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. Close your eyes and imagine you're at your favorite place.
Maybe it's a park. Maybe it's a city. Maybe it's the home of someone you love.
Think hard about that place. What do you see?
What do you hear? Do you smell anything?
Taste anything? Now open your eyes again, and poof!
You're back where you started. That is the power of imagination.
And in today's tale, we'll get reacquainted with a fellow who harnesses that power massively. masterfully.
I'm Rebecca Shear, and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time.
Today our story is called The Fire Within.
There are variations of this tale in many places, from the southwestern United States to Ethiopia, Kenya, and the West Indies, to the Balochistan region of South and Western Asia, Our adaptation is especially influenced by versions from Turkey, which feature Nasruddin, a legendary trickster whom you may recall from our Season 2 story, The Unwelcome Guest.
Some really great people came together to bring you our story, including actor and comedian Maz Jobrani. whom you NPR fans may recognize from Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.
Maz has a new comedy special, Pandemic Warrior, as well as his own podcast, Back to School with Maz Jobrani.
So circle around, everyone, for The Fire Within.
Thank you. It was a blustery autumn afternoon, and three scholars were sipping cups of sweet hot tea in a cafe off the town square.
Through the cafe's windows, the scholars could see their fellow townspeople rushing by with chattering teeth and upturned collars as the bitter wind whistled and howled.
My goodness, friends. It's so cold out there.
When I went to the barn this morning and milked my cow, She gave me ice cream!
You're telling me... When I went into the kitchen and opened my icebox, my house actually got... warmer.
And when I stepped outside to come meet you all, My shadow froze to the ground, and when I took a step, it snapped right off.
Yeah! As the scholars chuckled and chortled, the front door burst open.
And a familiar voice rang out. Greetings, friends!
The scholars put down their teacups and swiveled their eyes toward the door.
There, standing in the cafe's entrance, wearing his usual mischievous grin, was their clever old friend, Nasruddin.
My, my. Look at the three of you. You're shaking harder than a bowl of rice pudding on the back of a galloping donkey.
The scholars smiled and rubbed their hands together.
Well, can you blame us, Nasruddin? It's frigid out there.
Downright freezing! Nostradine pulled up a chair and joined his friends at the table.
Well, I suppose it is a bit chilly outside.
But really, it's not so bad. I suppose when your brain works as hard and fast as mine does, it generates enough power to keep you nice and toasty.
The scholars felt themselves bristle. They had always envied Nasruddin's brilliant mind. and they had always resented how boastful he could be about it.
But perhaps here was a chance to take their smart-alecky pal down a notch.
The scholars exchanged a look, then leaned back in their chairs and folded their arms.
You know, Nasruddin, If you really think the weather is not so bad...
Why don't you prove it? Nasruddin raised an eyebrow.
He could tell his comrades were up to something.
Prove it, you say? Yeah! We dare you to stay outside all night. twilight to daybreak. with nothing to keep you warm.
Now Nasruddin leaned back in his chair and folded his arms.
Hmm. Stay outside all night, huh? With no coat?
No coat. And no blanket? No blanket. And no fire?
No fire. Not even a thermos of hot, sweet tea.
Nostradine stroked his chin and thought for a moment.
Then he sat up straight and tall and fixed the scholars with a twinkling gaze.
All right friends, I accept your challenge.
From twilight to daybreak, I will stay out in the town square with nothing to keep me warm but the shirt on my back.
If I make it through the night, the three of you will treat me to a lavish dinner.
But! If I give up before sunrise, then I will treat you to a lavish dinner.
In fact, I'll invite you all to my house and I'll prepare a meal that you'll never forget.
What do you say? The scholars leaned in toward one another and exchanged some whispered words.
Then they turned back. to their friend.
All right, Nastradim. We accept your bet.
And we look forward to that lavish dinner of yours.
Thank you. That night, as darkness fell and the stars popped out one by one in the vast, blue-black sky, Nostradine strode into the town square.
The air was so brisk he could see his breath, yet he wore nothing more than his usual tunic and pants. and carried nothing more than a big, thick book.
He found a bench in the middle of the square, plopped himself down, and by the light of the bright golden moon, He began to read.
The air grew chillier, but Nasruddin kept reading.
The wind grew fiercer, but Nasruddin kept reading.
Then, finally, as the clock struck twelve, Nasruddin laid his book down on the bench His hands were so cold and stiff he could no longer turn the pages.
Nostradine's eyes roved around the shadowy square.
He spied shops and markets. restaurants and houses, all of them closed up and sleeping for the night.
But inside one house, all the way across the square, Nostradine caught sight of something that made his freezing cold face break into a warm, toothy grin.
Aha! And suddenly, Nostrudene knew. He was going to win the bet.
What do you think Nasruddin spotted across the town square?
And is the wise man right? Will it help him win the bet?
We'll find out after a quick break. Support for Circle Round comes from Indeed.
You just realized that your business needed to hire someone yesterday.
How can you find amazing candidates fast?
Easy. Just use Indeed. There's no need to wait.
You can speed up your hiring with Indeed. and Circle Round listeners will get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility. at indeed.com slash circle round.
Just go to indeed.com slash circle round right now.
Support the show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast.
Indeed.com slash circle round. Terms and conditions apply.
Hiring? Indeed is all you need. end. The reviews are in, and super fans like you are loving the Circle Round Club. an exciting opportunity to support public radio and get cool stuff. including ad-free episodes and a personalized birthday message from me.
What I like about the Circle Round Club is that Rebecca Shears sends extra messages.
And it supports the show. And there are no odds.
Grownups, support public radio and sign up today at WBUR.org slash Circle Round Club.
Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Shear.
Today our story is called The Fire Within.
Before the break, three jealous scholars issued a challenge to Nasruddin.
If he could stay outside all night in the freezing cold without anything to keep him warm, They would treat him to a lavish feast.
But if he couldn't do it, he would owe them.
A lavish feast. After a few hours outside, Nasruddin could hardly feel his fingers or toes.
But suddenly, he spotted something that made his heart leap with joy.
Aha! Indeed, all the way across the square, in the window of a quiet little house, burned a single candle, its white wax dripping as its golden flame danced and leaped.
Nasruddin fixed his eyes on the candle. It was about a hundred yards away.
And as Nasruddin stared at the flickering flame, he imagined it to be a roaring, blazing flame.
Fire. He pictured himself curled up beside that fire.
Fragrant gray smoke. curling into his nostrils as he basked in the heat radiating from the crackling, popping red-hot wood.
And thus Nasruddin sat all night long, And when the stars disappeared and up came the sun, the wise man went back home. took a hot, bubbly bath, then returned to the café, where the three scholars were waiting at their usual table. sipping their sweet hot tea.
Hey, good morning my friends. I think we better talk about where you're taking me to dinner.
The scholars dropped their teacups with a clatter.
Are you saying you won the bet? But how did you make it through the night?
Nasruddin pulled up a chair and told the scholars the whole story.
How he had sat in the town square, feeling his fingers and toes growing number and number until...
Right around midnight, he had caught sight of a candle in a far-off window.
And do you know what I did? I pretended that candle was a raging blazing fire.
I use the powers of my mind to imagine its warmth, It's heat, and thus, in doing so, I managed to stay out until daybreak.
Nasruddin clapped his hands together in triumph.
And so, since I won the bet, where are you three taking me to dinner?
I want that lavish feast. Nasruddin flashed the scholars a grin.
They did not grin back. Instead, they leaned in toward one another, exchanged some whispered words, then turned back to their friend.
With a shrug. We're sorry, Nasreddin. But we aren't... taking you to dinner.
You lost the bet! Nasruddin shook his head.
Now, now, now, I did not lose the bet. I did exactly what you challenged me to do.
I stayed outside all night long with nothing to keep me warm.
No coat, no blanket, no fire. See, that's where you're wrong, Nasruddin.
You did have a fire. You had a candle! Nasruddin was quiet for a moment.
Then he slapped his hand on the table and let out a laugh.
I see. You three are pulling my leg. Surely you know I couldn't possibly keep myself warm with the heat from that candle.
It was 100 yards away, behind a closed window.
That's a very funny joke, friends. A very funny joke.
But Nostradine's friends were not joking.
Si. That's where you're wrong, Nasreddin.
A candle gives off heat. And you warmed yourself by the heat of that candle.
So... You lost the bet. And we won. And now you owe us a lavish feast.
Oh, we told him. Nostradine crossed his arms and scowled.
These three actually believed that the heat of a candle 100 yards away could keep a person warm through the night?
And they dared to call themselves scholars?
How could such wise people be so foolish?
But Nasruddin gave in and told his friends he would make good on his promise and have them over for dinner.
On the appointed evening, the scholars made their way to Nostradine's house grinning faces and grumbling bellies.
When they stepped into his dining room, they noticed the table was bare.
Hey, welcome my friends, welcome.
As you can see, I'm still cooking your lavish feast.
But please, have a seat, make yourself comfortable, and I'll bring your food out the moment it's ready.
As Nostradine disappeared into the kitchen, the scholars gathered around the table.
They waited 10 minutes. then 20, then 30, And after 60 minutes went by, an entire hour, they called out to Nasruddin in the kitchen.
Um... Nasruddin! It's been an hour already!
How's that food coming? Nostradine stuck his head out the kitchen door.
Oh it's coming, it's coming. It shouldn't be much longer.
Eventually, another hour went by, and there was still no sign of the food.
In fact, the three scholars couldn't even smell anything cooking.
Surely by now, a cloud of delicious aromas should be drifting from the kitchen and wafting out into the dining room.
Uh, Nostradine? Is everything okay? Are you really still cooking?
Again, Nasruddin popped his head out the door.
Actually, I am still cooking the food. Here, come see.
The ravenous scholars leapt from their chairs and scurried into the kitchen.
And what they saw made their empty stomachs do a flip-flop.
Hanging from the ceiling, suspended by a silver chain, was a huge black pot.
Sitting on the floor about a foot beneath the pot was a flickering candle.
So you see, friends, like I said, dinner is cooking.
I appreciate your patience. Nasruddin grabbed a spoon and gave the pot a good stir.
The scholars shook their heads. But Nasruddin!
You'll never cook the food in that pot with the heat from that candle.
The flame is too small, too weak. Not to mention too far away.
Nasruddin stopped stirring and batted his eyes.
Oh, is it? Because I figured that if a candle can keep a person warm as it burns 100 yards away, then surely a candle can cook a pot of food from just one foot away.
Or do you scholars disagree? The scholars fell silent, for they knew their goose was cooked, even if their food wasn't.
They also knew what the brilliant fellow standing before them had always known. that the old saying is true, and revenge truly is a dish best served cold.
Bye. Hmm. Now it's your turn. Use your imagination to dream up the most lavish feast you can think of.
What kinds of food would you serve? Find some paper and draw a picture of your feast.
Each and every appetizer and entree, drink and dessert.
Share your picture with someone you would want to invite to your feast.
And then, if you'd like, share your picture with us.
Grownups, our email address is circleround at wbur.org.
This week's story, The Fire Within, was adapted by me, Rebecca Shear.
It was edited by Amory Severson. Circle Round's original music and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis.
Our artist is Sabina Han. Sabina has drawn a black and white picture all of our Circle Round stories, and you can print them out and color them in.
Ask a grown-up to visit our website, wbur.org slash circleround. and click on Soundtrack and Coloring pages.
Special thanks to this week's actors. Chris Tucci and Maz Jobrani.
Grownups, Maz's comedy special, Pandemic Warrior, is streaming now on Peacock.
You can find his podcast, Back to School with Maz Jobrani, wherever you get your podcasts.
And tune into your local NPR station to hear Maz as a panelist on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.
Our featured instrument this week was the oud.
You can read about this pear-shaped, stringed instrument and see a photo of Eric Cimolone playing it on our website.
Once more, that's wbur.org slash circleround.
Circle Round is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station.
I'm Rebecca Shear. Thanks for circling around with us.
One of the best things about creating Circle Round is hearing from listeners like you.
Circle Round fans have been telling us about their favorite Circle Round stories, and we're excited to share some of their voices with you.
Hi, I'm Jack and I live in London. My favourite Circle Round story is the rice cake and the only. because I love jokes as well.
Hello, my name is Cora. I'm from California.
My favorite Circle Round story is A Taste of Honey. because I like when the girl tricked the thieves into plowing the land for her.
My name is Amy. I'm Cora's little sister and my favorite story is the treasured axe because I like the part when the girl gave the boy his axes.
Did someone mention an episode you missed?
No problem. You can find every single Circle Round story on our website.
That's wbur.org slash circleround, or wherever you and your grown-ups get your podcasts.
