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. Have you ever performed in front of people?
Maybe you've been in a concert or a play.
Perhaps you've sung a song or recited a poem for your family.
For some people, performing is the most natural thing in the world.
For others, it can be a nerve-wracking experience.
I know I've had my share of sweaty palms and butterflies in my stomach.
Today, we'll meet a musician who knows all about those butterflies, until he finds himself performing for a very special and magical audience.
. . . I'm Rebecca Sheer, and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time.
Today, our story is called The Piper and the Pooka.
Apooka is a magical creature said to exist in Ireland, the country where our tale comes from.
Some really great people came together to bring you this folktale, including Damian McGinty.
Grownups, you might recognize Damien from the Fox series Glee and the Irish music group Celtic Thunder.
So circle around, everyone, for the Piper and the Pooka.
There once was a fellow who loved to play the bagpipes.
His grandfather played the bagpipes almost every day of his life.
So music was in the piper's blood. Day after day, the piper would blow into the blow stick.
That's the pipe that fills the bag with air.
Then he'd squeeze the bag so the pipes would let out that long, deep, bagpipe drone.
Then, the piper's fingers would dance across the holes of the chanter, as it's called, to play the melody.
The piper played his bagpipes with his entire heart and soul.
There was just one... Hey, Piper! Let's hear some Dunny Boy.
Uh, okay. Sure. You see, try as the piper might.
Oh, sorry, I, uh... I forgot that one. He could only play one song.
It was called The Wild Rover, and if that's the song you wanted to hear, Well, the Piper would give you as solid a rendition as any.
But request any other song... And he would completely clam up.
Sorry, I forgot that one too. Now, many people in the bagpiper's town made fun of him.
Hey, Piper, play us the wee weaver. Or how about the raggle-taggle gypsy?
Forget it. He only knows the one song. Ah, the wild rover.
Again? And the more the townspeople mocked the piper, the more self-conscious he became.
I don't know how my grandfather did it. He could play any song for any audience.
But I can just play this one song and people laugh at me.
That settles it. I love music. It's in my blood.
But I'm never going to play in front of anyone else ever again. ever.
So the piper began playing his bagpipes only at night. and only out in the dark, marshy, mossy bogs where few people dared to go.
One especially cold November evening, the piper was about to leave the bogs and go back home. when he caught sight of the moon.
What a glorious full moon there is tonight.
Why, it's almost golden. I can't go home and miss this sight.
I'll play just a little bit more, then head back to my mother's house.
Piper placed the bag under his arm, filled it with breath, and squeezed.
As his pipes echoed across the soggy lands, the piper noticed a dark shape flitting and flickering through the air around him.
He immediately stopped playing. As the dark shape grew closer, the piper could make out a pair of wings and a large body.
He jumped as whatever it was landed on the grass in front of him.
What in the... The creature was unlike anything the piper had ever seen.
Its body was large as a horse, but sleek as a cat. with wings like an eagle and bright, luminescent eyes.
And it had these giant paws. Or were they the talons of a large bird?
The piper couldn't quite tell. Yet when the creature spoke, its voice sounded oddly human.
Hello there, Piper. Wait. Well, if you can understand the words I'm speaking, then I'm going to go ahead and say yes.
Are you... Are you going to... What do you... Might I ask...
What are ye? The creature's luminescent eyes grew even brighter.
Well, clearly you didn't listen to your grandfather's tales.
They call me... The puka. The puka? Yes, the puka.
And we're puka. Where do you come from?
The puka smiled, showing off a set of perfectly white, perfectly sharp teeth.
I come from the hills and mounds in the countryside, me boy.
I live amongst the fairy women. the Piper's eyes grew even wider than they already were.
You live with the fairies? But nobody ever sees them.
Not so, me boy. I see them all the time.
In fact, tonight They are having a magnificent feast.
And you, Piper, you... are to be their entertainment.
The piper could hardly believe his ears.
Mythical fairies wanted him to play at their feast?
Wait, wait, me? They want me. Look. Puka, I mean, I'm really flattered that you, but I don't think I'm quite...
You know, I really need to get home to my mother.
She's been waiting for me for hours, and I'm pretty sure she's getting worried about where I am.
Piper! Piper! Listen to yourself. Are you forgetting who you are?
You're the one who plays with your entire body and soul.
Think about your grandfather. Music is in your blood.
Duty calls, me friend. You know, I really don't think... But before the piper could say another word, the puka lunged forward.
As he did, his head sprouted the horns of a goat.
Before the piper knew it, the horns grabbed onto his body. flipped him up in the air until he landed with a thump right on the puka's back.
Then the puka spread his majestic wings and he and the piper soared high up into the air.
Alright Piper, hold on tight! We have music to make!
What do you think will happen when the piper arrives at the fairy's feast?
What would you do if you were the piper?
We'll find out what comes next after a quick break.
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Hiring? Indeed is all you need. feed. Welcome back to Circle Round.
I'm Rebecca Shear. Our story today is called... the piper and the puka.
When we left off, a bagpiper had met a mysterious, shape-shifting creature known as the puka.
The piper only knew how to play one song on his bagpipes, so he was very confused when the puka chose him to perform at the fairies' feast.
Before the piper could protest, the puka tossed the piper onto his back and they were flying high in the air.
The piper clutched his bagpipes with one hand and the puka's neck with the other as the puka picked up speed.
Pooka, listen. There's something you should know.
I can't perform for the fairy woman because...
Well, I only know one song. The piper half expected the puka to drop down to Earth and send the piper home to his mother.
But instead, the puka smiled. Don't you worry, Piper.
You love the music you make, and the fairies will feel that love when you play.
Trust me, you'll be rewarded handsomely for your travels.
The piper gazed down as the puka flew somewhere no human ever dared to go. past the boglands and over the hills and mounds in the countryside.
The piper held on tight as the puka swooped down to the side of a rocky hill.
When they landed, the piper watched in wonder as the puka's feet dropped. transformed into the hooves of a horse.
He stomped his hooves three times, and the great rocks rumbled apart, uncovering a secret door.
Opa! Here we are. With the piper on his back, the puka moved through a maze of craggy passageways until they entered a great, shining hall.
As the piper looked around, he saw hundreds of fairies. all with long white hair, pale skin, and shimmering silver dresses.
One of the fairies came over and addressed the puka with a smile.
One hundred thousand greetings to you, Pooka.
She glanced at the piper with twinkling eyes Who is this lad you brought with you?
Who is this lad, you ask? Why, only the finest piper in all the land!
The piper leaned down and whispered into the puka's ear.
"'The finest piper in the land?' My goodness, it isn't every day we're graced with the presence of the finest piper in the land.
Please, Piper, come down and play for us.
As the piper slid off the puka's back, hundreds of fairies came over to get a closer look.
The piper felt sweat beads form on his forehead.
His heart was beating like a drum. You're really gonna make me do this?
I told you. You love your music. It's in your blood.
That's all that matters. The piper steadied his trembling hands.
Then he held up his bagpipes and took a deep breath to fill them with air.
He squeezed the bag as he had a thousand times before.
And he reached for the chanter to play, you guessed it, the wild rover.
When he was finished, the fairies showered him with applause.
The piper couldn't help but smile. Until... More, more.
We want to hear some more. The piper's palms began to sweat.
His heart raced even faster. Really? Don't you think you've heard enough?
I mean, you know what they say about too much of a good thing?
Oh no, no, the night is young. We want to dance.
The piper knew he had no choice but to keep playing. even if it was the exact same song.
But when he blew into his pipes, You won't believe what happened.
He played the wild rover, but he played it as he never had before.
Immediately, the fairies began to dance.
Watching them whirl, twirl, and sway, the piper was inspired to play faster and faster and faster.
The fairies silver dresses swirled around them as they kept time with the music.
Soon, it looked as though some of the fairies might collapse from exhaustion.
So the piper ended the song. to thunderous applause.
The piper gave a deep bow, and then, Before he knew what he was doing, he brought the blow stick back to his lips and filled the bag with air.
He squeezed, and suddenly he wasn't playing the wild rover.
Instead, he was playing a song he had heard his grandfather play many years ago.
It was a sad song called a lament, and as the fairies listened, Tears slid down their snow-white cheeks.
Even the puka's luminescent eyes began to well up.
You've done it, me boy. Finer piping I have not heard in this world.
Or in any other world, for that matter. Come on now, fairies.
It's time to pay the piper! The piper was so shocked at what just happened that he stood stock still as, one by one, The fairies came up to him and placed a solid gold coin on the floor.
Soon, the pile of gold reached up to his knees.
My goodness! I'm as rich as a king! And now it's time to go, Piper.
Climb on! The piper shoveled the gold into his bag, gathered up his bagpipes, and hoisted himself onto the puka's back.
They soared back to the piper's town and landed in front of his mother's house.
Well, Piper, you've come back a far richer man.
I certainly have. I now have a king's ransom in gold.
Much to the piper's surprise, the puka began to roar.
Gold? Is that all you can think of? You've been given two treasures tonight, Piper.
And the most valuable treasure definitely is not gold.
Now sleep on that. The puka pursed his lips and blew into the piper's face.
Immediately, the piper fell into a deep sleep. right there on the grass.
When he awoke the next morning, he dusted himself off, grabbed his bagpipes, and ran inside to tell his mother about his adventures.
As he finished his story, He noticed her eyes had a faraway look.
Well, Mother? Don't you want to see my treasure?
If there's a treasure to be seen, my son, Then yes, please, show me.
The piper opened his bag. Here it is, mother.
See how rich I am? Look at all my gold! But as he dumped the contents of the bag onto the kitchen table, he let out a cry.
Because instead of gold coins, all that came pouring out of the bag were dry leaves.
But I could have sworn. I'm telling you, Mother, I came home rich last night.
Rich! His mother smiled and gently laid her hand on his shoulder.
Perhaps you're still rich, my son, just in some other way, I must tell you.
Your grandfather told us a similar story when I was a young girl.
You may not know this, but your grandfather...
He always had such stage fright. the finest piper in all the land.
But if people... "'Were around? Oh, forget about it.
He couldn't play a note.' The piper gasped.
But he was such a star. He had stage fright.
Well, he did, until he came home one morning and told us he'd grown rich overnight said he had piles of "'Gold!
But it turns out the gold!' Wasn't the real treasure at all?
I... I don't understand. Pick up your bagpipes, my son.
Play me a song. And not the wild rover.
Play me. Something else. Music's in your blood, my boy.
You love your music. Now, show me some of that love.
Slowly. The piper took a deep breath and filled the bag with air.
Then he squeezed it, held the chanter, and began to play.
And the song he played, it was a new one.
A beautiful song he never knew he had inside.
And as the sound of his music drifted out the windows, the townspeople rushed over to the Piper's house so they could listen in.
And they didn't mock. And they didn't laugh. but none of that mattered to the piper now, because he realized that when you love music, When you play it with your entire heart and soul it doesn't matter who's listening.
All that matters is that you play. . . .
Now it's your turn. Pretend you're the puka.
If you met a piper who got butterflies in his stomach every time he had to play a new song, how would you help him out?
Find someone you have fun with, a family member or friend, and pretend he or she is the piper.
But as the puka, what can you do or say to help the piper believe in himself?
Be as creative as you like. And next time you or someone you know gets stage fright, you'll have a whole new way to chase those butterflies away.
Special thanks to our actors this week. Maisie Scarpa, Hannah Kenney, Jacob Yeh, James Konacek, Jenny Bacon, and Damian McGinty.
Damien is currently on tour, promoting his first EP of original songs. no more time you can find it on Amazon iTunes CD Baby streaming services and everywhere else Today's story, The Piper and the Pooka, was adapted by Eric Shimalonis and me, Rebecca Shear.
Our editor and executive producer is Jessica Alpert.
Eric Shimalonis also does our original music and sound design. and the artist who draws those fabulous black and white pictures on our website.
The ones you can color is Sabina Hahn. Tell your grown-ups to visit wbur.org slash circle round and click coloring pages.
Circle Round is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station.
And grown-ups, don't forget to subscribe to Circle Round. on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts.
If you have a moment, please write us a review.
We'd love to hear what you think of the show.
I'm Rebecca Shear. Thanks for circling around with us.
