’ve got to fix it!
EDEN: But I want to go home!
KYLA: Eden, we won’t have a home to go to if we don’t stop these time gates from throwing things all over the universe.
EDEN: Fine! But we’re going to be in so much trouble if we don’t get back soon.
Epilogue
SUSIE: Ah. Hello there. SUSIE here. What a pickle Kyla and Eden are in! With the time gates making our lives as difficult as possible, it’s going to make stopping Professor Curran and Thrace even more difficult.
In that episode we met a very important Scot, Robert the Bruce. Robert the Bruce was also known as Robert I and he was King of Scotland from 1306 to 1329. He is an incredibly important person in Scotland’s history, and not just because he gave Drum Castle to the Irvine family. You’ll be learning lots about him as you get older, but I just wanted to let you know he’s a name to listen out for.
Right, I can sense another time gate about to cause havoc with the timeline, so I must go. You’ll hear from me again soon! Bye for now.
Draw a Drum comic
pdf (27.159 KB)
How would your pupils defeat Professor Curran? Pupils can create their own comic strip using the Timesliders characters, inspired by events from the audio stories. We’ve included some key spelling words.
Episode 4: The Drum ConunDRUM (part II)
Transcript
6 voices: SUSIE; Announcer; Kyla; Eden; Professor Curran; Thrace
Prologue
SUSIE: See, I told you that you’d hear me again soon. Right, just a quick recap of what happened previously.
Kyla and Eden have been sent hurtling through time after Professor Curran and Thrace to Drum Castle in Aberdeenshire. At the moment, we’re struggling with time gates that keep popping up all over the place and sending things through to other time periods. In fact, Kyla and Eden were nearly squashed by a stone from 1323. That could have been very messy.
We met Robert the Bruce, who gave Drum Castle to William Irvine. We’re not quite sure why the Professor and Thrace are so interested in Drum Castle, but Kyla and Eden are going to find out!
I’m also going to need some help from you all at the end. I can feel that these time gates have deleted all sorts of things from my data banks. Bye for now.
ANNOUNCER: And now, on Timesliders ...
Scene 1
THRACE: Well, that was very nice of this chap to break our fall. What happened, boss? I didn’t start up the time device. Did you?
PROF. CURRAN: No, I didn’t. We must have fallen through a time gate, landing on … whoever this is!
THRACE: What’s a time gate?
PROF. CURRAN: Even if I had the time to explain it to you, you wouldn’t understand.
THRACE: Fair enough. Where are we?
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace, look up there. What do you see?
THRACE: Uh, Drum Tower. Oh look, there’s a castle built onto it.
PROF. CURRAN: So, we’re obviously still at Drum Castle. Hand me the time device. We’ve landed in 1746.
THRACE: Well, now that you’ve said it, it’s obvious. But who’ve we landed on?
PROF. CURRAN: This looks like … oh yes, it’s Alexander Irvine, 17th Laird of Drum.
THRACE: Sounds important.
PROF. CURRAN: For our purposes, Thrace, the 17th Laird is very important. We might not have been able to flatten Robert the Bruce, but now that we’re here, we could have some fun in Drum.
For goodness’ sake, Thrace. What is the matter with you?
THRACE: There’s something poking in my ... there’s something poking my bum. Heehee, my bum is in Drum!
PROF. CURRAN: Don’t be an idiot.
THRACE: Sorry. But look, it’s a watch. Wow! It’s a nice one as well.
PROF. CURRAN: Quickly, put it in your pocket, before the Laird wakes up. It might be worth something.
THRACE: [gasps] But that’s stealing!
PROF. CURRAN: Yes. And?
THRACE: Stealing’s bad!
PROF. CURRAN: We are bad, Thrace! We do bad things!
THRACE: Oh yeah.
PROF. CURRAN: Right. Plan A may not have worked but it doesn’t mean that we can’t still change the course of Scottish history. Drum is a good place to cause havoc and remove some of the key people in my way. Come on, let’s get out of here before …
THRACE: Um, boss … I think it’s one of those time gate thingys.
Scene 2
KYLA: SUSIE, is there any way of finding out what we need to do to get rid of these time gates?
SUSIE: Time gates usually occur due to something being taken from one time period to another. It causes tears in the fabric of space and time. The only way to repair it is to return it to its rightful place and time.
EDEN: Like this stone that nearly killed us?
SUSIE: No. Simple objects like that don’t often cause problems. More complex objects, like things with moving parts, they can be very dangerous things to have out of time. I’m detecting another time gate opening up. Watch out!
EDEN: You two!
KYLA: Have you any idea what you’ve done to the fabric of time and space?
PROF. CURRAN: Oh good. It’s tweedle dum and tweedle dumber!
THRACE: Oh hello you two. Good to see you!
PROF. CURRAN: What year is this?
SUSIE: It’s the present day. We’ve arrived back in our original time.
PROF. CURRAN: Curses! We need to get back to 1323!
SUSIE: [whispers] I think I’ve identified the object that’s causing all the trouble. I believe that Thrace has a pocket watch that does not belong here.
KYLA: [whispers] Would a pocket watch be enough to cause all this?
SUSIE: [whispers] Oh yes. Clocks and watches should never ever travel through time. It’s time within time within time … it gets very messy. I’m not even sure that my computer power would be enough to work it all out.
EDEN: Thrace?
THRACE: Hi there.
EDEN: Can we have a look at your new pocket watch?
THRACE: Yeah, of course you can.
EDEN: Thanks.
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace! What are you doing, you fool?
KYLA: Quick, SUSIE, get us out of here!
THRACE: I’m really sorry, boss.
PROF. CURRAN: You don’t even know the meaning of the word ‘sorry’. But by the time I’m finished with you …
THRACE: Look out, boss! It’s another time thingy!
Scene 3
EDEN: Great. Back here again. Look, there’s Robert Bruce again.
SUSIE: I believe that I now know what the Professor and Thrace were up to.
KYLA: What were they trying to do this time?
SUSIE: That stone that nearly flattened you two was meant for Robert the Bruce. We know how important to Scottish history he was, and still is.
EDEN: But they failed. So, they’ll probably move on to the next dastardly scheme.
SUSIE: I wouldn’t be so sure. There’s plenty of damage that they could do to Scottish history at Drum.
KYLA: What do you mean?
SUSIE: Drum Castle and the Irvine family have seen over 700 years of Scottish history.
EDEN: 700 years?
KYLA: That’s a long time.
SUSIE: Yes, and in those 700 years they were part of some of the most important events to take place in Scotland. I think that the Professor knows this, and now that they’re here, they will try to mess with the timeline, starting with that watch.
KYLA: Well, we’ve got to stop them.
EDEN: If we don’t, then anyone who visits Drum Castle could end up anywhere in time! Imagine the look on a teacher’s face if they came to Drum expecting a nice day out and came face-to-face with a woolly mammoth or sabre tooth tiger.
SUSIE: Exactly. And it all starts here in 1323.
KYLA: What’s so important about 1323?
SUSIE: This is when Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland gave William de Irwyn (or William Irvine as he came to be known) Drum Castle and the 10,000 acres around it. This is when William Irvine became the 1st Laird of Drum.
Epilogue
SUSIE: Ah, hello there. SUSIE here. I’m afraid that I’ve lost a few pieces of information, what with all the back and forth between timelines. So, if you wouldn’t mind helping me out by answering these questions, I’ll be able to keep helping Kyla and Eden stop Professor Curran and Thrace from changing the course of Scottish history. Thank you.
Question 1.
Who was Robert the Bruce? Was he:
a. the 1st Laird of Drum
b. King of Scotland
c. a schoolteacher who got pulled through a time gate
Question 2.
What did Thrace steal from Alexander Irvine, the 17th Laird of Drum? Was it:
a. a pair of underpants
b. a large stone
c. a pocket watch
Question 3.
How many years of history has Drum Castle watched over? Is it:
a. over 700
b. 23
c. 500
Thank you for helping me keep my systems up to date. I couldn’t do it without you.
I’ll see you all next time!
Order the timeline
pdf (108.67 KB)
Professor Curran has scrambled history and your pupils need to put the events back in the right order. There are six squares to cut out and place in the right order along the timeline. Pupils will need to add the current year to the square showing their historically important trip to Drum Castle!
Episode 5: The Drum ConunDRUM (part III)
Transcript
7 voices: SUSIE; Announcer; Kyla; Eden; Professor Curran; Thrace; EVIL SUSIE
Prologue
ANNOUNCER: Previously on Timesliders ...
SUSIE: We are currently looking up at Drum Tower.
EDEN: The Tower of Drum?
SUSIE: Yes. In Aberdeenshire.
KYLA & EDEN: Aberdeenshire?
SUSIE: That’s right.
EDEN: Time gates? What are time gates?
SUSIE: Time gates are portals to other times that open randomly and can transport anyone who walks through them to another time. You could end up in the past, present or future, anywhere in the universe.
PROF. CURRAN: If I’ve got my calculations worked out correctly, we should have arrived on top of Drum Tower at a very specific point in 1323.
THRACE: So, what are we doing in 1323?
PROF. CURRAN: We’re here to change the course of Scottish history forever.
THRACE: I know that. We’re always trying to change the course of Scottish history. I’m still not entirely sure why!
PROF. CURRAN: Because I said so!
SUSIE: My sensors indicate that something is missing, something important, and it’s causing all sorts of problems.
KYLA: What sort of problems?
SUSIE: Whatever has been removed from the timeline is causing time gates to appear all over … all over Scotland! This is an incredibly dangerous place to be. All these children here, they could be swallowed up into a time gate and transported anywhere in the universe.
KYLA: Have you any idea what you’ve done to the fabric of time and space?
PROF. THRACE: Oh good. It’s tweedle dum and tweedle dumber!
KYLA: Would a pocket watch be enough to cause all this?
SUSIE: Oh, yes. Clocks and watches should never ever travel through time. It’s time within time within time … it gets very messy.
KYLA: Well, we’ve got to stop them.
SUSIE: Exactly. And it all starts here in 1323.
KYLA: What’s so important about 1323?
SUSIE: This is when Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, gave William de Irwyn (or William Irvine as he came to be known) Drum Castle and the 10,000 acres around it. This is when William Irvine became the first Laird of Drum.
ANNOUNCER: And now, on Timesliders ...
Scene 1
THRACE: Boss. Is this … where are we?
PROF. CURRAN: The time device says we’re at Drum Castle.
THRACE: But it’s falling to pieces! Look at all the walls. They’re crumbling down. This can’t be right.
PROF. CURRAN: A time gate has brought us back to Drum in the year 2224.
THRACE: This is the future?
PROF. CURRAN: It would appear so.
THRACE: What happened? Where have all the trees gone? Where’s the grass? There’s nothing left.
PROF. CURRAN: Hang on. Hang on, I’m just checking the records. If I can just get this stupid thing to work ...
EVIL SUSIE: How may I be of assistance?
THRACE: What’s that?!
PROF. CURRAN: This is my little pet project that I’ve been working on in secret, ever since that goody-two-shoes duo stole SUSIE from us.
EVIL SUSIE: How may I be of assistance?
THRACE: Wow! What’s its name?
PROF. CURRAN: This is the Enhanced Virtual Intelligence Library of SUSIE.
THRACE: Sooo … EVIL SUSIE?
PROF. CURRAN: Oh, yes. I suppose EVIL SUSIE works well. What a lucky coincidence.
THRACE: Yeah, that worked out well.
EVIL SUSIE: How may I be of assistance?
PROF. CURRAN: Right, let’s see if this thing works. EVIL SUSIE, is Thrace unbelievably stupid?
EVIL SUSIE: Yes. Thrace is unbelievably stupid.
THRACE: This thing is brilliant. It’s right! I am unbelievably stupid.
PROF. CURRAN: EVIL SUSIE, what’s going on? Where has Drum Castle gone? What’s happened to the landscape? This place is a mess.
EVIL SUSIE: Processing request. We have arrived in the year 2224. In this timeline, Alexander Irvine, the 17th Laird of Drum was caught after the Battle of Culloden in 1746. He was knocked unconscious as he was walking around the grounds of the house and therefore not able to make his escape. He was put on trial for treason, found guilty and executed.
THRACE: Oh dear.
EVIL SUSIE: Oh dear indeed. Following the execution of the Laird, the family fell into financial difficulty. With no heirs to take over the estate, the Laird’s sister, Mary Irvine, did not embark on her project of planting woodland thereby conserving the natural heritage of the area. Soil erosion, loss of natural habitat and 20th- and 21st-century impacts on climate change all contributed to the gradual destruction of the landscape and any life that existed here. As the grounds were not able to sustain life, no one wanted to live in the castle, and it was left to crumble into the state you see now. There was nothing left for the National Trust for Scotland to look after.
THRACE: That’s very depressing.
EVIL SUSIE: Depressing indeed.
THRACE: Who knew that planting trees would be so important?
EVIL SUSIE: Trees are vital to maintain a healthy world climate and ecosystem. They contribute oxygen to the atmosphere, and provide shelter and habitats to wildlife. Without them, the world will end up … well, like this.
THRACE: Boss? I think it was us.
PROF. CURRAN: What was?
THRACE: I think we’re the ones who knocked Alexander Irvine, 17th Laird of Drum, unconscious. We landed on him when we fell through the time gate, right before I took the watch. Remember?
PROF. CURRAN: Ah.
THRACE: Boss, can I ask you something?
PROF. CURRAN: What is it, Thrace?
THRACE: Well, you know that we’re trying to change the course of Scotland’s history …
PROF. CURRAN: Yes.
THRACE: ... so that you can rule over Scotland forever.
PROF. CURRAN: Yes.
THRACE: Well, my question, if it’s not too much bother, you know, if you don’t mind me asking, but I understand if it’s too much …
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace!
THRACE: Yes?
PROF. CURRAN: Get on with it!
THRACE: Well, what’s the point in ruling over this? There’s nothing here. It’s a complete wasteland. Is it really worth all the trouble of changing the course of history for this?
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace, for once, and only once in your miserable life, you’re right.
THRACE: Am I?
PROF. CURRAN: You are.
THRACE: But if I’m right, does that mean … ?
PROF. CURRAN: Yes, Thrace. It means we have to undo our mistake. It means we’re going to have to ask for the help of … I can’t believe I’m going to say this … those children. EVIL SUSIE!
EVIL SUSIE: How may I be of assistance?
PROF. CURRAN: I need you to locate Kyla and Eden in the timeline, and take us to wherever and whenever they might be.
EVIL SUSIE: Processing. Kyla and Eden located. Starting time device.
Scene 2
KYLA: So, we’ve stopped the Professor and Thrace from flattening Robert the Bruce, but we’ve still got to get the pocket watch back to the Laird of Drum to stop all these time gates from opening up.
EDEN: How did they get hold of the watch in the first place?
SUSIE: They must have slipped through the time gate and come across the Laird by accident, but … oh dear …
KYLA: What is it?
SUSIE: Do you notice anything about Drum?
EDEN: It’s very quiet.
KYLA: Where is everybody? What year is it?
SUSIE: We’ve arrived in 1763.
KYLA: So, no school visits then?
EDEN: Or tourists?
SUSIE: No … but it should be busier than this. We should be seeing people who work on the estate, and hearing the noise of birds and animals that call Drum their home.
KYLA: It’s deserted.
SUSIE: We’ve arrived in a timeline where the 17th Laird of Drum, Alexander Irvine, was caught by the Redcoats after the Battle of Culloden. The Redcoats were Government soldiers who fought under the command of the Duke of Cumberland, against the Jacobites. In this timeline the 17th Laird, Alexander, was captured by the Redcoats and … well … things didn’t end very well for him, and it meant that the Irvine family abandoned Drum Castle.
KYLA: They just left?
SUSIE: In this timeline, they faced financial ruin, which meant that Mary Irvine, Alexander’s sister, never planted the extensive woodland. Look around. What do you notice?
EDEN: No trees! They’ve all been cut down.
SUSIE: That’s right. And without the important work that Mary Irvine did to plant the trees and protect nature, Drum will become a wasteland.
EDEN: That’s awful.
SUSIE: It is. Oh, I’m picking up some temporal activity.
EDEN: What?
SUSIE: I think we’re about to get visitors from another time.
KYLA: It better not be another huge stone about to land on us.
SUSIE: No, this is from a time machine.
KYLA: Well, I guess that it’s you two that are responsible for Drum being deserted like this?
PROF. CURRAN: Before you get on your high horse, I’m here to call a … to call a truce.
KYLA: Ha! I don’t believe that!
EDEN: No way! A truce, with you two?
PROF. CURRAN: I don’t like the idea any more than you do. But I’ve seen what happens to Drum in a few hundred years’ time if Mary Irvine doesn’t plant her trees.
THRACE: Trust me, it’s not pretty.
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace is right.
THRACE: Again?!
PROF. CURRAN: I’ve no intention of ruling over a desolate wasteland, so we’ve got to make sure that Alexander Irvine is not caught after the Battle of Culloden. We’ve got to make sure that he’s hidden by his sister Mary.
EDEN: What’s the Battle of Culloden?
SUSIE: It’s another very important moment in Scotland’s history and involved the Jacobite army and Bonnie Prince Charlie. I’ve got plenty of information ready to go, but I’m not sure that now is the time to go into it in detail.
KYLA: Thanks, SUSIE. We’ll come back to that one later.
SUSIE: The important thing from Drum’s point of view is that Alexander Irvine was at the battle but escaped soon afterwards, with the help of his sister Mary. After his exile, he was able to return to Drum; and his sister Mary began planting trees and conserving the natural world.
PROF. CURRAN: Urrghhh! The important thing is that we’ve got to stop Alexander from being captured.
EDEN: How was he captured?
THRACE: We may have landed on him.
KYLA: Landed on him?!
THRACE: It wasn’t our fault. We fell through one of those time gate thingys when we were trying to flatten Robert the Bruce.
EDEN: You two are just awful.
PROF. CURRAN: Yes, yes, yes. Will you help us or not?
KYLA: [whispers] If we don’t help them, then Drum is doomed.
EDEN: [whispers] Yeah, but if we do help them, we’re … you know … helping the bad guys.
KYLA: [whispers] We can’t let Drum become a desolate wasteland. Think of all the people back in our time that would never get to see it.
SUSIE: And there will always be other opportunities to stop that dastardly pair.
KYLA: [whispers] SUSIE’s right. We can deal with them another time. We need to make sure that Drum is preserved for the future.
EDEN: [whispers] You mean our present?
KYLA: [whispers] Uh, yeah. That’s right.
EDEN: Okay, we’ll help you. But we don’t trust you.
PROF. CURRAN: Suits me!
KYLA: So, what’s the plan?
PROF. CURRAN: You need to go back in time to just before we fell on top of Alexander Irvine, and hide him from the Redcoats. It’s the only way he will survive.
KYLA: We’ll also be giving him back his pocket watch while we’re there, to put a stop to all of these time gates that keep opening up.
PROF CURRAN: Fine.
THRACE: Oh, I really liked that watch.
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace ...
THRACE: I know, I know … shut up.
SUSIE: We better get going. There are a lot of time gates starting to appear. In fact, here comes one now.
PROF. CURRAN: Oh no! Thrace, hold on.
KYLA: Well, that should keep them out of our hair for a bit.
EDEN: SUSIE, take us to 1746, just before Alexander Irvine was about to be captured.
SUSIE: Absolutely.
Epilogue
SUSIE: Hello there. SUSIE here. Professor Curran and Thrace saw something terrifying: the future with no trees!
I’m no fan of EVIL SUSIE, but they were right when they said that trees were vital to maintain a healthy planet. What a terrible state things will be in if we don’t fix the timeline. Such a terrible state that Kyla and Eden have had to team up with the Professor and Thrace to ensure that things are put right.
You heard the name of a very important battle in that episode: the Battle of Culloden. I know everything there is to know about the Battle of Culloden, but I’m not going to go into it right now as it’s a very big subject. I just wanted you to know that it’s important, and I’m sure you’ll be discovering more about the battle in due course.
I must be off. Kyla and Eden will be needing my help again very soon, and I’m sure I’ll be needing yours again as well. You’ll hear me again soon! Bye for now.
What has the laird lost?
pdf (56.416 KB)
Can your pupils help SUSIE work out what the laird has lost? Pupils can compete a dot-to-dot to reveal the laird’s pocket watch, which features in the audio story. Hint: this pocket watch may become important again during their visit to Drum!
Episode 6: The Drum ConunDRUM (part IV)
Transcript
9 voices: SUSIE; Announcer; Kyla; Eden; Alexander Irvine; Mary Irvine; Professor Curran; Thrace; Evil SUSIE
Prologue
SUSIE: SUSIE here again! Now, what happened last time? Oh yes, that’s right.
The Professor and Thrace got a nasty shock when they saw what the future was like with no trees around Drum Castle. It was bleak and desolate, and the castle had been abandoned. Kyla and Eden agreed to work with Professor Curran and Thrace to make sure that such a terrible future doesn’t happen. I can hardly believe it myself!
Once again, my memory banks are being affected by all these time gates and changes to the timeline. So, I’m going to need your help to bring them back up to date at the end of this episode. Bye for now.
ANNOUNCER: And now, on Timesliders ...
Scene 1
SUSIE: We have arrived, and just in time by the looks of things.
EDEN: That must be him. Excuse me, Mr ... Mr Irvine?
KYLA: Eden! He’s a laird. You can’t call him Mr!
EDEN: What should I call him?
KYLA: Um, I don’t really know. Um, Sir? Sir!
ALEXANDER IRVINE: What on earth? Where did you two come from? What clothes are these? Spies are you? Sent to capture me?
KYLA: No! I promise you we’re not spies. But we do know that there are people coming for you. We’re here to warn you and try to keep you safe.
ALEXANDER IRVINE: What strange creatures to come to my rescue! I had suspected that the Redcoats would be coming for me.
EDEN: They will be, and very soon Mr … um, Laird ...
KYLA: We must get you into the tower. It’s where you’re meant to hide.
ALEXANDER: How do I know you’re honest and true?
EDEN: Um, it’s a good point. This all must seem a bit weird. Okay, you have a sister …
KYLA: Oh yes, a sister called Mary.
EDEN: And she is super into planting trees and keeping the wood going.
ALEXANDER: Aye. That she is.
KYLA: We wouldn’t know that unless we were here to help you. So, please trust us. You’ve got to hide somewhere in the tower.
ALEXANDER: As you wish. I know just the place.
EDEN: Thank you.
KYLA: Phew! Just in time. Look, there’s Professor Curran and Thrace.
EDEN: It was worth travelling back in time, just to see those two fall out of the sky like that!
KYLA: Keep SUSIE hidden. We don’t want to scare his Lairdship more than we already have.
Scene 2
KYLA: We can’t tell you too much, Sir, but if Drum is to survive in the future, you must survive today.
ALEXANDER: I’m not sure hiding means I will survive.
EDEN: You will. The Redcoats will come for you, but your sister Mary will make them believe that you’ve already left. Then, in a couple of years, you can come back to Drum.
ALEXANDER: How you know such things is beyond me.
EDEN: It’s all a bit beyond us as well, to be honest.
KYLA: [whispers] Shhh! They’re searching for you. I can hear them.
EDEN: [whispers] How long do we have to stay in here?
ALEXANDER: Until my sister Mary comes for us. Only then will we know it’s safe.
EDEN: Then you must get out of Scotland. The further away, the better. Somewhere like France ... or Spain? They won’t stop looking for you.
KYLA: I think I can hear them leaving. We’ll stay here until Mary comes for us.
EDEN: It’s a good job they’re leaving. He’d definitely give us away.
KYLA: SUSIE, how’s the timeline looking?
SUSIE: Much better. The Irvine family will remain at Drum. Mary will get to do the important work here at Drum, and the National Trust for Scotland will keep that important work going back in our timeline.
KYLA: Great news!
SUSIE: May I suggest that we use this opportunity to time travel out of here, while Alexander is still sleeping. He may well believe that seeing you two was just a strange dream if we leave now.
KYLA: That’s a good idea. Eden, leave the watch with him. We don’t want any more time gates causing us problems. Where are we going, SUSIE?
SUSIE: I think I’ve got just the place.
Scene 3
SUSIE: We’re back at Drum, 1763.
KYLA: Wow! It looks completely different.
EDEN: The plan worked?
SUSIE: The plan worked. We stopped Alexander Irvine being captured by the Redcoats and put on trial for treason, which meant that the Irvine family were able to return to Drum Castle and Mary Irvine was able to continue her very important work.
MARY: Good day.
KYLA: Oh! Hello, Mrs …
MARY: Miss. Miss Mary Irvine. And you are?
KYLA: I’m Kyla and this is Eden.
EDEN: Hello!
MARY: Well, Kyla and Eden. What, may I ask, are you doing here?
KYLA: Um …
EDEN: Um … trees.
MARY: Trees?
KYLA: Trees? Oh! Yes, trees.
EDEN: We’ve heard all about the work you’re doing here to plant trees and look after the natural habitat. We wanted to come and see it for ourselves.
MARY: Well, that is as good a reason as any to trespass on my family’s estate, I suppose. Follow me.
KYLA: Why?
MARY: You want to see the work I’ve been doing?
KYLA: Oh, yes.
MARY: Then I will show you.
Scene 4
MARY: Trees are incredible things. They give so much and take very little in return.
KYLA: You planted all of these?
MARY: A lot of them, yes. Some I will get to see grow to maturity, but most … well, I’ll be long gone before they are fully grown.
EDEN: So, why do you plant them then?
MARY: For the future.
KYLA: The future?
MARY: Yes. The trees we plant today will take care of those who come after us. They provide shelter, wood, homes. They can stand watch for hundreds and hundreds of years, acting as guardians over the land.
EDEN: They’re like time-travellers!
MARY: Good heavens! What a ridiculous notion, child. But yes, I suppose if such a thing were possible, then they would be. Well, you must excuse me. I have business to attend to. My nephew needs counsel on a number of matters. Stay and play if you wish. But do no harm to the trees and the plants.
KYLA: Her nephew?
SUSIE: The current Laird of Drum. Mary continued her work here, even after the death of her brother a couple of years ago.
EDEN: So, the timeline is back to normal?
SUSIE: For now, yes. But it is important that the work that was started here continues back in our timeline as well. People across Scotland can make a difference, whatever time period they’re from. In the 21st century for example, we can all help by reducing the amount of energy we consume; walking or cycling rather than driving; and making sure we recycle wherever we can. Even I have a low energy mode to help reduce my carbon footprint.
KYLA: That sounds like something we can all do. So, where are we heading to next?
EDEN: Home?
SUSIE: Unfortunately, I am detecting other changes in a different part of Scotland’s history.
EDEN: I wonder who could be responsible for that?
KYLA: I’ll give you three guesses.
EDEN: That means we don’t get to go home?
KYLA: While the Professor and Thrace are still out there, we must do whatever we can to stop them playing with Scotland’s past, present and future. Otherwise, we may not have a home to go back to.
EDEN: SUSIE, let’s get going.
SUSIE: Certainly! Hold on … who knows where we’ll end up next!
Epilogue
SUSIE: Well, we managed to keep Drum Castle and the woodland in good working order. It’s no longer a desolate wasteland. But there’s still a lot of work to maintain the woodland and make sure that the castle doesn’t fall down. Luckily, the National Trust for Scotland is on the case.
Now that there’s an EVIL SUSIE out there, it’s even more important for me to keep my data banks up to date. Could you help me fill in the blanks again?
Question 1.
What was the Battle that Alexander Irvine escaped from in 1746? Was it:
a. The Battle of Bannockburn
b. The Battle of Dunbar
c. The Battle of Culloden
Question 2.
What was the name of Alexander Irvine’s sister? Was it:
a. Mary
b. Morag
c. Michelle
Question 3.
Why was the planting of trees so important at Drum? Was it:
a. Because trees are a good source of wood to build fires.
b. Because the Irvine family enjoyed building treehouses to hide in after battles.
c. Because trees help protect the natural environment, and provide habitats and shelter for animals.
Thank you for helping me to keep my systems up to date.
I’m sure that we’ll all see each other very soon. And if you’re ever at Drum Castle, be on the lookout for any changes in the timeline, and watch out for those time gates! There could still be a few flying around and you never know where you’re going to end up!
Bye!
Grow a tree in the Old Wood of Drum
pdf (37.343 KB)
During their adventures, Kyla and Eden discover why the Old Wood of Drum is so important. Pupils can use an outline to grow their own trees, inspired by a particular season. You could complete this activity using a range of different materials, including materials found on a nature walk.
Visit to Drum Castle
Following on from the audio stories, the children will be invited by SUSIE to visit Drum Castle and take part in the ongoing adventures of Kyla and Eden.
Our schools coordinator will be in touch to arrange a date for your visit, which will take place in May–June 2025.
Practicalities
Parking
- If you’re arriving by coach, follow the signs to the car park beside the main car park.
- Coaches should park in the designated coach bays.
- Parking for schools taking part in Timesliders is free of charge.
- There is accessible parking in the main car park area.
Toilets
- There are toilets (including an accessible toilet) in the castle courtyard.
- There are no Changing Places toilets at Drum.
Lunches
- There is no indoor lunch space, but we have an outdoor shelter where classes can have their snack and lunch.
- We will provide large storage boxes where lunches can be stored whilst you’re undertaking activities.
- As these boxes are not secured, we’d advise against pupils bringing valuables with them.
Inclement weather
- Your session will take place indoors in the castle and outdoors on the Drum estate.
- During periods of inclement weather, the outdoor trails and play park can become muddy.
- Please dress appropriately for your visit.
Teacher familiarisation pre-visit
- All teaching staff participating in the Timesliders programme are encouraged to attend this event at Drum Castle. This will be a great opportunity to find out more about the programme, tour the spaces, meet some of the property staff and ask any questions.
- We will also provide information on how we can help support your pupils with additional support needs.
- Refreshments will be provided.
- Our schools coordinator will be in touch to confirm the date in due course.
Extension activities
To continue your Timesliders adventure, you can use these optional extension activities with your class after your visit to Drum.
Episode 7: The Hugh Miller Thriller
Transcript
7 voices: Announcer; Eden; Kyla; Professor Curran; Thrace; SUSIE; Hugh Miller
ANNOUNCER: Previously on Timesliders ...
SUSIE: You are currently in the part of Scotland known as the Highlands, more specifically Glencoe.
KYLA: What? I’ve been to Glencoe and it doesn’t look anything like this. What’s happened to it?
SUSIE: The glen has not been formed as we have arrived in a time period pre-dating the melting of the glaciers.
KYLA and EDEN: What?!
SUSIE: This is the first stop on Professor Curran’s Operation Stopwatch.
KYLA: So, when are we?
SUSIE: That’s a much better question. About 10,000 BC. I can’t be more precise, I’m afraid.
PROF. CURRAN: You’re in the Highlands.
THRACE:: It doesn’t look like the Highlands to me.
PROF. CURRAN: That’s because it hasn’t been formed yet. We have arrived in about 10,000 BC, just as all this ice is starting to melt. When it’s finished, in a few thousand years’ time, it will leave what you and I know as Glencoe.
THRACE: [shivering] Oh. So why are we here then?
PROF. CURRAN: Because, my pea-brained sidekick, I don’t want the ice to melt slowly. I want it to melt quickly. Now, come along. We’ve got to set off the thermo-grenades at key points in the glacier.
SUSIE: I suspect that the Professor is trying to use the ice of the glacier to cause a flood.
PROF. CURRAN: Ugh, that’s all I need. Meddling children getting in my way. You’re too late. The devices have all been planted and there’s nothing you can do to stop them.
THRACE: Yeah! Unless you switch them off, there’s nothing you can do! Oh, sorry.
EDEN: Um … Kyla?
KYLA: Yeah?
EDEN: Where are we?
KYLA: I don’t know. SUSIE, why aren’t we home?
SUSIE: This is the next destination that was programmed into the Professor’s time travel plans.
KYLA: So, where are we?
SUSIE: Cromarty, a small town about 24 miles north of Inverness.
KYLA: Ah, phew! At least I’ve heard of it.
SUSIE: In 1819 …
KYLA and EDEN: What?!
ANNOUNCER: And now, on Timesliders ...
Scene 1
KYLA: Eden, we have to stay hidden. We’re going to stick out like sore thumbs looking like this.
EDEN: I just want to go home, Kyla!
KYLA: I know, but we can’t. We’ve got to find out what the Professor and Thrace are up to and stop them before they have the chance to do any damage.
EDEN: So, what are we doing here then?
KYLA: I’m not sure. Let’s ask SUSIE. SUSIE, tell us about Cromarty.
SUSIE: Cromarty is a port town that first appeared in historical records in the 1200s and was once protected by a castle. It has a rich and varied history, including trading with Norway, Sweden, Holland, Portugal and even the Mediterranean. Fishing was also incredibly important to Cromarty, particularly in the 19th century.
KYLA: That’s all very interesting, SUSIE, but why are we here? What could the Professor want with Cromarty?
SUSIE: I’m sorry but that information is not listed in my data banks.
KYLA: Well, we must be here for some reason. The Professor wouldn’t just travel back in time to Cromarty for no reason. Come on, Eden – let’s have a look around.
EDEN: OK, but what if we get spotted?
KYLA: Don’t worry. I’ve got an idea!
Scene 2
THRACE: Eh, boss. These clothes are a bit weird, and they’re really itchy.
PROF. CURRAN: They’re not meant to be comfortable, Thrace; they’re meant to help us blend in.
THRACE: Oh, I see. So, where are we then, boss?
PROF. CURRAN: I doubt you’d recognise the name of the place, even if I did tell you.
THRACE: Try me.
PROF. CURRAN: Oh, fine. We’re in a place called Cromarty.
THRACE: Oooh, wow! Cromarty? Excellent! Really pleased to be here. I always wanted to visit.
PROF. CURRAN: You’ve no idea where that is, do you?
THRACE: Nope. Is it in Scotland?
PROF. CURRAN: Of course it’s in Scotland, you fool.
THRACE: Oh right, so, why are we here then, boss? And why do I have to wear these itchy clothes to blend in?
PROF. CURRAN: We’re here, Thrace, to cause a ‘little accident’ at one of the stonemason’s yards.
THRACE: Oh right, yeah, of course. Why?
PROF. CURRAN: Tell me, Thrace – have you ever heard of Hugh Miller?
THRACE: Uh, nope.
PROF. CURRAN: Didn’t you go to school, stupid?
THRACE: I certainly did, and I came back stupid as well.
PROF. CURRAN: Why does that not surprise me? Hugh Miller is one of Scotland’s most important heroes and was an excellent geologist and writer.
THRACE: Oh! Wow! Boss?
PROF. CURRAN: What is it, Thrace?
THRACE: What’s a ge … geo … geolo … a golologist?
PROF. CURRAN: Do you mean a geologist?
THRACE: Aye! What’s one of them?
PROF. CURRAN: A geologist is a special kind of scientist who studies rocks. High Miller was a geologist, and his work was some of the most important of its time.
THRACE: So, he’s a very important chap then?
PROF. CURRAN: Very important!
THRACE: So, we’ll want to look after him?
PROF. CURRAN: No, Thrace! Do you remember that little accident I was talking about, in the stonemason’s yard?
THRACE: Yes …
PROF. CURRAN: Well, Hugh Miller is going to be a very important part of that accident.
THRACE: Oh right … oh! Right!
Scene 3
EDEN: Great job finding these clothes to wear, Kyla. We don’t look out of place at all now. They are very itchy though …
KYLA: Stop your whining! We’ve got to try and work out why we’re here. Why would the Professor want to be in Cromarty in 1819? We must be missing something.
EDEN: Maybe it’s not about the place …
KYLA: What do you mean?
EDEN: Maybe it’s about something that happened here, or somebody who lived here?
KYLA: That’s not a bad idea. Let’s see if SUSIE can help us get to the bottom of it. SUSIE, is there anyone important living in Cromarty in 1819?
SUSIE: Searching my memory banks … one name does appear. I should have seen it before.
EDEN: Who is it?
SUSIE: Hugh Miller.
KYLA: Who’s that?
SUSIE: Hugh Miller was one of the great Scots of the 19th century. He was a fossil-hunter, writer, stonemason and geologist, and his works were ground-breaking. He was born in Cromarty in 1802 in a house that had been built by his great-grandfather, who was a pirate!
KYLA and EDEN: A pirate?!
SUSIE: That’s right, a pirate. The Hugh Miller Birthplace is still standing in the 21st century; there’s even a museum dedicated to his life and works.
KYLA: I’m sure we’ve read about him at school.
SUSIE: I would think so. He is a very important part of Scotland’s history, and he discovered a large number of fossils. In fact, there is a group of fossils found all over the world named after Hugh Miller, meaning that he’s not just important to Scotland but the entire world.
EDEN: Hugh Miller must be why the Professor and Thrace are here. They must be planning to do something awful to him, to stop him becoming so important.
KYLA: Right, we need to find Hugh Miller. Where do we start?
SUSIE: Well, if we’re wanting to find him, we must figure out how old he is.
KYLA: What year is it again?
EDEN: 1819.
SUSIE: Correct.
KYLA: And when was Hugh Miller born?
EDEN: Oh! Oh! I know this one! Oh, don’t tell me! Don’t tell me … um … 1802!
SUSIE: Correct again.
KYLA: So, how old would that make him?
EDEN: Well, if he was born in 1802 and it’s 1819 now … that would mean he’s 17.
SUSIE: Well done. That is some very fast maths. Hugh Miller is currently 17 years old. Right, let me have a look in the memory bank and I’ll see if I can find anything that might tell us where he is. Got something!
KYLA and EDEN: Yes!
SUSIE: At the age of 17, Hugh Miller started working in a local quarry as an apprentice stonemason.
KYLA: Quick, SUSIE, we need directions. We’ve got to get there before the Professor does.
Scene 4
THRACE: Wow! Look at all these people working in the quarry.
PROF. CURRAN: Yes, they’re like ants. And do you know what we do with ants, Thrace?
THRACE: Feed them jam and give them cuddles?
PROF. CURRAN: No, you fool! We crush them.
THRACE: Oh! Well, that’s not very nice.
PROF. CURRAN: We’re not here to be nice, Thrace; we’re here to change the course of history.
THRACE: Oh yeah! I remember.
PROF. CURRAN: If you had a brain, you’d be dangerous.
THRACE: Thanks, boss?
PROF. CURRAN: Now, have you got the plans for my remarkable contraption?
THRACE: I have. But boss …
PROF. CURRAN: Yes, Thrace?
THRACE: I’m not sure I really understand them.
PROF. CURRAN: Oh, for goodness’ sake, Thrace. It could not be simpler. This rope attaches to that lever. That pulls on that weight. That then moves this pulley. Then that rope pulls on that pulley and fires that lever into that position there. Then Hugh Miller comes along, trips on that wire, and then that pulls this cord, that then catapults him into space, never to be seen or heard from again! Got it?
THRACE: I think so. That rope fits into that lever thing. Some sort of spaceship fires another rope and … I’ll work it out.
PROF. CURRAN: You’d better, because if you don’t, you’ll be the one being catapulted into space, never to be seen or heard from again. And we wouldn’t want that now, would we?
THRACE: No, we certainly wouldn’t!
Scene 5
KYLA: This is hopeless! We’re never going to find him among all these people. We don’t even know what he looks like.
EDEN: Didn’t they have cameras in 1819?
KYLA: Don’t be silly, of course not.
EDEN: Well, how are we going to find him?
KYLA: Hang on, maybe SUSIE can help. SUSIE, do you have any idea what Hugh Miller looked like?
SUSIE: I’ve got one or two pictures in my memory banks as well as a description. He was about 6ft tall, with red hair and large, mutton-chop whiskers.
EDEN: What do they look like?
SUSIE: Like this!
KYLA: Ah, I see. Right, well, 6ft is quite tall, so be on the lookout, Eden.
EDEN: Kyla!
KYLA: What?
EDEN: I think we’re too late! Look!
KYLA: Oh no! It’s the Professor and Thrace.
EDEN: And they’re building something! This can’t be good.
KYLA: Quick, Eden – let’s get over there.
Scene 6
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace! Thrace!
THRACE: Yes, boss.
PROF. CURRAN: How long until my supremely brilliant contraption is ready?
THRACE: Very nearly, boss. I’ve just got to put that rope in there, and then pull that lever there, and we’re good to go.
KYLA: Not so fast! We know what you’re up to, and we won’t let you hurt Hugh Miller.
PROF. CURRAN: Argh! Not you two again.
THRACE: Don’t worry! We’re not going to hurt Hugh Miller.
EDEN: You’re not?
THRACE: No, we’re just sending him on a trip.
PROF. CURRAN: Yes, forever! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!
THRACE: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace?
THRACE: Yes, boss?
PROF. CURRAN: How many times have I told you that I am the only one allowed to do the evil villain laugh?
THRACE: Sorry.
PROF. CURRAN: So, you think you can thwart my plans for a second time? I don’t think so. Thrace!
THRACE: Yes, boss.
PROF. CURRAN: Get them!
KYLA: Quick, Eden, run!
Scene 7
KYLA: SUSIE, what do the Professor and Thrace plan to do?
SUSIE: Well, from searching my memory banks I can tell you that the contraption that the Professor has invented is designed to catapult Hugh Miller off the face of the planet and remove him and his work from history.
EDEN: We can’t let them do that! Hugh Miller is one of the most important people in Scottish history.
SUSIE: He certainly is. I think I might have an idea. All you need to do is lure the Professor and Thrace into their own trap, then one of you pulls that big lever over there, then they’ll be the ones catapulted off the face of the planet.
KYLA: Great plan, SUSIE. I’m on it. Eden, wait!
Scene 8
EDEN: Hey! You two!
PROF. CURRAN and THRACE: What?
KYLA: Over here!
PROF. CURRAN: After the little oik!
THRACE: On it, boss!
PROF. CURRAN: I have you now. No more meddling for you.
THRACE: Yeah!
PROF. CURRAN: Shut up, Thrace.
THRACE: Sorry, boss.
EDEN: Kyla, now!
THRACE: Um, boss … !
PROF. CURRAN: What is it, Thrace?
THRACE: Hold on to your hats!
KYLA: Eden! Look out!
EDEN: What? Oh no!
Scene 9
KYLA: Red hair, mutton-chop whiskers, 6ft tall, you’re … you’re Hugh Miller!
HUGH: Aye. And who might you be?
EDEN: Well, I’m …
KYLA: No-one important! Thank you for your help.
HUGH: Make a right use of your eyes in future.
KYLA: Will do. Thanks!
EDEN: What did you do that for?
KYLA: Well, what were you going to say to him? Hi, my name’s Eden and I’m a time-traveller here to save your life?
EDEN: Well … maybe?
KYLA: You can’t! Don’t you know anything about time travel? Anything we do in the past could be really bad for the future. That’s the very thing we’re trying to stop the Professor from doing.
EDEN: OK, you’re right. I wonder what will happen to the Professor and Thrace?
Scene 10
PROF. CURRAN and THRACE: Argh!
THRACE: Professor!
PROF. CURRAN: What is it, Thrace?
THRACE: Would now be a good time to use our time devices?
PROF. CURRAN: Yes, Thrace, it would!
THRACE: Alright, I’ll press the button, shall I?
PROF. CURRAN: If you wouldn’t mind!
THRACE: On it now, boss!
Scene 11
SUSIE: Hello! Um, I’ve got some good news and some bad news.
EDEN: What’s the good news?
SUSIE: Well, the good news is you saved Hugh Miller and his work for the future generations of Scotland.
KYLA: What’s the bad news?
SUSIE: You’re about to time slide again.
EDEN: What? Where are we going this time?
SUSIE: Well, if my calculations are correct, and they usually are, then we will be heading not too far away – over to Brodie Castle.
KYLA: Will we be any closer to our time?
SUSIE: Of that, I’m not quite sure.
EDEN: Uh oh, here we go!
Epilogue
SUSIE: Ah, hello there. SUSIE here. Once again, I’ve lost a few pieces of key information in my memory banks, and I need you to help me fill them in. OK, here we go.
Question 1.
What is a geologist? Is it:
a) a scientist that studies rocks and fossils
b) someone who studies geometry and maths
c) someone who flies into space
Question 2.
How old was Hugh Miller in 1819? Was he:
a) 37
b) 27
c) 17
Last question now.
What did Hugh Miller discover lots of? Was it:
a) fossils
b) fish
c) flowers
Thank you so much for helping me keep my systems online. It means that I can help Kyla and Eden as they try to stop that dastardly Professor Curran.
I’ll see you next time!
Episode 8: Portraits from the Past (part I)
Transcript
7 voices: Announcer; Eden; Kyla; Professor Curran; Thrace; SUSIE; Painting lady [P]
ANNOUNCER: Previously on Timesliders ...
EDEN: That’s all very interesting, SUSIE, but why are we here? What could the Professor want with Cromarty?
PROF. CURRAN: Tell me, Thrace – have you ever heard of Hugh Miller?
THRACE: Um, nope.
PROF. CURRAN: Didn’t you go to school, stupid?
THRACE: I certainly did. And I came back stupid as well.
PROF. CURRAN: Oh, why does that not surprise me? Hugh Miller is one of Scotland’s most important heroes and was an excellent geologist and writer.
THRACE: Oh! Wow!
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace! Thrace!
THRACE: Yes, boss?
PROF. CURRAN: How long until my supremely brilliant contraption is ready?
THRACE: Very nearly, boss. I’ve just got to put that rope in there and then pull that lever there, and we’re good to go.
KYLA: Not so fast! We know what you’re up to and we won’t let you hurt Hugh Miller.
PROF. CURRAN: Argh, not you two again!
KYLA: SUSIE, what do the Professor and Thrace plan to do?
SUSIE: Well, from searching my memory banks I can tell you the contraption that the Professor has invented is designed to catapult Hugh Miller off the face of the planet, and remove him and his work from history.
KYLA: We can’t let them do that! Hugh Miller is one of the most important people in Scottish history.
SUSIE: He certainly is. I think I might have an idea. I’ve got some good news and some bad news.
KYLA: What’s the good news?
SUSIE: Well, the good news is that you saved Hugh Miller and his work for the future generations of Scotland.
EDEN: What’s the bad news?
SUSIE: You’re about to time slide again.
KYLA: What? Where are we going this time?
SUSIE: Well, if my calculations are correct and they usually are, then we’ll be heading not too far away – over to Brodie Castle.
KYLA: Will we be any closer to our time?
SUSIE: Of that, I’m not quite sure.
EDEN: Uh oh – here we go …
ANNOUNCER: And now, on Timesliders ...
Scene 1
THRACE: Argh!
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace! Will you be quiet?
THRACE: Sorry, boss – I’m never going to get used to this time-travelling thing.
PROF. CURRAN: Well, you’re going to have to because we’ve got a lot of work to do, and it involves doing a lot of time-travelling.
THRACE: Great …
PROF. CURRAN: What was that?
THRACE: Nothing!
PROF. CURRAN: That’s what I thought. Right, follow me, oh ye of little brain.
Scene 2
EDEN: I really like that!
KYLA: What?
EDEN: It’s just like a rollercoaster.
KYLA: I’d rather be on a rollercoaster than travelling through time. So, this is Brodie Castle?
SUSIE: This is indeed Brodie Castle. However, there is a small problem.
KYLA: What kind of problem?
SUSIE: We don’t seem to have arrived in any particular time.
EDEN: What? What do you mean?
SUSIE: I’m not entirely sure. We are in Brodie Castle, but I can’t tell you when we are. It’s almost as if we’re not here in any particular time period.
KYLA: I don’t understand. Is there something wrong with your system?
SUSIE: Maybe. I shall run a few tests and make sure. I’ll be powering down for a bit. See you later.
KYLA: Bye! It’s so quiet, Eden. I don’t like it.
EDEN: Me either. Look at all these paintings. They look really old.
KYLA: Come on.
EDEN: Where are we going?
KYLA: Well, if we’re here, it means that the Professor and Thrace can’t be too far away.
EDEN: And if they’re here …
KYLA: … it means they’re up to no good! Come on. This way.
Scene 3
THRACE: So, what’s the plan then, boss?
PROF. CURRAN: It’s perfect in every way. You see, Thrace, I’m a bit of a collector. Do you like my paintings on the walls?
THRACE: Um, yeah. Really … well painted.
PROF. CURRAN: Look closer.
THRACE: Ok. Argh! What was that?
PROF. CURRAN: That was one of the people I’ve trapped in my paintings. Brilliant, isn’t it?
THRACE: It’s scary.
PROF. CURRAN: Oh, pull yourself together.
THRACE: So, why have you trapped people in the paintings?
PROF. CURRAN: Well, I needed a way of getting rid of key people throughout Scotland’s history … without drawing attention.
THRACE: Ha ha! Ha ha! That’s very good! Very funny, boss!
PROF. CURRAN: What on earth are you laughing at, Thrace?
THRACE: Your joke!
PROF. CURRAN: What joke?
THRACE: ‘without drawing attention’! Ha ha! Very funny!
PROF. CURRAN: Oh, shut up, Thrace.
THRACE: Sorry, boss.
PROF. CURRAN: The point is that I have managed to get rid of some of history’s most influential Scots men and women, and I’ve trapped them here. And the best thing is by being here, they will never have existed, so no one will miss them.
THRACE: What?
PROF. CURRAN: Let me explain.
Scene 4
SUSIE: Right, I’ve got to the bottom of when we are.
KYLA: Great. When are we?
SUSIE: We’re not.
KYLA: What?
SUSIE: We have entered what is known as a time pocket, which means we don’t exist in time.
EDEN: That’s really silly.
SUSIE: I know. To put it simply, anything that exists here doesn’t exist anywhere else.
EDEN: Why would the Professor want to be somewhere where nothing exists?
SUSIE: That is a very good question. I believe it may have something to do with all the other people here.
KYLA: What other people?
SUSIE: Well, according to my information, there are ten people in this room as well as you two.
KYLA: But there isn’t! It’s just us.
EDEN: What if there are ghosts?!
KYLA: Don’t be silly.
EDEN: Well, alright – what’s your bright idea then?
KYLA: Um … well … oh … I don’t know. Eden, how many paintings are there on the wall?
EDEN: Um, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 … 10!
KYLA: It couldn’t be … let’s ask them. Excuse me! Is anyone in there? Helloooo!
PAINTING LADY: Hello?
KYLA and EDEN: Argh!
PAINTING LADY: Oh, hello. Sorry to have scared you. It’s just been such a long time since I’ve spoken to anyone. I thought I was going to be trapped in here forever.
KYLA: How on earth did you get trapped in a painting? How long have you been in there for?
P: I can’t remember. But that strange Professor Curran had me locked up in here and I’ve not been able to get out. The same goes for all the others. Isn’t that right?
LOTS OF VOICES: Yes! Yes! Yes! Aye! Locked up for centuries! Aye! Yes!
EDEN: How is that possible?
SUSIE: I think I might be able to answer that. The Professor has managed to trap these people here in a timeless place so that they no longer exist. Read one of the paintings.
KYLA: Robert the Bruce, 1310. Never heard of him.
PAINTING LADY: Never heard of Robert the Bruce, King of the Scots? Bannockburn?
KYLA: Nope.
SUSIE: That’s because with him trapped here, none of it ever happened – just as the Professor planned.
EDEN: Well, what can we do?
PROF. CURRAN: The Professor uses some sort of device to trap us. You’ll need to get the device and figure out how it works to set us free.
SUSIE: Easier said than done, I’m afraid. We’ve got a slight problem.
EDEN: What is it?
SUSIE: I can sense another time device starting up.
KYLA: That means that the Professor and Thrace are nearby. Quick! We’ve got to find them.
Scene 5
PROF. CURRAN: And remember, Thrace – you’ve got to trap them using this device. Don’t get this wrong because if you do …
THRACE: I know, I know. You’ll hang me upside down by my ears.
PROF. CURRAN: That’s right. Now, off you go.
EDEN: Wait! Stop.
PROF. CURRAN: Urgh, not you two again. Can’t you just get lost or something?
EDEN: We’re here to free all the people you’ve got trapped.
PROF. CURRAN: And how are you going to do that? You’ll need the device for that, and Thrace was just about to leave, weren’t you, Thrace?
THRACE: I certainly was. Off I go! Bye!
KYLA: No!
PROF. CURRAN: And as for you two … I think I’ll just leave you here. Don’t worry, you’ll be back in no time. Ha ha ha ha ha! Get it? No time! Ha ha ha! Because there is no time here. Ha ha ha ha ha! Why aren’t you laughing?
EDEN: Errrr … because you’re not very funny?
PROF. CURRAN: Well, maybe you’ll have time to find a sense of humour whilst we’re gone. See you later, losers!
Scene 6
EDEN: Oh, what are we going to do?
KYLA: We need to find out where they’ve gone, get the trapping device off them and then free everyone from these paintings. SUSIE, where have they gone to, and can you take us there?
SUSIE: I’ll answer your last question first: no.
KYLA: Why not?
SUSIE: Because I don’t know where they’ve gone.
KYLA: What are we going to do?
EDEN: We have to figure out where they’ve gone to and then get SUSIE to follow them there.
KYLA: How do we do that?
EDEN: I’m not sure. Think. How can we figure out where they’ve gone? Ummmm, I think I’ve got an idea!
KYLA: Quick then! What is it?
EDEN: SUSIE, how many people are in this room, apart from Kyla and me?
SUSIE: My systems say there are 15 people in the room.
EDEN: Quick! Count the paintings.
KYLA: Um, 5, 10, 15, 16 – there are 16 pictures, which means one of them doesn’t have someone trapped inside. Look for the one that’s not moving. I found it! It’s this one.
EDEN: How do you know?
KYLA: Well, it’s the only one not moving and I know the person in the painting. And if I know them and you know them, they’ve not been trapped yet!
EDEN: Who is it?
KYLA: Look!
KYLA and EDEN: Mary, Queen of Scots, 1563.
SUSIE: I may have some information that could help.
EDEN: What is it, SUSIE?
SUSIE: According to my memory banks, Mary, Queen of Scots was staying at Falkland Palace in 1563. I suspect that’s where the Professor and Thrace are on their way to now.
KYLA: Can you get us there, SUSIE?
SUSIE: I can, but it won’t be easy to stop the pair of them.
EDEN: We’ve got to try.
SUSIE: OK, I shall set the co-ordinates. Hold on!
PAINTING LADY: Good luck! Please hurry back – we’ve been trapped here for so long.
EDEN: We’ll do our best!
SUSIE: Ready?
KYLA and EDEN: Ready!
SUSIE: Here we go.
Scene 7
EDEN: Wow! Look at this place. It’s amazing!
KYLA: SUSIE, did we arrive in the right time?
SUSIE: We certainly did. Falkland Palace, 1563.
EDEN: Have the Professor and Thrace arrived?
SUSIE: Yes, my systems show that they are already here.
KYLA: We’ve got to stop them before they trap another historical figure.
EDEN: So, what do we do?
KYLA: That’s simple. We find Mary, Queen of Scots.
Epilogue
SUSIE: SUSIE here. I’ve not lost any information this time, but you could help me prepare for the next bit of this adventure. We’ve got to find Mary, Queen of Scots before the Professor and Thrace trap her in a painting forever and remove her from history. I know that she’s here somewhere, but Falkland Palace is quite a big place, and I could do with some clues to start looking for her.
See if you can find out what Mary, Queen of Scots enjoyed doing whilst she was at the palace. That will be an excellent place to start.
See you soon!
Episode 9: Portraits from the Past (part II)
Transcript
7 voices: Announcer; Eden; Kyla; Professor Curran; Thrace; SUSIE; Painting lady
ANNOUNCER: Previously on Timesliders ...
KYLA: I’d rather be on a rollercoaster than travelling through time. So, this is Brodie Castle?
SUSIE: This is indeed Brodie Castle. However, there is a small problem.
EDEN: What kind of problem?
SUSIE: We don’t seem to have arrived in any particular time.
KYLA: What? What do you mean?
SUSIE: I’m not entirely sure. We are in Brodie Castle but I can’t tell you when we are. It’s almost as if we’re not here in any particular time period.
EDEN: Excuse me! Is anyone in there? Hello?
PAINTING LADY: Hello?
KYLA and EDEN: Argh!
PAINTING LADY: Oh hello, sorry to have scared you. It’s just been such a long time since I’ve spoken to anyone. I thought I was going to be trapped in here forever.
KYLA: How on earth did you get trapped in a painting?
SUSIE: We have entered what is known as a time pocket, which means we don’t exist in time. To put it simply, anything that exists here doesn’t exist anywhere else.
PROF. CURRAN: Oh, shut up, Thrace.
THRACE: Sorry, boss.
PROF. CURRAN: The point is that I have managed to get rid of some of history’s most influential Scots men and women and I’ve trapped them here. And the best thing is, by being here they will never have existed, so no one will miss them.
KYLA: We’ve got to stop them before they trap another historical figure.
EDEN: So, what do we do?
KYLA: That’s simple – we find Mary, Queen of Scots.
ANNOUNCER: And now, on Timesliders ...
Scene 1
KYLA: This place is amazing. Look at those hills over there!
SUSIE: Those are the Lomond hills – quite spectacular.
KYLA: And as nice as this is, we can’t spend all day looking around the gardens. We need to find Mary, Queen of Scots before the Professor and Thrace do.
SUSIE: Quite right. Now, I did get some help with tracking down the queen. She was a big fan of hunting, falconry and royal tennis.
EDEN: What’s royal tennis?
SUSIE: Royal tennis – or real tennis as it is also known – is the original form of tennis that was played indoors. It’s fairly similar to the tennis that we play in modern times, but the rules are more complicated. It was incredibly popular during the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the court is still at Falkland Palace, back in the 21st century.
KYLA: Well, let’s start there then.
Scene 2
PROF. CURRAN: Right, Thrace. Your only job is to find Mary, Queen of Scots and use the trapping device on her. I’ll handle those two pesky children and make sure they don’t interfere with our plans again. Got it?
THRACE: Got it, boss. Ooh, boss?
PROF. CURRAN: What is it, Thrace?
THRACE: How will I know who Mary, Queen of Scots is?
PROF. CURRAN: She’s the queen.
THRACE: Yeah, but what does the queen look like?
PROF. CURRAN: Well, queenly!
THRACE: Right! Ummmmm …
PROF. CURRAN: Look, Thrace. You’ll know when you see the queen because she will be surrounded by guards, and lots of people, and she’ll look like the most important person in the room. Just use your brain.
THRACE: Right.
PROF. CURRAN: On second thoughts, don’t use your brain – we haven’t got enough time to get it started.
THRACE: Good call, boss.
PROF. CURRAN: Look, all you need to do is look for the person who looks like a queen. Then, use the trapping device on her.
THRACE: Righto.
Scene 3
KYLA: Can’t see her anywhere, can you?
EDEN: No, but then I don’t really know what Mary, Queen of Scots looked like.
SUSIE: Maybe I can help. According to historical record, she was very tall and very beautiful. Here are a couple of pictures I found in my memory banks.
KYLA: Thanks SUSIE, that’s great. Can you see anyone here that looks like that?
EDEN: Nope!
KYLA: Come on, we’ve got to find her. Time’s running out.
Scene 4
THRACE: Oh! Hi, boss. Queen Mary! Queenie! Ooh, boss, sorry! Um, how are you doing?
PROF. CURRAN: Urgh, I can’t find those annoying brats anywhere. What about you? Have you found the queen yet?
THRACE: Nope, I can’t find her at all. Falkland Palace is a pretty big place, you know. She could be anywhere.
PROF. CURRAN: Well, you’d better find her soon or you know what will happen.
THRACE: We’ll go back home, have a nice cup of hot chocolate and watch TV!
PROF. CURRAN: No, you fool! I’ll be putting you in one of those paintings. Now, get on with it.
THRACE: [gulps] Righto, boss.
Scene 5
KYLA: Look, Eden! Up there. What’s that?
EDEN: That’s a hawk. Didn’t SUSIE say the queen enjoyed falconry?
SUSIE: I certainly did. It was one of her favourite hobbies.
EDEN: What’s falconry?
SUSIE: Falconry is the use of trained birds of prey for hunting. It was very popular at the time of Queen Mary’s reign and is still practised in the 21st century.
EDEN: So, the birds are trained to hunt for food?
SUSIE: That’s right. Queen Mary was said to be quite good at it.
EDEN: Look, the bird is landing. Kyla, I think that’s her!
KYLA: Quick! Let’s get over there. That’s definitely her, which means that the Professor and Thrace haven’t got to her yet.
EDEN: Excellent. There’s still time. We have to warn her.
KYLA: No! We can’t. Remember, we can’t affect the past. We have to try and find Thrace and the Professor. I’ve got a plan. You stay here and keep an eye on the queen, but keep your distance. If Thrace or the Professor get anywhere near her, stop them! I’ll go and see if I can find them and get that trapping device.
EDEN: OK. Be careful!
Scene 6
THRACE: Queen Mary! Hello? Queenie? Has anybody seen a queen of Scotland wandering about? This is no good. How am I ever going to find a queen in this place? It’s huge! Argh!
KYLA: Argh! You! What are you doing here?
THRACE: Ur, nothing.
KYLA: I know who you’re looking for.
THRACE: What?! I’m not looking for anyone. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m certainly not looking for a queen of Scotland …
KYLA: Ha! Got you!
THRACE: What? Who said queen of Scotland?! I didn’t!
KYLA: Yes, you did.
THRACE: I’m so confused.
KYLA: Well, you can forget it. I know what you’re planning to do and we’re not going to let you.
THRACE: What am I planning to do then?
KYLA: You’re planning to kidnap Mary, Queen of Scots and trap her in one of those paintings in that timeless place, so that the world forgets who she is.
THRACE: Yep, that’s pretty much it. Oh! I mean, no! That’s not it at all.
KYLA: Oh really?
THRACE: Yes really.
KYLA: Look!
THRACE: Where?
KYLA: Over there.
THRACE: What? Come back here.
KYLA: See ya later!
Scene 7
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace! Thrace! Where are you?
THRACE: Oh, hi boss. You didn’t see Kyla run this way, did you?
PROF. CURRAN: No, I didn’t see Kyla running this way. Why would … Thrace?
THRACE: Yes, boss?
PROF. CURRAN: Where is the trapping device?
THRACE: Well, it’s a bit of a funny story, boss.
PROF. CURRAN: Oh really?
THRACE: Well, not so much funny but it is a story.
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace! Tell me what’s happened immediately.
THRACE: Um, well, the thing is, you see, what I was trying to do, it’s all a bit complicated. Now, don’t get mad but the thing is … this is the thing …
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace!
THRACE: Kyla got the trapping device!
PROF. CURRAN: What? Where are those children?
THRACE: I don’t know.
PROF. CURRAN: Well, find them, you fool.
Scene 8
KYLA: I got it! I got the trapping device. We’ve got to work out how to use this to free all of those other people trapped in those paintings.
EDEN: I wouldn’t even know where to start.
SUSIE: I might, but I think we might want to get out of here first.
EDEN: Why?
SUSIE: Because of them!
KYLA: OK, SUSIE, get us out of here!
SUSIE: No problem. Hold on.
PROF. CURRAN: No! No, no, no no … quick, Thrace – after them!
THRACE: What?
PROF. CURRAN: We need to follow them. Where’s the time device?
THRACE: Oh well, another funny story … I think I dropped it in the palace when we bumped into each other.
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace!
Scene 9
KYLA: Phew! That was close.
EDEN: Thank goodness Queen Mary is safe.
KYLA: OK, let’s have a look at this thing.
SUSIE: It should be fairly simple. If the Professor designed the device for Thrace to use, then anyone can use it.
KYLA: I think I’ve got it.
EDEN: Quick, let’s try it out.
KYLA: What happened?
EDEN: Where did it go?
SUSIE: Ah. I have good news and bad.
KYLA: Oh dear. Give us the good news first.
SUSIE: Well, the good news is that the person in the painting has been returned to the timeline.
EDEN: Well, that’s great!
SUSIE: Yes, but unfortunately they are still trapped in the painting.
KYLA and EDEN: What?!
SUSIE: Yes, it’s been returned to the timeline and has gone back to Brodie Castle, but the person in the painting is still trapped inside. Oh, one more piece of bad news, I’m afraid.
KYLA: What is it?
SUSIE: I think the Professor and Thrace are about to arrive.
EDEN: Oh, what shall we do?
KYLA: We’ll have to send all the paintings back and then deal with them in our own timeline.
SUSIE: That’s a great idea. I think I’ve got just the people to help us out with that.
KYLA: Right, come on. We’ve got to get these guys back to the timeline before the Professor and Thrace get here.
PROF. CURRAN: No! What are you doing? Stop it immediately.
EDEN: We’re setting them all free and there’s nothing you can do about it.
PROF. CURRAN: Thrace! Stop them!
THRACE: How?
PROF. CURRAN: Do anything.
THRACE: Righto, boss.
EDEN: We’ve nearly got them all. Just one more. Robert the Bruce!
KYLA: Well, whoever you are, you’ll be back in the right timeline soon.
PROF. CURRAN: No! You pesky brats have ruined my plans for the last time. Thrace!
THRACE: Yes, boss?
PROF. CURRAN: Fetch me the self-destruct button.
THRACE: Are you sure?
PROF. CURRAN: Yes.
THRACE: OK.
PROF. CURRAN: Not only am I going to destroy this timeless place, but I’m going to destroy you two with it.
EDEN: SUSIE?
SUSIE: Yes, Eden?
EDEN: I think it’s time to get out of here!
SUSIE: I think you’re quite right.
Scene 10
KYLA: Phew. That was close. SUSIE, where are we now?
SUSIE: Well, according to my calculations, we have arrived in Killiecrankie on 27 July 1689.
EDEN: Why are we here?
SUSIE: I would assume that it is something to do with the Battle of Killiecrankie, fought between the Jacobites and the Redcoats. I can only imagine what trouble the Professor and Thrace are causing.
KYLA: Well, we’ll have to find them and stop them.
SUSIE: Of course.
EDEN: But what are we going to do about the paintings?
SUSIE: Well, the most important thing is that they are back in the right timeline, which means that they are where they should be.
EDEN: Imagine being trapped in there like that. You’d be so bored.
SUSIE: No need to worry about that. I think I’ve got just the people to help out with it. But for now, you will need to find somewhere to hide. This is not a safe place. Quickly now!
Epilogue
SUSIE: SUSIE here. Right, now the portraits of all the historical figures and characters from history are back in the right timeline. I’m going to need you to help me keep them entertained. They can be found all across Scotland, so if you see a picture coming to life at any point, make sure to say hello. You never know what adventures they might take you on!
I must go.
Kyla and Eden are going to need all the help they can get on their next adventure.
See you soon.
Get in touch
Thank you so much for using these resources, and we hope you enjoy the adventures!
Accessible formats of all downloads are available on request.
If you have any questions, please contact our Schools Coordinator as below:
Email: drum@nts.org.uk
Tel: 01330 700334
Address: Drum Castle, Garden & Estate, Drumoak, Banchory, Aberdeenshire AB31 5EY
Credits
Created by Ben Humphrey for the National Trust for Scotland
Written by William Douglas, T G Hofman and Ben Humphrey
Kyla – Carys Jones
Eden – Hannah Beth Jackson
Professor Curran – Gillian Haye
Thrace – Jack Tait Anderson
SUSIE – Jonathan Darby
Other roles are played by members of the cast.
Director – Ben Humphrey
Sound Engineer – Richard Wood
Producer – Tortive Studios
Recorded at The Old Smithy Studios