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 seen or tasted a star fruit?
This smooth, waxy, golden fruit is shaped like an oval. but it has five ridges running down the sides.
So when you cut a slice of it, it has five points. just like a star.
In today's story, we'll hear about a starfruit tree that bears sweet fruit. but teaches an even sweeter lesson.
Wee! I'm Rebecca Sheer, and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time.
Today our story is called The Starfruit Tree.
Versions of this tale originally come from Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia.
Some really great people came together to bring you our telling of this folktale, including Stephanie Hsu.
If you're a musical theater fan, you might recognize Stephanie from SpongeBob SquarePants, the Broadway musical. and from Be More Chill, the hit show running now at New York's Lyceum Theater.
So circle around, everyone, for the starfruit tree.
Not long ago, in a far off land, two sisters lived on a farm with their mother.
The sisters' names were Sang and Kim Park.
Thanks to Mother's good business sense, the farm was very successful.
It grew acre after acre of rice and corn. and its ducks and chickens laid hundreds upon hundreds of eggs.
When Mother grew very old, she told Sang and Kim what they must do once she was gone.
My children, please. Promise me that when I leave this earth, you will divide all of my possessions equally.
Equally, between the two of you, the money The land, the house, the crops, the birds, everything I have.
You must split all those things 50-50. The sisters were quick to answer.
First, the older one sang, Of course we will, mother. than the younger one, Kim.
You have our word. But here's the thing. only one of the sisters was telling the truth.
You see, the younger sister, Kim, she was kind and generous, content with her lot in life and... always happy to share.
But her older sister sang. She was greedy and selfish. constantly grasping for more so she could keep it all to herself.
So, when it came time to split mother's inheritance, What did the older sister do?
She took everything for herself. Well, almost everything.
She allowed her younger sister Kim to have a small, a small sliver of land on a far and forgotten edge of the farm.
But Kim did not complain. Instead, she journeyed out to her new property to take a look.
Once there, she saw two things, a tiny run-down shack and a lonely little starfruit tree.
The shack's windows, she noticed, were shattered, and the roof was caving in.
As for the starfruit tree... Its scrawny branches were bare, and its skinny trunk was tangled with weeds.
Suddenly, Kim had an idea. I know. I'll water and weed that sad little tree until it bears fruit.
Then I'll sell the fruit at the market and make enough money to fix up the shack.
It could make for a nice cozy cottage when all is said and done.
The first part of Kim's plan went like a dream.
Under her loving care, the starfruit tree grew tall and strong.
Soon, its branches were drooping under the weight of hundreds of bright, golden starfruit.
But before Kim had a chance to gather that fruit and take it to market...
Do you know what happened? An enormous raven swooped down from the sky. landed on the starfruit tree, and began nibbling the fruit with his pointy black beak.
Good morning, Raven. I was about to pick those fruits to sell at the market today so that I can start fixing up this shack.
But you must be hungry. So go ahead, have a nibble.
Soon though, that nibble turned into a gobble.
And next thing Kim knew, The raven was devouring every single starfruit in sight.
Um... Raven? Go easy, won't you? But the raven seemed to pay no attention.
He just kept on eating. Raven? And eating?
You can stop any time now. And eating? Ah.
Until... Oh my goodness! There's nothing left!
Raven, you've eaten every single fruit on the tree!
Well... I'm glad I could provide a decent meal.
I just don't know how I'll survive this winter without my nice cozy cottage.
Oh. You'll survive, Kim. Excuse me? Who said that?
And how do you know my name? Kim spun around and looked every which way, but there was no one in sight.
Well, no one except for... Raven? Was that you?
It was. The big black bird spread his wings, flew out of the tree, and perched on Kim's shoulder.
You showed an awful lot of kindness to me just now, Kim.
Most people would have shooed me away, a big, pesky black bird gobbling up all their fruit.
But not you. Kim smiled. Well, you looked hungry.
I was. and in exchange for your generosity.
You will be rewarded. Kim listened with wide eyes as the raven explained.
Here's what I want you to do, Kim. Find a sack.
Any sack will do, provided it's no more than three feet long.
First thing tomorrow, bring the sack to the starfruit tree.
Then you will get your reward. And with that, the raven took off into the bright blue sky.
Much to Kim's delight, she found a burlap sack hanging on a hook inside the rundown shack.
When she measured the bag, she found it was just under three feet.
The next morning, she brought the sack to the tree, where the raven was waiting.
Wonderful, Kim. All you have to do now is hop on my back.
You and I are taking a little trip. Kim slung the sack over her shoulder and held on to the raven's neck.
Then they took off, gliding over villages and rivers, mountains and waterfalls before soaring over the sea.
We're almost there! Hold on tight! The bird dove downward and began to descend.
When he and Kim landed on a small island, Kim could hardly believe her eyes.
The island's beach was covered entirely with gold.
Listen Kim, Take your sack and fill it to the brim.
You'll have it. enough gold to rebuild your shack and live comfortably for the rest of your life.
Kim shook her head. But Raven, won't filling the sack with gold make it too heavy to fly home?
Don't you worry. Your sack is exactly the right size.
No more than three feet long. I can hold it in my talons and fly us back.
Easy peasy. So Kim filled the sack with gold.
And sure enough, the raven easily picked it up with his talons.
After they reached Kim's cottage swiftly and safely, she tried thanking the bird.
Wow, I don't know what to say, Raven. I am just so appreciative that you...
But before she could say another word, there was a great flapping of wings, and the raven was gone.
The next day, Kim heaved her sack of gold into a wheelbarrow and headed to town.
First, she bought wood, nails and other supplies to fix up the shack.
Then she picked up some ducks and chickens for eggs, plus seeds to grow rice and corn.
Before long, she had herself a nice, cozy cottage and more rice, corn, and eggs than she could possibly eat. so she donated her extra food to the less fortunate people in town.
When news of Kim's prosperity reached her older sister, Sang was very perplexed.
And very jealous. How can my little sister possibly be doing so well?
All I left her with was that rickety old jack and that sorry little starfruit tree.
I must find out her secret. and steal it for myself!
Will Kim's older sister succeed in her scheme?
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. feed. Welcome back to Circle Round.
I'm Rebecca Shear. Today our story is called The Starfruit Tree.
The Starfruit Tree Amen. When we left off, a raven had given a young woman named Kim a reward for her kindness.
A sack full of gold. With her newfound wealth, Kim was able to rebuild the tiny broken-down shack on her tiny piece of property.
She also started a farm and donated food to people who needed it.
Her greedy older sister, Sang, was eager to learn the secret of Kim's prosperity.
So she rushed over to Kim's place. Little sister!
What's going on here? This cottage. These crops.
Those ducks and chickens. Where did it all come from?
Well, the truth is... Kim pointed at the starfruit tree.
I owe everything to that tree. As Kim told the story of the starfruit and the raven, Sang became desperate to meet the raven herself.
And to visit the Island of Gold. Oh, Kim.
I am so happy for you. And I am so sorry for not splitting everything 50-50 as Mother requested.
To make it up to you. Dear sister. How about...
We trade. Trade? Yes! I'll give you everything I own.
My money, my house, my animals, my acres and acres of land.
If you give me the cottage... Her eyes flashed toward the starfruit tree.
And the tree. Kim was content with her simple life, but she agreed to the trade.
She relocated to the big family house and saying moved her things into the cottage.
Every day, Sang stood under the starfruit tree and waited for the raven to appear.
Then, one morning, she heard a great flapping of wings, and there was the big black bird.
Just as before, he landed in the tree and began gobbling up the golden starfruit.
Hey, not so fast, bird. That's my star fruit you're woofin' down.
You have to give me something in return.
Like, a reward. The raven's eyes glittered as he peered down at Sang.
Oh, a reward. Of course. Of course. Just as he did with Kim, the raven gave his instructions. saying must find a sack, any sack, provided it didn't measure more than how long?
Do you remember? That's right. Three feet.
First thing tomorrow, bring that sack to this starfruit tree.
Then, you will get your reward. The next morning, when the raven returned, Sang was waiting under the tree.
Tucked under her arm was a neatly folded sack.
Alright, bird. Let's get going. The raven eyed Sang's sack, even though it was folded up.
The bird could tell it was longer than three feet.
Much longer. More like six feet. But he didn't say a word.
Tseng jumped on the bird's back, and away they went. gliding over villages and rivers, mountains and waterfalls, When they reached the sea, the ravens swooped down to the Island of Gold.
After they landed, Sang giggled and squealed as she crammed her six-foot sack with riches.
Even when it seemed the bag might burst at the seams, Sang jammed in even more treasure.
At last, she dragged her overflowing sack over to the raven and hopped on his back.
Okay, bird, let's get out of here. The raven clenched his talons around the heavy sack and spread his wings.
He strained, he stumbled, he staggered, and then finally, with great effort, He lifted off the ground.
He didn't lift very high, though. The sack hovered mere feet above the water as the ravens struggled to fly over the sea.
Suddenly, the wind picked up and the waves began to crash.
Their frothy peaks were close enough to splash the sack of gold and soak Sang's feet.
Bird? What are you doing? Fly higher! The raven flapped his wings harder.
But all he could do was sway and dip, dip and sway.
Now the sack of gold in his talons was sopping wet, and so were Sang's legs.
What's wrong with you, bird? Did you hear me?
Fly higher! The raven swayed and dipped again.
So... Let me get this straight. You want me to fly higher, do you?
Yes, that's an order. The great black bird cocked his head.
Very well, then. And with that, he loosened the grip of his talons and the sack of gold plopped into the water with a splash.
Sang watched in horror as all that treasure sank to the bottom of the clear blue sea.
Freed from the extra weight, the raven flew higher.
But then, there was another splash and Sang was in the water.
Flailing her arms and kicking her legs, she swam with all her might back to the Island of Gold.
And you know what? It's said that she lives there still. all alone, surrounded by sparkling, glittering gold.
And she doesn't have to share it with anyone.
Her younger sister Kim, meanwhile, is all about sharing these days.
She donates money to the less privileged, and she's planted an entire orchard of starfruit trees.
She invites everyone for miles around to come pick the ripe, juicy fruits. each one as sweet and as golden as her heart.
. . . Now it's your turn. Over the next week, what's one thing you can do to share?
Maybe you can share your time by volunteering at a bake sale or visiting a relative you don't see very often.
Perhaps you can share a book, or a toy, or half your sandwich at lunch.
Think about what you're going to share and tell a grown-up about it.
Then have them tell you something they'll share over the next week.
And once the week is over, meet up again and tell each other how it felt to share with others.
This week's story, The Starfruit Tree, was adapted by me, Rebecca Shearer. and edited by Jessica Alpert Circle Round's founder Our original music and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis.
Our artist is Sabina Han. Want to color next time you listen to Circle Round?
Sabina Hahn has made a black and white picture for every one of our stories. and you can color those pictures in.
Visit our website www.wbur.org and click on Coloring Pages.
Special thanks to this week's actors, Elle Borders, James Konacek, Lisa Yuen and Stephanie Hsu.
Check out Stephanie right now on Broadway. where she stars in the hit musical Be More Chill at the Lyceum Theatre.
This week's featured instrument was the lap harp.
You can learn more about this plucked stringed instrument on our website.
Again, that's wbur.org. slash circle around.
Never want to miss a new Circle Around story?
Ask your grown-up to subscribe. We're on Apple Podcasts or whatever podcast app your grownups use.
And please, if you love the show and have a moment to spare, write us a review.
It helps other people find Circle Round.
Circle Round is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station.
I'm Rebecca Shear. Thanks for circling around with us.
