WEBVTT
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WBUR Podcasts, Boston.
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An author, poet, and playwright named Oscar Wilde once said,
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Ordinary riches can be stolen. Real riches cannot. What did
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he mean by that? Well, ordinary riches are things you
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can buy with money, like jewels, cars, and fancy clothes.
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And riches like that could be taken away. But real
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riches are the ones that can't be taken because they're
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what you have on the inside. Things like kindness, honesty,
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and compassion. And as we'll hear in today's story, those
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riches are truly priceless. I'm Rebecca Shear, and welcome to
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Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time. Today, our
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story is called The Unselfish Shellfish. Versions of this tale
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come from Indonesia, a country consisting of thousands of islands
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that lie between the Pacific and Indian oceans. Some really
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great people came together to bring you our adaptation of
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this folktale, including Eric Bauza and Harry Shum Jr. Eric
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Bauza is one of Mel Blanc's successors as the voice
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of Looney Tunes characters like Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird, and
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Daffy Duck. Eric does a ton of other voices, too,
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including Fozzie Bear in Muppet Babies and the Beagle Boys
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in Duck Tales. Harry Shum Jr. appears in the feature
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films Crazy Rich Asians and Everything Everywhere All at Once.
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Watch for Harry in Grey's Anatomy, which returns to ABC
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on February 23rd.
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So, circle around, everyone, for.
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The unselfish shellfish. In a snug little house in the
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middle of an island, there lived a farmer and his daughter.
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The farmer and his daughter worked hard, but times were
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even harder. And before long, they found themselves scratching and
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scraping to get by.
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Father, I've searched the kitchen high and low, and all
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I can find is one last cup of rice.
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Just one cup of rice? How are we going to survive?
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Well, obviously farming hasn't been supporting us very well. So
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what if we tried some other line of work?
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Something other than farming? What do you have in mind?
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Well, back at school, I had a friend whose father
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was an oyster man. He harvested oysters by the sea.
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He'd go out to the seaside when the tide was low.
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Then he would dig up oysters from the sand or
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collect them from the rocky caves by the water's edge.
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From what I recall, he made a pretty good living.
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So maybe you and I could go to the seaside
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and harvest oysters too. Then we'll either eat them or
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sell them at the market.
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That's a very clever idea, daughter. But I must go
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to the seaside alone. Because it's too dangerous. You know
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how temperamental the queen of the South Sea can be?
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She rules all the waters surrounding this island. And if
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you get on her bad side, you'd better watch out.
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She'll create waves that are stronger and fiercer than anything
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you can imagine. She'll swallow you right up.
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But if you get on her good side, she'll keep
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you safe, right? Yes, but.
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Get on her good side. You must bring her a gift.
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An offering of peace in exchange for your safety. And
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look around you, daughter. What could we possibly offer the
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Queen of the South Sea? You and I have nothing.
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Well, not exactly nothing.
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The farmer's daughter took out their last cup of rice.
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You may go to the seaside alone. But you must
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bring this rice. We'll cook it up. Then you can
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leave it as an offering on the beach.
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But, daughter, if I take this rice, you will have
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nothing to eat.
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I'll manage, father. And here. She untied a colorful scarf
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from her hair. Wrap the rice in this scarf. Then
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offer that to the queen, too. We don't have a
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fancy silver platter or anything. So this will.
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Have to do.
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You know I can't do that, daughter. That's your favorite
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scarf in the world.
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And you're my favorite person in the world. I believe
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in you, father.
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And I believe in you, daughter.
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Thank you. The farmer and his daughter cooked up the
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rice and wrapped it in the scarf. Then the farmer
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packed the offering in his knapsack and set off down
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the long road to the sea. His stomach grumbled as
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he walked, but he knew better than to reach inside
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his knapsack and eat the rice. It was intended for
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the queen. He just hoped she would be pleased with
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such a modest gift. Soon it began to rain, and
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when the farmer reached the seaside, he was approached by
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a well-dressed fellow carrying a shiny leather satchel and a
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wide umbrella.
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Well, hello there. Have you come to harvest oysters?
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Uh, yes.
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I've come to harvest oysters. It's my very first time.
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Mine too.
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I heard there's a lot of money in this business,
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so I simply could not resist. You see, I'm a
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trader by profession, and I'm always looking for new ways
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to trade goods and rake it in. But for now,
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I'm going to break.
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For a snack.
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The trader opened his satchel. The moment he did, scrumptious
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smells wafted out from inside.
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Ooh, this morning my son sent me off with all
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these delectable foods.
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Let's see.
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Fresh baked bread, roasted chicken, ripe bananas.
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The farmer peered into the satchel and took a whiff.
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Mmm, your son is quite the cook.
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Well, to be honest, he told me I shouldn't actually
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eat this food. He said something about offering it to
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the queen of the South Sea.
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But come on.
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I'm a working man, and a working man has got
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to eat.
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The trader pulled out a hunk of bread and shoved
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it in his mouth.
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This is so good.
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So good.
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The trader proceeded to stuff his face with all of
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the bread, chicken, and bananas his son had packed. Before long,
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all that remained was a smattering of crumbs and a
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mess of chicken bones and banana peels, which the trader
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carelessly dumped on the wet sand. The farmer, meanwhile, was
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hungrier than ever, but he knew what he had to do.
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He left the trader and walked to the water's edge.
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Then he reached into his knapsack, took out the rice
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in the scarf, and held it out toward the sea.
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Oh, Queen of the South Sea, this humble offering is
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for you. I know it isn't much, but times have
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been hard, and it's the best I can do. May
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it be to your liking, and may you grant me
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safety along these shores.
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The farmer placed the offering on the beach. Then he
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turned toward the rocky caves tucked along the water's edge.
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My daughter said her friend's father found oysters inside these caves.
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I'll head inside one to see what I can find.
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and to take shelter from this rain.
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As the farmer climbed into a craggy cavern and looked around,
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what should he spy but a heaping pile of oysters?
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Oh, my goodness!
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Look at all these oysters!
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And such big ones, too! Each one is the size
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of my shoe! I will gather them, but I won't
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sell them. I will bring them home to my daughter.
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She must be starving by now. Yes, good farmer.
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Bring the oysters home to your daughter.
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The farmer gasped and swiveled his head around. As far
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as he could see, he was all alone. But as
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he would soon learn, he wasn't alone at all. Someone
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had been watching his every move and was about to
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change his fortune in an almighty way.
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The End Who.
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Do you think spoke just now? And how will they
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change the farmer's fortune? We'll find out after a quick break.
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Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Shear. Today our
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story is called The Unselfish Shellfish.
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The Unselfish Shellfish.
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Before the break, the poor hungry farmer made a humble
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offering to the Queen of the South Sea. Then, just
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as he discovered a heap of oysters inside a cave
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by the water's edge, he heard a mysterious voice call
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out to him.
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Who was it that spoke to me just now?
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I don't see.
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anyone else in this cave.
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It is I, the Queen of the South Sea, calling
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out to you from the waters.
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The Queen of the South Sea?
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The farmer dropped to his knees.
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Oh, great and mighty Queen, I am honored. But why
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are you calling out to me?
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Because you called out to me. I heard your plea,
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good farmer, and I saw your humble offering. You gave
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me your last bit of rice and your daughter's favorite scarf.
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You have shown true sacrifice. So please, take the oysters.
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Consider them your reward.
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And with that, The cave went silent. Without wasting a minute,
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the farmer stuffed his knapsack full of oysters, then began
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the long walk back to his snug little house, where,
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unbeknownst to him, his daughter was worried sick.
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Oh, it's getting so late, and father isn't home yet.
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I hope he's safe.
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She went to the window and gazed toward the distant
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sea on the horizons.
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Oh, great and mighty queen of the South Sea. If
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you can hear me, please let me see my father again.
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I don't care if he comes home with any oysters.
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Just please bring him back to me safe and sound.
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Please.
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Now, it just so happens that in yet another spot
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on the island... Someone else was wondering about their father, too.
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It was the trader's son, the same fellow who had
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packed up all the delicious bread, chicken, and bananas as
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a peace offering for the queen of the South Sea.
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Where on earth is father? The plan was for him
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to come home with the oysters, and I would take
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them to the market to trade for something even better,
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so I could help us make a fortune.
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He turned his eyes toward the clock.
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Ugh. Well, so much for our plan. The market is
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about to close. But good thing I gave father all
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that food for the queen of the South Sea this morning.
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May she give us a fortune as great as my
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father's offering was.
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Now, we know the truth about the trader's offering, right?
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He hadn't actually offered it to the queen at all. Instead,
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what did he do? That's right, he ate it all
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up and left nothing but breadcrumbs and chicken bones and
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banana peels scattered on the beach. But the trader's son
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had no idea. He also had no idea that when
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the trader was done with his feast, he didn't even
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collect any oysters. Instead, he was so groggy from his
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feast that he had taken shelter in one of the
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seaside caves and fallen fast asleep. As the trader dozed,
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the drizzle of the rain outside turned into a downpour.
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Thunder rumbled and streaks of lightning lit up the sky.
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The waves on the sea grew stronger and stronger and
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higher and higher. But the trader slept right through it
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until a colossal whitecap came crashing into his cave and
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jolted him awake.
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What's happening?
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The trader leaped to his feet and clawed at the
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cave's walls, trying to escape the rising water.
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Oh no!
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Oh no!
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Somebody help me!
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Help me!
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Help you?
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And why should anyone help you?
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The trader flicked his head round in fear.
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Who are you?
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Who said that?
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It is I, the Queen of the South Sea.
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Calling out to you from the waters.
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And you are.
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Nothing but a greedy glutton who devoured the offering that
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was meant for me.
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Why did you do it?
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Why?
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The traitor felt a knot tighten in his stomach.
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Oh, Queen of the.
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South Sea, I can explain everything.
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I can. You see, I ate all that food because
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I was hungry.
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And truth be told, I didn't even know you were real.
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Please, please forgive me.
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Have some pity.
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You deserve neither forgiveness nor pity. However, I have heard
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the words of your son. He called out to me
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and made a little prayer.
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He did?
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I listened to his words and have decided I will
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answer his prayer.
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Now go back home, and I promise.
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You.
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Will have everything your son asked for.
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And with that, the sea calmed and the trader clambered
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out of the cave, breathless with excitement about whatever great
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fortune his son's prayer would bring.
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That son of mine is one smart cookie.
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So surely he prayed for something fine.
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A boatload of money, perhaps.
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Or a new house, one even grander and more spacious
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than the abode we already have.
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But as the trader neared his grand and spacious abode,
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he was surprised to see his son come running toward
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him with his eyes full of tears.
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My son, why are you crying?
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Oh, let me guess.
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They are tears of joy because the queen of the
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South Sea has brought.
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Us great fortune.
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No, father. Father? Quite the opposite. Our house has been flooded,
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and the rushing waters have carried all of our belongings away.
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I don't understand.
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The Queen of the South Sea.
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Said she would answer your prayer and give us what
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you asked for.
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Did you wish for us to be struck by disaster?
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Of course I didn't.
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The young man sniffed and wiped his eyes.
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I wished for her to bring us a fortune as
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great as the offering you gave her.
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The traitor froze. His blood ran cold. The offering!
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Of course!
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His son had no way of knowing that he didn't
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give the queen a great offering at all. Instead, he
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devoured all the food and left nothing but crumbs and
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bones and banana peels. It was a most unfortunate offering.
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Hence his misfortune now. Well, while the trader felt his
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heart flood with regret, elsewhere on the island, the farmer
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was all smiles as he returned to his snug little house.
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When he stepped through the door, his daughter ran into
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his arms.
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Oh, father, you're back. I was so worried that I
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called out to the queen of the South Sea and
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asked her to bring you home safely. She must have listened.
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Oh, she did more than that, my dear. Take a look.
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The farmer threw open his knapsack. His daughter let out
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a gasp.
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Oh, my goodness! So many oysters and so huge! Each
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one is the size of your shoe!
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That's what I said! What do you say we open
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one up and have a taste?
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Mmm!
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Yes, please!
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So they picked up an oyster and pried open its shell.
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But when they looked inside, they found a wonderful surprise!
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A bright, glistening pearl.
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Wow!
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The farmer and his daughter opened another oyster. And another.
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And another. And inside each and every shell was a pearl.
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A bright, glistening gift from the all-powerful queen of the
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South Sea. Well, as you can probably guess, Never again
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did the farmer and his daughter have to scratch and
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scrape to get by. With their newfound treasure, they were
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able to get back on their feet and share their
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good fortune with others. Because the two of them weren't
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just rich in wealth. They were rich in generosity, too.
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The End.
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Now it's your turn. As we heard in today's story,
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when we respect nature, everybody wins. So what are three
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ways you can show love and care for the environment?
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Maybe you can recycle items like glass and plastic and paper.
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Maybe you can turn off the lights when you're not
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using them or turn off the water when you're brushing
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your teeth. Perhaps you can bring reusable bags to the
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grocery store or donate your outgrown clothing and toys. Find
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a grown-up and make a list of three eco-friendly things
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you can do. Draw a picture of yourself doing these tasks,
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then hang the picture somewhere you can see it to
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remind yourself how easy and rewarding it can be to
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show a little love. to our planet. This week's story,
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The Unselfish Shellfish, was adapted by me, Rebecca Shear. It
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was edited by Nora Sachs. Our original music and sound
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design is by Eric Shimalonis. Our artist is Sabina Hahn.
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Sabina has drawn a black and white coloring page for
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every Circle Round story, and you can color them in
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while you listen. Grown-ups, visit our website, wbur.org slash Circle Round,
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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 find a link to our
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Circle Round picture books, adapted from some of your favorite episodes.
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Just click on Books. Special thanks to this week's actors,
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Ryan DeLusong, Jessica Rao, Erica Rose, Eric Bauza, and Harry
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Shum Jr. Eric Bauza is one of Mel Blanc's successors
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00:20:42.130 --> 00:20:44.730
as the voice of Looney Tunes characters like Bugs Bunny,
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00:20:45.029 --> 00:20:47.529
Tweety Bird, and Daffy Duck. He does a ton of
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other voices, too, including Fozzie Bear in Muppet Babies and
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00:20:51.119 --> 00:20:54.960
the Beagle Boys in Duck Tales. Watch for Harry Shum Jr.
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00:20:55.039 --> 00:20:58.579
in Grey's Anatomy Season 19, which returns to ABC for
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00:20:58.619 --> 00:21:02.359
its mid-season premiere on February 23rd. Harry can also be
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heard starring in the grown-up mystery podcast Echo Park, and
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seen in the Oscar-nominated film Everything Everywhere All at Once.
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Coming up, Harry will reprise his role of Charlie Wu
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in the much-anticipated spin-off of Crazy Rich Asians. Our featured
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instrument this week was a collection of instruments known as gamelan.
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To learn more about this percussion-based ensemble type found in Indonesia,
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and to see a photo, visit our website. Again, that's wbur.org
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slash circleround. Grownups, if you enjoy what you hear on
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00:21:36.609 --> 00:21:39.630
Circle Round, please write us a five-star review on your
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00:21:39.730 --> 00:21:42.890
favorite podcast app. And please tell your friends about the show.
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It'll help us keep circling around with you for years
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to come. Circle Round is a production of WBUR, Boston's
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NPR news station. I'm Rebecca Shear. Thanks for circling around
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with us. Circle Round One of the best things about
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creating Circle Round is hearing from listeners like you. Circle
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Round fans have been telling us about their favorite Circle
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Round stories, and we're excited to share some of their
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voices with you.
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My name is Colin. I live in Shelburne, Vermont. My
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favorite Circle Round story is The Princess and the Bee,
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because I like the part when the queen says to
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the princess, I'll give you one test.
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No, three tests.
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My name is Beatrice and I live in Minnesota. My
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favorite circle round story is the little blue pebble and
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my favorite part is when the woman changes into all
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the animals. Hi, my name is Aussie. I'm from Pennsylvania.
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My favorite story is banana split and my favorite part
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is when the tortoise drops down in his shell to
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win the race. My name is Benjamin, and I'm three
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years old, and I live in Philadelphia. And my favorite
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story is the wolf one with the nice shepherd. And
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I like the part that the shepherd gives the wolf
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some pieces for the leftover to eat.
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My name is Matt. I live in Portland, Maine. My
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favorite story is the basilisk story.
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Did someone mention an episode you missed?
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No problem!
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You can find every single Circle Round story on our
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Website, That's WBUR.org slash CircleRound, or wherever you and your
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grown-ups get your podcasts.
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WBUR Podcasts, Boston.
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00:00:09.490 --> 00:00:13.390
An author, poet, and playwright named Oscar Wilde once said,
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Ordinary riches can be stolen. Real riches cannot. What did
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00:00:19.199 --> 00:00:22.339
he mean by that? Well, ordinary riches are things you
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can buy with money, like jewels, cars, and fancy clothes.
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And riches like that could be taken away. But real
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00:00:31.760 --> 00:00:34.679
riches are the ones that can't be taken because they're
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what you have on the inside. Things like kindness, honesty,
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and compassion. And as we'll hear in today's story, those
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riches are truly priceless. I'm Rebecca Shear, and welcome to
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Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time. Today, our
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story is called The Unselfish Shellfish. Versions of this tale
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come from Indonesia, a country consisting of thousands of islands
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that lie between the Pacific and Indian oceans. Some really
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great people came together to bring you our adaptation of
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this folktale, including Eric Bauza and Harry Shum Jr. Eric
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00:01:16.969 --> 00:01:19.750
Bauza is one of Mel Blanc's successors as the voice
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00:01:19.790 --> 00:01:23.129
of Looney Tunes characters like Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird, and
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00:01:23.230 --> 00:01:26.120
Daffy Duck. Eric does a ton of other voices, too,
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00:01:26.239 --> 00:01:29.500
including Fozzie Bear in Muppet Babies and the Beagle Boys
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00:01:29.659 --> 00:01:33.200
in Duck Tales. Harry Shum Jr. appears in the feature
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films Crazy Rich Asians and Everything Everywhere All at Once.
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Watch for Harry in Grey's Anatomy, which returns to ABC
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on February 23rd.
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So, circle around, everyone, for.
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The unselfish shellfish. In a snug little house in the
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middle of an island, there lived a farmer and his daughter.
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The farmer and his daughter worked hard, but times were
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even harder. And before long, they found themselves scratching and
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scraping to get by.
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Father, I've searched the kitchen high and low, and all
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I can find is one last cup of rice.
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Just one cup of rice? How are we going to survive?
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Well, obviously farming hasn't been supporting us very well. So
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what if we tried some other line of work?
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Something other than farming? What do you have in mind?
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Well, back at school, I had a friend whose father
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was an oyster man. He harvested oysters by the sea.
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He'd go out to the seaside when the tide was low.
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Then he would dig up oysters from the sand or
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collect them from the rocky caves by the water's edge.
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From what I recall, he made a pretty good living.
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So maybe you and I could go to the seaside
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and harvest oysters too. Then we'll either eat them or
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sell them at the market.
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That's a very clever idea, daughter. But I must go
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to the seaside alone. Because it's too dangerous. You know
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how temperamental the queen of the South Sea can be?
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She rules all the waters surrounding this island. And if
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you get on her bad side, you'd better watch out.
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She'll create waves that are stronger and fiercer than anything
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you can imagine. She'll swallow you right up.
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But if you get on her good side, she'll keep
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you safe, right? Yes, but.
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Get on her good side. You must bring her a gift.
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An offering of peace in exchange for your safety. And
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look around you, daughter. What could we possibly offer the
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Queen of the South Sea? You and I have nothing.
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Well, not exactly nothing.
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The farmer's daughter took out their last cup of rice.
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You may go to the seaside alone. But you must
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bring this rice. We'll cook it up. Then you can
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leave it as an offering on the beach.
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But, daughter, if I take this rice, you will have
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nothing to eat.
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I'll manage, father. And here. She untied a colorful scarf
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from her hair. Wrap the rice in this scarf. Then
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offer that to the queen, too. We don't have a
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fancy silver platter or anything. So this will.
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Have to do.
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You know I can't do that, daughter. That's your favorite
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scarf in the world.
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And you're my favorite person in the world. I believe
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in you, father.
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And I believe in you, daughter.
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Thank you. The farmer and his daughter cooked up the
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rice and wrapped it in the scarf. Then the farmer
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packed the offering in his knapsack and set off down
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the long road to the sea. His stomach grumbled as
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he walked, but he knew better than to reach inside
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his knapsack and eat the rice. It was intended for
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the queen. He just hoped she would be pleased with
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such a modest gift. Soon it began to rain, and
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when the farmer reached the seaside, he was approached by
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a well-dressed fellow carrying a shiny leather satchel and a
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wide umbrella.
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Well, hello there. Have you come to harvest oysters?
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Uh, yes.
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I've come to harvest oysters. It's my very first time.
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Mine too.
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I heard there's a lot of money in this business,
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so I simply could not resist. You see, I'm a
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trader by profession, and I'm always looking for new ways
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to trade goods and rake it in. But for now,
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I'm going to break.
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For a snack.
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The trader opened his satchel. The moment he did, scrumptious
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smells wafted out from inside.
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Ooh, this morning my son sent me off with all
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these delectable foods.
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Let's see.
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Fresh baked bread, roasted chicken, ripe bananas.
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The farmer peered into the satchel and took a whiff.
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Mmm, your son is quite the cook.
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Well, to be honest, he told me I shouldn't actually
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eat this food. He said something about offering it to
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the queen of the South Sea.
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But come on.
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I'm a working man, and a working man has got
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to eat.
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The trader pulled out a hunk of bread and shoved
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it in his mouth.
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This is so good.
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So good.
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The trader proceeded to stuff his face with all of
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the bread, chicken, and bananas his son had packed. Before long,
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all that remained was a smattering of crumbs and a
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mess of chicken bones and banana peels, which the trader
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carelessly dumped on the wet sand. The farmer, meanwhile, was
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hungrier than ever, but he knew what he had to do.
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He left the trader and walked to the water's edge.
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Then he reached into his knapsack, took out the rice
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in the scarf, and held it out toward the sea.
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Oh, Queen of the South Sea, this humble offering is
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for you. I know it isn't much, but times have
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been hard, and it's the best I can do. May
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it be to your liking, and may you grant me
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safety along these shores.
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The farmer placed the offering on the beach. Then he
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turned toward the rocky caves tucked along the water's edge.
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My daughter said her friend's father found oysters inside these caves.
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I'll head inside one to see what I can find.
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and to take shelter from this rain.
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As the farmer climbed into a craggy cavern and looked around,
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what should he spy but a heaping pile of oysters?
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Oh, my goodness!
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Look at all these oysters!
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And such big ones, too! Each one is the size
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of my shoe! I will gather them, but I won't
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sell them. I will bring them home to my daughter.
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She must be starving by now. Yes, good farmer.
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Bring the oysters home to your daughter.
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The farmer gasped and swiveled his head around. As far
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as he could see, he was all alone. But as
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he would soon learn, he wasn't alone at all. Someone
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had been watching his every move and was about to
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change his fortune in an almighty way.
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The End Who.
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Do you think spoke just now? And how will they
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change the farmer's fortune? We'll find out after a quick break.
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Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Shear. Today our
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story is called The Unselfish Shellfish.
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The Unselfish Shellfish.
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Before the break, the poor hungry farmer made a humble
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offering to the Queen of the South Sea. Then, just
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as he discovered a heap of oysters inside a cave
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by the water's edge, he heard a mysterious voice call
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out to him.
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Who was it that spoke to me just now?
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I don't see.
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anyone else in this cave.
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It is I, the Queen of the South Sea, calling
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out to you from the waters.
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The Queen of the South Sea?
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The farmer dropped to his knees.
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Oh, great and mighty Queen, I am honored. But why
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are you calling out to me?
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Because you called out to me. I heard your plea,
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good farmer, and I saw your humble offering. You gave
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me your last bit of rice and your daughter's favorite scarf.
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You have shown true sacrifice. So please, take the oysters.
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Consider them your reward.
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And with that, The cave went silent. Without wasting a minute,
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the farmer stuffed his knapsack full of oysters, then began
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the long walk back to his snug little house, where,
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unbeknownst to him, his daughter was worried sick.
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Oh, it's getting so late, and father isn't home yet.
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I hope he's safe.
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She went to the window and gazed toward the distant
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sea on the horizons.
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Oh, great and mighty queen of the South Sea. If
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you can hear me, please let me see my father again.
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I don't care if he comes home with any oysters.
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Just please bring him back to me safe and sound.
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Please.
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Now, it just so happens that in yet another spot
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on the island... Someone else was wondering about their father, too.
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It was the trader's son, the same fellow who had
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packed up all the delicious bread, chicken, and bananas as
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a peace offering for the queen of the South Sea.
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Where on earth is father? The plan was for him
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to come home with the oysters, and I would take
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them to the market to trade for something even better,
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so I could help us make a fortune.
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He turned his eyes toward the clock.
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Ugh. Well, so much for our plan. The market is
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about to close. But good thing I gave father all
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that food for the queen of the South Sea this morning.
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May she give us a fortune as great as my
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father's offering was.
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Now, we know the truth about the trader's offering, right?
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He hadn't actually offered it to the queen at all. Instead,
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what did he do? That's right, he ate it all
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up and left nothing but breadcrumbs and chicken bones and
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banana peels scattered on the beach. But the trader's son
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had no idea. He also had no idea that when
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the trader was done with his feast, he didn't even
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collect any oysters. Instead, he was so groggy from his
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feast that he had taken shelter in one of the
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seaside caves and fallen fast asleep. As the trader dozed,
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the drizzle of the rain outside turned into a downpour.
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Thunder rumbled and streaks of lightning lit up the sky.
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The waves on the sea grew stronger and stronger and
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higher and higher. But the trader slept right through it
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until a colossal whitecap came crashing into his cave and
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jolted him awake.
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What's happening?
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The trader leaped to his feet and clawed at the
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cave's walls, trying to escape the rising water.
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Oh no!
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Oh no!
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Somebody help me!
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Help me!
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Help you?
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And why should anyone help you?
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The trader flicked his head round in fear.
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Who are you?
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Who said that?
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It is I, the Queen of the South Sea.
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Calling out to you from the waters.
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And you are.
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Nothing but a greedy glutton who devoured the offering that
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was meant for me.
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Why did you do it?
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Why?
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The traitor felt a knot tighten in his stomach.
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Oh, Queen of the.
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South Sea, I can explain everything.
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I can. You see, I ate all that food because
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I was hungry.
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And truth be told, I didn't even know you were real.
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Please, please forgive me.
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Have some pity.
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You deserve neither forgiveness nor pity. However, I have heard
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the words of your son. He called out to me
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and made a little prayer.
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He did?
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I listened to his words and have decided I will
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answer his prayer.
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Now go back home, and I promise.
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You.
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Will have everything your son asked for.
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And with that, the sea calmed and the trader clambered
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out of the cave, breathless with excitement about whatever great
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fortune his son's prayer would bring.
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That son of mine is one smart cookie.
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So surely he prayed for something fine.
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A boatload of money, perhaps.
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Or a new house, one even grander and more spacious
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than the abode we already have.
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But as the trader neared his grand and spacious abode,
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he was surprised to see his son come running toward
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him with his eyes full of tears.
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My son, why are you crying?
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Oh, let me guess.
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They are tears of joy because the queen of the
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South Sea has brought.
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Us great fortune.
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No, father. Father? Quite the opposite. Our house has been flooded,
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and the rushing waters have carried all of our belongings away.
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I don't understand.
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The Queen of the South Sea.
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Said she would answer your prayer and give us what
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you asked for.
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Did you wish for us to be struck by disaster?
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Of course I didn't.
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The young man sniffed and wiped his eyes.
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I wished for her to bring us a fortune as
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great as the offering you gave her.
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The traitor froze. His blood ran cold. The offering!
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Of course!
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His son had no way of knowing that he didn't
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give the queen a great offering at all. Instead, he
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devoured all the food and left nothing but crumbs and
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bones and banana peels. It was a most unfortunate offering.
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Hence his misfortune now. Well, while the trader felt his
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heart flood with regret, elsewhere on the island, the farmer
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was all smiles as he returned to his snug little house.
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When he stepped through the door, his daughter ran into
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his arms.
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Oh, father, you're back. I was so worried that I
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called out to the queen of the South Sea and
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asked her to bring you home safely. She must have listened.
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Oh, she did more than that, my dear. Take a look.
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The farmer threw open his knapsack. His daughter let out
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a gasp.
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Oh, my goodness! So many oysters and so huge! Each
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one is the size of your shoe!
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That's what I said! What do you say we open
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one up and have a taste?
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Mmm!
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Yes, please!
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So they picked up an oyster and pried open its shell.
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But when they looked inside, they found a wonderful surprise!
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A bright, glistening pearl.
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Wow!
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The farmer and his daughter opened another oyster. And another.
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And another. And inside each and every shell was a pearl.
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A bright, glistening gift from the all-powerful queen of the
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South Sea. Well, as you can probably guess, Never again
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did the farmer and his daughter have to scratch and
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scrape to get by. With their newfound treasure, they were
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able to get back on their feet and share their
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good fortune with others. Because the two of them weren't
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just rich in wealth. They were rich in generosity, too.
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The End.
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Now it's your turn. As we heard in today's story,
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when we respect nature, everybody wins. So what are three
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ways you can show love and care for the environment?
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Maybe you can recycle items like glass and plastic and paper.
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Maybe you can turn off the lights when you're not
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using them or turn off the water when you're brushing
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your teeth. Perhaps you can bring reusable bags to the
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grocery store or donate your outgrown clothing and toys. Find
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a grown-up and make a list of three eco-friendly things
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you can do. Draw a picture of yourself doing these tasks,
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then hang the picture somewhere you can see it to
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remind yourself how easy and rewarding it can be to
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show a little love. to our planet. This week's story,
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The Unselfish Shellfish, was adapted by me, Rebecca Shear. It
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was edited by Nora Sachs. Our original music and sound
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design is by Eric Shimalonis. Our artist is Sabina Hahn.
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Sabina has drawn a black and white coloring page for
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every Circle Round story, and you can color them in
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while you listen. Grown-ups, visit our website, wbur.org slash Circle Round,
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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 find a link to our
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Circle Round picture books, adapted from some of your favorite episodes.
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Just click on Books. Special thanks to this week's actors,
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Ryan DeLusong, Jessica Rao, Erica Rose, Eric Bauza, and Harry
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00:20:38.490 --> 00:20:42.009
Shum Jr. Eric Bauza is one of Mel Blanc's successors
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00:20:42.130 --> 00:20:44.730
as the voice of Looney Tunes characters like Bugs Bunny,
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00:20:45.029 --> 00:20:47.529
Tweety Bird, and Daffy Duck. He does a ton of
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other voices, too, including Fozzie Bear in Muppet Babies and
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the Beagle Boys in Duck Tales. Watch for Harry Shum Jr.
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in Grey's Anatomy Season 19, which returns to ABC for
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00:20:58.619 --> 00:21:02.359
its mid-season premiere on February 23rd. Harry can also be
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heard starring in the grown-up mystery podcast Echo Park, and
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seen in the Oscar-nominated film Everything Everywhere All at Once.
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Coming up, Harry will reprise his role of Charlie Wu
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in the much-anticipated spin-off of Crazy Rich Asians. Our featured
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instrument this week was a collection of instruments known as gamelan.
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To learn more about this percussion-based ensemble type found in Indonesia,
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and to see a photo, visit our website. Again, that's wbur.org
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slash circleround. Grownups, if you enjoy what you hear on
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Circle Round, please write us a five-star review on your
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favorite podcast app. And please tell your friends about the show.
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It'll help us keep circling around with you for years
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to come. Circle Round is a production of WBUR, Boston's
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NPR news station. I'm Rebecca Shear. Thanks for circling around
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with us. Circle Round One of the best things about
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creating Circle Round is hearing from listeners like you. Circle
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Round fans have been telling us about their favorite Circle
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Round stories, and we're excited to share some of their
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voices with you.
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My name is Colin. I live in Shelburne, Vermont. My
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favorite Circle Round story is The Princess and the Bee,
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because I like the part when the queen says to
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the princess, I'll give you one test.
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No, three tests.
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My name is Beatrice and I live in Minnesota. My
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favorite circle round story is the little blue pebble and
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my favorite part is when the woman changes into all
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the animals. Hi, my name is Aussie. I'm from Pennsylvania.
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My favorite story is banana split and my favorite part
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is when the tortoise drops down in his shell to
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win the race. My name is Benjamin, and I'm three
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years old, and I live in Philadelphia. And my favorite
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story is the wolf one with the nice shepherd. And
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I like the part that the shepherd gives the wolf
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some pieces for the leftover to eat.
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My name is Matt. I live in Portland, Maine. My
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favorite story is the basilisk story.
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Did someone mention an episode you missed?
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No problem!
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You can find every single Circle Round story on our
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Website, That's WBUR.org slash CircleRound, or wherever you and your
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grown-ups get your podcasts.
