Full Transcript for Encore: The Unwelcome Guest

be serving Nasruddin's 35 00:02:33.590 --> 00:02:36.229 wine at the feast. The day of the big event, 36 00:02:36.509 --> 00:02:40.189 Nasruddin woke up extra early. He dug deep into his 37 00:02:40.250 --> 00:02:42.599 closet and began rummaging around. 38 00:02:42.620 --> 00:02:44.539 All right, where are you? 39 00:02:44.979 --> 00:02:45.340 No? 40 00:02:45.360 --> 00:02:47.419 No, it's not that one. 41 00:02:48.689 --> 00:02:50.000 No, not that, no. 42 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:53.599 Wow! There you are! 43 00:02:54.120 --> 00:02:58.740 Nasruddin smiled as he pulled out his long red silk coat. 44 00:02:59.430 --> 00:03:02.990 It was his favorite piece of clothing, embroidered with clusters 45 00:03:03.030 --> 00:03:07.069 of bright purple grapes. Nasruddin only wore the coat on 46 00:03:07.169 --> 00:03:11.550 very special occasions, and definitely not at the vineyard. where 47 00:03:11.569 --> 00:03:14.490 he spent most days kneeling in the dirt and sweating 48 00:03:14.530 --> 00:03:17.150 in the sun as he trimmed vines and picked grapes 49 00:03:17.490 --> 00:03:21.689 before crushing them to make wine. So that morning, Nasruddin 50 00:03:21.750 --> 00:03:24.800 laid the coat on his bed, along with a nice shirt, 51 00:03:25.080 --> 00:03:27.939 perfectly pressed pants, and his shiniest shoes. 52 00:03:28.319 --> 00:03:30.759 I can hardly wait for tonight. I'll come right home 53 00:03:30.819 --> 00:03:33.879 after work. I'll get all scrubbed up and then head 54 00:03:33.979 --> 00:03:35.219 straight to the party! 55 00:03:36.379 --> 00:03:40.639 Then he set off for the vineyard. Nasruddin worked especially 56 00:03:40.719 --> 00:03:43.379 hard all day, and when he finally looked up at 57 00:03:43.409 --> 00:03:47.949 the clock, the governor's banquet was starting in 15 minutes. 58 00:03:48.229 --> 00:03:49.169 Oh, no! 59 00:03:49.689 --> 00:03:53.379 Nasruddin looked down at his clothes. Smudges of mud and 60 00:03:53.509 --> 00:03:57.379 splotches of grape juice were everywhere. The front and back 61 00:03:57.419 --> 00:03:59.379 of his shirt were clammy with sweat. 62 00:03:59.900 --> 00:04:03.289 Oh, but just 15 minutes till the party starts. There's 63 00:04:03.330 --> 00:04:06.289 no time for me to go home, get cleaned up, 64 00:04:06.810 --> 00:04:11.199 and change into my fine silk coat. I'll just have 65 00:04:11.240 --> 00:04:12.199 to go as I am. 66 00:04:12.879 --> 00:04:16.439 Nasruddin saddled up his donkey and headed to the governor's mansion. 67 00:04:17.079 --> 00:04:19.319 When he arrived, he tied the donkey to a tree 68 00:04:19.680 --> 00:04:23.079 and walked toward the doorman. As he approached, the men 69 00:04:23.259 --> 00:04:24.870 scrunched up their faces. 70 00:04:25.310 --> 00:04:31.009 Do you smell what I smell? Yeah, it's almost like.... 71 00:04:32.589 --> 00:04:33.569 Squished grapes. 72 00:04:33.889 --> 00:04:38.069 And sweat. Not hearing what they were saying, Nasruddin gave 73 00:04:38.110 --> 00:04:40.670 the

men a friendly wave and breezed through the door. 74 00:04:41.350 --> 00:04:43.850 When he stepped inside the banquet hall, he saw the 75 00:04:43.930 --> 00:04:48.620 entire village milling about, everyone dressed in their very finest 76 00:04:48.699 --> 00:04:53.459 clothing and sipping on Nasruddin's wine. Nasruddin had always been 77 00:04:53.500 --> 00:04:57.339 a friendly, talkative sort, so he began making the rounds. 78 00:04:58.100 --> 00:04:58.160 Hi! 79 00:04:58.439 --> 00:04:59.399 How are you? 80 00:05:00.180 --> 00:05:00.459 Hi! 81 00:05:00.500 --> 00:05:00.870 Hello! 82 00:05:00.879 --> 00:05:01.000 Hello! 83 00:05:01.389 --> 00:05:04.709 But as he greeted his friends and neighbors, he noticed 84 00:05:05.189 --> 00:05:09.430 no one greeted him back. Instead, they turned away. 85 00:05:09.449 --> 00:05:10.149 Huh. 86 00:05:11.189 --> 00:05:12.189 It's gotten into everybody. 87 00:05:12.709 --> 00:05:16.019 To make things worse, not even the butlers carrying trays 88 00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:19.220 of food would come near him. Nasruddin had been too 89 00:05:19.279 --> 00:05:22.100 busy to eat that day, so his mouth watered as 90 00:05:22.139 --> 00:05:26.779 he watched the elusive parade of meats, cheeses, breads, and spreads. 91 00:05:27.079 --> 00:05:31.699 Well, this is weird. This is just plain weird. At 92 00:05:31.740 --> 00:05:35.189 the very least, the governor will talk to me. I mean, 93 00:05:35.250 --> 00:05:37.110 he is serving my wine, after all. 94 00:05:37.329 --> 00:05:40.750 But as Nasruddin approached, the governor looked the wise man 95 00:05:40.910 --> 00:05:44.430 up and down, frowned, then waved at someone across the 96 00:05:44.509 --> 00:05:45.790 room and hurried away. 97 00:05:46.110 --> 00:05:48.449 What's going on? What's the matter with these people? 98 00:05:48.829 --> 00:05:52.120 When the bell rang for dinner, a scowling butler ushered 99 00:05:52.180 --> 00:05:55.439 Nasruddin to a corner of the room, as far away 100 00:05:55.500 --> 00:05:56.819 as possible from the governor. 101 00:05:57.800 --> 00:06:00.000 Right this way, please. 102 00:06:00.639 --> 00:06:03.300 As Nasruddin took his seat, the butler held out a 103 00:06:03.379 --> 00:06:05.730 bundle of bright white napkins. 104 00:06:06.209 --> 00:06:06.790 Here. 105 00:06:07.910 --> 00:06:11.550 I can't say these will hide the smell, but at 106 00:06:11.649 --> 00:06:16.069 least they'll cover up those stains. Rolling his eyes, the 107 00:06:16.110 --> 00:06:19.730 butler dropped the napkins in Nasruddin's lap, turned on his heel, 108 00:06:20.209 --> 00:06:25.959 and walked away. Suddenly, Nasruddin understood. 109 00:06:26.259 --> 00:06:30.449 Ha! So it's my clothing! Everybody has a problem with. 110 00:06:31.250 --> 00:06:34.310 I can't believe this. Seriously? The governor has invited the 111 00:06:34.350 --> 00:06:38.149 entire town, everybody, rich and poor, to his party, but yet, 112 00:06:38.610 --> 00:06:41.959 because of what I'm wearing, I'm an unwelcome guest? 113 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:47.279 Now, remember, Nasruddin was a wise man. And that's when 114 00:06:47.319 --> 00:06:49.420 he had an idea. 115 00:06:49.439 --> 00:06:50.720 Uh-huh. 116 00:06:51.120 --> 00:06:54.649 Before dinner was served, Nasruddin slid his chair away from 117 00:06:54.670 --> 00:06:57.319 the table and slipped out of the banquet hall. As 118 00:06:57.360 --> 00:07:00.180 he exited the mansion, he took a deep breath of 119 00:07:00.220 --> 00:07:03.339 the warm night air and smiled. 120 00:07:05.220 --> 00:07:09.660 Well, I may be an unwelcome guest, but I'll bring 121 00:07:09.720 --> 00:07:14.930 back a guest that they'll most definitely welcome. I just 122 00:07:14.939 --> 00:07:15.850 have to act fast. 123 00:07:16.670 --> 00:07:20.269 Then he jumped on his donkey and headed home. 124 00:07:21.490 --> 00:07:24.449 The End. 125 00:07:26.959 --> 00:07:30.040 What do you think Nasruddin is planning? We'll find out 126 00:07:30.500 --> 00:07:44.519 after a quick break. Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm 127 00:07:44.540 --> 00:07:48.860 Rebecca Shear. Today our story is called The Unwelcome Guest. 128 00:07:49.300 --> 00:07:50.600 The Unwelcome Guest. 129 00:07:55.490 --> 00:07:58.670 When we left off, Nasruddin had just left the governor's 130 00:07:58.790 --> 00:08:02.329 big banquet. Nasruddin had come to the fancy dinner straight 131 00:08:02.410 --> 00:08:05.310 from a long, hot day at his vineyard, so his 132 00:08:05.410 --> 00:08:09.970 clothing was stained with mud, grapes, and sweat. As a result, 133 00:08:10.149 --> 00:08:13.779 all the guests treated him with disdain. No one would 134 00:08:13.800 --> 00:08:16.939 venture near him, even though the governor was serving Nasruddin's 135 00:08:17.040 --> 00:08:22.939 wine at the dinner. So Nasruddin hatched a plan. Back 136 00:08:22.959 --> 00:08:23.459 at his house. 137 00:08:23.889 --> 00:08:24.050 He. 138 00:08:24.089 --> 00:08:27.930 Pumped extra bubbly soap into a steaming hot bath and 139 00:08:28.069 --> 00:08:31.879 climbed in. He scrubbed from his head to his toes. 140 00:08:32.480 --> 00:08:35.179 Then he dusted himself with powder and buttoned up his 141 00:08:35.340 --> 00:08:39.679 fancy shirt and pants. Finally, he slipped on his long 142 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:43.750 red silk coat, the one embroidered with clusters of bright 143 00:08:43.850 --> 00:08:47.269 purple grapes. He took one last look at himself in 144 00:08:47.289 --> 00:08:47.669 the mirror. 145 00:08:48.049 --> 00:08:51.009 Look at you! You look marvelous! 146 00:08:51.429 --> 00:08:55.299 And rushed back to the governor's feast. This time, when 147 00:08:55.360 --> 00:08:59.590 Nasruddin walked toward the doormen, instead of scrunching up their faces, 148 00:09:00.350 --> 00:09:01.250 they smiled. 149 00:09:01.710 --> 00:09:03.029 Good evening, sir. 150 00:09:03.269 --> 00:09:05.909 It's an honor to have you. Come in, come in. 151 00:09:06.370 -->

00:09:09.929 When Nasruddin entered the banquet hall, the very same butler 152 00:09:09.970 --> 00:09:13.070 from before, the one who'd rudely dropped the napkins in 153 00:09:13.110 --> 00:09:14.850 his lap, came running over. 154 00:09:15.110 --> 00:09:18.149 Good sir, might I escort you to the governor's table? 155 00:09:18.809 --> 00:09:19.710 Right this way. 156 00:09:20.169 --> 00:09:23.740 As Nasruddin followed the butler... People waved and called to 157 00:09:23.799 --> 00:09:28.360 him from all corners of the room. Nasruddin, hi! Hello. 158 00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:29.720 How are you? 159 00:09:29.860 --> 00:09:31.860 You look wonderful. 160 00:09:31.980 --> 00:09:33.460 What a party, eh? 161 00:09:34.019 --> 00:09:37.980 When Nasruddin reached the governor's table, the dignitary leapt up 162 00:09:38.179 --> 00:09:39.919 and enwrapped him in a hug. 163 00:09:40.259 --> 00:09:45.240 Nasruddin, my good man, such an honor to have you here. 164 00:09:46.539 --> 00:09:50.220 Please sit next to me and eat all you want. 165 00:09:50.899 --> 00:09:54.269 My cooks have prepared enough tantalizing food to feed an 166 00:09:54.330 --> 00:09:57.350 entire country, let alone a town. 167 00:09:57.370 --> 00:09:59.980 Nasruddin did as he was told and sat next to him. 168 00:10:00.200 --> 00:10:00.720 To the governor. 169 00:10:01.220 --> 00:10:05.100 Immediately, a waiter brought a glistening plate of roasted bell peppers. 170 00:10:06.039 --> 00:10:10.669 Now remember, Nasruddin hadn't eaten all day. He'd been too 171 00:10:10.789 --> 00:10:15.509 busy working. But instead of gobbling up the peppers, one 172 00:10:15.549 --> 00:10:19.220 by one he picked them up. and stuffed them into 173 00:10:19.259 --> 00:10:21.000 the pockets of his coat. 174 00:10:21.620 --> 00:10:28.090 Mmm, peppers. These look so good. Here you go, coat. 175 00:10:28.450 --> 00:10:32.990 The guests seated around Nasruddin stared in astonishment. When the 176 00:10:33.049 --> 00:10:37.570 next course arrived, a fragrant bowl of lentil soup, Nasruddin 177 00:10:37.649 --> 00:10:40.909 blew on the soup to cool it off. Then, yes, 178 00:10:41.149 --> 00:10:43.549 poured it into the pockets of his coat. 179 00:10:43.929 --> 00:10:48.710 I know how much you love soup, coat. Enjoy. 180 00:10:49.049 --> 00:10:52.350 By now, everyone in the room was gaping at Nasruddin. 181 00:10:52.889 --> 00:10:56.649 With every new course the waiters brought, cucumber salad. 182 00:10:56.889 --> 00:10:57.950 Ooh, coat. 183 00:10:58.610 --> 00:10:59.750 Taste these. 184 00:11:00.190 --> 00:11:01.250 Zucchini fritters. 185 00:11:01.529 --> 00:11:03.750 Hey, coat, have a nibble on these. 186 00:11:04.129 --> 00:11:04.929 Lamb kebabs. 187 00:11:05.340 --> 00:11:06.299 Bon appetit. 188 00:11:06.700 --> 00:11:11.480 Nasruddin didn't eat a bite. Instead, he dumped everything into 189 00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:16.259 the pockets of his long red silk coat. All this time, 190 00:11:16.340 --> 00:11:19.679 the governor had been frozen in his seat, his eyes 191 00:11:19.840 --> 00:11:22.600 wider than the bowl of soup Nasruddin had poured into 192 00:11:22.620 --> 00:11:25.860 his coat pockets. Finally, he spoke up. 193 00:11:26.379 --> 00:11:31.860 Nasruddin, with all due respect, what are you doing? 194 00:11:32.360 --> 00:11:34.320 Nasruddin looked up innocently. 195 00:11:34.340 --> 00:11:35.000 Who, me? 196 00:11:35.019 --> 00:11:38.320 Well, I'm feeding my coat, of course. 197 00:11:39.159 --> 00:11:43.740 I can see that, but... Why feed a goat? I mean, 198 00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:47.899 all this delicious food we have here? What a waste! 199 00:11:48.220 --> 00:11:49.700 Nasruddin smiled. 200 00:11:50.240 --> 00:11:53.659 Oh, you see it as a waste, huh? You see, 201 00:11:53.980 --> 00:11:55.639 I don't see it as a waste at all. 202 00:11:55.980 --> 00:11:57.039 I don't understand. 203 00:11:57.440 --> 00:12:01.159 Nasruddin stood up and looked around the crowded room. He 204 00:12:01.299 --> 00:12:06.470 cleared his throat, and the bustling room became silent. 205 00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:10.730 My dear friends and neighbors... When I first arrived at 206 00:12:10.769 --> 00:12:13.350 this feast tonight, I was dressed in my work clothes, 207 00:12:13.909 --> 00:12:19.639 all smudged and stained and smelly. And nobody, including you, Governor, 208 00:12:20.399 --> 00:12:24.059 nobody gave me the time of day. You all treated 209 00:12:24.100 --> 00:12:25.100 me like I was nothing. 210 00:12:25.419 --> 00:12:28.299 The guests in the banquet hall felt their faces burn 211 00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:32.759 red with shame. The Governor hung his head. Then he 212 00:12:32.879 --> 00:12:35.299 placed his hand on Nasruddin's shoulder. 213 00:12:35.740 --> 00:12:41.200 What you say is true, Nasruddin. And on behalf of everyone, 214 00:12:42.100 --> 00:12:49.529 I am sorry. Truly sorry. But I'm still confused. Why 215 00:12:49.549 --> 00:12:50.210 feed your coat? 216 00:12:50.629 --> 00:12:53.029 The wise man's eyes twinkled. 217 00:12:53.330 --> 00:12:54.970 Well, you see, after the way each and every one 218 00:12:54.990 --> 00:12:57.330 of you treated me, I went back home, and I 219 00:12:57.429 --> 00:13:01.820 changed into this coat. And I come back, and I'm 220 00:13:01.840 --> 00:13:05.039 greeted with smiles. And it was the coat that made 221 00:13:05.100 --> 00:13:08.919 all the difference, so I realized... It wasn't me that 222 00:13:08.960 --> 00:13:14.179 you wanted at your party. It was my coat. So, 223 00:13:15.279 --> 00:13:18.090 what else could I do but feed all of your 224 00:13:18.230 --> 00:13:23.889 delectable foods to the coat? See, I'm the unwelcome guest 225 00:13:23.929 --> 00:13:29.090 at this party, so my coat must be the welcome one. 226 00:13:30.840 --> 00:13:33.700 And with that, he walked out of the banquet hall, 227 00:13:34.240 --> 00:13:38.700 puddles and pieces of food trailing behind him. From then on, 228 00:13:39.039 -->

00:13:42.480 everyone in town thought twice before treating people based on 229 00:13:42.519 --> 00:13:46.519 their appearance. They remembered it's what's inside that matters most. 230 00:13:47.179 --> 00:13:50.730 Just as the wise man had hoped, Nastradine's lesson proved 231 00:13:50.850 --> 00:13:56.629 to be some very precious, and very scrumptious, food for thought. 232 00:13:56.649 --> 00:13:58.629 The End. 233 00:14:09.799 --> 00:14:13.299 Now it's your turn. Have you ever judged something or 234 00:14:13.559 --> 00:14:17.639 someone on appearance alone? Maybe you thought a food would 235 00:14:17.700 --> 00:14:21.039 taste yucky because it wasn't especially pretty, but it turned 236 00:14:21.100 --> 00:14:24.240 out to be delicious. Or you assumed a person was 237 00:14:24.320 --> 00:14:27.480 really serious because they weren't very smiley when you met, 238 00:14:27.980 --> 00:14:30.179 but then you learned they were just having a rough day. 239 00:14:30.940 --> 00:14:33.590 Think about that time and share your story with someone 240 00:14:33.610 --> 00:14:36.169 you like to have fun with. Talk about what happened 241 00:14:36.610 --> 00:14:39.750 and what you learned about judging a book. by its cover. 242 00:14:44.929 --> 00:14:48.269 This week's story, The Unwelcome Guest, was adapted by me, 243 00:14:48.289 --> 00:14:52.610 Rebecca Shear, and edited by Circle Round's executive producer, Jessica Alpert. 244 00:14:53.309 --> 00:14:56.950 Original music and sound design was by Eric Shimalanis. Our 245 00:14:57.029 --> 00:15:00.409 artist is Sabina Han. You can find Sabina's black and 246 00:15:00.450 --> 00:15:05.129 white illustrations for all of our stories on our website, wbur.org 247 00:15:05.250 --> 00:15:09.360 slash circleround. Click on Coloring Pages, then print some out 248 00:15:09.580 --> 00:15:12.220 and fill them in with colors of your own. And 249 00:15:12.240 --> 00:15:15.330 if you feel like it, share your masterpiece on Instagram. 250 00:15:15.809 --> 00:15:21.250 We're at Instagram.com slash Circle Round Podcast. Special thanks to 251 00:15:21.289 --> 00:15:26.639 this week's actors. Elle Borders, Evan Casey, Laura Gardner, Mitchell Hebert, 252 00:15:26.980 --> 00:15:33.340 Maurice Parent, Craig Wallace, Tom Whaley, Jacob Yeh, and Richard Hoffman. Kids, 253 00:15:33.360 --> 00:15:36.100 you can hear Richard's voice on Summer Camp Island on 254 00:15:36.120 --> 00:15:38.840 the Cartoon Network. And if you haven't yet seen the 255 00:15:38.899 --> 00:15:43.779 movie Inside Out, Richard portrays the one and only Bing Bong. 256 00:15:44.860 --> 00:15:48.600 The featured instrument in today's story was the oud. You 257 00:15:48.639 --> 00:15:50.899 can learn more about this member of the string family 258 00:15:50.919 --> 00:15:55.919 and see a picture on our website, wbur.org slash circle round. 259 00:15:56.730 --> 00:15:59.149 If you haven't yet subscribed to Circle Round, find us 260 00:15:59.250 --> 00:16:02.350 on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. 261 00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:06.919 Circle Round is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station. 262 00:16:12.440 --> 00:16:19.250 I'm Rebecca Shear. Thanks for circling round with us. Now 263 00:16:19.289 --> 00:16:21.210 that you've made it to the end of this Circle 264 00:16:21.250 --> 00:16:25.309 Round episode, we want to know, what's your favorite Circle 265 00:16:25.350 --> 00:16:28.750 Round story? Thousands of fans just like you have been 266 00:16:28.789 --> 00:16:31.330 telling us about the Circle Round stories they like best. 267 00:16:31.860 --> 00:16:34.450 Take a listen. Maybe one of their favorites is one 268 00:16:34.470 --> 00:16:35.429 of yours, too. 269 00:16:36.190 --> 00:16:39.529 Hi, my name is Ali. I'm from America. I live 270 00:16:39.610 --> 00:16:43.190 in Oman. My favorite Chuck Loram story is Finding the Lie. 271 00:16:43.490 --> 00:16:47.580 My favorite part is when the young man glances all 272 00:16:47.620 --> 00:16:50.899 of the light into the world. We love you, Rebecca Shia. 273 00:16:51.299 --> 00:16:55.000 My name is Cecily. I live in Michigan. My favorite 274 00:16:55.019 --> 00:16:58.980 story is Donkey Business. I like it when she puts 275 00:16:59.299 --> 00:17:01.759 honey on the behind and. 276 00:17:02.230 --> 00:17:06.089 She puts the gold coin. My name is Miko, and 277 00:17:06.309 --> 00:17:10.750 I'm from Brooklyn, New York. My favorite circle round story 278 00:17:10.849 --> 00:17:13.910 is the tale of Koala's Tale, because I like the 279 00:17:13.970 --> 00:17:18.759 part when Tree Kangaroo keeps on calling, Koala! 280 00:17:20.720 --> 00:17:23.849 My name is Melanie. I'm from New York. And my 281 00:17:23.910 --> 00:17:27.609 favorite circle around story is the Great Acorn Robbery. My 282 00:17:27.690 --> 00:17:32.710 favorite part is where Beaver says, I do the clan. 283 00:17:33.230 --> 00:17:34.410 My name is Hartley. 284 00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:38.980 I'm from New Jersey. My favorite circle around story is 285 00:17:39.039 --> 00:17:42.720 Hungry Hippo because I like when he says, oh, come again. 286 00:17:43.200 --> 00:17:46.420 My name is Lila, and I live in New York. 287 00:17:46.859 --> 00:17:51.369 And my favorite circle around was the Reichskies. and the Oni. 288 00:17:51.769 --> 00:17:55.150 I like the part where the Onis laugh so hard 289 00:17:55.390 --> 00:17:57.869 that the water comes splashing out of their mouth. 290 00:17:58.589 --> 00:18:01.880 My name is Adela. I live in Plano, Texas. 291 00:18:02.200 --> 00:18:06.579 My favorite Circle Round story is the unselfish shellfish. I 292 00:18:06.599 --> 00:18:09.099 like the part where they find all the pearls inside. 293 00:18:09.460 --> 00:18:10.900 I love you, Rebecca Shearer. 294 00:18:11.460 --> 00:18:15.160 Did someone mention a story you've missed? Not to worry. Grown-ups, 295 00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:17.940 you can find all of our Circle Round stories, plus 296 00:18:18.009 --> 00:18:21.099 links to the Circle Round Club picture books, coloring pages, 297 00:18:21.220 --> 00:18:25.950 and oh so much more on our website, wbur.org slash circleround.