WEBVTT
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WBUR Podcasts, Boston.
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Hi, Rebecca Shear here. This week we're bringing you an
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encore edition of Circle Round. It's a high adventure tale
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from the far north, and it's definitely become a listener favorite.
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We'll be back with a new episode next week. Think
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about what winters are like where you live. Are they
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chilly and snowy, or are temperatures more moderate? Today's story
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takes place in a spot where winters are intense, thanks
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in part to a supernatural spirit with a very cold shoulder.
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Whistling 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 Blizzard Wizard. Versions of this tale have been
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told among the indigenous peoples of far north Siberia, near
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the Arctic Ocean. Some really great people came together to
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bring you our adaptation of this folktale, including Vivian Lyra Blair.
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who stars as young Princess Leia in the Disney Plus
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Star Wars series Obi-Wan Kenobi. And grown-ups, you can see
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Vivian in the new feature film The Boogeyman. So, circle around, everyone,
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for The Blizzard Wizard. In the far north, where the vast,
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treeless tundra reaches as far as the eye can see,
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a long-haired girl named Ayana lived with her mother a
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talented seamstress. In Ayana's part of the world, most of
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the year it was winter, which meant plenty of long
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nights and short days. So soon after Ayana greeted the
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sun as it peeked its head above the horizon... Hello, sun!
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She bid it farewell as it dipped back down again.
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Goodbye, sun.
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But winters weren't just dark in Ayana's part of the world.
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They were cold. So while Mother huddled by the hearth fire,
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sewing beautiful coats, pants, and mittens, Ayana tied her long
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black hair into a long, thick braid, stuffed it into
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a woolen cap, bundled up in her coat, then ventured
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out to collect firewood. Wood wasn't easy to come by
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on the frozen tundra, but Ayana worked hard and hugely
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managed to gather a nice armload of branches and sticks
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to keep the hut warm. One day, however... Mother, I'm back!
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She returned with just a handful of twigs.
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You were gone for hours, Ayana. What kept you?
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In short, the weather. Seems we got a real storm
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last night. The snow was so deep I could hardly walk. Luckily,
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I was able to gather a bit of wood, though
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I don't know how long it will last.
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Ayana set the twigs by the fire. then pulled off
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her snow-covered coat and woolen cap. Her long black braid
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came tumbling out.
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My goodness, look at your beautiful black braid. It's nearly frozen.
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I'm afraid to say it, but from the look and
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sound of things, I believe we've received a rather nasty
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visit from the Blizzard Wizard.
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Ayana's eyes grew wide as she crouched by the fire.
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The Blizzard Wizard?
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Who's that?
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The Blizzard Wizard. is the cold-hearted spirit who brings the
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harshest of weather to the tundra. Draped in flowing frosty
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robes with a long white beard and a magical staff
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made of pure sparkling ice, the Blizzard Wizard makes his
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way across the land. With every step, he summons the snow,
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turning it from feathery confetti into frosty clumps, swirling and
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blowing so hard and fast You can barely see your
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hand in front of your face.
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Ayana felt a shiver run down her back.
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Gosh, as if winters weren't hard enough up here already.
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So how do we keep the Blizzard Wizard away, Mother?
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Well, luckily, the two things he fears most are light
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and heat. So as long as we keep our fire
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burning here in our hut, we should be safe.
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But we're nearly out of wood, Mother. All we have
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is what's in the hearth already. plus the little bit
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I managed to scrounge up today.
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That's all right.
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We'll use what we've got and just hope it lasts
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long enough till we can gather more.
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Ayana and Mother spent the next hours keeping a close
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watch on the fire. They did their best to keep
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it stoked, but as they ran out of wood, the
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flames in the hearth burned lower and lower until Ayana
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cried out in alarm.
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Mother, the fire has dimmed to its very last ember.
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How can we possibly keep the.
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But Ayana didn't have time to finish her sentence. Because
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all at once, the entrance to the hut opened wide
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and a blast of bitter wind came sweeping through. Next
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thing Ayana and Mother knew, they were clutching each other's
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shivering bodies as they stood face to face with the
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Blizzard Wizard.
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Greetings and salutations, humans.
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Ready to be snowed under. An explosion of ice and
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snow erupted from the Blizzard Wizard's fingers. But as he
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lunged toward Ayana and her mother, the very last spark
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from the fire flew up toward the roof. It arced
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through the air before landing in the folds of the
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Blizzard Wizard's billowing white robes and burning a hole right through.
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Look what you've done!
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Your fire has damaged my snowy robes!
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The blizzard wizard lifted his magical staff of ice and
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pointed it at Mother. You!
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You're a seamstress, are you not? I am.
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Then you will come to my palace of ice and
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you will repair my robes. Now! Then, before Ayana or
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Mother could say or do a thing, he swooshed his
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staff through the air. Another blast of wind swept through
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the hut and Ayana found herself alone. standing up to
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her knees in a little mound of snow.
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I can't believe it! That cold-hearted brute took my mother!
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But there's no time to fret. I must find the
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Blizzard Wizard's Palace of Ice, and I must set Mother free.
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Ayana stuffed her long black braid into her woolen cap,
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pulled on her coat, then headed out the door. With
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the frozen tundra under her feet and a fiery determination
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in her heart. What will Ayanna do to save her mother?
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We'll find out what happens after a quick break. Welcome
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back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Shear. Today, our story
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is called The Blizzard Wizard.
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The Blizzard Wizard.
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Before the break, Ayana set off to rescue her mother
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from the Blizzard Wizard and his Palace of Ice. Ayana
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began her quest just as the sun was peeking its
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shiny head above the horizon. Normally she greeted the sun
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when it rose, but today she was so lost in
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her thoughts that she stayed quiet and kept her head low.
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What? No greeting today?
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At the sound of this mysterious voice, Ayana stopped in
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her tracks.
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Because usually you greet me when I rise, and you
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say farewell when I set. It's something I always look
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forward to.
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Ayana glanced around, then tilted her head up. Um, son?
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Are you really talking to me?
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I am, and I'm wondering what's going on. You seem
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like you're in your own little world. Tell me what's wrong,
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but make it quick. I've got to set in just
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a little while.
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So Ayanna told the son all about the blizzard wizard
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and how he had stolen her mother away. She shed
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a few tears as she spoke, and each one froze
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into a tiny icicle as it tracked down her cheek.
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Oh, that blizzard wizard. He is such a brute. I
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would vanquish him if I could, but like I said,
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my time is short this part of the year. So
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I'll do what I can to help by.
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Giving you this. Ayana watched as a radiant ball of
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light came floating out of the sun. When it reached
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the earth, it turned into a golden bow strung with
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golden string. Beside it were three shimmering, glowing arrows.
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These arrows contain light and heat. They will help you
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on your journey. Use them wisely and well.
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I will, mighty sun.
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I will.
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Thank you.
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Ayana slung the bow over her shoulder, tucked the arrows
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in her coat, then continued across the tundra. She hadn't
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gotten far when she heard... Help! Another voice. Ayana flicked
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her head round, and what should she see bounding her
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way but a big, brown reindeer.
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The wolf! He's chasing me! Please help me!
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Please!
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The reindeer.
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went charging past Ayana, and sure enough, hot on the
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terrified creature's tail was a hungry gray wolf. Without missing
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a beat, Ayana grabbed the first of the sun's three arrows.
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She strung it on her bow and aimed it at
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the wolf. Then she let it fly. The shimmering shaft
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soared through the air. It didn't hit the wolf, but
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it struck the ground right next to him and scared
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him away. As the wolf scampered off, Ayana felt something
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nuzzle her shoulder.
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You saved my life, young lady. How can I repay you?
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Ayana flashed the reindeer a smile.
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Repay me?
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There's no need.
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Sure there is! It looks like you're on a journey.
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How about I give you a lift and you tell
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me your story along the way?
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So Ayana climbed onto the reindeer's back and recounted her tale.
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It turned out the reindeer knew exactly where the blizzard
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wizard lived. All the animals did. And they did their
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best to steer clear of his icy palace. But the
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reindeer wanted to help Ayana. So with her fleet feet,
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she loped across the ice and snow for miles and miles.
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Miles and miles until... Here we are.
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The Palace of Ice.
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Ayana looked up. Looming before her was a towering palace
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with magnificent spires, towers, and turrets all carved from clear,
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glistening ice. Through one of the transparent walls, Ayana could
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see her mother. The poor woman was crouching on the
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icy floor with the Blizzard Wizard's snowy robes in her lap.
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Frozen tears covered her cheeks. Her fingers trembled as she sewed.
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Mother looks so miserable, but I don't see an entrance.
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How do I get inside the palace?
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Well, it'll help if you cross that first.
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The reindeer tilted her head downward, and that's when Ayana
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saw it. A deep canyon forming a big gap between
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her and the palace. Oh, no.
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No. I suppose the canyon is too wide for you
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to jump across?
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Sorry to say, but yes.
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That's all right, reindeer. You've helped me get this far.
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I'll figure the rest out myself. Thank you.
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Ayana hopped down from the reindeer's back. As the reindeer
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went bounding away, Ayana took a few tentative steps toward
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the canyon. Just then, a gust of wind went sweeping past.
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Ayana's woolen cap fell loose from her head. and her
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long black braid came tumbling out. As the thick braid
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flapped around her head, suddenly she knew just what she
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would do.
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I still have two of the three arrows the sun
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gave me. Perhaps one of them will do the job?
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Ayana pulled the second arrow from her coat. Gripping the
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arrow in one hand, she clutched her long black braid
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with the other. Then she lifted the arrow, and slicing
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it sideways like a knife, She chopped her braid right off.
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Then she got to work weaving her long black hair
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into a rope. She tied a tight loop at one end.
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Then she hurled the rope toward the other side of
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the canyon. To her delight, the rope made it all
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the way across before catching on a craggy outcropping of ice.
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Okay, now all I have to do is use my
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rope to swing across the canyon, then I'll bust inside
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the palace and save my mother.
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Grasping the rope with all her strength, Ayana took a
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running jump, then swung across the canyon. Woo-hoo! To her relief,
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she made it all the way over. But to her dismay... Hello,
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young lady. The blizzard wizard was waiting on the other side.
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So, you've come to rescue your mother, have you?
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Ayana felt her blood run cold, but she took a breath.
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then fixed the Blizzard Wizard with a fierce gaze.
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Yes, I've come to rescue my mother.
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So let her go, now!
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The Blizzard Wizard smiled, showing a mouthful of frosty white teeth,
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each one as pointy as an icicle.
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You know, I admire your perseverance, young lady.
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Too bad it's no match for my polar freeze! The
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Blizzard Wizard lifted his magical staff and swooshed it through
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the air. All at once, piercing wind struck Ayana's face.
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And though the frigid air stung her cheeks and nearly
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took her breath away, she knew she had no time
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to lose. With trembling hands, she reached for the sun's
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third and final arrow. The wind was blowing so hard
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she could barely bring the arrow to the bow, let
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alone aim. But then, summoning all of her courage, all
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of her hope, and all of her fiery determination... She
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let the arrow fly.
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Hi-ya!
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The glowing shaft went rocketing through the air before piercing
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right through the Blizzard Wizard's magical staff of ice. Oh, no!
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You've struck my staff, the source of all my power,
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and now it's melting clean away.
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It was true. The moment the sun's arrow hit the staff,
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the ice turned into liquid, and then, Before Ayana's very eyes,
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so did the Blizzard Wizard.
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I'm melting!
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Melting! But that wasn't all. The Palace of Ice was melting, too.
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And once Mother was freed from her crystal prison, she
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came rushing toward her daughter and wrapped her in a hug.
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Ayana! I thought I'd never see you again. How did
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you get here?
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How did you defeat the Blizzard Wizard?
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And what did you do to your hair?
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Ayana grinned. Her mother was in for a very long story.
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But Ayana had the whole rest of the winter to
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tell it, without worrying about the blizzard wizard taking anyone
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by storm. Now it's your turn. You can add sunshine
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to someone's day by giving them some sun praise. Kind
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of like sun rays, but with an added dash of compliments.
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Here's how you do it. Find some construction paper or
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cardstock that's yellow, orange, red, or any other sunny color.
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Have a grown-up help you cut a big circle out
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of your paper or cardstock. This circle will be your sun. Next,
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cut out some long strips about one inch thick. These
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will be your rays. Use glue to stick the rays
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all around your sun. Now, think about who you'd like
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to give your sun praise to. Then, once the glue dries,
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write their name in the middle of the sun. Next,
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brainstorm praise, compliments, nice things you'd say about this person.
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Are they kind, friendly, funny, helpful? Do they make amazing
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chocolate chip cookies? Write one compliment on each sun ray.
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And when you're done, give this person their sun praise
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and watch their faces light up. Did you know Sabina
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00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:39.579
has created a black and white coloring page.
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For all of our.
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Circle Round stories?
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And you can print them out and color them in?
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Grown-ups, visit our website, wbur.org slash circleround, and click on
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Coloring Pages. And while you're at wbur.org slash circleround, you
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can become the newest member of the Circle Round Club.
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You can get special Circle Round swag, ad-free episodes, bite-sized
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bedtime stories, early access to Circle Round events, even a
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personalized audio birthday message from me. Visit wbur.org slash circleround
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and click circleroundclub. Special thanks to this week's actors, Amy Brentano,
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Joe Hernandez, Erica Rose, and Vivian Lyra Blair, who stars
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as young Princess Leia in the Disney Plus Star Wars
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series Obi-Wan Kenobi. Grown-ups, you can see Vivian in the
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00:18:51.670 --> 00:18:55.539
new feature film, The Boogeyman. Our featured instrument this week
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was the glockenspiel. You can learn more about this barred
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percussion instrument and see a photo of Eric Shimalonis playing
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00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:08.420
one on our website. Once more, that's wbur.org slash circleround. Grown-ups,
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if you enjoy Circle Round, please write us a five-star
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00:19:11.799 --> 00:19:14.960
review on your favorite podcast app and tell your friends
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00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:18.079
about the show. And please join our communities on Facebook
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and Instagram for all sorts of Circle Round fun. You
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can find us at Circle Round Podcast. Circle Round is
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a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station. I'm Rebecca Shear.
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Thanks for circling round with us. Thank you. Thank you.
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Thank you.
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What's your favorite Circle Round story? Thousands of fans, just
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like you, have been telling us about the Circle Round
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00:19:46.910 --> 00:19:50.049
stories they like best. Take a listen. Maybe one of
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00:19:50.130 --> 00:19:54.230
their favorites is one of yours, too. Hi, my name
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is Laila.
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I live in Malta, and my favorite Circle Round story
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is all of them. But my favorite one is the
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Troop of Ten, because I like the part where the
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king and queen do a breakfast for the Troop of Ten. Hi,
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my name is Wibble. I live in Portland, Connecticut. My
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00:20:12.849 --> 00:20:17.789
favorite Shulkerland story is Moshup and the Shulk. My favorite
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part is when the Shulk says, Bye! My name is Aaron,
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and I'm from South Portland, Maine, and my favorite story.
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Is Princess Persistence.
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My favorite part is when the princess saves my prince.
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My name is Mayla.
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I'm from South Portland, Maine.
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And my favorite one is Princess Persistence because when the
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princess follows the prince, it's so, so funny. My name's Aloisa,
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and I'm from Northern California. My favorite circle around story
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is the princess and the bee, and my favorite part
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is when the bee helps the princess to find the
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right flower.
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My name is Maya.
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I'm from Tennessee, and my.
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Favorite circle around story is the life of peach. My
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favorite part of it It's when they say cockroaches and
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Morty Red. My name is Leon. I'm from Tennessee. My
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favorite Circle Round story is the acorn robbery. My favorite
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part is when the bird is watching. I love you, Wreck-It-Shear.
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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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00:21:38.279 --> 00:21:41.390
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.
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WBUR Podcasts, Boston.
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00:00:13.419 --> 00:00:16.399
Hi, Rebecca Shear here. This week we're bringing you an
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encore edition of Circle Round. It's a high adventure tale
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from the far north, and it's definitely become a listener favorite.
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We'll be back with a new episode next week. Think
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00:00:34.909 --> 00:00:38.549
about what winters are like where you live. Are they
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chilly and snowy, or are temperatures more moderate? Today's story
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takes place in a spot where winters are intense, thanks
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in part to a supernatural spirit with a very cold shoulder.
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Whistling 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 Blizzard Wizard. Versions of this tale have been
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told among the indigenous peoples of far north Siberia, near
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the Arctic Ocean. Some really great people came together to
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bring you our adaptation of this folktale, including Vivian Lyra Blair.
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who stars as young Princess Leia in the Disney Plus
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Star Wars series Obi-Wan Kenobi. And grown-ups, you can see
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Vivian in the new feature film The Boogeyman. So, circle around, everyone,
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for The Blizzard Wizard. In the far north, where the vast,
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treeless tundra reaches as far as the eye can see,
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a long-haired girl named Ayana lived with her mother a
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talented seamstress. In Ayana's part of the world, most of
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the year it was winter, which meant plenty of long
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nights and short days. So soon after Ayana greeted the
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sun as it peeked its head above the horizon... Hello, sun!
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She bid it farewell as it dipped back down again.
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Goodbye, sun.
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But winters weren't just dark in Ayana's part of the world.
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They were cold. So while Mother huddled by the hearth fire,
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sewing beautiful coats, pants, and mittens, Ayana tied her long
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black hair into a long, thick braid, stuffed it into
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a woolen cap, bundled up in her coat, then ventured
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out to collect firewood. Wood wasn't easy to come by
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on the frozen tundra, but Ayana worked hard and hugely
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managed to gather a nice armload of branches and sticks
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to keep the hut warm. One day, however... Mother, I'm back!
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She returned with just a handful of twigs.
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You were gone for hours, Ayana. What kept you?
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In short, the weather. Seems we got a real storm
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last night. The snow was so deep I could hardly walk. Luckily,
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I was able to gather a bit of wood, though
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I don't know how long it will last.
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Ayana set the twigs by the fire. then pulled off
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her snow-covered coat and woolen cap. Her long black braid
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came tumbling out.
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My goodness, look at your beautiful black braid. It's nearly frozen.
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I'm afraid to say it, but from the look and
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sound of things, I believe we've received a rather nasty
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visit from the Blizzard Wizard.
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Ayana's eyes grew wide as she crouched by the fire.
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The Blizzard Wizard?
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Who's that?
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The Blizzard Wizard. is the cold-hearted spirit who brings the
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harshest of weather to the tundra. Draped in flowing frosty
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robes with a long white beard and a magical staff
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made of pure sparkling ice, the Blizzard Wizard makes his
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way across the land. With every step, he summons the snow,
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turning it from feathery confetti into frosty clumps, swirling and
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blowing so hard and fast You can barely see your
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hand in front of your face.
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Ayana felt a shiver run down her back.
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Gosh, as if winters weren't hard enough up here already.
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So how do we keep the Blizzard Wizard away, Mother?
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Well, luckily, the two things he fears most are light
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and heat. So as long as we keep our fire
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burning here in our hut, we should be safe.
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But we're nearly out of wood, Mother. All we have
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is what's in the hearth already. plus the little bit
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I managed to scrounge up today.
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That's all right.
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We'll use what we've got and just hope it lasts
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long enough till we can gather more.
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Ayana and Mother spent the next hours keeping a close
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watch on the fire. They did their best to keep
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it stoked, but as they ran out of wood, the
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flames in the hearth burned lower and lower until Ayana
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cried out in alarm.
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Mother, the fire has dimmed to its very last ember.
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How can we possibly keep the.
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But Ayana didn't have time to finish her sentence. Because
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all at once, the entrance to the hut opened wide
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and a blast of bitter wind came sweeping through. Next
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thing Ayana and Mother knew, they were clutching each other's
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shivering bodies as they stood face to face with the
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Blizzard Wizard.
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Greetings and salutations, humans.
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Ready to be snowed under. An explosion of ice and
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snow erupted from the Blizzard Wizard's fingers. But as he
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lunged toward Ayana and her mother, the very last spark
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from the fire flew up toward the roof. It arced
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through the air before landing in the folds of the
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Blizzard Wizard's billowing white robes and burning a hole right through.
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Look what you've done!
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Your fire has damaged my snowy robes!
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The blizzard wizard lifted his magical staff of ice and
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pointed it at Mother. You!
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You're a seamstress, are you not? I am.
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Then you will come to my palace of ice and
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you will repair my robes. Now! Then, before Ayana or
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Mother could say or do a thing, he swooshed his
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staff through the air. Another blast of wind swept through
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the hut and Ayana found herself alone. standing up to
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her knees in a little mound of snow.
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I can't believe it! That cold-hearted brute took my mother!
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But there's no time to fret. I must find the
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Blizzard Wizard's Palace of Ice, and I must set Mother free.
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Ayana stuffed her long black braid into her woolen cap,
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pulled on her coat, then headed out the door. With
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the frozen tundra under her feet and a fiery determination
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in her heart. What will Ayanna do to save her mother?
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We'll find out what happens after a quick break. Welcome
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back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Shear. Today, our story
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is called The Blizzard Wizard.
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The Blizzard Wizard.
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Before the break, Ayana set off to rescue her mother
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from the Blizzard Wizard and his Palace of Ice. Ayana
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began her quest just as the sun was peeking its
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shiny head above the horizon. Normally she greeted the sun
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when it rose, but today she was so lost in
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her thoughts that she stayed quiet and kept her head low.
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What? No greeting today?
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At the sound of this mysterious voice, Ayana stopped in
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her tracks.
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Because usually you greet me when I rise, and you
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say farewell when I set. It's something I always look
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forward to.
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Ayana glanced around, then tilted her head up. Um, son?
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Are you really talking to me?
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I am, and I'm wondering what's going on. You seem
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like you're in your own little world. Tell me what's wrong,
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but make it quick. I've got to set in just
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a little while.
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So Ayanna told the son all about the blizzard wizard
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and how he had stolen her mother away. She shed
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a few tears as she spoke, and each one froze
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into a tiny icicle as it tracked down her cheek.
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Oh, that blizzard wizard. He is such a brute. I
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would vanquish him if I could, but like I said,
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my time is short this part of the year. So
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I'll do what I can to help by.
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Giving you this. Ayana watched as a radiant ball of
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light came floating out of the sun. When it reached
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the earth, it turned into a golden bow strung with
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golden string. Beside it were three shimmering, glowing arrows.
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These arrows contain light and heat. They will help you
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on your journey. Use them wisely and well.
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I will, mighty sun.
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I will.
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Thank you.
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Ayana slung the bow over her shoulder, tucked the arrows
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in her coat, then continued across the tundra. She hadn't
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gotten far when she heard... Help! Another voice. Ayana flicked
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her head round, and what should she see bounding her
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way but a big, brown reindeer.
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The wolf! He's chasing me! Please help me!
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Please!
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The reindeer.
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went charging past Ayana, and sure enough, hot on the
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terrified creature's tail was a hungry gray wolf. Without missing
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a beat, Ayana grabbed the first of the sun's three arrows.
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She strung it on her bow and aimed it at
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the wolf. Then she let it fly. The shimmering shaft
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soared through the air. It didn't hit the wolf, but
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it struck the ground right next to him and scared
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him away. As the wolf scampered off, Ayana felt something
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nuzzle her shoulder.
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You saved my life, young lady. How can I repay you?
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Ayana flashed the reindeer a smile.
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Repay me?
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There's no need.
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Sure there is! It looks like you're on a journey.
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How about I give you a lift and you tell
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me your story along the way?
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So Ayana climbed onto the reindeer's back and recounted her tale.
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It turned out the reindeer knew exactly where the blizzard
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wizard lived. All the animals did. And they did their
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best to steer clear of his icy palace. But the
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reindeer wanted to help Ayana. So with her fleet feet,
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she loped across the ice and snow for miles and miles.
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Miles and miles until... Here we are.
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The Palace of Ice.
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Ayana looked up. Looming before her was a towering palace
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with magnificent spires, towers, and turrets all carved from clear,
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glistening ice. Through one of the transparent walls, Ayana could
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see her mother. The poor woman was crouching on the
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icy floor with the Blizzard Wizard's snowy robes in her lap.
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Frozen tears covered her cheeks. Her fingers trembled as she sewed.
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Mother looks so miserable, but I don't see an entrance.
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How do I get inside the palace?
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Well, it'll help if you cross that first.
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The reindeer tilted her head downward, and that's when Ayana
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saw it. A deep canyon forming a big gap between
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her and the palace. Oh, no.
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No. I suppose the canyon is too wide for you
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to jump across?
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Sorry to say, but yes.
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That's all right, reindeer. You've helped me get this far.
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I'll figure the rest out myself. Thank you.
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Ayana hopped down from the reindeer's back. As the reindeer
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went bounding away, Ayana took a few tentative steps toward
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the canyon. Just then, a gust of wind went sweeping past.
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Ayana's woolen cap fell loose from her head. and her
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long black braid came tumbling out. As the thick braid
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flapped around her head, suddenly she knew just what she
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would do.
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I still have two of the three arrows the sun
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gave me. Perhaps one of them will do the job?
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Ayana pulled the second arrow from her coat. Gripping the
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arrow in one hand, she clutched her long black braid
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with the other. Then she lifted the arrow, and slicing
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it sideways like a knife, She chopped her braid right off.
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Then she got to work weaving her long black hair
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into a rope. She tied a tight loop at one end.
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Then she hurled the rope toward the other side of
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the canyon. To her delight, the rope made it all
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the way across before catching on a craggy outcropping of ice.
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Okay, now all I have to do is use my
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rope to swing across the canyon, then I'll bust inside
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the palace and save my mother.
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Grasping the rope with all her strength, Ayana took a
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running jump, then swung across the canyon. Woo-hoo! To her relief,
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she made it all the way over. But to her dismay... Hello,
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young lady. The blizzard wizard was waiting on the other side.
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So, you've come to rescue your mother, have you?
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Ayana felt her blood run cold, but she took a breath.
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then fixed the Blizzard Wizard with a fierce gaze.
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Yes, I've come to rescue my mother.
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So let her go, now!
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The Blizzard Wizard smiled, showing a mouthful of frosty white teeth,
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each one as pointy as an icicle.
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You know, I admire your perseverance, young lady.
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Too bad it's no match for my polar freeze! The
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Blizzard Wizard lifted his magical staff and swooshed it through
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the air. All at once, piercing wind struck Ayana's face.
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And though the frigid air stung her cheeks and nearly
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took her breath away, she knew she had no time
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to lose. With trembling hands, she reached for the sun's
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third and final arrow. The wind was blowing so hard
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she could barely bring the arrow to the bow, let
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alone aim. But then, summoning all of her courage, all
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of her hope, and all of her fiery determination... She
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let the arrow fly.
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Hi-ya!
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The glowing shaft went rocketing through the air before piercing
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right through the Blizzard Wizard's magical staff of ice. Oh, no!
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You've struck my staff, the source of all my power,
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and now it's melting clean away.
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It was true. The moment the sun's arrow hit the staff,
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the ice turned into liquid, and then, Before Ayana's very eyes,
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so did the Blizzard Wizard.
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I'm melting!
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Melting! But that wasn't all. The Palace of Ice was melting, too.
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And once Mother was freed from her crystal prison, she
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came rushing toward her daughter and wrapped her in a hug.
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Ayana! I thought I'd never see you again. How did
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you get here?
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How did you defeat the Blizzard Wizard?
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And what did you do to your hair?
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Ayana grinned. Her mother was in for a very long story.
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But Ayana had the whole rest of the winter to
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tell it, without worrying about the blizzard wizard taking anyone
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by storm. Now it's your turn. You can add sunshine
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to someone's day by giving them some sun praise. Kind
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of like sun rays, but with an added dash of compliments.
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Here's how you do it. Find some construction paper or
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cardstock that's yellow, orange, red, or any other sunny color.
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Have a grown-up help you cut a big circle out
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of your paper or cardstock. This circle will be your sun. Next,
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cut out some long strips about one inch thick. These
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will be your rays. Use glue to stick the rays
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all around your sun. Now, think about who you'd like
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to give your sun praise to. Then, once the glue dries,
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write their name in the middle of the sun. Next,
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brainstorm praise, compliments, nice things you'd say about this person.
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Are they kind, friendly, funny, helpful? Do they make amazing
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chocolate chip cookies? Write one compliment on each sun ray.
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And when you're done, give this person their sun praise
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and watch their faces light up. Did you know Sabina
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00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:39.579
has created a black and white coloring page.
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For all of our.
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Circle Round stories?
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And you can print them out and color them in?
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Grown-ups, visit our website, wbur.org slash circleround, and click on
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Coloring Pages. And while you're at wbur.org slash circleround, you
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can become the newest member of the Circle Round Club.
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You can get special Circle Round swag, ad-free episodes, bite-sized
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bedtime stories, early access to Circle Round events, even a
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personalized audio birthday message from me. Visit wbur.org slash circleround
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and click circleroundclub. Special thanks to this week's actors, Amy Brentano,
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Joe Hernandez, Erica Rose, and Vivian Lyra Blair, who stars
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as young Princess Leia in the Disney Plus Star Wars
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series Obi-Wan Kenobi. Grown-ups, you can see Vivian in the
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new feature film, The Boogeyman. Our featured instrument this week
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was the glockenspiel. You can learn more about this barred
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percussion instrument and see a photo of Eric Shimalonis playing
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00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:08.420
one on our website. Once more, that's wbur.org slash circleround. Grown-ups,
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if you enjoy Circle Round, please write us a five-star
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00:19:11.799 --> 00:19:14.960
review on your favorite podcast app and tell your friends
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00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:18.079
about the show. And please join our communities on Facebook
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and Instagram for all sorts of Circle Round fun. You
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can find us at Circle Round Podcast. Circle Round is
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a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station. I'm Rebecca Shear.
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Thanks for circling round with us. Thank you. Thank you.
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Thank you.
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What's your favorite Circle Round story? Thousands of fans, just
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like you, have been telling us about the Circle Round
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00:19:46.910 --> 00:19:50.049
stories they like best. Take a listen. Maybe one of
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their favorites is one of yours, too. Hi, my name
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is Laila.
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I live in Malta, and my favorite Circle Round story
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is all of them. But my favorite one is the
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Troop of Ten, because I like the part where the
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king and queen do a breakfast for the Troop of Ten. Hi,
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my name is Wibble. I live in Portland, Connecticut. My
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favorite Shulkerland story is Moshup and the Shulk. My favorite
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part is when the Shulk says, Bye! My name is Aaron,
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and I'm from South Portland, Maine, and my favorite story.
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Is Princess Persistence.
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My favorite part is when the princess saves my prince.
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My name is Mayla.
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I'm from South Portland, Maine.
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And my favorite one is Princess Persistence because when the
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princess follows the prince, it's so, so funny. My name's Aloisa,
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and I'm from Northern California. My favorite circle around story
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is the princess and the bee, and my favorite part
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is when the bee helps the princess to find the
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right flower.
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My name is Maya.
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I'm from Tennessee, and my.
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Favorite circle around story is the life of peach. My
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favorite part of it It's when they say cockroaches and
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Morty Red. My name is Leon. I'm from Tennessee. My
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favorite Circle Round story is the acorn robbery. My favorite
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part is when the bird is watching. I love you, Wreck-It-Shear.
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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.
