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WBUR Podcasts, Boston.
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Until it leads to a boatload of.
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Adventure. I'm Rebecca Shear, and welcome to Circle Round, where
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story time happens all the time. Today our story is
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called The Empty Barrel. It comes from the Jewish community
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in the North African country of Morocco. Some really great
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people came together to bring you our version of this tale,
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including Anjali Bimani. star of fan-favorite video games like Overwatch,
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Apex Legends, and her latest, Stray Gods, the role-playing musical.
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You can also hear Anjali in our Season 5 episode,
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The NeverEnding Stories. So circle around, everyone, for The Empty Barrel.
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The Empty Barrel.
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Layla the woodworker lived in a humble cottage where she
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spent her days chopping trees and crafting beautiful bowls and birdhouses,
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trinkets and toys, which she sold at the market. Layla
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made a modest living, and she was content with what
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she had. Well, mostly content, because the one thing the
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woodworker didn't have was a well.
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Oh.
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If only this cottage of mine had a well beside it,
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I would have plenty of water for cooking and washing. Instead,
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I have to carry a barrel all the way to
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the river to fetch water, then lug it all the
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way back.
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It was true. When the working day was done, Layla
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hoisted an empty barrel onto her back. In the waning
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light of the setting sun, she lugged the barrel to
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the river, filled it with water, then dragged it back home.
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After a good night's rest, she woke up with enough
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water to last her all day. One morning, when Layla
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went to get water to boil some eggs, she made
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a startling discovery.
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My barrel! It's empty! But how could this be? Just
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last night, it was filled all the way to the brim.
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How odd.
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She searched the barrel for holes or cracks, but couldn't
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find a single one. So she returned to the river,
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filled the barrel again, then hauled it back home. But
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when she woke up the next morning....
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My barrel is empty. Again.
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The same thing happened the next morning.
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No water?
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And the next morning... Not even a drop? Until finally,
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Layla made a decision.
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Tonight, I will hide inside this barrel and see what's
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happening to my water.
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At sundown, Layla stepped inside the empty barrel, fastened the lid,
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then did her best to stay still as the minutes
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and hours ticked by. And then, right around midnight, she
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heard an unmistakable sound.
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Wings! I hear wings, and they're getting closer and closer,
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and whoa!
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Layla clutched the sides of the barrel as it began
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to sway back and forth.
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I think this barrel is lifting off the ground, and
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now it's flying with me inside it.
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The barrel flew and flew until eventually.
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It landed.
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With trembling hands, Layla lifted the cover. When she peered
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over the edge, she got two big surprises. The first was.
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The sun! It's come up again. Gosh, I must have
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been flying all night.
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And the second surprise?
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The sea! I've landed far above the sea on a tall,
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steep cliff. But how did I get here?
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Oh, that's simple. I brought you.
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Layla glanced up. Perched in a tall tree was the large,
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sharp-billed seabird known as an albatross.
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You brought me here?
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I did.
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And you speak?
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I do. Layla's head was spinning, but it was about
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to spin even more, because as she gaped at the
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talking albatross in the tree, she noticed something hanging from
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the branches. But they weren't flowers or fruit. Instead, they
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looked an awful lot like diamonds.
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Are diamonds really hanging from that tree? And did a
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talking albatross really bring me here? Or am I just
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having a really strange dream?
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The albatross spread its wings and glided to the ground.
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Well, if you really want to know... Then yes, diamonds
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really are hanging from that tree. And no, you're not dreaming.
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A talking albatross really did bring you here. Though technically,
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I'm not actually an albatross.
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You're not? You look like an albatross to me. Sharp bill,
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sturdy legs, strong wings.
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True, but I'm actually a person. Or I was. That is,
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until an evil witch came sweeping into my village from
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across the sea. She made off with all the people,
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then turned each and every one of us into an albatross.
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Layla felt her head spin again.
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So, let me get this straight. A witch took all
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the people in your village and turned you into seabirds?
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But why?
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One word.
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That. The albatross extended a wing toward the diamond tree.
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This precious tree of hers can only grow with fresh water,
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not seawater. So the witch transformed us into albatrosses so
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we can use our strong wings to fly around and
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fetch fresh water.
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But where is everyone else? You're the only one I see.
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Well, an albatross is a mighty bird. But even mighty
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birds get tired. And whenever we get too tired to
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carry water, the witch turns us into something else.
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Layla shuddered.
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And what would that something else be?
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The albatross gestured toward the tree again.
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A diamond ring. And I'm the only villager who hasn't
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yet met this tragic fate.
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Layla stared at the diamonds. There must have been hundreds
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hanging from the tree, all of them sparkling and glittering
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in the sun.
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I am so sorry. But why don't you escape? You've
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got strong wings. You can just fly away and go
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somewhere the witch will never find you.
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I could, but I don't want to leave my friends
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and family behind. So I've been pacing myself, conserving my strength,
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so that I can stay in Albatross long enough to
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figure out how to reverse the witch's spells. And now
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that you're here, maybe you can help me?
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Layla smiled.
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Of course I'll help you.
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Where is the witch now? Before the Albatross could answer,
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fearsome voice rang out.
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Where is the witch, you ask?
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I'm right here.
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And now that you're here, you will become my newest albatross.
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Layla whirled around and came face to face with a tall,
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cloaked woman. Her hair was jet black and wild. Her
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eyes were fierce and bright. Layla's heart began to pound.
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Her hands grew cold and her brow grew damp. She
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knew she must find a way to reverse the witch's spells.
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But could she do it without becoming a well-water-snatching albatross herself?
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There was only one way to find out. What will
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Layla do next? What would you do if you were
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in the woodworker's shoes? We'll find out what happens after
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a quick break.
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100 years from now in a land far, far away.
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Hang on. It's not so far away at all, actually. Hey,
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Circle Round families. We're here to share a new listening
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experience from WBUR. The Midnight Rebellion. It's a climate podcast
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adventure for kids 8 and up. Time traveling, problem solving,
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laughs in danger.
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It's here.
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Follow the feed to listen. Oh, and bring your goggles
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and boots. That's the Midnight Rebellion. In your feed or
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wherever you get podcasts.
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Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Shear. Today our
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story is called The Empty Barrel. Before the break, a
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witch turned an entire village into albatrosses, then sent the
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seabirds to fetch fresh water for her tree by the sea.
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When the birds grew too weak to do their jobs...
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The witch turned them into diamonds. Layla the woodworker was
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determined to save the villagers without becoming an albatross herself.
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So she began to hatch a plan.
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Listen, witch. I know you say you'll turn me into
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an albatross, but I don't believe you can.
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Oh, is that so? The witch folded her arms and
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stuck out her chin.
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I will have you know that I am so powerful,
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I've turned hundreds of people into albatrosses.
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All right, fine, whatever you say. But if you're truly
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so powerful, then can you turn all those albatrosses back
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into people again? Like this one here?
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Layla pointed at the albatross who had carried her across
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the sea.
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Can you really change him back into a person again?
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I'll bet you can't.
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The witch's eyes blazed.
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You have a lot of nerve talking to me like that.
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I absolutely can turn this albatross back into a person.
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Watch this!
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She took a breath, then threw her hands high above
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her head. Ha! When she brought them down again, She
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pointed them straight at the albatross. All of a sudden,
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there was a burst of smoke. And when the haze cleared... Wow!
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Look at me!
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The albatross was a person again. A short, stocky man
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who began jumping around for joy.
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You see, I've done it. I've turned an albatross into
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a person.
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Now, are you convinced how great my powers are?
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Inside, Layla smiled. Outside, she shrugged.
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I have to say, witch, I'm not convinced. I mean,
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if your powers were really so amazing, you couldn't just
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turn an albatross into a person.
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She cocked her head toward the tree.
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You could turn a diamond into a person, too.
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The witch's mouth curled into a sneer.
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Are you serious? Of course I can turn a diamond
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into a person. Watch this!
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She raised her hands high above her head.
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Ha-ha!
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When she brought them down again, she thrust them toward
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a diamond on the tree. Ho-ho! This time there was
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an explosion of light. And when the light faded... Oh,
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my goodness! There was a boy wearing a cap and overalls.
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His eyes were shining with delight and surprise.
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So.
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Now do you believe how great my powers are?
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Again, Layla shrugged.
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You know, I wish I could say I believed it,
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but I can't. You'll have to prove yourself some other way.
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The witch clenched her teeth in frustration. All right, fine.
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Watch this!
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She tossed her hands into the air.
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Ha-ha!
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Then she proceeded to point her fingers in the direction
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of Diamond, after Diamond, after Diamond, and after an explosion
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of light so blinding it was like the sun had
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plummeted down to Earth, there were all the villagers, dancing, twirling,
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hugging and cheering on the top of the cliff.
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All right, the deed is done. So, now do you
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believe how great my powers are?
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Layla couldn't believe how well her plan was working. But
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she wasn't finished yet.
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Listen, witch. I've seen you transform an albatross into a person.
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I've seen you transform diamonds into people. But what would really,
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truly convince me that you, are the most powerful witch
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in all the world, would be if you transformed yourself.
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The witch narrowed her fiery eyes.
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If I transformed myself?
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Yes, if you used your extraordinary powers to transform yourself into,
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I don't know, a diamond, perhaps?
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The witch didn't say a word. She just took a deep,
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deep breath. And then, with more fury than ever, she
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shot her hands up into the air. She waved them
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around in a frenzy before pointing them directly at herself.
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There was a big swirl of wind like a miniature cyclone.
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And then the witch was gone. Layla looked up at
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the tree, and that's when she saw it. A single,
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bright diamond, sparkling and glittering on one of the branches.
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Without missing a beat, Layla raced over, plucked the diamond
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from the tree, and then, with every ounce of strength
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she could muster, she flung it over the cliff and
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into the sea. When the gemstone struck the water's surface...
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There was a burst of smoke, then an explosion of light.
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Then the diamond and the witch disappeared beneath the crashing waves.
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The villagers crowded around Layla, showering her with gratitude for
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breaking the spell and defeating the witch. But then the short,
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stocky man and the boy in overalls motioned for everyone
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to quiet down.
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Hang on, friends. Hang on. Listen, I'm as happy to
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be free from the witch as you are. But I
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have to ask, how are we going to get home?
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He's right. Our village is far across the sea. And
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we no longer have wings to fly.
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Layla flashed everyone a grin.
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But you don't need to fly. Not when you can float.
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We'll take the diamond tree here, and we'll turn it
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into a boat. I'm a woodworker by trade, and though
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I've never built a boat before, if we all work together,
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I'm sure we can do it. All we need are
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the right tools.
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The villagers searched the witch's cottage and found hammers and nails,
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plus a big bolt of fabric and a sturdy axe.
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Gripping the axe in her hands, Layla gave the tree
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a few chops. And to the moment it hit the ground,
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her eyes opened wide.
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The tree's trunk is hollow, and tucked inside.
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It is a chest.
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A chest filled with diamonds, real diamonds, that the witch
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was hiding away.
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Layla set about divvying up the diamonds. As luck would
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have it, there were just enough for everyone to get
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one diamond apiece, Layla included.
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All right, friends, now that we have our treasures, let's
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build our boat.
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And they did. They constructed a nice, solid sailboat, just
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big enough to fit them all. Then they carried the
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vessel down to the sea, pushed it into the water,
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and set sail. Layla made sure her new friends reached
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their village safely. before sailing back to her own home.
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By the time she stepped foot in her humble cottage,
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it was dusk and the sun was about to set.
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Usually around this time I grab my big wooden barrel
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and trek to the river to fetch water. But after
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today's adventures, I think I'll just go to bed.
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The next morning, Layla woke up and went off to
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the market. Not to sell her wooden bowls and birdhouses,
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trinkets and toys, but to sell her new diamond from
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the diamond tree. She received a handsome sum of money
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in exchange. Some she set aside as savings. Some she
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gave to charity. The rest she used for herself. To
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build a fine, deep well beside her humble cottage. But
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even though Layla never again had to carry water, she
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definitely had one gem of a story to tell.
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The End.
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Now it's your turn. Layla used her smarts and imagination
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to solve a problem and help others. Think about a
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time you used your wits and creativity to solve a problem.
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What was the problem? How did you solve it? And
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how did you come up with your creative solution? Find
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a grown-up and tell them your story. Then have them
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tell you about a time they did some creative problem-solving.
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Woo-hoo!
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This week's episode, The Empty Barrel, was adapted by me,
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Rebecca Shear. It was edited by Sophie Codner. Our original
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music and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis. Our artist
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is Sabina Han. 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 slash circleround,
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and click on Coloring Pages. And while you're at WBUR.org
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slash Circle Round, you can support our public radio podcast
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00:21:14.700 --> 00:21:17.940
by becoming the newest member of the Circle Round Club.
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00:21:18.720 --> 00:21:21.380
As a member, you'll get brand new Circle Round swag,
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00:21:21.759 --> 00:21:25.529
weekly activity emails, a monthly newsletter, and early access to
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00:21:25.589 --> 00:21:30.509
Circle Round events. Other benefits can include ad-free episodes, bite-sized
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bedtime stories, music education videos, even a personalized birthday message
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00:21:35.329 --> 00:21:40.529
from me. Visit wbur.org slash CircleRound and click CircleRound Club.
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Special thanks to this week's actors, Fyodor Chin, Igor Shimalonis,
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Dawn Ursula, and Anjali Bhimani. Fans of the gaming world
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will know Anjali Bhimani from her roles in Overwatch and
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00:21:52.049 --> 00:21:56.720
Apex Legends. Her newest game is Stray Gods, the role-playing musical.
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And if you're a CircleRound superfan, you'll remember Anjali from
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our Season 5 finale episode, The NeverEnding Stories. If you
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haven't heard it, It's definitely worth a listen. You can
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find a link on our website, wbur.org slash circleround. Just
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00:22:12.210 --> 00:22:16.890
click on Archive. Our featured instrument this week was the kanu.
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You can learn more about this Arabic lap harp with
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a whopping 78 strings on our website. Again, that's wbur.org
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00:22:25.029 --> 00:22:29.839
slash circleround. Grown-ups, if you enjoy Circle Round, please tell
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00:22:29.900 --> 00:22:32.819
your friends about the show. And if you have a moment...
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We'd love it if you left us a five-star review
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on your favorite podcast app. It really does. Circle Round
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is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station. I'm
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00:22:47.529 --> 00:22:55.150
Rebecca Shear. Thanks for circling round with us. Now that
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you've made it to the end of this Circle Round episode,
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we want to know, what's your favorite Circle Round story?
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Thousands of fans just like you have been telling us
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about the Circle Round stories they like best. Take a listen.
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Maybe one of their favorites is one of yours, too.
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My name is Lumi, and I live in Finland. My
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00:23:15.240 --> 00:23:19.500
favorite Circle Round story is Blowing Hot and Cold. My
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favorite part is when the queen hired the farmer to
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00:23:22.980 --> 00:23:26.960
be her chief gardener. My name is Ethan.
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And my name is Luke.
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00:23:28.740 --> 00:23:33.289
And we're from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. And our favorite one
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00:23:34.029 --> 00:23:37.910
is the Mountain Guardian. My name is Eliza and I
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00:23:37.970 --> 00:23:42.779
live in Truckee, California. My favorite Circle Round story is
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00:23:42.839 --> 00:23:48.380
the Unselfish Shellfish. And my favorite part is when the
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farmer and his daughter open all the oysters and see
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many pearls in them.
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My name's Olivia.
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I live in New York City.
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My favorite circle on the story is.
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00:23:59.250 --> 00:24:03.230
The three-legged pot. My favorite part is when the pot
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00:24:03.250 --> 00:24:04.769
goes skippity, skip, skip.
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Woo! My name is Harrison. I live in Wisconsin.
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00:24:11.099 --> 00:24:14.990
My favorite episode is Stella and the Dragon. My name
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00:24:15.049 --> 00:24:17.569
is Kate, and I live in the forest with Sonson.
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And my favorite story is called The First Customer because
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I like the part where she moves in and sells rice.
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And beans and potatoes.
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My name is Evie, and I live in Oakland. My
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favorite circle around is the Tale of Koala's Tail.
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I like the part where all the.
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Animals tug on Koala's tail and it pops off.
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I love you, Circle Rounds.
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Did someone mention a story you've missed? Not to worry. Grown-ups,
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you can find all of our Circle Round stories, plus
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00:24:52.509 --> 00:24:55.630
links to the Circle Round Club, picture books, coloring pages,
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00:24:55.769 --> 00:25:00.450
and oh so much more on our website, wbur.org slash circleround.
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WBUR Podcasts, Boston.
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Until it leads to a boatload of.
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00:00:09.140 --> 00:00:42.250
Adventure. I'm Rebecca Shear, and welcome to Circle Round, where
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00:00:42.310 --> 00:00:45.329
story time happens all the time. Today our story is
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00:00:45.390 --> 00:00:49.070
called The Empty Barrel. It comes from the Jewish community
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00:00:49.229 --> 00:00:56.539
in the North African country of Morocco. Some really great
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00:00:56.579 --> 00:00:59.240
people came together to bring you our version of this tale,
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00:00:59.600 --> 00:01:04.069
including Anjali Bimani. star of fan-favorite video games like Overwatch,
9
00:01:04.230 --> 00:01:08.510
Apex Legends, and her latest, Stray Gods, the role-playing musical.
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00:01:09.189 --> 00:01:12.159
You can also hear Anjali in our Season 5 episode,
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00:01:12.439 --> 00:01:18.019
The NeverEnding Stories. So circle around, everyone, for The Empty Barrel.
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The Empty Barrel.
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Layla the woodworker lived in a humble cottage where she
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spent her days chopping trees and crafting beautiful bowls and birdhouses,
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trinkets and toys, which she sold at the market. Layla
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made a modest living, and she was content with what
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she had. Well, mostly content, because the one thing the
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woodworker didn't have was a well.
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Oh.
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If only this cottage of mine had a well beside it,
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I would have plenty of water for cooking and washing. Instead,
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I have to carry a barrel all the way to
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the river to fetch water, then lug it all the
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way back.
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It was true. When the working day was done, Layla
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hoisted an empty barrel onto her back. In the waning
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light of the setting sun, she lugged the barrel to
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the river, filled it with water, then dragged it back home.
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After a good night's rest, she woke up with enough
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water to last her all day. One morning, when Layla
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went to get water to boil some eggs, she made
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a startling discovery.
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My barrel! It's empty! But how could this be? Just
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last night, it was filled all the way to the brim.
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How odd.
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She searched the barrel for holes or cracks, but couldn't
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find a single one. So she returned to the river,
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filled the barrel again, then hauled it back home. But
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when she woke up the next morning....
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My barrel is empty. Again.
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The same thing happened the next morning.
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No water?
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And the next morning... Not even a drop? Until finally,
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Layla made a decision.
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Tonight, I will hide inside this barrel and see what's
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happening to my water.
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At sundown, Layla stepped inside the empty barrel, fastened the lid,
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then did her best to stay still as the minutes
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and hours ticked by. And then, right around midnight, she
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heard an unmistakable sound.
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Wings! I hear wings, and they're getting closer and closer,
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and whoa!
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Layla clutched the sides of the barrel as it began
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to sway back and forth.
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I think this barrel is lifting off the ground, and
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now it's flying with me inside it.
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The barrel flew and flew until eventually.
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It landed.
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With trembling hands, Layla lifted the cover. When she peered
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over the edge, she got two big surprises. The first was.
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The sun! It's come up again. Gosh, I must have
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been flying all night.
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And the second surprise?
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The sea! I've landed far above the sea on a tall,
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steep cliff. But how did I get here?
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Oh, that's simple. I brought you.
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Layla glanced up. Perched in a tall tree was the large,
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sharp-billed seabird known as an albatross.
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You brought me here?
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I did.
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And you speak?
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I do. Layla's head was spinning, but it was about
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to spin even more, because as she gaped at the
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talking albatross in the tree, she noticed something hanging from
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the branches. But they weren't flowers or fruit. Instead, they
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looked an awful lot like diamonds.
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Are diamonds really hanging from that tree? And did a
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talking albatross really bring me here? Or am I just
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having a really strange dream?
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The albatross spread its wings and glided to the ground.
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Well, if you really want to know... Then yes, diamonds
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really are hanging from that tree. And no, you're not dreaming.
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A talking albatross really did bring you here. Though technically,
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I'm not actually an albatross.
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You're not? You look like an albatross to me. Sharp bill,
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sturdy legs, strong wings.
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True, but I'm actually a person. Or I was. That is,
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until an evil witch came sweeping into my village from
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across the sea. She made off with all the people,
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then turned each and every one of us into an albatross.
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Layla felt her head spin again.
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So, let me get this straight. A witch took all
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the people in your village and turned you into seabirds?
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But why?
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One word.
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That. The albatross extended a wing toward the diamond tree.
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This precious tree of hers can only grow with fresh water,
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not seawater. So the witch transformed us into albatrosses so
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we can use our strong wings to fly around and
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fetch fresh water.
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But where is everyone else? You're the only one I see.
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Well, an albatross is a mighty bird. But even mighty
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birds get tired. And whenever we get too tired to
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carry water, the witch turns us into something else.
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Layla shuddered.
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And what would that something else be?
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The albatross gestured toward the tree again.
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A diamond ring. And I'm the only villager who hasn't
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yet met this tragic fate.
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Layla stared at the diamonds. There must have been hundreds
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hanging from the tree, all of them sparkling and glittering
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in the sun.
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I am so sorry. But why don't you escape? You've
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got strong wings. You can just fly away and go
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somewhere the witch will never find you.
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I could, but I don't want to leave my friends
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and family behind. So I've been pacing myself, conserving my strength,
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so that I can stay in Albatross long enough to
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figure out how to reverse the witch's spells. And now
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that you're here, maybe you can help me?
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Layla smiled.
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Of course I'll help you.
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Where is the witch now? Before the Albatross could answer,
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fearsome voice rang out.
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Where is the witch, you ask?
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I'm right here.
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And now that you're here, you will become my newest albatross.
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Layla whirled around and came face to face with a tall,
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cloaked woman. Her hair was jet black and wild. Her
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eyes were fierce and bright. Layla's heart began to pound.
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Her hands grew cold and her brow grew damp. She
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knew she must find a way to reverse the witch's spells.
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But could she do it without becoming a well-water-snatching albatross herself?
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There was only one way to find out. What will
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Layla do next? What would you do if you were
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in the woodworker's shoes? We'll find out what happens after
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a quick break.
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100 years from now in a land far, far away.
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Hang on. It's not so far away at all, actually. Hey,
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Circle Round families. We're here to share a new listening
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experience from WBUR. The Midnight Rebellion. It's a climate podcast
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adventure for kids 8 and up. Time traveling, problem solving,
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laughs in danger.
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It's here.
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Follow the feed to listen. Oh, and bring your goggles
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and boots. That's the Midnight Rebellion. In your feed or
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wherever you get podcasts.
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Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Shear. Today our
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story is called The Empty Barrel. Before the break, a
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witch turned an entire village into albatrosses, then sent the
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seabirds to fetch fresh water for her tree by the sea.
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When the birds grew too weak to do their jobs...
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The witch turned them into diamonds. Layla the woodworker was
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determined to save the villagers without becoming an albatross herself.
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So she began to hatch a plan.
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Listen, witch. I know you say you'll turn me into
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an albatross, but I don't believe you can.
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Oh, is that so? The witch folded her arms and
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stuck out her chin.
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I will have you know that I am so powerful,
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I've turned hundreds of people into albatrosses.
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All right, fine, whatever you say. But if you're truly
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so powerful, then can you turn all those albatrosses back
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into people again? Like this one here?
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Layla pointed at the albatross who had carried her across
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the sea.
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Can you really change him back into a person again?
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I'll bet you can't.
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The witch's eyes blazed.
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You have a lot of nerve talking to me like that.
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I absolutely can turn this albatross back into a person.
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Watch this!
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She took a breath, then threw her hands high above
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her head. Ha! When she brought them down again, She
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pointed them straight at the albatross. All of a sudden,
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there was a burst of smoke. And when the haze cleared... Wow!
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Look at me!
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The albatross was a person again. A short, stocky man
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who began jumping around for joy.
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You see, I've done it. I've turned an albatross into
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a person.
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Now, are you convinced how great my powers are?
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Inside, Layla smiled. Outside, she shrugged.
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I have to say, witch, I'm not convinced. I mean,
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if your powers were really so amazing, you couldn't just
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turn an albatross into a person.
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She cocked her head toward the tree.
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You could turn a diamond into a person, too.
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The witch's mouth curled into a sneer.
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Are you serious? Of course I can turn a diamond
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into a person. Watch this!
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She raised her hands high above her head.
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Ha-ha!
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When she brought them down again, she thrust them toward
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a diamond on the tree. Ho-ho! This time there was
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an explosion of light. And when the light faded... Oh,
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my goodness! There was a boy wearing a cap and overalls.
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His eyes were shining with delight and surprise.
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So.
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Now do you believe how great my powers are?
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Again, Layla shrugged.
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You know, I wish I could say I believed it,
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but I can't. You'll have to prove yourself some other way.
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The witch clenched her teeth in frustration. All right, fine.
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Watch this!
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She tossed her hands into the air.
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Ha-ha!
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Then she proceeded to point her fingers in the direction
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of Diamond, after Diamond, after Diamond, and after an explosion
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of light so blinding it was like the sun had
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plummeted down to Earth, there were all the villagers, dancing, twirling,
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hugging and cheering on the top of the cliff.
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All right, the deed is done. So, now do you
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believe how great my powers are?
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Layla couldn't believe how well her plan was working. But
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she wasn't finished yet.
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Listen, witch. I've seen you transform an albatross into a person.
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I've seen you transform diamonds into people. But what would really,
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truly convince me that you, are the most powerful witch
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in all the world, would be if you transformed yourself.
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The witch narrowed her fiery eyes.
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If I transformed myself?
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Yes, if you used your extraordinary powers to transform yourself into,
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I don't know, a diamond, perhaps?
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The witch didn't say a word. She just took a deep,
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deep breath. And then, with more fury than ever, she
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shot her hands up into the air. She waved them
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around in a frenzy before pointing them directly at herself.
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There was a big swirl of wind like a miniature cyclone.
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And then the witch was gone. Layla looked up at
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the tree, and that's when she saw it. A single,
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bright diamond, sparkling and glittering on one of the branches.
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Without missing a beat, Layla raced over, plucked the diamond
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from the tree, and then, with every ounce of strength
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she could muster, she flung it over the cliff and
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into the sea. When the gemstone struck the water's surface...
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There was a burst of smoke, then an explosion of light.
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Then the diamond and the witch disappeared beneath the crashing waves.
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The villagers crowded around Layla, showering her with gratitude for
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breaking the spell and defeating the witch. But then the short,
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stocky man and the boy in overalls motioned for everyone
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to quiet down.
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Hang on, friends. Hang on. Listen, I'm as happy to
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be free from the witch as you are. But I
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have to ask, how are we going to get home?
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He's right. Our village is far across the sea. And
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we no longer have wings to fly.
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Layla flashed everyone a grin.
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But you don't need to fly. Not when you can float.
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We'll take the diamond tree here, and we'll turn it
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into a boat. I'm a woodworker by trade, and though
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I've never built a boat before, if we all work together,
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I'm sure we can do it. All we need are
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the right tools.
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The villagers searched the witch's cottage and found hammers and nails,
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plus a big bolt of fabric and a sturdy axe.
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Gripping the axe in her hands, Layla gave the tree
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a few chops. And to the moment it hit the ground,
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her eyes opened wide.
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The tree's trunk is hollow, and tucked inside.
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It is a chest.
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A chest filled with diamonds, real diamonds, that the witch
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was hiding away.
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Layla set about divvying up the diamonds. As luck would
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have it, there were just enough for everyone to get
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one diamond apiece, Layla included.
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All right, friends, now that we have our treasures, let's
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build our boat.
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And they did. They constructed a nice, solid sailboat, just
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big enough to fit them all. Then they carried the
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vessel down to the sea, pushed it into the water,
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and set sail. Layla made sure her new friends reached
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their village safely. before sailing back to her own home.
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By the time she stepped foot in her humble cottage,
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it was dusk and the sun was about to set.
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Usually around this time I grab my big wooden barrel
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and trek to the river to fetch water. But after
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today's adventures, I think I'll just go to bed.
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The next morning, Layla woke up and went off to
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the market. Not to sell her wooden bowls and birdhouses,
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trinkets and toys, but to sell her new diamond from
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the diamond tree. She received a handsome sum of money
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in exchange. Some she set aside as savings. Some she
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gave to charity. The rest she used for herself. To
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build a fine, deep well beside her humble cottage. But
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even though Layla never again had to carry water, she
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definitely had one gem of a story to tell.
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The End.
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Now it's your turn. Layla used her smarts and imagination
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to solve a problem and help others. Think about a
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time you used your wits and creativity to solve a problem.
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What was the problem? How did you solve it? And
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how did you come up with your creative solution? Find
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a grown-up and tell them your story. Then have them
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tell you about a time they did some creative problem-solving.
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Woo-hoo!
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This week's episode, The Empty Barrel, was adapted by me,
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Rebecca Shear. It was edited by Sophie Codner. Our original
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music and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis. Our artist
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is Sabina Han. 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 slash circleround,
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and click on Coloring Pages. And while you're at WBUR.org
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slash Circle Round, you can support our public radio podcast
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00:21:14.700 --> 00:21:17.940
by becoming the newest member of the Circle Round Club.
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00:21:18.720 --> 00:21:21.380
As a member, you'll get brand new Circle Round swag,
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00:21:21.759 --> 00:21:25.529
weekly activity emails, a monthly newsletter, and early access to
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00:21:25.589 --> 00:21:30.509
Circle Round events. Other benefits can include ad-free episodes, bite-sized
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bedtime stories, music education videos, even a personalized birthday message
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from me. Visit wbur.org slash CircleRound and click CircleRound Club.
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Special thanks to this week's actors, Fyodor Chin, Igor Shimalonis,
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Dawn Ursula, and Anjali Bhimani. Fans of the gaming world
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will know Anjali Bhimani from her roles in Overwatch and
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Apex Legends. Her newest game is Stray Gods, the role-playing musical.
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And if you're a CircleRound superfan, you'll remember Anjali from
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our Season 5 finale episode, The NeverEnding Stories. If you
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haven't heard it, It's definitely worth a listen. You can
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find a link on our website, wbur.org slash circleround. Just
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click on Archive. Our featured instrument this week was the kanu.
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You can learn more about this Arabic lap harp with
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a whopping 78 strings on our website. Again, that's wbur.org
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slash circleround. Grown-ups, if you enjoy Circle Round, please tell
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00:22:29.900 --> 00:22:32.819
your friends about the show. And if you have a moment...
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We'd love it if you left us a five-star review
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on your favorite podcast app. It really does. Circle Round
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is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station. I'm
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Rebecca Shear. Thanks for circling round with us. Now that
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you've made it to the end of this Circle Round episode,
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we want to know, what's your favorite Circle Round story?
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Thousands of fans just like you have been telling us
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about the Circle Round stories they like best. Take a listen.
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Maybe one of their favorites is one of yours, too.
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My name is Lumi, and I live in Finland. My
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favorite Circle Round story is Blowing Hot and Cold. My
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favorite part is when the queen hired the farmer to
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be her chief gardener. My name is Ethan.
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And my name is Luke.
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And we're from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. And our favorite one
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is the Mountain Guardian. My name is Eliza and I
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live in Truckee, California. My favorite Circle Round story is
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the Unselfish Shellfish. And my favorite part is when the
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farmer and his daughter open all the oysters and see
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many pearls in them.
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My name's Olivia.
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I live in New York City.
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My favorite circle on the story is.
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The three-legged pot. My favorite part is when the pot
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goes skippity, skip, skip.
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Woo! My name is Harrison. I live in Wisconsin.
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My favorite episode is Stella and the Dragon. My name
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is Kate, and I live in the forest with Sonson.
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And my favorite story is called The First Customer because
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I like the part where she moves in and sells rice.
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And beans and potatoes.
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My name is Evie, and I live in Oakland. My
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favorite circle around is the Tale of Koala's Tail.
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I like the part where all the.
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Animals tug on Koala's tail and it pops off.
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I love you, Circle Rounds.
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Did someone mention a story you've missed? Not to worry. Grown-ups,
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you can find all of our Circle Round stories, plus
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links to the Circle Round Club, picture books, coloring pages,
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and oh so much more on our website, wbur.org slash circleround.
