WEBVTT
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Produced by the i-Lab at WBUR Boston.
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Has anyone ever told you you were too small to
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do something? Too small to go on an amusement park ride?
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Too small to join the bigger kids in one of
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their games? Well, as we're about to learn, sometimes being
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small can bring big rewards.
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Woo-hoo!
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I'm Rebecca Shear, and welcome to Circle Round, where story
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time happens all the time. Today our story is called
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Catching Fire. Versions of this tale come from what's now
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known as the West African country of Benin. Some really
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great people came together to bring you our adaptation of
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this folktale, including father and daughter duo Chuck and Willie Cooper.
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Tony Award winner Chuck Cooper has starred in numerous Broadway
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shows including Chicago, Choir Boy, The Cherry Orchard, and The Life.
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Tony Award nominee Lily Cooper has wowed Broadway audiences in
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such shows as Spring Awakening, SpongeBob SquarePants, Tootsie, and Wicked.
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So circle around, everyone, for Catching Fire. Long, long ago...
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When Mawu, the creator goddess, first brought the world into being,
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she sculpted mountains, valleys, and deserts. She planted flowers, grasses,
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and trees. She poured water into rivers, lakes, and oceans.
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There was just one thing missing.
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Fire.
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You see, Mawu kept all the fire for herself, fiercely
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protecting the crackling, blazing flames in her kingdom above the clouds.
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Back in those early times, The animals of the earth
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all spoke the same language. And one day, Lion called
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his fellow creatures together.
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Friends, for as long as any of us can remember,
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our nights have been dark and cold. Once the sun
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goes down, we have no way to see or to
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keep warm. If one of you could journey to Mawu's
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kingdom and fetch us some fire... You would be a hero. So,
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who would like to volunteer?
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Lion's bright amber eyes traveled from animal to animal. At last,
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they rested on Panther.
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Panther, you are brave and fierce. Could you travel to
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Mawu's kingdom and bring us back some fire?
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Panther arched her sleek black back.
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I sure can try.
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In a flash, Panther raced to the top of the
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tallest mountain and launched herself into the sky. When she
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broke through the clouds, she found herself in Mawu's kingdom.
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And what did her emerald green eyes spot when she
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got there? But a raging, blazing fire. Pressing her sinewy
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body low to the ground, Panther skulked over to a
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bush and broke off a branch. She clutched the branch
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in her teeth, then crept toward the flickering flames. But
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just as she was about to set the branch afire.
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Hey, you there!
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A voice stopped her right in her tracks. And do
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you know who that voice belonged to? You guessed it. Mawu!
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How dare you try and steal fire from my kingdom?
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After all I've given you earth creatures, this is how
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you show thanks? Be gone at once.
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Panther dropped the branch and sprang away from the fire.
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When she dove back down to earth, Lion and the
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other animals were waiting with bated breath.
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Well, Panther, where's the fire?
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Panther tucked her long black tail between her legs.
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I'm sorry, Lion. I couldn't bring any fire. I tried
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to be all sneaky and stealthy, just like when I hunt.
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But Mawu caught me in the act.
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Lion gave Panther's shoulder a friendly pat.
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That's okay, Panther. That's okay. At least you gave it
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a go, right? But we really need this fire, friends.
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Perhaps someone else could take a crack at it?
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Lion gazed around, then nodded his shaggy head toward Antelope.
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Antelope, how about you? You're nimble and swift. I'll bet
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you can nab some fire and come back to Earth
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without Mawu even noticing.
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Antelope flexed his long, lean legs.
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I guess it's worth a shot.
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So now Antelope leaped from the top of the tallest
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mountain and broke through the clouds. And when he reached
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Mawu's kingdom, he too saw the crackling, roaring fire. Without
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missing a beat, he grabbed a branch from the bush,
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clenched it between his teeth, then bounded toward the flames.
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But before he could set the stick alight.
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Oh, no.
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Not another one.
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He found himself staring into the enraged eyes of Mawu.
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How dare you try and steal fire from my kingdom?
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After all I've given you earth creatures, this is how
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you show thanks? Be gone at once.
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Trembling with fear, Antelope dropped the stick, plunged through the clouds,
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and sailed back down to earth.
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Antelope! That was fast! Where's the fire?
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Antelope hung his long, curvy antlers in embarrassment.
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I couldn't get any fire, Lion. I tried to be
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quick and.
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Nimble, just like when I sprint across the wide-open plains,
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but Mawu took me by surprise.
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I understand, Antelope. Thanks for trying.
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Lion slumped his tawny brown shoulders.
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I don't know, friends. Maybe we should just give up.
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Maybe we should just get accustomed to cold, dark nights.
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Maybe we should just... Lion, wait!
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There's no need to give up.
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The two of us know exactly how to bring fire
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back from Mawu's kingdom.
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You just have to trust us.
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Who is the mysterious pair that spoke up just now?
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And can they really bring fire down to Earth? We'll
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find out after a quick break. Welcome back to Circle Round.
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I'm Rebecca Shear. Today our story is called Catching Fire.
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Catching Fire.
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Before the break, the creator goddess Mawu was keeping all
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the fire in the universe up in her kingdom above
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the clouds. She guarded it fiercely and wouldn't share it
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with anyone. So when brave panther and nimble antelope tried
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to steal it, Mawu frightened them away. The animals were
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about to give up and resign themselves to night after
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night of squinting in the dark and shivering in the
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cold when two voices piped up saying they could help.
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Lion lowered his fuzzy head until he came eye to
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eye with Tortoise and Chameleon. The pair of pint-sized creatures
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wore big old grins on their tiny little faces.
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Tortoise! Chameleon! You two are so tiny, I didn't realize
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you were here.
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Yeah, that happens a lot. Doesn't it, Chameleon?
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Sure does, Tortoise.
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But what you larger animals don't realize is that even
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though Chameleon and I are small.
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We've got some big ideas. Huge!
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Like how to get fire from Mau's kingdom.
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The other animals were quiet for a moment until... Panther
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and Antelope burst out laughing.
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Oh, come now, you two.
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Stop pulling your legs.
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If big, brave animals like us could get Mao's fire.
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There's no way you pipsqueaks can. Panther, Antelope, please.
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Lion fixed Tortoise and Chameleon with a steady gaze.
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All right, you two. You really think you're up for this?
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Oh, we don't think we're up for it, Lion.
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We know it.
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And with that, the two teensy critters set off for
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the top of the tallest mountain. It took them a
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while to get there. Seven whole days, in fact. But
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when they finally reached the peak, Tortoise gave Chameleon a nod. Ready, Chameleon?
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Ready, Tortoise. See you soon.
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Chameleon pushed off his stumpy legs, then broke through the
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clouds to Mawu's kingdom. Just like the other bigger animals
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before him, Chameleon immediately snatched up a stick and made
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his way toward the popping, spluttering fire. But unlike the
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other bigger animals before him, Chameleon did it without Mawu noticing.
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And can you guess why? Well, Chameleon had a smaller body,
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of course, but he also had a special ability. the
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ability to camouflage. He could change his color to blend
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in with everything around him. So as he scuttled over
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to Mawu's fire, he was basically invisible. Quick as a wink,
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Chameleon set the stick ablaze. But as he scurried away,
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he heard a voice that made his cold reptilian blood
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turn even colder.
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What's this I'm seeing?
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A flame escaping from my fire all by itself? How
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is that possible?
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As Mawu lunged toward the burning stick, Chameleon didn't waste
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a second. He dove through the clouds and sailed downward
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until he reached the top of the mountain, where his
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buddy Tortoise was waiting.
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Here's the fire, Tortoise, but be careful. Mawu's onto us.
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Don't worry, Chameleon.
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I've totally got this covered.
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You can count on.
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Tortoise's words were drowned out by a massive clap of thunder.
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The next thing she and Chameleon knew, the skies darkened,
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the wind picked up, and the clouds unleashed sheet after
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sheet of rain. You see, back in Mawu's kingdom... The
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moment the enraged goddess discovered some of her fire escaping
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down to Earth, she used her powers to whip up
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a storm in hopes that the rain would snuff the
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fire out. But guess what? The rain did not snuff
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the fire out. And do you know why? Because Clever
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Tortoise had stuck the blazing stick inside her shell. So
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now the fire was safe, but Tortoise was sweltering as
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the stick smoldered and smoked under her thick outer coverings.
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Tortoise began to sweat and pant. And then, just when
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she thought she would pass out from the heat, the
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rain stopped. High above the clouds, Mawu's flashing eyes had
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been scouring the earth for signs of her missing fire.
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Thanks to Tortoise, she didn't see any. So the goddess
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finally gave up and called off the rain. Now that
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the skies were clear, Tortoise breathed a sigh of relief
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as she pulled the burning stick out from her shell.
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And she and Chameleon took turns carrying the flame back
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down the mountain, where the other, bigger animals greeted them
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with cheers and smiles. That was the last time the
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animals ever shivered through the night or squinted to see
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each other in the dark. It was also the last
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time they ever mocked Tortoise and Chameleon for their size.
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Because now they knew that sometimes, to come up with
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a big idea... You have to start small. Now it's
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your turn. What's one little thing you can do to
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make a big difference? Maybe you can plant a tree
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in your yard, head to the local park to pick
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up trash, or donate clothing you don't wear anymore. It
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may seem small, but the results can be huge. This
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week's story, Catching Fire, was adapted by me, Rebecca Shear.
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It was edited by our supervising producer, Anne-Marie Sievertson. Eric
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Shimalonis is the mastermind behind our original music and sound design.
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Our artist is Sabina Hun. Sabina has drawn a black
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and white picture for every Circle Round story so you
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can color while you listen. Grown-ups, you can find our
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coloring pages at wbur.org slash CircleRound, along with links to
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the CircleRound soundtrack, t-shirt, and coloring book. Special thanks to
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this week's actors, Edward Hong, Jefferson A. Russell, Alexia Trainor,
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Melissa Victor, Lily Cooper, and Chuck Cooper. Lily and her
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father Chuck have starred in a ton of Broadway shows.
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Lily will next be seen on November 10th at Carnegie
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Hall in The Eyes of the World, from D-Day to V-E-Day.
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She's also the founder of the Places Please Project, which
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provides rent relief for theater workers. Chuck Cooper will next
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appear in the Broadway production of Trouble in Mind at
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the American Airlines Theater. Previews start October 29th. Our featured
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instrument this week was the djembe. You can learn more
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about this West African hand drum and see a picture
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on our website. Again, that's wbur.org slash circleround. Want to
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help spread the circleround word? Please give us a five-star
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review on whatever podcast app you use. and tell your
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friends to subscribe to the show. Circle Round 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. One of the best
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things about creating Circle Round is hearing from listeners like you.
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Circle Round fans have been telling us about their favorite
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Circle Round stories, and we're excited to share some of
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their voices with you today.
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My name is Alice, and I live in Franklin, Tennessee.
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And my favorite Circle Round story is The Dozen Loves
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of Bread. And my favorite part is when they patched
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up a hole with bread. Hi, my name is Rose.
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I live in Kansas City. My favorite story is The
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Three-Legged Pot. I like the part when it goes to
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the North Pole and takes the Olympics. Hi, my name
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is Isla, and I live in Portland, Oregon. And my
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favorite circle round story is the dinner party because I
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like the part when the turtle tricks the spider.
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Hi, my name is Neil, and I'm from Austin, Texas.
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My favorite story is.
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Nilsa and the Troll. And my favorite part is when
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Nilsa meets the Troll.
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Hi, my name is Belk. Hi, my name is Julian.
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I live in Oahu, Hawaii. My favorite Silicon Valley story
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is the one catcher I like when they have the
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boat race and they build a boat and it's the
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leader of the island.
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Did someone mention an episode you missed? No problem. You
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can find every single Circle Round story on our website.
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That's wbur.org slash circleround, or wherever you and your grown-ups
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get your podcasts.
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Produced by the i-Lab at WBUR Boston.
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Has anyone ever told you you were too small to
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do something? Too small to go on an amusement park ride?
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Too small to join the bigger kids in one of
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their games? Well, as we're about to learn, sometimes being
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small can bring big rewards.
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Woo-hoo!
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I'm Rebecca Shear, and welcome to Circle Round, where story
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time happens all the time. Today our story is called
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Catching Fire. Versions of this tale come from what's now
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known as the West African country of Benin. Some really
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great people came together to bring you our adaptation of
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this folktale, including father and daughter duo Chuck and Willie Cooper.
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Tony Award winner Chuck Cooper has starred in numerous Broadway
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shows including Chicago, Choir Boy, The Cherry Orchard, and The Life.
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Tony Award nominee Lily Cooper has wowed Broadway audiences in
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such shows as Spring Awakening, SpongeBob SquarePants, Tootsie, and Wicked.
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So circle around, everyone, for Catching Fire. Long, long ago...
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When Mawu, the creator goddess, first brought the world into being,
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she sculpted mountains, valleys, and deserts. She planted flowers, grasses,
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and trees. She poured water into rivers, lakes, and oceans.
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There was just one thing missing.
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Fire.
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You see, Mawu kept all the fire for herself, fiercely
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protecting the crackling, blazing flames in her kingdom above the clouds.
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Back in those early times, The animals of the earth
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all spoke the same language. And one day, Lion called
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his fellow creatures together.
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Friends, for as long as any of us can remember,
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our nights have been dark and cold. Once the sun
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goes down, we have no way to see or to
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keep warm. If one of you could journey to Mawu's
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kingdom and fetch us some fire... You would be a hero. So,
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who would like to volunteer?
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Lion's bright amber eyes traveled from animal to animal. At last,
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they rested on Panther.
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Panther, you are brave and fierce. Could you travel to
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Mawu's kingdom and bring us back some fire?
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Panther arched her sleek black back.
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I sure can try.
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In a flash, Panther raced to the top of the
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tallest mountain and launched herself into the sky. When she
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broke through the clouds, she found herself in Mawu's kingdom.
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And what did her emerald green eyes spot when she
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got there? But a raging, blazing fire. Pressing her sinewy
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body low to the ground, Panther skulked over to a
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bush and broke off a branch. She clutched the branch
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in her teeth, then crept toward the flickering flames. But
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just as she was about to set the branch afire.
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Hey, you there!
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A voice stopped her right in her tracks. And do
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you know who that voice belonged to? You guessed it. Mawu!
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How dare you try and steal fire from my kingdom?
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After all I've given you earth creatures, this is how
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you show thanks? Be gone at once.
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Panther dropped the branch and sprang away from the fire.
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When she dove back down to earth, Lion and the
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other animals were waiting with bated breath.
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Well, Panther, where's the fire?
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Panther tucked her long black tail between her legs.
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I'm sorry, Lion. I couldn't bring any fire. I tried
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to be all sneaky and stealthy, just like when I hunt.
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But Mawu caught me in the act.
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Lion gave Panther's shoulder a friendly pat.
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That's okay, Panther. That's okay. At least you gave it
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a go, right? But we really need this fire, friends.
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Perhaps someone else could take a crack at it?
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Lion gazed around, then nodded his shaggy head toward Antelope.
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Antelope, how about you? You're nimble and swift. I'll bet
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you can nab some fire and come back to Earth
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without Mawu even noticing.
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Antelope flexed his long, lean legs.
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I guess it's worth a shot.
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So now Antelope leaped from the top of the tallest
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mountain and broke through the clouds. And when he reached
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Mawu's kingdom, he too saw the crackling, roaring fire. Without
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missing a beat, he grabbed a branch from the bush,
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clenched it between his teeth, then bounded toward the flames.
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But before he could set the stick alight.
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Oh, no.
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Not another one.
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He found himself staring into the enraged eyes of Mawu.
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How dare you try and steal fire from my kingdom?
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After all I've given you earth creatures, this is how
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you show thanks? Be gone at once.
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Trembling with fear, Antelope dropped the stick, plunged through the clouds,
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and sailed back down to earth.
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Antelope! That was fast! Where's the fire?
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Antelope hung his long, curvy antlers in embarrassment.
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I couldn't get any fire, Lion. I tried to be
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quick and.
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Nimble, just like when I sprint across the wide-open plains,
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but Mawu took me by surprise.
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I understand, Antelope. Thanks for trying.
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Lion slumped his tawny brown shoulders.
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I don't know, friends. Maybe we should just give up.
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Maybe we should just get accustomed to cold, dark nights.
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Maybe we should just... Lion, wait!
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There's no need to give up.
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The two of us know exactly how to bring fire
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back from Mawu's kingdom.
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You just have to trust us.
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Who is the mysterious pair that spoke up just now?
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And can they really bring fire down to Earth? We'll
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find out after a quick break. Welcome back to Circle Round.
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I'm Rebecca Shear. Today our story is called Catching Fire.
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Catching Fire.
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Before the break, the creator goddess Mawu was keeping all
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the fire in the universe up in her kingdom above
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the clouds. She guarded it fiercely and wouldn't share it
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with anyone. So when brave panther and nimble antelope tried
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to steal it, Mawu frightened them away. The animals were
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about to give up and resign themselves to night after
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night of squinting in the dark and shivering in the
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cold when two voices piped up saying they could help.
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Lion lowered his fuzzy head until he came eye to
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eye with Tortoise and Chameleon. The pair of pint-sized creatures
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wore big old grins on their tiny little faces.
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Tortoise! Chameleon! You two are so tiny, I didn't realize
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you were here.
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Yeah, that happens a lot. Doesn't it, Chameleon?
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Sure does, Tortoise.
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But what you larger animals don't realize is that even
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though Chameleon and I are small.
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We've got some big ideas. Huge!
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Like how to get fire from Mau's kingdom.
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The other animals were quiet for a moment until... Panther
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and Antelope burst out laughing.
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Oh, come now, you two.
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Stop pulling your legs.
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If big, brave animals like us could get Mao's fire.
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There's no way you pipsqueaks can. Panther, Antelope, please.
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Lion fixed Tortoise and Chameleon with a steady gaze.
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All right, you two. You really think you're up for this?
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Oh, we don't think we're up for it, Lion.
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We know it.
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And with that, the two teensy critters set off for
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the top of the tallest mountain. It took them a
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while to get there. Seven whole days, in fact. But
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when they finally reached the peak, Tortoise gave Chameleon a nod. Ready, Chameleon?
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Ready, Tortoise. See you soon.
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Chameleon pushed off his stumpy legs, then broke through the
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clouds to Mawu's kingdom. Just like the other bigger animals
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before him, Chameleon immediately snatched up a stick and made
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his way toward the popping, spluttering fire. But unlike the
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other bigger animals before him, Chameleon did it without Mawu noticing.
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And can you guess why? Well, Chameleon had a smaller body,
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of course, but he also had a special ability. the
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ability to camouflage. He could change his color to blend
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in with everything around him. So as he scuttled over
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to Mawu's fire, he was basically invisible. Quick as a wink,
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Chameleon set the stick ablaze. But as he scurried away,
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he heard a voice that made his cold reptilian blood
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turn even colder.
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What's this I'm seeing?
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A flame escaping from my fire all by itself? How
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is that possible?
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As Mawu lunged toward the burning stick, Chameleon didn't waste
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a second. He dove through the clouds and sailed downward
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until he reached the top of the mountain, where his
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buddy Tortoise was waiting.
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Here's the fire, Tortoise, but be careful. Mawu's onto us.
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Don't worry, Chameleon.
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I've totally got this covered.
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You can count on.
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Tortoise's words were drowned out by a massive clap of thunder.
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The next thing she and Chameleon knew, the skies darkened,
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the wind picked up, and the clouds unleashed sheet after
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sheet of rain. You see, back in Mawu's kingdom... The
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moment the enraged goddess discovered some of her fire escaping
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down to Earth, she used her powers to whip up
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a storm in hopes that the rain would snuff the
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fire out. But guess what? The rain did not snuff
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the fire out. And do you know why? Because Clever
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Tortoise had stuck the blazing stick inside her shell. So
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now the fire was safe, but Tortoise was sweltering as
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the stick smoldered and smoked under her thick outer coverings.
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Tortoise began to sweat and pant. And then, just when
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she thought she would pass out from the heat, the
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rain stopped. High above the clouds, Mawu's flashing eyes had
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been scouring the earth for signs of her missing fire.
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Thanks to Tortoise, she didn't see any. So the goddess
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finally gave up and called off the rain. Now that
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the skies were clear, Tortoise breathed a sigh of relief
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as she pulled the burning stick out from her shell.
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And she and Chameleon took turns carrying the flame back
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down the mountain, where the other, bigger animals greeted them
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with cheers and smiles. That was the last time the
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animals ever shivered through the night or squinted to see
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each other in the dark. It was also the last
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time they ever mocked Tortoise and Chameleon for their size.
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Because now they knew that sometimes, to come up with
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a big idea... You have to start small. Now it's
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your turn. What's one little thing you can do to
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make a big difference? Maybe you can plant a tree
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in your yard, head to the local park to pick
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up trash, or donate clothing you don't wear anymore. It
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may seem small, but the results can be huge. This
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week's story, Catching Fire, was adapted by me, Rebecca Shear.
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It was edited by our supervising producer, Anne-Marie Sievertson. Eric
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Shimalonis is the mastermind behind our original music and sound design.
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Our artist is Sabina Hun. Sabina has drawn a black
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and white picture for every Circle Round story so you
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can color while you listen. Grown-ups, you can find our
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coloring pages at wbur.org slash CircleRound, along with links to
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the CircleRound soundtrack, t-shirt, and coloring book. Special thanks to
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this week's actors, Edward Hong, Jefferson A. Russell, Alexia Trainor,
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Melissa Victor, Lily Cooper, and Chuck Cooper. Lily and her
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father Chuck have starred in a ton of Broadway shows.
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Lily will next be seen on November 10th at Carnegie
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Hall in The Eyes of the World, from D-Day to V-E-Day.
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She's also the founder of the Places Please Project, which
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provides rent relief for theater workers. Chuck Cooper will next
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appear in the Broadway production of Trouble in Mind at
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the American Airlines Theater. Previews start October 29th. Our featured
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instrument this week was the djembe. You can learn more
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about this West African hand drum and see a picture
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on our website. Again, that's wbur.org slash circleround. Want to
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help spread the circleround word? Please give us a five-star
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review on whatever podcast app you use. and tell your
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friends to subscribe to the show. Circle Round 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. One of the best
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things about creating Circle Round is hearing from listeners like you.
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Circle Round fans have been telling us about their favorite
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Circle Round stories, and we're excited to share some of
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their voices with you today.
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My name is Alice, and I live in Franklin, Tennessee.
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And my favorite Circle Round story is The Dozen Loves
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of Bread. And my favorite part is when they patched
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up a hole with bread. Hi, my name is Rose.
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I live in Kansas City. My favorite story is The
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Three-Legged Pot. I like the part when it goes to
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the North Pole and takes the Olympics. Hi, my name
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is Isla, and I live in Portland, Oregon. And my
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favorite circle round story is the dinner party because I
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like the part when the turtle tricks the spider.
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Hi, my name is Neil, and I'm from Austin, Texas.
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My favorite story is.
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Nilsa and the Troll. And my favorite part is when
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Nilsa meets the Troll.
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Hi, my name is Belk. Hi, my name is Julian.
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I live in Oahu, Hawaii. My favorite Silicon Valley story
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is the one catcher I like when they have the
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boat race and they build a boat and it's the
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leader of the island.
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Did someone mention an episode you missed? No problem. You
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can find every single Circle Round story on our website.
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That's wbur.org slash circleround, or wherever you and your grown-ups
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get your podcasts.
