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Hi, Rebecca Sheer here. As you may have heard, the Circle Around team is gearing up for a bunch
of live recordings across the United States, starting this weekend in San Francisco, California.
While we pack up our microphones and musical instruments, we're bringing you a special
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Do you remember the last time you found yourself in a tricky situation? In a bind, in a jam, in a
real pickle? In today's story, when a young woman winds up in a tight spot, she realizes it's
actually her moment to shine. I'm Rebecca Sheer and welcome to Circle Around, where story time
happens all the time. Today, our story is called The Basilisks Stair, versions of this
folk tale come from Poland, a country in central Europe, and what is a basilisk you may ask?
We'll find out soon. Some really great people came together to bring you our adaptation of this
tale, including Nabia B and Evan Witten. Grown-ups, you may know Nabia B from Black Panther,
and Evan Witten from such TV shows as Mr. Robot on the USA Network and The Resident on Fox.
So Circle Around everyone for The Basilisks Stair.
Once upon a time, there was an armorer named Martin. Martin spent his days working with metal,
using it to create glistening swords, sparkling shields, and full suits of, yes, glittering armor.
And everyone agreed that if all the armorers in the city, Martin was the greatest.
Oh-ho, you should see the sword, Mar-made from me last week. It shimmers like moonlight on the
water. Well, you should see the shield he made for me. It glistens like the stars. I don't doubt it.
The suit of armor he made for me is so shiny, so bright. It reflects like a mirror.
Martin lived with his children, Natalia and Conrad, in a tidy house at the edge of town.
Martin's shop was in the basement, and Natalia and Conrad loved to trapezing down the steps to
watch their father work. First, he would tie on his thick leather apron. Then he would heat up
his metal until it glowed a fiery, yellowish orange, and grew soft and bendable. After that,
he would use a heavy iron hammer to forge the metal into all different shapes. Then he would let
the metal cool, and he polished it, rubbing and scrubbing until indeed. It reflected like a mirror.
Once summer morning, Martin told Natalia and Conrad that he would be gone for the day on business.
Listen, you two. I need to deliver a full suit of armor to a customer who lives far off in the
countryside. He turned to Natalia. Natalia, you're the oldest, so I want you to look after your little
brother while I'm gone. Of course, father. I'd be happy to. Conrad rolled his eyes. Oh, come on,
father. I don't need my older sister to babysit me. I'm a big kid now. I know you're a big kid,
Conrad, and getting bigger every day. But for now, you'll do as your sister says.
Hokey-dokie, I have a long trip ahead of me and need to skid-addle. Have fun today, my dears.
Martin kissed his children goodbye and headed out the door. As he disappeared down the street,
Natalia turned to Conrad with twinkling eyes. I have an idea, little brother. The circus is in town.
They're performing in the market square right in the middle of the city. Would you like to see it?
Conrad's face broke into a grin. You bet I like to see the circus. Let's go.
When Natalia and Conrad reached the market square, they were greeted by all sorts of enchanting
sights. Agile walkers tiptoeing on towering tightrope, graceful acrobats swinging from flying
trepises, plus nimble-fingered jugglers, funny-faced clowns, and lion-hearted riders standing brave and
tall on the backs of gleaming galloping horses. During a break in the show, Natalia and Conrad
wandered around the square and saw vendors selling all sorts of goodies, toys, books, candies.
But then, Hey, Natalia! Something else! Caught Conrad's eye. Look over there. Look! Conrad pointed toward
a jagged heap of stones in a shadowy narrow alley off the square. There's the old stone building.
The one where they say the Basilisk lives. Natalia felt her blood run cold. Everyone in town knew the
legend of the Basilisk. It was said that the Basilisk had the body of a dragon, the head of a rooster,
and the tail of a serpent. Down in the dink, dark cellar of the old stone building,
the Basilisk stood guard over a magnificent treasure. And if you stared into the Basilisk's glowing
red eyes, you would immediately turn to stone. So sister. Conrad's mouth lifted into a mischievous
smile. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Natalia's eyes grew wide. Wait a minute, brother. You're
not thinking of actually going in there, are you? What about the Basilisk? Oh, Basilisk,
Shmasselisk. Don't be such a frady cat, sis. Like Dad said, I'm a big kid now, and I'm going to prove it.
Then Conrad spun on his heel and took off toward the rubble of rocks. Conrad, wait!
But Natalia's little brother did not wait. Instead, he bolted straight to the old stone building
and disappeared through the dilapidated doorway. Without missing a beat, Natalia sped over to the
shadowy alley. When she reached the old stone building and crept through the doorway,
she found herself at the top of a steep narrow set of uneven stairs. Conrad! Conrad!
When no answer came, she clenched her fists, then began descending, the crumbling steps.
Down, down, down, she went. The air growing chillier and the stones growing damper.
The one shaft of sunlight that filtered from above grew weaker and weaker the farther Natalia descended.
Eventually, she found herself in a drafty stone cellar. A burning candle hanging on a wall sconce
in the corner provided a bit of light, but Natalia saw no signs of Conrad. Conrad! Conrad?
Where are you? Conrad's voice seems to be coming from the other side of the wall.
Feel around for the wooden door Natalia, it leads to another room and it is so cool!
There's this massive iron chest and it's filled with all sorts of treasure. Diamonds, emeralds,
rubies, sapphires, amethyst. There's even a huge pile of gold coins that...
All of a sudden, Conrad fell silent. And as shivers quivered down Natalia's spine, she knew exactly
why. That eerie sinister crowing could only mean one thing. The Basilisk! It's real!
It must have snuck up on Conrad and turned him into stone!
Natalia knew it was just a matter of time before the Basilisk found her too. But not if she could help
it. Her heart and mind raced as fast as her feet as she found it up the stone steps too at a time.
When she emerged in today light, the sun shone warm at her skin. But her palms felt cold and
clammy, and all of her hairs were standing on end. I can't believe this! Conrad must have
stared into the glowing red eyes of the Basilisk, and now my brother is a statue!
There must be some way I can turn him back into a living breathing boy! The question is...
What?
Natalia will find out what happens next after a quick break.
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Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Sheer. Today, our story is called The Basilisks Stair.
When we left off, Natalia's younger brother, Conrad, turned into stone after looking into the glowing
red eyes of the basilisk. A legendary creature with a dragon's body, a rooster's head, and a serpent's
tail. Fearing the basilisk would turn her into stone too, Natalia darted back to the house she
and Conrad shared with their father, an armorer named Martin. Martin was famous for crafting swords,
shields, and suits of armor that were so bright and shiny, they reflected like a mirror.
Martin was out on business for the day, so the house was empty when Natalia got home.
She collapsed on a chair in the kitchen. Oh, what do I do? How can I say Conrad?
She bit her lip as she drummed her fingers on the table. All my life I've heard stories about
some person or other encountering the basilisk and turning into stone. But not once have I heard
a story about stone turning back into a person. I mean, all anyone talks about is how you stare
into the basilisk's eyes and then boom, your statue. Just one look at those fierce, glowing red eyes
in your... Wait a minute! Natalia's gaze fell on the stairs that led to the basement where Martin
built his workshop. Without missing a beat, she hurried down the steps and ran to the middle of the room.
And just like that, she found herself surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of Natalias.
Yes! Well, hundreds and hundreds of reflected Natalias anyway. Because scattered and stacked
all around the workshop were glistening swords, sparkling shields, and full suits of glittering
armor, each and every one of them as clear and reflective as a mirror. I know just how I'll save
Conrad. Natalia picked up a glistening round shield with a wooden handle. When she held the
shield in front of her, it was so big it covered her body from her head to her waist.
Clutching the shield tightly, Natalia hurried out of the house and back to the old stone building
where the basilisk kept its layer. At the bottom of the crumbling steps, Natalia found the
dink, dark cellar just as it was before, one glowing candle in the corner, a big wooden door on the
wall. Holding her shield in front of her, she called out in the darkness. Basilisk! Oh, Basilisk!
I've come to steal your treasure! Then she dove beneath the stairs and waited. A bead of sweat
dribbled down her back. The big round shield shook as she gripped it in her trembling hand,
but Natalia didn't move a muscle. Before long, she heard footsteps through the wall,
scuttling, skittering footsteps that grew louder and louder and louder until, at last,
the wooden door swung open and the basilisk came bursting into the room.
Confused to find no one there, the menacing creature began stomping around, looking for the
intruder trying to steal its treasure. Natalia knew what she must do. She took a deep breath,
gripped her shield in front of her face, then leaked out from under the stairs.
That was the last sound Natalia heard from the basilisk. Because when Natalia put down her
shield, she saw that the frightful fiend had turned to stone. Just as Natalia was breathing a big
sigh of relief, who should come rushing into the room? Natalia! Natalia! But Conrad, Natalia put down
her shield and wrapped her little brother in a hug. Suddenly, a woman came running in. She was saved
of death. Then a man, then a whole bunch of people, were no longer made of stone, were alive again,
alive. How will we ever thank you and how did you do it? Yes, how?
Quickly, it dawned on Natalia that all of these people were other victims of the basilisk's
savage stare. She flashed them a smile, then lifted up her father's shield. Well friends,
my father is an armor, and everything he makes, like the shield here, is so shiny and bright,
it reflects like a mirror. Everybody says so, and now she pointed to the stone with the dragon's
body, roosters head and serpents tail. The basilisk would say it too. If he could talk that is.
But now that he's seen his own reflection and looked into his own glowing red eyes,
I'm pretty sure we've heard the last from him. And as everyone reflected on what this bright young
woman had so brilliantly done, they knew she was right. Now it's your turn. Think about a time
you found yourself in a tricky situation, and you needed to find a solution. Maybe you were
baking muffins, but you discovered you were missing an ingredient. Perhaps you were building a
super tall tower of blocks or legos and it kept falling down. Whatever your problem was, do you
remember how you tried to solve it and what you learned from it? Find someone you like to have
fun with, a family member, a friend, and tell them what happened. Then ask them to tell you about
a problem they encountered and what they took away from the experience.
This week's story, The Basilisk Stair, was adapted by me Rebecca Scheer. It was edited by
Catherine Brewer, our original music and sound designed by Eric Schemelonis.
Circle round artist is Sabina Hone. Sabina has drawn a black and white picture for all 100 plus
circle round stories and you can print them out and color them in. Ask a grown-up to visit our
website, www.bure.org slash circle round and click on Sound Track and Coloring Pages.
Special thanks to this week's actors, L-borders, Fiat Orchin, Kevin Corbett,
Tais Harris, Precious Holloway, Edward Hong, Nick Schali, Evan Witten, and Nabiya B.
Growing-ups, watch for Evan Witten in the upcoming feature films, words on bathroom walls,
Dino, Dina, and Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon. And watch for Nabiya B in the upcoming Amazon video
series, Daisy Jones and the Six. Our featured instrument this week was the diatonic accordion.
You can learn more about this read instrument and see a photo of Eric Schemelonis playing it
on our website. Again, that's W-B-U-R dot org slash circle round. Have you subscribed to
Circle Round yet? You grown-ups can find us on Apple Podcasts or whatever podcast app you use
and please leave us some stars, write us a review or just tell your friends about the show.
Circle Round is our production of W-B-U-R Boston's NPR station.
I'm Rebecca Scheeer. Thanks for circling around with us.
Now that you've made it to the end of this Circle Round episode, we want to know
what's your favorite Circle Round story? Thousands of fans just like you have been telling us
about the Circle Round stories they like best. Take a listen. Maybe one of their favorites is one of
yours too. Hello, my name is Rose and I live in Oxford to UK and my favorite
circle round story is a biscuit a basket and I like the part where she uses the mosquito basket
to scare her and keep her. Thank you for making Circle Round and Rebecca Scheeer.
Hi, my name is Lily and I live in Richmond, Virginia and my favorite Circle Round story is a
princess in the eye because I like when Princess Pearl goes to court and proves the end keeper wrong.
I also like the artwork by Savina Ha. My name is Arjun and from Bulkara to Florida.
My favorite story is the upside down three. My favorite part is when the Hainas says is this a party.
My name is Krishna. I'm from Bulkara, but I'm from Florida. My favorite starry day is a
pretty down tree and my favorite part is one day that's planting. My name is Kala from Queens
and YC and my favorite story is the Star Fruetry. I like the part where this younger sister brings out
the bag to the bird. Hi, my name is Diaz. I'm from Queen New York and my favorite Circle Round
story is a double-edged job. My favorite part is when the devil summons his minions.
My name is Adi and I'm from Watertown, Massachusetts and my favorite Circle Round story is the upside
down tree because I like the part when Haaina turns the tree upside down and she lets her anger out.
Hi, my name is Adi. I live in Brooklyn, New York and my favorite Circle Round story is look
like falls. I like the part when the king comes back from being a stone. Did someone mention a
story you've missed? Not to worry. Ronups, you can find all of our Circle Round stories. Plus links to
the Circle Round Club, picture books, coloring pages and oh so much more on our website, WBUR.org slash Circle Round.
