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I've heard the saying, misery, love, company. Some say it means that unhappy people like sharing
their troubles with other unhappy people. They can misrate, but others say it means that unhappy
people want everyone else to be unhappy too, so they can feel better about themselves. While in
today's story we'll find a whole new meaning for this expression, when misery comes to life.
I'm Rebecca Sheer and welcome to Circle Around, where story time happens all the time.
Today our story is called, misery, love, company. It's inspired by tales told in the Eastern European
countries of Poland and Ukraine. Some really great people came together to bring your
folk tale, including Joshua Molina, Samine Nostrat, and Rishikesh Herway.
Joshua Molina is an actor who has starred in the West Wing and Scandal. He also co-hosts the podcast
Hutzpod. Samine Nostrat is the author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, and Host of the Netflix series by
the same name. Both Joshua and Samine have co-hosted podcasts to the West Wing Weekly and Home Cooking
with Rishikesh Herway, who also hosts the podcast and Netflix original series, Song Exploder. So,
Circle Around everyone. For misery, love, company.
On a winding lane in a quiet village, they're lived two neighboring farmers, Oleg and Olexandra.
Oleg and Olexandra both had apple trees in their front yards and vegetable gardens in the back.
Both had barns for cows and coops for chickens, but that is where the similarities ended.
You see the apple trees and Olexyard produced bushels of shiny red fruit.
Look at all these apples. I'll be baking pies for months.
But the apples on Olexandra's trees were meager and pale.
Ugh! One measly apple and its sour as a lemon.
Olex Garden was bursting with massive pumpkins and cabbages.
Good, Gully. This one hears as big as a wash basin.
Yet Olexandra's garden wouldn't grow a thing for Pete's sake.
Not even a sprout today. Not even one.
Olex cows were plump and healthy.
My word. With the milk these cows produce, I could open an ice cream parlor.
Olexandra's cows, meanwhile, were skinny as a beanpole.
Haven't sabazzi. I haven't seen a single drop of milk in weeks.
Olex chickens laid more eggs than he could count.
63. 64. 65. Uh-oh! Make that 66.
But Olexandra was lucky if she collected a dozen eggs a month.
Not even one egg today, Rosie.
Nor are you, Ruby? Nothing?
In short, it was as if Olex had all the good luck.
And Olexandra had all the bad.
And it nearly brought the poor farmer to tears.
Ugh! No matter what I do, I just can't seem to cut a break.
With everything on my farm failing, I have nothing to eat, nothing to sell at market.
Unlike my neighbor, Oleg, who seems to possess more good fortune than I could ever dream of.
Maybe I'll ask him for advice.
But when Olexandra went down the lane and paid Oleg a visit,
So let me get this straight, Olexandra.
You want me to give you advice?
Well, that's what I was hoping.
Just a little guidance.
Neighbor to neighbor. Farmer to farmer.
Ugh. Look, Olexandra. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't give advice to someone like you.
Why not?
Well, look at you, neighbor. Look at your pathetic apple trees.
Your dismal garden. Your bony cows.
Your eggless chickens. It's clear that misery follows you wherever you go.
And I suspect it always will.
But hey, with misery always hanging around, at least you'll never be lonely, right?
After all, you know what they say.
Misery loves company.
So it seems.
Thanks for your time, neighbor.
Olexandra's heart was heavy as she trudged away from Olex's house and headed back toward her farm.
Well, that didn't do a bit of good.
Not only did Olex refuse to help me,
he flat out made fun of me.
But maybe he's right.
Maybe misery will always follow me wherever I go.
Oh, not maybe, Olexandra.
Definitely.
Olexandra stopped in her tracks.
What?
Who said that?
I did.
Look behind you.
Slowly, Olexandra turned her head.
Standing behind her was a man dressed all in black.
Black jacket, black boots, black cape, black hat.
He even had a bushy black mustache.
I'm sorry, but do I know you?
Do you know me?
Do you know me?
Of course you know me, Olexandra.
But I've never seen your face before.
Perhaps not, but you've certainly seen my handiwork.
Your pathetic apple trees.
Your dismal garden.
Your bony cows.
Your eggless chickens.
You have me to thank for all of them.
Why, I've been keeping you company for years.
And if there's one thing I love, it's company.
Upon hearing those words, Olexandra's blood ran cold.
Wait a minute.
You're not.
Misery?
That's precisely who I am.
Olexandra's heart hammered in her chest.
So you're misery?
The one who's been ruining my life?
And making me utterly, absolutely, downright.
Disurable?
Yes, that's me.
I'm very good at my job.
But haven't you had enough already?
My farm is in shambles.
My life is in shambles.
Oh, I'll never have enough, Olexandra.
Wherever you go, I will follow.
I plan on staying with you forever and ever.
In a panic, Olexandra took off down the road at a full sprint.
But within seconds, you can't run away from me.
Misery was by her side.
So Olexandra raised into a field and climbed up a tree.
But just as she reached the top, you can't climb away from me.
Misery was by her side again.
Olexandra tried swimming across a stream.
You can't swim away from me.
Jumping over a head row.
You can't jump away from me.
Till finally, she found herself in a clearing in the forest.
Right next to a deep cave.
Olexandra plopped down on a fallen log.
Misery plopped down beside her.
That was an admirable chase, Olexandra.
But I told you, I'm staying with you forever.
Wherever you go, I will follow.
Olexandra's heart was racing, but so was her mind.
She knew she must find a way to get rid of Misery once and for all.
And suddenly, as she glanced around the forest,
she knew exactly what that way would be.
What do you think Olexandra's big idea is?
Will she find a way for Misery to no longer keep her company?
We'll find out after a quick break.
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I'm Rebecca Sheer. Welcome back to Circle Round.
Today, our story is called Misery Loves Company.
Before the break, Misery was quite literally keeping Oleksandra company.
But after Misery chased Oleksandra to a clearing beside a cave,
the farmer suddenly knew how she would get rid of Misery once and for all.
So Misery, you said before that wherever I go, you will follow?
Absolutely. I plan on keeping you company forever.
In that case, I might as well lock myself up in this deep, dark cave here.
I can't think of anything more miserable than that.
Oh, living out your days in a deep, dark cave would be miserable indeed.
The deeper and darker the better.
Oleksandra smiled.
How right you are.
Given that you're the expert on all things miserable,
would you mind stepping inside the cave and checking it out?
Make sure it's as deep and dark as possible.
I wouldn't mind at all.
With a flick of his cape, Misery sprang into the cave.
The moment he did, do you know what Oleksandra did?
She grabbed a great big stone and pushed it over the cave's entrance.
Oleksandra, what are you doing?
Then Oleksandra grabbed another stone.
Oleksandra.
And another.
Oleksandra.
Until the cave's mouth was blocked off completely.
Ha!
You see that Misery with these stones covering the cave's entrance?
There's no way you can keep me company again.
Now my fortune is bound to change.
And wouldn't you know it?
It did.
And right away.
When Oleksandra got back to her house,
the first thing she noticed was how her apple trees were loaded
with shiny red apples.
Whoa!
The next thing she noticed was how her vegetable garden was teeming
with massive pumpkins and cabbages.
Wow!
The next thing she noticed was how full her cows udders were.
What?
And the last thing she noticed was the great big pile of eggs
each of her chickens was sitting on.
Woo!
Now that Oleksandra's farm was thriving,
she had plenty to eat and plenty to sell at the market.
Soon she made enough money to plant an orchard of apple trees
to add corn and potato plants to her garden,
to buy another handful of cows and to build her chickens
a brand new coop.
But every morning, before she went to market,
she'd make her way to the clearing beside the deep dark cave
to make sure the entrance was still blocked with stones.
Thank goodness!
Everything is where it should be.
What's in this cave will stay in this cave
and my good fortune will continue.
Meanwhile, down the lane from Oleksandra's farm,
Oleks noticed his neighbor's newfound prosperity
and was burning with curiosity and confusion.
What? An earth has become of Oleksandra's pathetic apple trees
and her dismal garden, her bony cows, her eggless chickens.
Somehow misery is keeping her company no longer.
I must investigate.
The next morning, Oleks' head behind a fence
as Oleksandra started off for the market.
Oleks followed close behind as Oleksandra made an unexpected detour
and headed in to the forest.
The forest? Why is Oleksandra going into the forest?
No matter, I will follow.
When Oleksandra reached the clearing,
Oleks jumped behind a bush.
He watched as Oleksandra walked up to the cave
and inspected the stones.
Wonderful! The stones are still stacked as tight as can be.
What's in this cave will remain in this cave
and my good fortune will continue.
As Oleksandra turned and left the forest,
Oleks stayed behind and clapped his hands with glee.
Now I get it. Oleksandra has stumbled upon a trove of treasure
and she's hiding it inside that cave.
She put the stones in front of the entrance
so that nobody will go inside and steal her gold.
Well, neighbor, your good fortune is about to be mine.
Once Oleks was certain, Oleksandra was gone.
He jumped out from behind the bush.
He ran to the cave's entrance and began removing the stones, one by one.
There you go.
And now this one.
And this one.
And the moment he removed the final stone.
Who should come leaping out of the cave?
Why? Hello?
What? Misery? Oleks was dumbfounded.
Who are you?
Oh, don't you know?
Now that you freed me from this cave,
I'm your new best friend or new worst friend, perhaps.
Either way, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
And thus it was that Misery moved in with Oleks.
He poisoned his apple trees, he dried up his garden,
he cursed his cows and put a spell on his chickens,
wherever Oleks went, Misery followed.
Because, after all, if there's one thing Misery loves, it's company.
Now it's your turn.
Life is full of ups and downs.
Sometimes we feel amazing, sometimes we feel downright miserable.
When we're feeling sad and blue, it can be hard to think about all the good things in life.
So to help you remember, you can nick your very own good things, Jar.
First, find a jar, then cut out some strips of paper.
On each strip, write down one good thing in your life.
It could be your favorite food, your favorite animal, a treasure of friend, a treasure of memory.
Use as many strips as you can to write as many good things as you can.
And next thing you're having a rough go of it, pick a strip of paper from your good things Jar and read it.
If you're feeling down, it may very well help cheer you up.
This week's story, Misery Loves Company, was adapted by me Rebecca Sheer.
It was edited by Circle Rounds, a supervising producer and a receiver-tzen.
Our original music and sound design is by Eric Schemelonis.
Our artist is Sabina Hahn.
Sabina has drawn a black and white picture for every Circle Rounds story and you can color them in.
Grown ups, you can print out more than 165 coloring pages on our website,
www.bur.org slash Circle Rounds.
Special thanks to this week's actors, Rishi Keish Heerway, Joshua Melina, and Samine Nasrat.
Rishi Keish Heerway as a singer-songwriter whose latest album is Rooms I Used to Call My Own.
He's also the host and creator of the podcast and Netflix original series Song Exploder.
He loved keeping Samine Nasrat company as co-host of their podcast Home Cooking.
And he loved keeping Joshua Melina company as co-host of their podcast The West Wing Weekly.
Joshua Melina is also an actor whose TV credits include The West Wing and Scandal.
He currently co-hosts the podcast Hutzpod, and Samine Nasrat is the author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, and Host the Netflix series by the same name.
Our featured instrument this week was the accordion.
You can learn more about this box-shaped instrument with bellows and see a photo of Eric Chimellonis playing one on our website.
Again, that's wbur.org slash Circle Rounds.
Want to help us spread the Circle Rounds word?
Please give us a five-star review on your favorite podcast app,
and tell your friends to follow us wherever they get their podcasts.
Circle Rounds are a production of WBUR Boston's NPR News Station.
I'm Rebecca Sheer. Thanks for circling round with us.
Now that you've made it to the end of this Circle Rounds episode, we want to know what's your favorite Circle Rounds story?
Thousands of fans just like you have been telling us about the Circle Rounds stories they like best.
Take a listen. Maybe one of their favorites is one of yours, too.
My name is Alice. I live in Austin, Texas. My favorite Circle Rounds story is part and stuff.
I like the bit when the goose went and laid the golden egg.
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I like one of the Amnors Polonia and then it goes FOPPIN!
My name is Naomi and I live in Connecticut. My favorite Circle Rounds story is the Star Fruit Tree.
My favorite part is when Kim shows kindness to the Raven.
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And my favorite Circle Rounds story is the upside down tree and I like what the trees get planted.
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My name is Owen. I'm from Castle Pine's Carve Battle and my favorite Circle Rounds episode is the Polkwood guided pews.
And my favorite part is when the Polkwood guided pews as I'm in the forest, I think it's funny.
My name is Jack and I live in California. My favorite Circle Rounds story is the Basin.
My favorite part is when the Basin is turned into stone.
Did someone mention a story you've missed? Not to worry!
Grown ups, you can find all of our Circle Rounds stories. Plus links to the Circle Rounds Club, Picture Books, Coloring Pages, and Oso much more on our website www.ruxlashcirclearound.com
