Hi, Rebecca Shear here. Before we get to our story, exciting news.
Circle Round is going back on tour. with live recordings across the united states our first stop Sunday, October 5th in Parker, Colorado at the Pace Center.
And Circle Round Club members are invited to a special post-show meet and greet with me and composer Eric Shimalonis.
Get your tickets at wbur.org slash circle around and click on events.
We're announcing more tour stops soon, so stay tuned.
We look forward to circling around with you live.
Produced by the iLab at WBUR Boston. Hi, Rebecca Shear here.
As you listen right now, The Circle Round team is busy creating a whole new season of stories for you.
Folk tales from around the world. featuring fantastic actors from the stage and screen.
So today we're bringing you a special encore edition from season one. a story you may have missed the first time around, or you might have fun hearing all over again.
Sit back, relax and enjoy. What's the strongest thing you can think of?
An elephant? A bear? Maybe a brick wall or a stone house?
Well, what if I told you that the strongest thing of all... could be you.
Today we'll hear the story of a woman who discovered that being strong isn't always about muscles and bones, or bricks and stones.
Thank you. I'm Rebecca Sheer, and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time.
Today, our story is called Stella and the Dragon.
People have been telling versions of this tale for years in Eastern Europe, in the country of Romania.
Some really great people came together to help bring this one to you, including Katherine Hahn.
You grown-ups might recognize her from shows like Transparent and movies like Bad Moms.
So circle around, everyone, for Stella and the Dragon.
There once was a farmer named Stella. She and her husband, Ovi, lived in a house down a long, long lane in the village.
The house was small but comfortable. Stella and her husband shared it with their friendly striped cat and their old family. faithful dog.
In the hills above Stella's village lived a giant green dragon. a very wealthy dragon who had piles and piles of gold in his lair atop the hill.
When he was hungry, the dragon would swoop down and pluck a cow or a sheep from the villagers' fields.
Many of Stella's neighbors feared that someday the dragon would be hungry enough to swoop down and carry off a human.
But Stella and Ovi tried not to think about the giant green dragon.
They were busy growing their crops and tending to their animals on the farm.
Thanks to their hard work, they had plenty to eat, a dry, warm house.
They were happy. But one thing was missing.
Children. Every night when Stella and Ovi finished working in the fields, They would join hands and walk down the long, long lane.
And every night, Stella would lift her head and wistfully gaze up at the sky.
Oh, stars. I wish I had children of my own.
And yet, no children came. One night, after wishing on the very brightest star, Stella walked down the lane with Ovi.
As they approached the house, Stella thought she saw something move.
Hmm. The farm animals are in the barn, and the cat and the dog have long been asleep.
Be over there. Still holding hands, Stella and Ovi began tiptoeing toward the house.
As they got closer to home, they could see what it was, or who it was, that was moving around.
What? Oh my gosh! Children! Tall children, short children, boys and girls, all of them healthy and full of joy.
Some were scampering around the yard, laughing and playing tag.
Others were digging in the garden, planting flowers.
Still others were inside the house cooking a delicious dinner on the stove.
Stella and Ovi could hardly believe their eyes as they stood there, frozen. a little girl in overalls came skipping toward them.
Stella was so stunned for a moment she could barely speak.
Why... Hello. Tell me, where is your home?
The little girl looked at Stella as if she had two heads.
My home is here, of course. All of us live here with you.
Stella's heart skipped a beat. She squeezed Ovi's hand tight.
Is it true? Are all of these children ours?
Ovi, I think our wishes have been granted.
Stella and Ovi had never felt such happiness.
As they kissed each of their new children on the cheek, they counted them. to see how many they had.
One, two, three. Four. They counted. Five.
And counted. And counted, coming at last to the final child.
100! We have 100 children! Whew! We have 100 children!
For the second time that night, Stella looked up at the stars.
The brightest ones seemed to twinkle and shimmer more than ever.
Stars, this is more than we bargained for.
But you have granted our wish, and for that...
We are thankful. We will love each and every one of these children forever and ever.
Now, think about it. Stella and Ovi had zero children, and now they had 100.
Can you imagine what it would be like to have 100 children?
You'd have 100 sets of clothing to wash, 100 blankets, 100 beds, And think of all the shoes!
With 100 children, you would need 200 shoes.
Stella and Ovi worked especially hard to support their new family.
The older kids helped out too, but with so many mouths to feed, it wasn't long before food began to grow scarce.
Stella knew something must be done. One morning, after a breakfast of 100 pancakes, 100 bananas, and 100 cups of milk, Stella pulled Ovi aside.
Ovi, we must find a way to support this family.
Please keep your eye on the children while I go out into the world to find an answer.
I have to figure this out! She gave Ovi a hug and kissed each of her 100 children on the cheek.
Then she set off down the long, long lane. she walked all day long when she came to the hills she stopped to rest As she sat in the grass, she watched some sheep grazing peacefully on the hill.
Suddenly, the sheep started buying and running away.
Stella looked to see what they were running from, and over the top of the hill, what did she see but the giant green dragon?
The one with all the gold in his lair. The dragon flew down toward the sheep, his wings outstretched.
As Stella watched orange flames shoot from his nose, she thought she should run away too.
But then... It hit her. Gold! The dragon has piles and piles of gold.
I could use that gold to buy food for my 100 children, and then they will not go hungry.
Stella didn't know how she would get the gold from the giant green dragon.
But she had to try. She stood up and waved her arms.
Hey, dragon! Dragon! Over here! The giant green dragon heard Stella.
He turned his scaly head. Who is that shouting at me?
Stella's mind raced. It is I, Stella the Powerful!
Stella wasn't sure where she was going with this, but the dragon seemed interested.
Stella the Powerful, eh? And why Stella the Powerful?
Are you shouting at me? Don't you know I could eat you in just one bite?
Stella tossed her head back and laughed.
No, dragon, you could not possibly eat me.
I am much stronger than you are. The dragon snorted, sending more flames sparking from his nose.
With one of his sharp claws, he snatched up a sheep and swallowed it whole.
Stella had to stop herself from crying out.
All right, Stella the Powerful. It's time to see how powerful you really are.
For this dragon is ready for dessert. The giant green dragon lunged towards Stella.
As he opened his mouth, Stella saw his bright red tongue and sharp pointy teeth.
She was frightened, but thinking of her 100 children, she took a deep breath. and didn't move a muscle.
The dragon stopped right there in his tracks.
Why aren't you screaming and running away from me?
Everyone screams and runs away from me. I am the most feared dragon in the land.
Why? Because I know that I am stronger than you, and I can prove it!
The proud dragon roared. He was so close to Stella, the hot air from his mouth made her sweat.
Can you now? What do you say we make a bet?
If I can prove that I am stronger than you are, I get to eat you.
Stella's heart began to pound. And if I can prove that I am stronger than you?
The dragon thought for a moment. Then you can have all the gold in my lair.
Stella pictured the dragon's piles and piles of gold and her dozens and dozens of children.
Alright, agreed. Now, how will we prove our strength?
The dragon thought hard. If there was one thing he was good at, it was throwing things.
He looked around and spotted two enormous boulders, each one the size of a house.
Those boulders over there, they are heavy and big.
Whoever can throw one the farthest is clearly the strongest.
I will go first. The dragon scooped up the first boulder, reached it high up into the sky, and threw it with all his might.
The boulder soared over the sheep and the trees.
It sailed over two hills and landed on a third with a distant thud. thud.
Ha ha! Now it's your turn, Stella the Powerful.
Let's see if you can beat that. Stella knew she was in trouble.
How could she throw a boulder the size of a house, let alone pick one up?
She simply did not know. But one thing she did know, she had to think fast.
Do you believe Stella will think her way to victory?
Will she win the bet and get the dragon's gold?
We'll find out after a quick break. Support for Circle Round comes from Indeed.
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Hiring? Indeed is all you need. end. Welcome back to Circle Round.
I'm Rebecca Shear, and today our story is called Stella and the Dragon.
When we left off, Stella and the giant green dragon had placed a bet.
If Stella could throw a boulder farther than the dragon could, she would get all his gold.
But if he tossed it farther, Stella would become his next meal.
So what did Stella do? she walked over to the big heavy rock and pointed her finger off into the distance.
The dragon was confused. What are you pointing at?
I want to see you throw that boulder. Well, I would throw it, dragon.
Do you see that full moon rising over there beyond that third hill?
Yes, what about it? Well, I am so strong that if I throw this boulder now, it might hit the moon and knock it out of orbit.
The dragon tried to picture a toss so powerful that the moon would stop revolving around the earth.
It would go that way. It certainly could.
Stella was telling the truth. for there was a teensy-eensy-weensy chance the boulder would hit the moon.
Maybe one in a million? It was far more likely that Stella couldn't even lift the boulder.
But the dragon didn't know that. Think about it.
The moon is right there, just over that hill.
If I hit the moon with this boulder, who knows what would happen?
Pieces of the moon could come flying off and hit us right here.
Suddenly, the dragon was scared. Pieces of the moon hurtling toward Earth?
No, don't hit the moon. Not while it's just over that hill.
Alright then. I will wait for the moon to rise higher in the sky before I throw this boulder.
The dragons sat down beside Stella as they watched the moon creep higher and higher in the sky The dragon got more and more nervous.
He jumped up and huffed a blast of fire from his nose.
Listen, you should not throw this boulder.
Because if you do, you might hit the moon.
And that would be bad. And since I cannot throw this boulder and hit the moon, you have won the contest, Stella the Powerful.
Stella smiled. So I have. And now I get your gold.
Stella hopped on the dragon's back and they flew up the hill to his lair.
Inside she saw 50 sacks of gold piled from the floor to the ceilings.
Well, here they are. All 50 sacks of gold are yours.
Stella was excited, but now she had a new problem.
The sacks of gold were so big and so heavy, no human could possibly lift even one.
But she needed the dragon to believe she was Stella the Powerful.
Otherwise, surely he would devour her on the spot.
Dragon, there is something you should know.
And what's that? Well, I have 100 children, each one as strong as I am.
It was true. Her children were as strong as she was, strong in the mind.
Every one of them was quick-witted and brave.
You see, if my 100 children see me coming home with this gold, they might want to get more for themselves.
They might come after you. The last thing the dragon wanted was to have one hundred. hundreds strong little humans coming after him, especially since this was all the gold he had.
The dragon began to tremble. Stella noticed.
Listen, dragon, here's what we'll do. We'll go back to my house together, You will carry all the gold yourself, and you will tell my children that it's all the gold you have.
There isn't any more. The giant green dragon agreed and piled the 50 sacks of gold on his back They were so heavy he couldn't fly.
So he walked behind Stella as she led the way to her house.
They walked for hours. When the sun began to rise, they arrived at the end of Stella's long, long lane.
In the distance, the dragon could hear children laughing and playing.
But he was so frightened of Stella's kids that to him it sounded like vicious screaming and fighting.
Are those your children? Again, the dragon began to tremble.
Again, Stella noticed. Oh, yes. It's almost breakfast time, so they are probably very hungry.
Just then, Stella's 100 children came running down the lane.
They were so excited to see their mother, they yelled and waved their arms, eager for a kiss and a hug.
But that's not what the giant green dragon saw. were 100 hungry, screaming children looking to eat him for breakfast.
Without a word, he shoved the fifty bags onto the ground, stretched out his wings, and swiftly flew away.
He didn't stop until he reached his lair on top of the hill.
Together, Stella and her children carried the gold into their home, one handful at a time.
After counting it, they realized they had just enough so that they'd live comfortably and never go hungry.
All thanks to Stella the Powerful. Now it's your turn.
What in your life makes you feel powerful?
As Stella has shown us, it doesn't have to be physical strength.
Maybe there's a skill you've worked especially hard to improve. or a person whose support makes you feel like you can do anything.
Think about it, then talk about it with someone you have fun with. a family member or a friend, and ask that person to tell you what gives him or her strength.
Whee! Special thanks to our actors this week, James Konacek, Mia Roulette, and Katherine Hahn.
Catherine stars in Bad Moms, A Bad Mom's Christmas, and the 2018 film private life don't want to miss any of our upcoming episodes Subscribe to Circle Round on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.
And please write us a review. We Love to hear what you think of the show.
Circle Round is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station.
I'm Rebecca Shear. Thanks for circling around with us.
