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Imagine, if you will, that your friend has a yummy treat. It could be a chocolate bar,
a bowl of popcorn, maybe a juicy orange. Now, imagine that they offer to share some with you.
What do you think would be the fairest way for them to split their treat? Well, they could ask
you to split it, then choose the portion you want. They could divide it in half, so you each
get an equal portion, or they could be tricky and split it into unequal portions, then give you
a smaller one. So, what's the best way to ensure we all get our fair share? We're about to
meet a king who uses his fair share of intelligence to figure it out.
I'm Rebecca Sheer and welcome to Circle Around, where story time happens all the time.
Today, our story is called the rightful air, and that's air as in each EIR, like the air to
a throne or inheritance. We found versions of this tale from Jewish and Japanese lore.
Some really great people came together to bring you our adaptation of this folktale,
including Oliver Stark, who stars in ABC's Smash hit drama series 9-1-1.
So, Circle Around everyone, for the rightful air.
There once lived a king who ruled his people with a strong hand and a sensible head.
Of all the king's duties, the one he enjoyed the most was holding court as judge.
When the people of the land found themselves embroiled in a seemingly unsolvable argument,
the king would invite them to the palace, so he could hear their case.
One day, the king was told he'd be hearing a case between two brothers.
The moment the brothers entered the throne room, the king was struck by how similar they looked.
Same face, same hair, they even had the same walk. The only difference between the two appeared to be their attire.
One brother was dressed in green, the other in blue.
Good day gentlemen, given how much you two look alike and walk alike. Am I to understand you are identical twins?
The twins smiled. Yes, your majesty. Goodness, you even talk alike.
And have you come here with a case against someone else or against each other?
The twins frowned. Against each other, your majesty?
I see. Well, as the highest judge in the land, I shall help you settle your dispute.
But first, I need to know what the problem is. Please state your case in full detail.
But one at a time, please. How about we start with you?
The king nodded toward the twin in green, who stepped forward with a bow.
Your majesty, my name is Ken. My twin brother, Kai and I, were raised by our mother.
She was a wealthy landowner in the country. And this month, she passed away.
I'm sorry for your loss.
Thank you. The trouble is when mother died, she didn't leave behind a will.
A legal document officially stating her last wishes about what to do with her money in land.
Ken glared at his interrupting twin.
I think the king knows what a will is, Kai. He told us to state our case in full detail, Ken.
So I was just adding a full detail. I think you were just budding in.
I most certainly was not budging. Gentlemen, please.
So your mother didn't leave a will. You in the blue.
Well, which one are you again? Kai, your majesty. Kai. How about you take it from here?
Gladly. According to the law of this land, when a parent dies, the eldest child automatically
becomes the heir. The one who inherits everything.
The king knows what an heir is, Ken. I was just adding a full detail, Kai.
Gentlemen. The problem is, Ken and I aren't sure which one of us is the eldest.
Our birth records were destroyed in a fire long ago. And we were never told which one of us was
born first. Not only that, but the nurse who attended our birth was very old and passed away when
we were kids. So you don't know which twin is the rightful heir. Exactly your majesty.
And you wish for me to figure it out. That is correct, your majesty. I see.
The king stroked his chin. Well, one simple way to tell who might be the eldest is
Hight. Gods? The king turned to a team of barrel-chested men standing by the door.
I want one of you to go to the tailors chambers and fetch me a measuring tape.
One of the guards turned on his heel and rushed out of the room. Within minutes he was back,
with a long, coiled measuring tape in his hands. Thank you. Now, one at a time, I want you to measure
the twin's height. If one of them is taller, perhaps he is the eldest.
The guard did as instructed. He unrolled the measuring tape and measured both Ken and Kai.
But guess what? Their heights were exactly the same.
We'll have to try something else. Like weight. Gods.
The king turned back to the burly men. Please go to the kitchen and bring me the butcher's scale.
The one he uses for weighing his great cuts of meat. Two of the guards left the room and went
hurrying down the hall. When they came back, they were holding between them a large, heavy scale.
Perfect. One at a time, I want you to weigh the twins. If one of them is heavier, perhaps he is the
oldest. The guards did as they were told. They used the scale to weigh Kai and Ken.
But, as you may have guessed, the twins' weights were exactly the same too.
The king leaned back in his throne and gazed at the ceiling. Clearly, physical characteristics weren't
going to help. So if he couldn't rely on outward traits that you could see, perhaps he could rely
on inner traits that you couldn't see. He sat up and fixed his gaze on the twins.
Ken Kai. We shall adjourn this court for today while I do some further investigating.
I invite you to spend the night at my palace and we will reconvene in the morning.
Gods show the twins to their rooms. After the guards led the twins away. The king called for his
royal messengers. Messengers, I want you to go to the twins town and interview their neighbours.
Ask them detailed questions about each of the twins' characters, their personalities.
Is one twin known for being kind and loving? Does the other tend to be more prickly and selfish?
Find out everything you can and report back to me by day's end.
So the messengers mounted their horses and galloped off to the twins town where they questioned every single one of Kai and Ken's neighbours.
Then they returned to the palace and told the king everything they'd learned.
All right. So based on what you're telling me, one of the twins had always been a very beautiful son
while the other had been a scoundrel. The only problem is that since the twins are identical,
the neighbours could never tell which one was which. The king furrowed his brow.
Goodness. This puzzle is quite nannigma, but not to worry. We have gained one piece of very valuable
information. One twin has always been a good egg while the other has been more of a bad seed. I'll
see to it that the good twin inherits his mother's property. The following morning,
after a luxurious night's sleep and two feather beds as soft as a cloud,
the twins found themselves back in the throne room, standing before the king.
Good morning, gentlemen.
Good morning, Your Majesty. I'd like to begin today's proceedings with a question.
During your mother's final days on this earth, which one of you took care of her?
I did, Your Majesty. No, I did. No, I did. All right, all right, settle down.
Gentlemen, I believe one of you is lying. So I shall ask you one at a time.
The king turns to the twin in green.
Kai, it's Ken, Sire. Sorry, Ken, did you take care of your mother during her final days?
I did, Your Majesty. Now the king turns to the twin in blue. And you, Ken, it's Kai, Sire.
Right, sorry. Kai, did you take care of your mother during her final days?
I did, Your Majesty. The king paused and gave the twins a long look.
Okay, you two. I'm giving you an assignment. I want you to leave the palace,
then return this afternoon with the following things. First, a gold coin. Second,
a wood plank. Third, a pot of dirt. And fourth, a drawing of a person.
Bring me these four things and I assure you we will solve this case on the double.
What do you think the king is planning? What would you do if you were the king?
We'll find out what happens after a quick break.
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Before we get back to our story, did you know that in addition to listening to Circle Round,
you can carry it, eat lunch with it, and read it? Visit the swag link at wbur.org slash circle
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Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Sheer. Today, our story is called The Rightful Air.
Before the break, the king was trying to determine which of two identical twins was the
rightful heir to their mother's money, house, and land. According to law, the elder twin should
automatically inherit the estate. But the twins, Kan and Kai didn't know which of them was
born first. The king tried measuring the twins, but their heights and weights were identical.
So the king decided he would measure their character. According to the twins' neighbors,
one of the brothers had a reputation for being carry and honest, while the other was known for
being a scoundrel. The trouble is, the neighbors didn't know which twin was which. So the king sent
Ken and Kai on a rather curious errand. Within a few hours, they returned to the palace,
Ken dressed in green and Kai dressed in blue. We're back, Your Majesty. We've brought you the
gold coin, the wood plank, the pot of dirt, and the drawing of a person. Though admittedly,
it's kind of scribbly. Ken and I aren't the best artists. Speak for yourself, Kai. Thank you,
gentlemen. Now listen up and listen well. Each of the items you brought represents something.
The wood plank represents your mother's house. The gold coin represents the money she left behind.
The dirt symbolizes the land she owned, and the drawing of a person symbolizes the good will of
your neighbors. The king rose to his feet. Since I believe it is impossible to know for sure which
one of you is the elder twin, your mother's belongings must be divided between you, and you both
must have a fair share. The king reached into his robe and pulled out a sparkling silver coin.
Gentlemen, I am going to flip this coin. Ken will be heads, Kai will be tails. Whoever wins the coin
toss gets to divide your mother's belongings. The king tossed the coin high into the air. It's
spun, flipped, and dipped before finally landing on... Tails! It was very small and very subtle,
but out of the corner of the king's eye, he suddenly saw a look of greed flash across Kai's face.
Very well. The toss has been won by Ken. But I'm Kai! Right, sorry, Kai, you have won the coin toss.
Therefore I want you to divide these articles fairly between you and your brother. I promise I will
award the property they represent in the same way. Kai set to work dividing the items.
For himself he kept the gold coin, the wood plank, and the pot of dirt. To his brother he gave the
one remaining item, the picture of a person. All right, Kai, I see you've kept the money,
house, and land for yourself. You've given your brother the goodwill of your neighbors.
Why is that? It's simple, Your Majesty. Ken has often claimed that the goodwill of his
neighbors is more important than anything else. Haven't you, Ken? I guess I have, but no buts.
It's truly noble of you to in, brother. So based on this oh so noble belief, if yours,
when I take the house and the money and land and I leave you the goodwill of our neighbors,
you are getting the best of the division. Don't you agree? Ken was too shaken to say a word.
The king, however, was not. That's a clever move you just made, Kai. But not clever enough.
He fixed Kai with a sharp look. I happen to learn from your neighbors that one of you was a
most beautiful son while the other was most selfish. And when I asked you to make the division
just now, I had no way of knowing which son I had chosen. The beautiful son who would divide the
property fairly or the selfish son who would take everything for himself. Therefore I found a way
to ensure against any mistakes. Like what, your majesty? Well, if you recall, Kai, I only told you to
divide the property. I did not say you were to award it. That duty full to this court, and now this
court is ready to do its duty. The king pointed to the twin in green. Ken, I hereby award you the
portion that Kai thought he was choosing for himself. The money, the house, and the land.
Now the king pointed to the twin in blue. And Kai, to you I shall award the portion you thought
you were choosing for your brother. The good will of your neighbors. Because based on what I've heard,
it's clear you need it far more than he does. Though now that I think of it, I believe it may have
to be earned, not just awarded. This court is adjourned. And thus it was that the twin brothers
got the inheritances they deserved. And I'm happy to say that after a few years of working really
hard at it, Kai eventually did earn the goodwill of his neighbors. But he also gained something else.
The realization that of all the things his mother left behind, the most important was his very
own brother. And that inheritance was priceless. Now it's your turn. Think about the last time you
shared with someone. How did you feel about sharing? Was it easy? Was it more challenging?
Whether we're sharing something we can touch and hold, like toys or food, or something more
intangible, like feelings or time, sharing can be tricky. But if we keep practicing it,
it can lead to all sorts of great things, like cooperation, teamwork, and a stronger connection
with those we love. This week's episode, The Rightful Air, was adapted by me Rebecca Sheer.
It was edited by Sophie Codner. Our original music and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis.
Our artist is Sabina Han. Sabina has created a black and white coloring page for all of our
circle-around stories and you can print them out and color them in. Ground ups visit our website,
www.bewards.org slash circle-around, and click on coloring pages.
Special thanks to this week's actors Joe Hernandez and our special guest Oliver Stark.
You grown ups may know Oliver from his series regular role as writer and into the badlands on AMC.
Oliver currently stars as Evan Buck Buckley in ABC's first responder drama, 9-1-1.
Our featured instrument this week was the Shalamoe. You can learn more about this woodwind
instrument that predates the clarinet and see a photo of Eric Shimalonis playing one on our website.
Again, that's wbewards.org slash circle-around. And while you're at wbewards.org slash circle-around,
you can check out our upcoming live events, get your hands on our circle-around picture books,
and you can become the newest member of the Circle-around Club. As a member of the Circle-around Club,
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Grown-ups, if you enjoy Circle-around, please leave us a five-star review on your favorite podcast app.
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I'm Rebecca Sheer. Thanks for circling round with us.
Now that you've made it to the end of this Circle-around episode, we want to know
what's your favorite Circle-around story? Thousands of fans just like you have been telling us
about the Circle-around stories they like best. Take a listen. Maybe one of their favorites is one of
yours too. My name's Mia and I live in the Atlanta in South Australia. And my favorite
Circle-around story is the non-split. My favorite part is when monkey says,
tortoise, you scared to leave in daylight, that's a dream. My name is Rowan and I live in Scotland.
My favorite Circle-around is the part of God. I love the part where the cooking man from next door.
He says, well, why is my daughter so fine, my friend?
My name is Amos Aifam from Well-Fontaria. My favorite Circle-around story is the lone dragon.
And my favorite part is where the girl makes friends with the dragon.
Hi, my name is Jennifer. I live in Rendo, Washington. And my favorite Circle-around story is the
rhyming rhino because I like the part when rhino keeps on saying, out, every time one of
her lands on his head. Hi, my name's Claire. I'm from Michigan. My favorite episode is something
fishy. My favorite part is when the fish herame catches kind of Rowan. And he just know
that I'm an angel or a heroine. My favorite is the lion's fish.
My name is Paxson and I'm from Boise, Idaho. And my favorite Circle-around is Haran's stone.
And I like the part where the flock tips down in the water and gets the golden egg.
Hi, David. I'm a cat. And I live in the pool. And my favorite Circle-around story is the
Vadais. My favorite part is when he says, I don't like to be snappy.
Did someone mention a story you've missed? Not to worry.
Grown-ups, you can find all of our Circle-around stories.
Plus links to the Circle-around Club, picture books, coloring pages, and oh so much more on our
website, www.wru.org slash Circle-around.
