WEBVTT
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Produced by the iLab at WBUR Boston.
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Hi, Rebecca Shear here. As you listen right now, the
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Circle Round team is busy creating a whole new season
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of stories for you. Folk tales from around the world
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featuring fantastic actors from the stage and screen. So today,
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we're bringing you a special encore edition from Season 1,
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a story you may have missed the first time around
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Or you might have fun hearing all over again. Sit back, relax,
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and enjoy. Have you ever heard the expression, honesty is
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the best policy? Why do you think it's important to
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tell the truth? Well, in today's story, we'll meet a
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mischievous man who tells one too many falsehoods to a queen.
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And he gets himself into a royal mess. Music I'm
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Rebecca Shear, and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens
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all the time. Today, our story is called The Shepherd's Disguise.
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It comes to us from Germany, a country in Europe.
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The Jewish community there was sharing this tale as many
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as 600 years ago. Some really great people came together
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to help bring you this folktale, including Tony Hale, whom
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you grown-ups may recognize from the award-winning HBO series Veep.
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and the comedic sitcom Arrested Development. So circle around, everyone,
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for The Shepherd's Disguise. It's not easy being a queen.
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You have decrees to make, staff to hire, events to plan.
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That's why you might bring on a special team of
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royal advisors, wise people who help you make wise decisions.
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But once upon a time, There was a queen who
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had an advisor who was anything but wise. His name
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was Lemel. In truth, no one had any idea how
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Lemel had gotten his very important job. It seemed that
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all he did each day was loaf around the palace,
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wandering the great halls and lounging on velvet chairs. Yet
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the truth is, that's not all Lemel was doing. When
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people saw him drifting through the palace, he was actually
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sneaking around. trying to spy on his fellow advisors. And
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when people saw him lazing about on velvet chairs, he
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was actually cocking his head toward the wall, straining his
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ears to listen in on the advisors' meetings going on
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in the next room. Lemo became so good at eavesdropping
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on his fellow advisors that very often he would steal
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their ideas. He'd overhear them working on a problem for
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the queen, and as soon as they found a solution,
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he'd sprint over to her royal majesty and give her
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the answer immediately. claiming that it was his.
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My queen, my queen, I have spent days, no, months,
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trying to figure out this tricky, tricky problem, but I
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am pleased to announce that, as usual, at last my
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brilliant brain has figured out what you should do.
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This kind of thing happened again and again. So, naturally,
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Lemel was the queen's favorite.
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Oh, Lemel.
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I shouldn't be at all surprised to hear my favorite
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advisor has come up with yet another brilliant solution. What
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would I do without you?
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Oh, it is all in a day's work, and I
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am always at your service, Your Majesty.
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Now, as you can imagine, it wasn't long before Lemel's
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fellow advisors had had enough of his hijinks. I am
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so sick and tired of that Lemel.
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I know, right?
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Always taking credit for things he hasn't done.
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And answers he hasn't come up with.
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And the way he kisses up to the queen while
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we do all the work.
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Yuck.
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Forget about it.
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I don't know. Maybe we should just tell the queen
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the truth.
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Maybe we should.
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We'll tell her that Lemel has never had an original
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idea in his life.
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And all the so-called wise advice he gives, he hears
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from us.
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Let's do it.
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So the other advisors went to the queen and told
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her everything that had been going on.
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I appreciate you telling me all of this, but there's
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no way you speak the truth. Lemel is always the
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first to give me advice, and time and again it's brilliant.
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But listen, you've all been so faithful to me through
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the years. Just to satisfy you, I will put Lemel
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to a test. a test with a very difficult solution.
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And if he doesn't come up with a solution on
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his own, well then, I will know you were telling
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me the truth. But I'm sure he'll find an answer,
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as he and his brilliant brain always do.
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The advisors walked away, pleased that Her Royal Highness had
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listened to them. The following day, the Queen summoned Lemel
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to her throne.
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Yes, Your Majesty, you asked to see me? By the way,
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may I just say that your crown looks especially sparkly today.
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The way the diamonds and rubies catch the light is
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positively stunning!
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Why, thank you, Lemel. Now, as you know, I have
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long relied on you to give me the most excellent
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and brilliant advice. So today I have three very important
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questions that require your expert opinion. If you can give
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me an answer, I will reward you richly.
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Lemel's heart fluttered at the thought of a rich reward.
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What could it be?
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Silver?
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Gold?
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Maybe a new position as her advisor-in-chief.
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Oh, my queen, you know you can always count on
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me to provide the key that will solve your every problem.
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Indeed, Lemel, indeed. But you must know. These three questions
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I'm asking, they are top secret. Tippy-tippy-top. No one must
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ever hear them or even know that you and I
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spoke of this today.
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Lemel was overjoyed to be taken into such close confidence
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with the queen. To think that she had chosen him,
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just him, over all her other advisors.
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All right, your majesty. I will answer your questions. You
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know it always gives me such pleasure to be the
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comb that untangles your problems.
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Very well. Here are my questions. The first thing I'd
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like you to tell me is this. What is the
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difference between a rising sun and a setting sun?
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Ah, the difference between a rising sun and a setting sun. Okay,
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got it. Next.
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The second thing I'd like to know. How far are
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the heavens from the earth?
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How far are the heavens from the earth? Easy enough,
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easy enough. Piece of cake. And the third question?
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My third question. And we know each other so well,
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I'm certain you'll be able to answer it without any problems.
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The queen paused, her lips curling into a little smile.
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My third question is, what am I thinking?
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Lemel felt his hands begin to shake. These weren't exactly
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the kinds of problems he could overhear the other advisors
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talking about, and it wasn't as if he could ask
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them for their help. If he wanted to please the
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queen and collect his rich reward, he would have to
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find some other way.
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My queen, what fine questions. What fine questions indeed. As
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you know, a brilliant brain such as mine needs time
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to tackle such complex and puzzling problems. If you could
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give me one day, 24 hours, I will return with
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your answers.
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Of course, Lemel, of course. But remember... The queen reached
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out and took Lemel's hand. The answers must come from
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you and you alone. You must not discuss these matters
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with anyone else. If you do.
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The queen squeezed Lemel's hand hard.
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You will be asked to leave the palace and the kingdom.
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Lemel bid the queen farewell and stepped outside. He was
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shaking so hard he had to grab onto one of
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the velvet chairs for support.
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My, my, my, my, my! What is the difference between
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a rising sun and a setting sun? How far are
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the heavens from the earth and what is the queen thinking?
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All those questions are impossible! If I don't find the answers,
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I'll have to leave the kingdom. I need to get help,
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I need to get help. The question is where?
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Lemel sure is in a pickle, isn't he? What do
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you think he'll do? Will he find a way to
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collect his rich reward from the queen? Or will he
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find himself banished from the palace and the kingdom? We'll
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find out after a quick break.
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100 years from now in a land far, far away.
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Hang on.
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It's not so far away at all, actually. Hey, Circle
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Round families. We're here to share a new listening experience
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from WBUR, The Midnight Rebellion. It's a climate podcast adventure
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for kids eight and up. Time traveling, problem solving, laughs
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in danger.
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It's here.
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Follow the feed to listen. Oh, and bring your goggles
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and boots. That's The Midnight Rebellion. In your feed or
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wherever you get podcasts.
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Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Shear. Our story
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today is called The Shepherd's Disguise. When we left off,
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the Queen's royal advisor, Lemel, had a problem. The Queen
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wanted him to answer three tricky questions, and he wasn't
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allowed to ask anyone for help. But during his entire
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time at the palace... Lemel had gotten ahead by eavesdropping
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on other people's conversations and stealing their ideas as his own.
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Okay, the queen doesn't want me talking to anyone else
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about these three questions of hers, so relying on my
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fellow advisors... I know! I'll go for a walk in
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the country. I'll definitely run into someone who can help me,
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some commoner who's never met the queen and could never
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rat me out. I'll ask them the questions and take
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their ideas, and the queen will never, ever know. That's
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exactly what I'll do.
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So Lemel set off into the countryside. He passed by
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fields and forest, but saw no one on his way.
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As he walked, he repeated the queen's questions over and over.
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What is the difference between a rising sun and a
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setting sun? How far are the heavens from the earth?
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What is the queen thinking?
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As the day wore on, Lemel grew tired. He also
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grew quite hot. He was wearing his royal cloak and garments,
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which were made of heavy wool and lined with silk.
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He stopped for a moment to wipe his brow, when
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suddenly he heard someone whistling.
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Whistling?
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What's that? Is someone there? Oh, finally, another person.
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Looking around, Lemel spotted a shepherd walking with his flock.
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The shepherd was staring straight at him with a funny
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look on his face.
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Ah, hello, good man. How are you this fine day?
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The question is, how are you? I heard you muttering
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to yourself just a moment ago, and I couldn't help
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wondering if maybe you needed some help.
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Well, actually, yes, I do need some help. You see,
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I am a royal advisor to the Queen. Her favorite
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royal advisor, I might add. And she has sent me
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on a very important mission.
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A very important mission, huh?
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Yes, a mission so important that it's tippy-top secret. But
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you look like an honest guy, so I think I
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can trust you. You see, I must give the queen
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the answers to three questions. And if I don't, I
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will be fired from my job and forced to leave
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the kingdom.
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The shepherd scratched his head.
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Three questions, eh? Is that what I heard you muttering
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over there? I thought I caught something about the sun,
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the heavens, what the queen is thinking.
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Yes, yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, all of the above!
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The queen wants me to tell her the difference between
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a rising sun and a setting sun, how far the
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heavens are from the earth, and finally she wants me
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to tell her what she's thinking! I have spent my
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entire day trying to figure out these riddles, and even
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though I have quite the brilliant brain, ridiculously brilliant, I
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might add, so far I have come up with bupkis!
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Bupkis?
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No, it's another word for nothing. I've come up with nothing!
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A grin spread across the shepherd's face.
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You know what? I think I might be able to
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help you out.
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Lemel grabbed the shepherd and enwrapped him in a big
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bear hug.
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Oh, really, really? You can help me? Oh, really and truly?
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Yes. Now, here's what we'll do. You'll take off this
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royal cloak of yours and give it to me. I'll
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give you my jacket and you'll stay here with the sheep.
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Then I'll go to the queen and try and answer
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her questions. If she's satisfied, I'll come back and we'll
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switch places again. I'll pick up my sheep, and you'll
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go back to the palace where once again you'll be
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the queen's favorite royal advisor.
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As I'm sure you can guess, Lemel was a big
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fan of this idea. If the shepherd failed, Lemel would
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be safe out here in the country. He didn't know
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the first thing about tending sheep, but hey, he could
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always eavesdrop on other shepherds to pick up some pointers.
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But if the shepherd succeeded in answering the queen's questions,
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Lemel could return to his former life and be richly rewarded.
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All right, all right, my man. We have a deal. Now,
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give me that jacket. Oh, and those sheep.
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The shepherd slipped on Lemel's royal garments and set off
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for the palace. When the guards saw him coming, they
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assumed he was Lemel and let him in with barely
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a glance. The shepherd marched up to the queen's throne
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and bowed down low.
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Your Highness, three days I've spent puzzling over your questions,
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and at last I've come up with an answer.
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That's wonderful to hear, Lemel. But please, stop bowing. You
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know there's no need for such formalities between you and me.
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The shepherd continued to bow.
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Oh, but Your Majesty, the questions were so intricate, so involved,
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my brain struggled and grappled and wrestled with your riddles.
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I now feel infinitely humbled. I'll only rise if my
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answers meet with your satisfaction.
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Very well, then. So tell me the answer to my
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first question. What is the difference between a rising sun
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and a setting sun?
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The difference between a rising sun and a setting sun,
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Your Highness, is none other than the whole world.
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The Queen was pleased. That answer seemed reasonable enough. After all,
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the sun rises on one side and sets on the other,
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with the world in between.
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Go on, Lemel, my wise and faithful advisor, and tell
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me the answer to my second question. How far are
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the heavens from the earth?
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I've pondered this one deeply, my queen, and here's what
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I've come up with. The heavens are as far from
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the earth as the earth is from the heavens.
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The queen smiled. She couldn't argue with that one. And
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to think, the other advisors thought Lemel was a fake. Wow,
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were they wrong about that?
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You're doing well, my friend. Now finally, tell me the
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answer to my third question. What am I thinking?
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You ask, what are you thinking, Your Majesty? And my
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answer is this. Right now, you are thinking that I
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am Lemel. Your royal advisor. But the truth is.
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The shepherd jumped up and threw off the royal cloak,
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revealing worn overalls and a patched-up shirt underneath.
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The truth is, I am the shepherd who tends your
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sheep in the pastures below.
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The queen was so surprised, she fainted. When the queen
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came to, the shepherd told her the whole story. how
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Lemel had approached him and asked for help with his questions,
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how the two men had swapped places so that the
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shepherd could meet with the queen.
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So my other advisors were right. Lemel isn't nearly as
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wise as I thought him to be. So much for
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him and his brilliant brain. Listen, my friend, if anyone
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has a brilliant brain here, it's you. What would you
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say about coming on as my royal advisor? You'll take
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Lemel's place while he stays in the fields with the sheep.
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I'd say, absolutely. My brilliant brain would be foolish not to.
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So the shepherd joined the queen's staff of royal advisors,
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and he got along wonderfully well with the others. He
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always respected their expert opinion on royal matters, and they
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respected his. As for Lemel, he stayed on with the sheep.
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who have no ideas to steal. Now it's your turn.
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Lemel's story shows us how important it can be to
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get along with others, especially when it comes to solving problems.
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Think about a problem you'd like to solve and how
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you can work with other people to find a solution.
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Maybe you can team up with your family to figure
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out a way to get to school on time. Or
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you can get together with friends to clean up a
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local park. Figure out what your problem is and who
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will help you solve it. Then share your plan with
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a grown-up. And talk together about how you can put
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your plan into action. Today's story, The Shepherd's Disguise, was
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adapted by Jessica Alpert and me, Rebecca Shear. Original music
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and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis. Casting is by
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Amy Lippins, CSA. along with help from our executive producer,
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Jessica Alpert. Our intern is Chris Yulian. Special thanks to
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this week's actors... Kim Schraff, Maisie Scarpa, Roseanne Kane, Jacob Yeh,
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Mitch Hebert, and Tony Hale. Grown-ups, you can catch Tony
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on the HBO comedy Veep and the Netflix series Arrested Development.
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Can't get enough of The Shepherd's Disguise? You can find
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other versions of this story and some beautiful illustrations by
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00:20:08.839 --> 00:20:12.720
Sabina Hani including some you can color. It's all on
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our website. Tell your grown-ups they can find us at WBUR.org
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slash Circle Round. Circle Round is a production of WBUR,
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Boston's NPR news station. Connect with us on Facebook. Tell
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your grown-ups they can find us at Facebook.com slash Circle
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Round Podcast. And if Twitter's more your thing, our handle
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is at Come Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Shear. Thanks for
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00:20:41.089 --> 00:20:41.890
circling around with us.
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Produced by the iLab at WBUR Boston.
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Hi, Rebecca Shear here. As you listen right now, the
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Circle Round team is busy creating a whole new season
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00:00:16.120 --> 00:00:19.059
of stories for you. Folk tales from around the world
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featuring fantastic actors from the stage and screen. So today,
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we're bringing you a special encore edition from Season 1,
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a story you may have missed the first time around
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00:00:30.269 --> 00:00:35.020
Or you might have fun hearing all over again. Sit back, relax,
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00:00:35.659 --> 00:00:40.979
and enjoy. Have you ever heard the expression, honesty is
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the best policy? Why do you think it's important to
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tell the truth? Well, in today's story, we'll meet a
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mischievous man who tells one too many falsehoods to a queen.
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And he gets himself into a royal mess. Music I'm
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Rebecca Shear, and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens
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all the time. Today, our story is called The Shepherd's Disguise.
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It comes to us from Germany, a country in Europe.
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The Jewish community there was sharing this tale as many
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as 600 years ago. Some really great people came together
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to help bring you this folktale, including Tony Hale, whom
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you grown-ups may recognize from the award-winning HBO series Veep.
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and the comedic sitcom Arrested Development. So circle around, everyone,
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for The Shepherd's Disguise. It's not easy being a queen.
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You have decrees to make, staff to hire, events to plan.
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That's why you might bring on a special team of
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royal advisors, wise people who help you make wise decisions.
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But once upon a time, There was a queen who
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had an advisor who was anything but wise. His name
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was Lemel. In truth, no one had any idea how
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Lemel had gotten his very important job. It seemed that
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all he did each day was loaf around the palace,
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wandering the great halls and lounging on velvet chairs. Yet
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the truth is, that's not all Lemel was doing. When
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people saw him drifting through the palace, he was actually
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sneaking around. trying to spy on his fellow advisors. And
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when people saw him lazing about on velvet chairs, he
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was actually cocking his head toward the wall, straining his
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ears to listen in on the advisors' meetings going on
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in the next room. Lemo became so good at eavesdropping
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on his fellow advisors that very often he would steal
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their ideas. He'd overhear them working on a problem for
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the queen, and as soon as they found a solution,
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he'd sprint over to her royal majesty and give her
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the answer immediately. claiming that it was his.
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My queen, my queen, I have spent days, no, months,
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trying to figure out this tricky, tricky problem, but I
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am pleased to announce that, as usual, at last my
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brilliant brain has figured out what you should do.
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This kind of thing happened again and again. So, naturally,
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Lemel was the queen's favorite.
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Oh, Lemel.
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I shouldn't be at all surprised to hear my favorite
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advisor has come up with yet another brilliant solution. What
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would I do without you?
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Oh, it is all in a day's work, and I
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am always at your service, Your Majesty.
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Now, as you can imagine, it wasn't long before Lemel's
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fellow advisors had had enough of his hijinks. I am
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so sick and tired of that Lemel.
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I know, right?
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Always taking credit for things he hasn't done.
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And answers he hasn't come up with.
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And the way he kisses up to the queen while
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we do all the work.
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Yuck.
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Forget about it.
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I don't know. Maybe we should just tell the queen
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the truth.
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Maybe we should.
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We'll tell her that Lemel has never had an original
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idea in his life.
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And all the so-called wise advice he gives, he hears
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from us.
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Let's do it.
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So the other advisors went to the queen and told
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her everything that had been going on.
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I appreciate you telling me all of this, but there's
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no way you speak the truth. Lemel is always the
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first to give me advice, and time and again it's brilliant.
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But listen, you've all been so faithful to me through
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the years. Just to satisfy you, I will put Lemel
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to a test. a test with a very difficult solution.
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And if he doesn't come up with a solution on
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his own, well then, I will know you were telling
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me the truth. But I'm sure he'll find an answer,
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as he and his brilliant brain always do.
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The advisors walked away, pleased that Her Royal Highness had
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listened to them. The following day, the Queen summoned Lemel
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to her throne.
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Yes, Your Majesty, you asked to see me? By the way,
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may I just say that your crown looks especially sparkly today.
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The way the diamonds and rubies catch the light is
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positively stunning!
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Why, thank you, Lemel. Now, as you know, I have
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long relied on you to give me the most excellent
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and brilliant advice. So today I have three very important
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questions that require your expert opinion. If you can give
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me an answer, I will reward you richly.
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Lemel's heart fluttered at the thought of a rich reward.
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What could it be?
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Silver?
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Gold?
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Maybe a new position as her advisor-in-chief.
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Oh, my queen, you know you can always count on
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me to provide the key that will solve your every problem.
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Indeed, Lemel, indeed. But you must know. These three questions
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I'm asking, they are top secret. Tippy-tippy-top. No one must
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ever hear them or even know that you and I
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spoke of this today.
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Lemel was overjoyed to be taken into such close confidence
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with the queen. To think that she had chosen him,
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just him, over all her other advisors.
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All right, your majesty. I will answer your questions. You
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know it always gives me such pleasure to be the
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comb that untangles your problems.
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Very well. Here are my questions. The first thing I'd
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like you to tell me is this. What is the
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difference between a rising sun and a setting sun?
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Ah, the difference between a rising sun and a setting sun. Okay,
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got it. Next.
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The second thing I'd like to know. How far are
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the heavens from the earth?
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How far are the heavens from the earth? Easy enough,
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easy enough. Piece of cake. And the third question?
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My third question. And we know each other so well,
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I'm certain you'll be able to answer it without any problems.
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The queen paused, her lips curling into a little smile.
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My third question is, what am I thinking?
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Lemel felt his hands begin to shake. These weren't exactly
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the kinds of problems he could overhear the other advisors
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talking about, and it wasn't as if he could ask
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them for their help. If he wanted to please the
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queen and collect his rich reward, he would have to
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find some other way.
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My queen, what fine questions. What fine questions indeed. As
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you know, a brilliant brain such as mine needs time
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to tackle such complex and puzzling problems. If you could
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give me one day, 24 hours, I will return with
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your answers.
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Of course, Lemel, of course. But remember... The queen reached
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out and took Lemel's hand. The answers must come from
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you and you alone. You must not discuss these matters
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with anyone else. If you do.
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The queen squeezed Lemel's hand hard.
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You will be asked to leave the palace and the kingdom.
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Lemel bid the queen farewell and stepped outside. He was
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shaking so hard he had to grab onto one of
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the velvet chairs for support.
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My, my, my, my, my! What is the difference between
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a rising sun and a setting sun? How far are
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the heavens from the earth and what is the queen thinking?
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All those questions are impossible! If I don't find the answers,
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I'll have to leave the kingdom. I need to get help,
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I need to get help. The question is where?
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Lemel sure is in a pickle, isn't he? What do
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you think he'll do? Will he find a way to
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collect his rich reward from the queen? Or will he
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find himself banished from the palace and the kingdom? We'll
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find out after a quick break.
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100 years from now in a land far, far away.
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Hang on.
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It's not so far away at all, actually. Hey, Circle
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Round families. We're here to share a new listening experience
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from WBUR, The Midnight Rebellion. It's a climate podcast adventure
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for kids eight and up. Time traveling, problem solving, laughs
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in danger.
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It's here.
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Follow the feed to listen. Oh, and bring your goggles
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and boots. That's The Midnight Rebellion. In your feed or
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wherever you get podcasts.
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Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Shear. Our story
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today is called The Shepherd's Disguise. When we left off,
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the Queen's royal advisor, Lemel, had a problem. The Queen
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wanted him to answer three tricky questions, and he wasn't
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allowed to ask anyone for help. But during his entire
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time at the palace... Lemel had gotten ahead by eavesdropping
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on other people's conversations and stealing their ideas as his own.
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Okay, the queen doesn't want me talking to anyone else
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about these three questions of hers, so relying on my
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fellow advisors... I know! I'll go for a walk in
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the country. I'll definitely run into someone who can help me,
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some commoner who's never met the queen and could never
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rat me out. I'll ask them the questions and take
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their ideas, and the queen will never, ever know. That's
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exactly what I'll do.
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So Lemel set off into the countryside. He passed by
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fields and forest, but saw no one on his way.
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As he walked, he repeated the queen's questions over and over.
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What is the difference between a rising sun and a
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setting sun? How far are the heavens from the earth?
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What is the queen thinking?
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As the day wore on, Lemel grew tired. He also
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grew quite hot. He was wearing his royal cloak and garments,
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which were made of heavy wool and lined with silk.
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He stopped for a moment to wipe his brow, when
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suddenly he heard someone whistling.
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Whistling?
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What's that? Is someone there? Oh, finally, another person.
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Looking around, Lemel spotted a shepherd walking with his flock.
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The shepherd was staring straight at him with a funny
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look on his face.
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Ah, hello, good man. How are you this fine day?
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The question is, how are you? I heard you muttering
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to yourself just a moment ago, and I couldn't help
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wondering if maybe you needed some help.
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Well, actually, yes, I do need some help. You see,
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I am a royal advisor to the Queen. Her favorite
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royal advisor, I might add. And she has sent me
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on a very important mission.
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A very important mission, huh?
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Yes, a mission so important that it's tippy-top secret. But
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you look like an honest guy, so I think I
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can trust you. You see, I must give the queen
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the answers to three questions. And if I don't, I
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will be fired from my job and forced to leave
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the kingdom.
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The shepherd scratched his head.
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Three questions, eh? Is that what I heard you muttering
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over there? I thought I caught something about the sun,
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the heavens, what the queen is thinking.
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Yes, yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, all of the above!
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The queen wants me to tell her the difference between
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a rising sun and a setting sun, how far the
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heavens are from the earth, and finally she wants me
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to tell her what she's thinking! I have spent my
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entire day trying to figure out these riddles, and even
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though I have quite the brilliant brain, ridiculously brilliant, I
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might add, so far I have come up with bupkis!
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Bupkis?
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No, it's another word for nothing. I've come up with nothing!
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A grin spread across the shepherd's face.
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You know what? I think I might be able to
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help you out.
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Lemel grabbed the shepherd and enwrapped him in a big
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bear hug.
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Oh, really, really? You can help me? Oh, really and truly?
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Yes. Now, here's what we'll do. You'll take off this
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royal cloak of yours and give it to me. I'll
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give you my jacket and you'll stay here with the sheep.
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Then I'll go to the queen and try and answer
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her questions. If she's satisfied, I'll come back and we'll
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switch places again. I'll pick up my sheep, and you'll
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go back to the palace where once again you'll be
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the queen's favorite royal advisor.
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As I'm sure you can guess, Lemel was a big
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fan of this idea. If the shepherd failed, Lemel would
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be safe out here in the country. He didn't know
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the first thing about tending sheep, but hey, he could
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always eavesdrop on other shepherds to pick up some pointers.
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But if the shepherd succeeded in answering the queen's questions,
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Lemel could return to his former life and be richly rewarded.
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All right, all right, my man. We have a deal. Now,
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give me that jacket. Oh, and those sheep.
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The shepherd slipped on Lemel's royal garments and set off
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for the palace. When the guards saw him coming, they
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assumed he was Lemel and let him in with barely
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a glance. The shepherd marched up to the queen's throne
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and bowed down low.
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Your Highness, three days I've spent puzzling over your questions,
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and at last I've come up with an answer.
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That's wonderful to hear, Lemel. But please, stop bowing. You
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know there's no need for such formalities between you and me.
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The shepherd continued to bow.
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Oh, but Your Majesty, the questions were so intricate, so involved,
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my brain struggled and grappled and wrestled with your riddles.
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I now feel infinitely humbled. I'll only rise if my
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answers meet with your satisfaction.
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Very well, then. So tell me the answer to my
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first question. What is the difference between a rising sun
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and a setting sun?
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The difference between a rising sun and a setting sun,
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Your Highness, is none other than the whole world.
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The Queen was pleased. That answer seemed reasonable enough. After all,
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the sun rises on one side and sets on the other,
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with the world in between.
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Go on, Lemel, my wise and faithful advisor, and tell
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me the answer to my second question. How far are
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the heavens from the earth?
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I've pondered this one deeply, my queen, and here's what
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I've come up with. The heavens are as far from
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the earth as the earth is from the heavens.
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The queen smiled. She couldn't argue with that one. And
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to think, the other advisors thought Lemel was a fake. Wow,
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were they wrong about that?
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You're doing well, my friend. Now finally, tell me the
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answer to my third question. What am I thinking?
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You ask, what are you thinking, Your Majesty? And my
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answer is this. Right now, you are thinking that I
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am Lemel. Your royal advisor. But the truth is.
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The shepherd jumped up and threw off the royal cloak,
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revealing worn overalls and a patched-up shirt underneath.
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The truth is, I am the shepherd who tends your
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sheep in the pastures below.
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The queen was so surprised, she fainted. When the queen
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came to, the shepherd told her the whole story. how
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Lemel had approached him and asked for help with his questions,
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how the two men had swapped places so that the
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shepherd could meet with the queen.
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So my other advisors were right. Lemel isn't nearly as
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wise as I thought him to be. So much for
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him and his brilliant brain. Listen, my friend, if anyone
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has a brilliant brain here, it's you. What would you
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say about coming on as my royal advisor? You'll take
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Lemel's place while he stays in the fields with the sheep.
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I'd say, absolutely. My brilliant brain would be foolish not to.
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So the shepherd joined the queen's staff of royal advisors,
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and he got along wonderfully well with the others. He
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always respected their expert opinion on royal matters, and they
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respected his. As for Lemel, he stayed on with the sheep.
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who have no ideas to steal. Now it's your turn.
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Lemel's story shows us how important it can be to
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get along with others, especially when it comes to solving problems.
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Think about a problem you'd like to solve and how
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you can work with other people to find a solution.
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Maybe you can team up with your family to figure
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out a way to get to school on time. Or
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you can get together with friends to clean up a
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local park. Figure out what your problem is and who
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will help you solve it. Then share your plan with
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a grown-up. And talk together about how you can put
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your plan into action. Today's story, The Shepherd's Disguise, was
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adapted by Jessica Alpert and me, Rebecca Shear. Original music
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and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis. Casting is by
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Amy Lippins, CSA. along with help from our executive producer,
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Jessica Alpert. Our intern is Chris Yulian. Special thanks to
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this week's actors... Kim Schraff, Maisie Scarpa, Roseanne Kane, Jacob Yeh,
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Mitch Hebert, and Tony Hale. Grown-ups, you can catch Tony
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on the HBO comedy Veep and the Netflix series Arrested Development.
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Can't get enough of The Shepherd's Disguise? You can find
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other versions of this story and some beautiful illustrations by
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Sabina Hani including some you can color. It's all on
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our website. Tell your grown-ups they can find us at WBUR.org
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slash Circle Round. Circle Round is a production of WBUR,
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Boston's NPR news station. Connect with us on Facebook. Tell
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your grown-ups they can find us at Facebook.com slash Circle
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Round Podcast. And if Twitter's more your thing, our handle
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is at Come Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Shear. Thanks for
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circling around with us.
