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WBUR Podcasts, Boston.
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Ever heard the expression, nothing ventured, nothing gained? What it
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means is, if you want to achieve something, often you
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have to take risks. In today's story, three characters take
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a big risk, and they wind up gaining more than
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they ever expected. Whistling I'm Rebecca Shear, and welcome to
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Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time. Today, our
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story is called The Stork King. It's inspired by tales
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from the Eastern European country of Ukraine. Some really great
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people came together to bring you our version of this tale,
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including Julian Lerner, who most recently starred in the reboot
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of The Wonder Years on ABC. Kids, you can hear
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Julian's voice in the PBS animated series Alma's Way. So
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circle around, everyone, for The Stork King. Once upon a time,
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way out in the country, there lived a wheat farmer.
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The wheat farmer had three children, Maxim, Sasha, and Yuri.
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And the family spent long days diligently working the land. Okay,
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so maybe not everyone in the family. While Yuri was
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always quick to offer help.
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I'll help you, Mother.
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Maxim and Sasha were quick to offer excuses.
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Um, I would help you, Mother, but I feel a
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head cold coming on.
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And I feel a stomach bug.
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And did I mention I have a backache?
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And I have the worst earache.
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One sunny morning, while Yuri was running errands, and Maxim
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and Sasha were running on about their aches and pains.
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And head colds.
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And stomach bugs.
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The farmer went out to the stable where she kept
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her oxen. The two strong creatures were the only animals
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the farmer could afford. and they were excellent workers when
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it came to plowing, planting, and harvesting.
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Good morning, my brawny friends.
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It's time for some plowing. I'll just get the cart
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here and.
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What in the world?
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The farmer gasped as the wheat field suddenly grew dark,
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as if a large shadow had fallen across it.
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What happened to the sun now? Did a whole bunch
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of storm clouds roll in and cover up the sky?
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The farmer tilted her head upward, but she did not
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see a bunch of storm clouds. Instead, she saw a stork.
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That's right, but not just any stork. This stork was huge.
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Its body was nearly as long as the oxen's stable,
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and its outstretched wings were nearly as wide as the
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farmer's house.
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Greetings, farmer. I am the stork king.
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As the enormous bird glided to the ground, the farmer
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was at a loss for words. She had never been
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in the presence of a gargantuan stork before, let alone
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a royal one who spoke.
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Greetings, your highness. To what do I owe the pleasure
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of this most unexpected visit?
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Well, it just so happens that I, too, have a farm.
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Right outside my silver palace. My workers could use an
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extra hand. So I've come to take your oxen.
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Take my oxen?
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The farmer felt her heart clench.
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You can't take my oxen. I need them to plow, plant,
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and harvest wheat so my children and I can make
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a living.
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I see.
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The stork king blinked his bright gray eyes.
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In that case, how about I take one of your
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children instead? Some human assistance could be useful. The choice
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is yours.
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The farmer shuddered down to her work boots. Was this
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talking bird really forcing her to decide between her oxen
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and her offspring?
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Listen, I am not about to part with any member
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of my family, so fine. You can take the oxen.
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The stork king gazed at the farmer. Then he lowered
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his head until he was looking her straight in the eye.
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I see you possess a good heart, farmer. So, in
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return for your oxen, I will offer payment. Have one
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of your children visit my palace. I will send them
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home with whatever reward they choose.
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The farmer felt relieved. and confused.
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I appreciate the offer, Your Highness, and I will take
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you up on it. But we don't know where your
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palace is. How are we supposed to find it?
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Let's just say anyone can find it if they play
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their cards right. But you can start by looking east
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of the Morning Star. Thank you for the oxen.
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And with that, the great bird seized both oxen in
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his talons. And with a few flaps of his enormous wings,
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he disappeared from view. Will one of the farmer's children
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find the stork king's palace? And if they do, what
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reward do you think they'll bring home? We'll find out
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what happens after a quick break. I'm Rebecca Shear. Welcome
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back to Circle Round. Today our story is called The
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Stork King. Before the break, the Stork King took both
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of the farmer's oxen. In exchange, he promised a reward,
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which one of her three children would have to pick
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up at his silver palace. That evening, as the family
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gathered around the kitchen table for a humble dinner, the
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farmer made an announcement.
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Maxim, Sasha, Yuri, I have something to tell you.
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What is it, Mother?
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And please make it quick, because I'm fighting off this
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stomach bug.
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And I'm dealing with this backache!
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I thought you said it was an earache.
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And I thought you said it was a head cold.
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Children, please. I called you here because I have some news.
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So listen up.
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The farmer took a breath, then told the story of
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her visit from the stork king. Maxim and Sasha gaped
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at their mother as if she had just declared she
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was from outer space.
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So, mother... You're telling us you met a giant talking stork?
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Yes, Maxim.
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And this giant talking stork made off with our oxen?
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That's right, Sasha.
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And you're sure you didn't doze off in the fields
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and start dreaming or something?
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Because this story sounds ridiculous.
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Oh, come on, you two.
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Yuri wagged a finger at his siblings.
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Oh, stop making fun. I, for one, believe Mother's story,
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and I volunteer to visit the Stork King's Palace to
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get a reward. Surely it will be valuable enough to
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take you to town and trade for two new oxen.
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Maybe even more.
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The farmer shook her head.
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I appreciate the offer, Yuri, but I can't send you
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to the Stork King's Palace. There's too much for you
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to do here on the farm. Without our oxen, we're
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in danger of going hungry. so I'll need you to
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work extra hard.
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The farmer flashed Yuri a smile, then turned toward Maxim.
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Maxim, I want you to visit the store king's palace
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and bring back the reward.
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Me?
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Maxim shifted in his seat. He certainly didn't love the
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idea of embarking on a potentially dangerous journey to a
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destination that he may or may not ever find, but
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he didn't want to go hungry either.
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All right, fine, I'll do it.
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I'll leave first thing tomorrow.
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So the next morning, just before dawn, Maxim pulled himself
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out of bed, stuffed some crusty bread into a bag,
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then set off east of the morning star. He traipsed
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through flower-covered meadows and walked across babbling brooks. He trekked
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up and down grassy knolls. With each step, he grew
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wearier and hungrier. And after winding his way into a
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thick green forest, he stopped beside a rushing stream for
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a rest and a snack. But just as he tore
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off a hunk of bread, he heard a voice.
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Pardon me, sir. Could you please share your bread with me?
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Maxim turned his head. Hopping into the clearing was a stork,
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a regular-sized stork. with one of her wings drooping and
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dragging behind her.
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With this injured wing of mine, it's so hard to
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find food. I'd appreciate a nipple.
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Now, if you were in Maxim's shoes, you'd probably feel
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pity in your heart, right? Well, all Maxim felt was
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hunger in his stomach.
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Look, stork, it's not going to happen. I've been traveling
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for hours and I am famished. Not only that, but
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I have a long journey ahead, so I'll need every
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bite I have. I'm going to visit the palace of
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the stork king.
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The stork cocked her head.
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The palace of the stork king?
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I know how to get there.
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If you let me perch on your shoulder.
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I'll show you the way. Maxim scoffed.
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You're joking, right? I'm already exhausted. How could I possibly
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carry a lanky bird like you on my shoulder? No way.
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All right.
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Suit yourself.
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And with that, the stork blinked her gray eyes, then
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spread both of her wings and flew away.
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Would you look at that?
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That bird flew away without any problem. Yet she tried
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to convince me she had an injured wing.
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What a phony.
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Good thing I didn't fall for her trick.
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Maxim took a bite of bread, then rose to his
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feet and resumed his journey through the thick green forest.
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Okay, so if I want to head east of the
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morning star, then I need to go this way. Or
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perhaps that way? Oh dear, this forest is so dense
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I've gotten all turned around.
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Maxim zigged and zagged, zagged and zigged until he found
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himself helplessly, hopelessly lost. He staggered over to a tree,
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curled up beneath it, then dropped off to sleep. Meanwhile,
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back at the farm, the rest of Maxim's family was
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patiently awaiting his return. But after a few days, the
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farmer was losing hope.
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Sasha, Yuri, it's been days, and Maxim has yet to return.
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I fear he never will.
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Don't you worry, Mother.
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I'll go out and look for him. Then he and
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I will go to the Stork King's palace together.
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Oh, I appreciate the offer, Yuri. But no, I need
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your help on the farm.
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She turned toward Sasha.
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Sasha, I want you to go out and find Maxim
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and the Stork King's palace, if you're able. Otherwise, we'll
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have some very hard times ahead.
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Like Maxim, Sasha wasn't too keen on heading into the
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Great Unknown, but she didn't want to starve either. So
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the next morning, she stuffed a boiled potato into a
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bag and headed east of the Morning Star. She wound
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up taking the exact same path Maxim had, traipsing through
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flower-covered meadows, walking across babbling brooks, trekking up and down
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grassy knolls, and before long she found herself in the
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same thick green forest. Like her brother before her, she
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found the rushing stream and stopped for a rest and
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a snack. But just as she was taking her boiled
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potato out of her bag.
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Excuse me, miss? Could you please share your potato with me?
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Sasha turned her head and wouldn't you know it, there
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was the same stork Maxim had seen with one of
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her wings dragging behind her.
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With this injured wing of mine, it's so hard to
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gather food. I'd appreciate just one bite.
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Now, you know what Maxim said to the stork, right? Well,
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as you can probably guess, Sasha was no different person.
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Not a chance, stork. I've been wandering all day and
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I am ravenous. Plus, I have a lengthy voyage ahead,
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so I'll need all the food I can get. I'm
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on my way to the palace of the stork king.
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The palace of the stork king? I know how to
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reach it. If you let me perch on your shoulder,
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I'll show you the way.
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--> 00:14:38.360
Sasha rolled her eyes.
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Oh, come on.
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Do you really think I'm about to chauffeur around a big,
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unwieldy bird like you? It's a ride from someone else.
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Very well.
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Suit yourself.
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And with that, the stork took to the air and
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flew off. Ha!
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Get a load of that. That bird wasn't injured at all.
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Lucky for me, I didn't fall for her trick.
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Sasha took a bite of potato, then got to her
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feet and continued her journey through the thick green forest. But,
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just like her brother before her.
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Uh, if I'm trying to head east of the morning star,
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then I need to take this path.
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Or maybe that one?
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Sasha zigged and zagged, zagged and zigged, until she had
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no idea where she was. She stumbled over to a bush,
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snuggled up beside it, then drifted off to sleep. Meanwhile,
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back at the farm, the farmer was worried sick about
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Maxim and Sasha. So, once again, Yuri volunteered his services.
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I'll go out and find the mother. Maybe I'll find
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the store at King's Palace, too. Then we'll be doubly rewarded.
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I admire your confidence, Yuri. But you're all I have left.
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What if something happens to you out there?
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Look, Mother. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Please, let me do this.
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The farmer finally gave in. And early the next morning,
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Yuri stuffed half a head of cabbage into a bag
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and began journeying east of the morning star. As it happens,
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he took the exact same path his siblings did, and
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wound up in the thick green forest. And just as
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he paused by the stream for a rest and a snack,
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who should he see but the stork with the drooping wing?
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I beg your pardon, sir. Could you please share your
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cabbage with me?
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Now, you remember what Yuri's siblings told the stork, right? Well,
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as you can guess, Yuri's answer was completely different.
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Of course
I can share my cabbage. It must be
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hard to find food with an injured wing. So here,
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have as much as you want.
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Thank you.
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You are so kind. Yuri handed the stork his cabbage.
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The grateful bird took a nibble.
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So tell me, where are you off to?
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Well, I'm supposed to be looking for the palace of
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the stork king. so I can get a reward for
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the oxen he took from my family's farm. But I'm
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also trying to find my brother and sister.
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I don't know about your siblings, but I do know
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how to find the Sir King's Palace. If you let
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me perch on your shoulder, I'll show you the way.
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Now, we all know that Maxim scoffed at the bird's offer,
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as did Sasha. But Yuri sympathized.
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Of course I'll let you perch on my shoulder. Climb on.
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Yuri held out his shoulder. To his surprise, however, the
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bird did not climb on. Instead, she spread both her
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wings and motioned toward her back.
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Actually, how about if you climb on instead?
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Yuri was astonished and overjoyed. He slung a leg over
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the stork's back and they soared into the sky. They
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flew over mountains and rivers and plains and then, as
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they passed above a wide green valley... We're nearly there!
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Hold on tight!
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Yuri clung to the stork's neck as they dove downward.
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When they landed, towering above them was a magnificent palace
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with every last inch crafted from pure, sparkling silver.
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Here we are, the stork king's palace. This is where
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we part ways, my friend. But before I go, one
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piece of advice. When the stork king asks you what
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you want in exchange for the oxen... Tell him you
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want nothing more than what he puts under his pillow
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each night.
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What he puts under his pillow each night? All right.
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You've been so kind, so I'll do as you say.
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But will I ever find my brother and sister?
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--> 00:19:15.039
If you put your cards right.
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And with those words, the stork spread her wings and
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flew away. Yuri knocked at the palace's silver door. A
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pair of stork guards let him in and ushered him
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into a great hall, where he found the stork king
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wearing a long silver robe and sitting high on a
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silver throne.
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You must be one of the farmer's children. I owe
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you for two oxen, and I always keep my word.
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So tell me, what would you like as payment?
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Yuri glanced around the grand room. He saw all sorts
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of riches. Silver platters on a silver table, silver candlesticks
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mounted on silver walls, a silver chandelier sparkling from the
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silver ceiling.
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I can see your palace is filled with many valuable things,
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Your Highness. But all I ask in return for the
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oxen is what you put under your pillow each night.
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The stork king's gray eyes grew dark.
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That is what you request? What I put under my
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pillow each night? Yes.
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Nothing more, nothing less.
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The stork king fell silent. It looked to Yuri as
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if he were gnashing his teeth, if storks had teeth.
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But then the king took a deep breath. and to
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let it out slowly.
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Very well. You may have what you ask for. Guards,
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bring this fellow his reward.
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The guards rushed out of the hall. When they returned,
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they handed Yuri a ring. A plain, round ring, not
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made of silver, but some other dull metal.
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Now take your reward and go, before I change my mind.
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Yuri stuffed the ring into his pocket and ran from
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the palace. Once he burst through the silver doors, he
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took out the ring and stared at it.
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Hmm. I wonder why the stork king was so upset
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about me taking this ring.
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Compared with the riches in his palace, it seems worthless.
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And here I was.
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thinking I would bring home something valuable enough to trade
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for two new oxen.
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Now all I have is this silly ring, and my
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brother and sister are still missing. Ugh, what a horrible fortune.
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I wish I could just be back at the farm,
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enjoying a delicious meal with my family, my entire family.
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I wish, oh, I wish, I wish.
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As Yuri fretted, He absentmindedly pushed the ring onto his
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finger and twisted it around. And the moment he did,
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do you know what happened? There was a flash of light.
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And next thing Yuri knew, he was back at his farm,
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sitting at his kitchen table. The table was piled high
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with delicious food, and clustered around it were none other
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than his mother and his siblings. They all looked just
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as surprised as Yuri was. Yuri! Yuri!
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You're back!
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And Maxim, Sasha, you've returned too!
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Oh, but how?
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And where did all this food come from?
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Maxim and Sasha were flummoxed.
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I have no idea, Mother.
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Me either. But as for Yuri, suddenly he knew exactly
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how they all came to be sitting in the kitchen
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gazing at this beautiful feast under the table. He gave
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the ring on his finger a quick turn. Then, under
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his breath, he made one more wish. The next day,
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when the farmer woke up, she was pleasantly surprised at
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what she found outside. Standing in the stable was an
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entire team of new oxen. And working in the fields
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were all three of her children. Yuri was plowing, Maxim
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was planting, and Sasha was harvesting. without a headache, backache,
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or earache to be found. Now it's your turn. If
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you had the Stork King's magic ring, and you could
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00:23:50.819 --> 00:23:54.059
wish for anything at all, what would it be? Draw
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00:23:54.079 --> 00:23:55.660
a picture of what it would look like if your
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00:23:55.700 --> 00:23:58.319
wish came true. Then show your picture to someone you
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00:23:58.359 --> 00:24:02.349
have fun with. And if you'd like, share it with us. Grown-ups,
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00:24:02.369 --> 00:24:04.509
you
can snap a photo of your Circle Round fan
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00:24:04.609 --> 00:24:14.779
and their artwork and email it to circleround at wbur.org.
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This week's episode, The Stork King, was adapted by me,
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00:24:18.539 --> 00:24:22.539
Rebecca Shear. It was edited by Sophie Codner. Our original
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00:24:22.599 --> 00:24:26.180
music and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis. Our artist
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00:24:26.400 --> 00:24:29.619
is Sabina Hahn. Want to color while you listen? Sabina
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has drawn a black and white picture for all 200-plus
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Circle Round stories, and you can print them out and
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add your own colors. Grown-ups, visit our website, wbur.org, and
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click on Coloring Pages. And while you're at wbur.org, you
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can support our public radio podcast by joining the Circle
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Round Club. To show our thanks... We'll send you a
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include ad-free episodes, bite-sized bedtime stories, music education videos, and
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a personalized birthday message from me. Visit WBUR.org slash CircleRound
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and click CircleRound Club. Special thanks to this week's actors,
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Theodore Chin, Dave Edson, Kim Miller, Jessica Rau, Marion Toro,
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00:25:20.180 --> 00:25:23.819
and Julian Lerner. Julian Lerner most recently starred in the
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00:25:23.859 --> 00:25:26.799
reboot of The Wonder Years on ABC. Kids, you can
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00:25:26.839 --> 00:25:30.269
hear Julian's voice in the PBS animated series Alma's Way.
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00:25:34.170 --> 00:25:37.869
Our featured instrument this week was the hammered dulcimer. You
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00:25:37.890 --> 00:25:41.089
can learn more about this trapezoid-shaped stringed instrument that you
404
00:25:41.170 --> 00:25:46.029
play with, yes, hammers, on our website. Again, that's WBUR.org
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slash CircleRound. Grown-ups, enjoy what you hear on CircleRound. then
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please help us spread the word by leaving a five-star
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the show, and talking about us on social media. Our
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Facebook and Instagram handle is at CircleRoundPodcast. CircleRound is a
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production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station. I'm Rebecca Shear.
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Thanks for circling round with us. Now that you've made
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00:26:22.670 --> 00:26:25.230
it to the end of this Circle Round episode, we
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00:26:25.269 --> 00:26:29.930
want to know, what's your favourite Circle Round story? Thousands
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00:26:29.970 --> 00:26:32.150
of fans just like you have been telling us about
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00:26:32.170 --> 00:26:35.130
the Circle Round stories they like best. Take a listen.
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00:26:35.579 --> 00:26:38.200
Maybe one of their favourites is one of yours too.
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00:26:39.259 --> 00:26:44.119
My name's Inara. I live in England and I love
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00:26:44.180 --> 00:26:49.680
Circle Round. My favourite story is a dozen loaves of bread.
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00:26:50.220 --> 00:26:53.950
My favourite part is when the dozen loads of bread.
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00:26:53.769 --> 00:26:55.440
Fly out the window, of course.
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00:26:56.150 --> 00:26:57.230
My name is Lucy.
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I live in St.
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George, Utah.
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00:26:59.970 --> 00:27:02.849
My favorite episode of Circle Round is Amos and the Ogre.
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00:27:03.250 --> 00:27:05.890
I like the part where he prepares to do the
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00:27:05.930 --> 00:27:07.589
big challenges with the ogre.
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00:27:08.130 --> 00:27:11.650
My name is Aaron, and I live in Salt Lake,
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00:27:11.690 --> 00:27:15.890
North Carolina. And my favorite Circle Round story is the
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00:27:15.930 --> 00:27:17.970
dust up, because I like the purple.
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00:27:17.799 --> 00:27:21.279
And all the animals run off to find water. My
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00:27:21.319 --> 00:27:25.980
name is Evian, and I'm from Vermont. My favorite Circle
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Round story is A Taste of Honey because I like
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00:27:31.440 --> 00:27:34.529
the poet went, Oh, can you do you believe how
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00:27:34.589 --> 00:27:38.809
much gold we found today? Hi, my name is Lennox
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00:27:39.130 --> 00:27:44.369
and I'm from Boston, Massachusetts. And my favorite Circle Round
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00:27:44.789 --> 00:27:47.670
is The Princess and the Egg. And I like the
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00:27:47.710 --> 00:27:52.599
part where the princess says to them, These flower pots
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00:27:52.660 --> 00:27:58.609
contain honey. Roasted peas, roasted corn, and a few roasted chestnuts.
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00:27:59.240 --> 00:28:03.910
My name is Vivian. I live in Austin, Texas. My
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00:28:04.009 --> 00:28:09.910
favorite story is when the three-legged part says it's time
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00:28:09.950 --> 00:28:12.029
to skip and skip and skip.
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Did someone mention a story you've missed? Not to worry. Grownups,
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00:28:16.890 --> 00:28:19.470
you can find all of our Circle Round stories, plus
444
00:28:19.529 --> 00:28:22.619
links to the Circle Round Club, picture books, coloring pages,
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00:28:22.769 --> 00:28:27.480
and oh so much more on our website, wbur.org slash circleround.