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We'll start today's show with a riddle.
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Okay, ready?
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What has hands but cannot clap? Any idea? A clock!
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Riddles can be a lot of fun. They twist your
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brain in all sorts of ways. And in today's story,
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we'll meet a woman who's all about solving riddles. The trickier,
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the better. I'm Rebecca Shear, and welcome to Circle Round.
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where story time happens all the time. You'll hear different
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versions of today's story in many countries, from Poland to
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Germany to India. The version we're sharing comes from a
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country in Europe once known as Czechoslovakia. The tale is
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called Clever Manka. Manka, as you'll learn, is a very
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important character in our folktale. Some terrific people came together
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to help bring you this story, including Bridget Moynihan. If
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you're a grown-up listening right now, you might recognize her
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from the hit CBS drama Blue Bloods. So circle around, everyone,
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for Clever Monka. There once was a man who owned
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a small inn. That's another name for a hotel. The
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innkeeper was very wealthy and very proud and very greedy.
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The wealthy, proud, and greedy innkeeper often hired people to
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do odd jobs at his inn. One day, he brought
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in a tailor to mend the tablecloths and curtains. The
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tailor was a humble man whose only delight in the
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whole wide world was his very kind and very clever daughter, Manka. Now,
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as a reward for helping with the mending, the innkeeper
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had promised the tailor a lovely brown cow. But when
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the time came, the innkeeper refused to give it to him.
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I never said I'd give you a brown cow.
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Yes, you did.
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No, I didn't.
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Yes, you did.
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The two men argued like this for a while until Monka,
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the tailor's kind, clever daughter, stepped in. Listen, listen.
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Instead of fighting, how about visiting the judge of the town?
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He's a young man and he's new to the job,
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but word has it he's a very fair judge. He
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may have an answer to this problem.
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So the innkeeper and the tailor walked to the town
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hall to meet with the judge. Manka went with them.
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Hello, good sirs and good lady. What can I do
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for you today?
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The innkeeper and the tailor explained their situation to the judge.
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All right, all right.
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Here's what we're going to do. Instead of deciding this case,
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I will ask both of you a series of riddles.
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Whoever gives me the best answer, he's the one who
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gets the lovely brown cow.
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Sound good?
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The innkeeper and the tailor nodded. Manka sat to the
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side and watched with interest, her eyes shining brightly.
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Well then, gentlemen, here are my riddles. Now listen carefully.
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The first riddle is, What is the fastest thing in
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the world? The second riddle is, What is the sweetest
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thing in the world? And the third riddle is, What
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is the richest thing in the world.
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Now, you may remember that the innkeeper was a very wealthy,
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very proud, and very greedy man. He immediately jumped out
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of his chair to answer.
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Your Honor, these riddles of yours are ridiculously easy.
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Are they?
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Of course.
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The fastest thing in the world is my strong black horse,
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for nothing can ride more swiftly than she. The sweetest
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thing in the world is the honey I get from
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my beautiful beehives. And the richest thing in the world
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is the chest of gold coins I've been saving in
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the barn behind my house. Those are the answers to
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your riddles.
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The innkeeper crossed his arms and laughed. He was so
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pleased with himself that he didn't notice Manka, the tailor's kind,
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clever daughter, whisper something in her father's ear. The tailor
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stepped forward.
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Now it is my turn to answer your riddles, your honor.
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The fastest thing in the world are thoughts, we think,
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for they can run any distance in no time at all.
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The sweetest thing in the world is sleep, for when
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we are tired, nothing could be sweeter. And the richest
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thing in the world is the earth, for it is
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from the earth that we get all the world's riches.
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The judge reached out and patted the tailor on the shoulder.
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Well done, man. What fine, fine answers. The lovely brown
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cow is yours.
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The wealthy, proud, and greedy innkeeper was disappointed that he'd
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been bested by the tailor.
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What?
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Seriously? Guess I have no choice. I've lost, so I'll
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go home now and get that cow for you.
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After the innkeeper trudged away, the judge pulled the tailor aside.
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Tell me, my friend, how did you know the answers
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to my riddles? Did you really think them up all
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by yourself?
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The tailor was a very honest man, so he motioned
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to his kind and clever daughter, Manka. She got up
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from her chair and walked over to the two men.
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It was I who thought up the answers, Your Honor.
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When you asked your riddles, they just came to me
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in the twinkling of an eye.
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The judge was impressed and intrigued.
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I'd like to see whether you're really as clever as
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you seem, Manka. Please, come back and see me tomorrow.
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But here are the rules. You must not come by
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day or by night. You must not be riding or walking.
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And you must not be dressed or undressed.
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Manka's father was perplexed. Under his breath, he whispered to
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his daughter.
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Manka, do you have any idea what he's talking about?
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This man is talking nonsense.
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But Manka just smiled. All right, I will come back tomorrow.
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I must not come by day or by night. I
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must not be riding or walking, and I must not
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be dressed or undressed. Your Honor, you have yourself a deal.
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That's quite a riddle, the judge handed Clever Manka.
What
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do you think she will do? We'll find out after
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a quick break. Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Shear.
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Today our story is called Clever Manka. When we left off,
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the judge had given the tailor's kind, clever daughter, Manka,
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a riddle. She must come back and see him at
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the town hall. Only she must not come by day
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or by night. She must not be riding or walking anywhere.
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And she must not be dressed or undressed. So, do
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you know what she did? She went to the fisherwoman
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next door and asked to borrow her fishnet. Then she
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went to the shepherd across the street and asked to
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borrow one of his goats. She then went to bed
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and awoke at dawn. She took the large fishnet and
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draped it over herself. Then she tossed one foot over
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the goat's back and kept the other foot on the ground.
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And that's how she returned to the judge at the
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town hall. So now, I ask you, did Manka go
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by day or by night? Neither. It was dawn, when
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the night is not yet over and the day has
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not yet begun. Was she riding or walking?
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Neither.
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She had one foot on the ground and the other
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foot over a goat's back. And was she dressed or undressed? Again, neither.
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After all, wasn't she covered with a big old fishnet?
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When Manka reached the town hall, she called out to
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the judge.
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Your Honor, Your Honor, it is I, Manka. I've come
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neither by day nor by night, neither riding nor walking,
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neither dressed nor undressed.
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The judge was delighted. A most brilliant solution, Manka. Clearly
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you and I share a gift for cleverness. I suspect
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we could talk and Tell riddles the rest of our lives.
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Well, that day, Manka and the judge talked and told
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riddles for hours and hours. After that, they began spending
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more and more time together. Soon, they fell in love,
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and then they were married. The day after
the wedding,
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the judge asked Manka to come sit with him at
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the table.
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My dear Manka, being with you is such a joy.
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I learn something new every day. But I have to
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tell you, You must never use your cleverness in any
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of the cases I am judging. You must leave those
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cases up to me. If you ever give advice to
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anyone who comes to me for judgment, I will put
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you out of my house at once and send you
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home to your father's cottage. Do you understand?
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Manka had a rich, full life of her own and
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saw no reason to get involved with her husband's job.
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Of course, my dear, I understand. I must never give
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advice to anyone who comes to you for judgment.
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And she stayed true to her word. Until one day
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when she spied a man coming out of the town hall.
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The man wore a frown on his face and was
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hunched over with sadness. Manka's kind heart went out to him.
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Sir, good sir, you look so upset.
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Did something happen to you inside the town hall? The
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man looked up at Manka, his eyes glistening with tears.
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Oh, I was just telling my problem to the town judge.
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You see, I'm a farmer. I once owned a horse
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who had a colt, an adorable baby horse, right in
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the middle of the marketplace. The little creature was born
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right then and there. The little colt's legs were shaky.
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He had, after all, just come into this world. But
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he immediately ran under the wagon of another farmer. After that,
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the other farmer claimed the colt was his.
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So did the judge make sure you got your colt back?
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No. He said, the man who found the colt under
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his wagon is, of course, the owner of the colt.
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He sided with the other farmer. Can you believe it?
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Manka was sad that the farmer had lost his colt.
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And she was angry that her husband, the judge, had
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made such a foolish decision.
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All right, friend. Here's what you must do. Tell me,
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do you have a fishing pole?
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I do.
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Good. Go home, fetch your fishing pole, and come back
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to this very spot. Then I will tell you how
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to get your colt back.
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So the farmer ran home and returned with his fishing pole.
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He and Manka strolled around the town square as she
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told him her plan. When she was finished, she made
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the farmer promise one thing.
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You must not tell the judge that I thought of
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this plan.
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Do you promise?
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I promise.
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That afternoon, when the judge left the town hall to
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head home for the day, he spotted the farmer. Though
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he didn't recognize him as the same man who'd come
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in earlier, asking for his colt back. Because you see,
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now the farmer was sitting outside the town hall, on
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the ground, with a fishing pole. And he appeared to
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be casting his fishing line on the hard pavement of
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the town square.
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Oh.
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Excuse me, sir. What do you think you're doing?
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The farmer kept flicking his fishing line onto the pavement,
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where it kept landing with a tap, tap, tap.
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What am I doing? Why, I'm fishing, of course.
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For a moment, the judge was speechless. His eyes grew wide. Fishing?
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Here?
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What in the world are you thinking? You'll never catch
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a fish on the hard pavement.
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The farmer smiled and said exactly what Clever Monka had
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told him to say.
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Well, your honor... It's just as easy for me to
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catch a fish on the hard pavement as it is
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for a wagon to give birth to a colt.
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Suddenly, the judge recognized the man as the farmer from before,
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and he realized that the decision he had made about
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the colt, it had been all wrong.
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I am so, so sorry, my friend. Of course that
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colt belongs
to you, and I'll make sure you get
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him back. But tell me, did you think of this
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clever plan all by yourself?
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The farmer was so excited about getting his colt back
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that he forgot his promise to Manka.
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Why, no, Your Honor. I am not nearly so smart.
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A most kind and clever woman told me what to do.
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Her name is Manka.
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As soon as he heard his wife's name, the judge
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became very angry. After all, Manka had promised she wouldn't
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get involved in any of his cases. And here she
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was meddling in this one. When he got home that night,
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he asked her to sit down with him at the table.
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My darling, darling Manka, do you remember what I told
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you about giving advice to those who come to me?
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By talking to that farmer today, you have broken your promise. Now,
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you must go back home to your father, the tailor.
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But I won't have people going around saying I treated
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you poorly. So when you go, you may take one
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thing with you, the one thing that you like best
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in this whole house.
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To the judge's surprise, Manka remained very calm.
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Very well, my dear husband. I shall do as you say.
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I shall go to my father's cottage and take with
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me the one thing I like best in this whole house.
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But please, don't make me go until after supper. We've
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been so very happy together and I should like to
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enjoy one last meal with you. Let us be kind
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to each other as we've always been and then part
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as friends.
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The judge was still cross with Manka. But he loved
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his kind, clever wife so much that he couldn't help
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but agree.
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All right.
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One last friendly meal.
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That night, Manka prepared a fine supper of all the
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judge's favorite dishes. Roast duck and potato dumplings, cabbage soup
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and sourdough bread, with the most delicious apple strudel for dessert.
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The judge ate and ate and ate. He ate so
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much that he grew drowsy and fell sound asleep right
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there at the table. The next morning, when the judge awoke,
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he was very groggy and very confused.
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Huh?
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As he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, the judge
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realized he was not in his own bed. He wasn't
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even in his own house. Instead, it looked more like
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a cottage. The tailor's cottage.
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What is the meaning of this?
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Suddenly, Manka appeared before him. Her eyes were shining bright.
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Turns out, after the judge fell asleep, Manka lay him
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down in a wheelbarrow and rolled him to her father's house.
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Well, my dear husband, last night you told me I
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must leave and return to my father's cottage. And you
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told me I could take with me the one thing
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I liked best from your whole house. And because I
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love you with all my heart, I took you.
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The judge was quiet for a moment. Slowly, a grin
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spread across his face, and he laughed, louder and more
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heartily than he'd ever laughed before.
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My dear, dear Manka, when we first met, I said
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you and I share a gift for cleverness. Well, now
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I realize you are far more clever than I could
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ever dream of being. Come, my dear, let's go home.
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And so they did. And never again did the judge
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ask Manka to stay out of his cases. In fact,
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whenever someone came to him with an especially difficult or
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challenging case, he always said the same thing.
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I think we had better consult my wife. You know,
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she's a very clever woman.
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Now it's your turn. Pretend you are clever Manka. Find
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a family member or friend, someone you have fun with,
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and ask them to tell you the biggest problem they've
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faced today. Listen to their problem and offer your advice.
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And remember how creative Manka got, encouraging that farmer to
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fish in the town square? You, too, can be as
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creative as you'd like.
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Who knows?
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You might change somebody's day for the better. Can't get
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enough of Clever Manka? You can find other versions of
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this story and some beautiful illustrations by Sabina Han, including
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some you can color. It's all on our website. Tell
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your grown-ups they can find us at wbur.org slash circle round.
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We're also keeping an album on Instagram, and we'd love
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to see what you color. If you'd like to share
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your picture and your grown-ups use Instagram, ask them to
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help you post your artwork and tag it with hashtag
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circle round. Music Today's story, Clever Monka, was adapted by
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Jessica Alpert and me, Rebecca Shear. Original music and sound
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design is by Eric Shimalonis. Casting is by Amy Lippins, CSA,
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along with help from our executive producer, Jessica Alpert. Our
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intern is Chris Yulian. Special thanks to this week's actors,
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Eric Messner, Mitch Hebert, Brendan Dalton, Tom Story, and Bridget Moynihan.
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You grown-ups can catch Bridget on Blue Bloods on CBS.
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Circle Round is a production of WBUR. Boston's NPR news station.
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I'm Rebecca Shear. Thanks for circling around with us.