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. Hmm.
Hi, Rebecca Shear here. This summer, we are working hard to create a whole new batch of circle around stories for you.
While we hunker down in the studio, today we're bringing you a favorite Circle Round tale from the archives.
We'll be sprinkling our feed with some new episodes throughout the summer before officially launching our fifth season in September.
Till then, enjoy this listener favorite and stay tuned for new stories in the coming weeks.
Think of something that makes you happy.
Maybe it's a sunny day. favorite story or the chance to hang out with someone you love.
In today's story, two characters argue about what truly makes people happy.
And they're both convinced they have the answer.
Woo-hoo! I'm Rebecca Shear, and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time.
Today our story is called Sir Luck and Mr. Riches.
Versions of this tale come from parts of Europe, including Spain, Portugal, Denmark and the modern-day Czech Republic.
You'll also hear variations from the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Sea.
Some really great people came together to bring you our adaptation of this story. including David Wayne and Michael Ian Black.
Grownups, you might know writer, director, and actor David Wayne from the movies Wet Hot American Summer and Role Models. and the TV shows Stella and the State, which he created with Michael Ian Black.
Michael Ian Black has also written a bunch of children's books including Chicken Cheeks, The Purple Kangaroo, and The Very Fun Trilogy.
I'm bored. I'm sad and I'm worried. So circle around, everyone.
For Sir Luck and Mr. Riches. One bright sunny morning, not so long ago, If you had passed a certain bench in a certain park on a certain edge of a certain town, you would have come across a certain pair of men having a certain thing.
Fight. For crying out loud, how many times do I have to tell you?
I am more important than you are. Oh, give me a break.
Everybody knows that I... I am way more important than you are.
One of the men was Sir Luck. Look, without me, people would be wandering into poison ivy patches and getting struck by lightning all the time, their fortunes would be terrible.
And the other... was Mr. Riches. Well, without me, people wouldn't have any fortune at all.
Money-wise, no cash, no bread, no dough.
They'd be penniless. Now, here's the thing about Sir Luck and Mr. Riches.
They may have looked like two regular guys, but it was all a disguise.
Sherlock and Mr. Riches were actually supernatural beings. in charge of the very things they were named for.
So, Sir Luck was responsible for, you guessed it, Luck.
He determined what strokes of good fortune or bad fortune came to people like you and me.
And Mr. Riches was in charge of, you guessed it again, riches.
He decided how much money people had. You know, who was prosperous and who was not.
Okay, I don't even know what to say anymore.
There's no way you're more... And as Sir Luck and Mr. Riches sat on that bench in that park on the edge of that town, You are out of your mind.
And quibbled about which one of them was more important.
They were interrupted by Madam Wisdom. Madam Wisdom was a colleague of Sir Luck and Mr. Rich's, and I'll bet you can guess what she was in charge of...
That's right. Wisdom. Madam Wisdom decided she had listened to enough quarreling between Sir Luck and Mr. Riches.
And given her vast knowledge and insight, She knew exactly what to do.
Listen, you two. squabbling won't get you any closer to settling your debate.
But it just so happens that I have an idea.
She pointed to a man who was striding through the park.
The fellow was dressed in ragged overalls and shabby work boots.
He was carrying an axe and whistling a merry tune.
See that woodcutter over there? He's on his way to cut down trees in the forest.
He works hard every single day to support his family, and they don't have very much.
Why not take turns giving him your gifts?
Madam Wisdom nodded at Mr. Riches. First, you provide the woodcutter with riches. but no luck.
Then she nodded at Sir Luck. Next, you grant him luck. but no riches.
In the end, you can see which one of you makes the woodcutter happier.
What do you say? For the first time in a long time, Mr. Riches and Sir Luck actually agreed on something.
We're in. Very well then. Let me know how it goes.
Madam Wisdom sauntered away. And Mr. Riches hopped up from his seat and ran over to the woodcutter.
Good morning, friend. The woodcutter stopped walking and whistling and turned toward Mr. Riches.
Sorry to bother you, but I'd like to give you this.
Mr. Riches reached into his pocket. and pulled out a glittering gold coin.
A gold coin? For me? For what? Well, a humble woodcutter like you... work so hard chopping in that forest every single day, Why not take the day off for once, go to the market and buy something nice, some bread, cheese, some wine.
The woodcutter blushed. Well, the truth is, I really like chopping in that forest.
You see, my dad was a woodcutter. So was my grandpa.
None of us have ever been rich, but we've always been content.
Very content. Since you're offering though, I'll take your gold coin.
Thank you. You're welcome. You know, I'd say it's your lucky day, but trust me.
Mr. Riches shot Sir Luck a withering glance.
Luck has nothing to do with it. What do you think will happen next?
Will Mr. Riches prove Sir Luck wrong? We'll find out.
After a quick break, Support for Circle Round comes from Indeed.
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Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Shear.
Today our story is called Sir Luck and Mr. Riches.
Amen. When we left off, Sir Luck and Mr. Riches were bickering about which one of them was more important.
So Madam Wisdom suggested they take turns giving their gifts to a humble woodcutter.
Then see whether luck or riches made the man happier.
Mr. Riches went first. He gave the woodcutter a glittering gold coin to spend at the market.
When the woodcutter arrived, it was the height of the morning rush, and the place was buzzing and humming with customers.
As the woodcutter wove his way through the noisy crowd, he bought a loaf of fresh bread, a wheel of cheese, and a bottle of wine.
But just as he was elbowing his way toward the door, another throng of customers came swarming in.
The woodcutter felt someone bump his shoulder, and before he knew what was happening, His groceries went flying out of his arms and came crashing to the ground.
The woodcutter watched as his bottle of wine shattered and splattered, and his bread and cheese were trampled by hundreds of pairs of feet.
So, carrying nothing but his trusty axe...
The woodcutter left the jam-packed market and headed back across the park toward the forest.
Hey there, woodcutter. You're not going back to work, are you?
Where are your groceries? The woodcutter sighed and told Mr. Riches what had happened.
Well, that's unfortunate. From the corner of his eye, Mr. Riches could see Sir Luck smirking.
But no matter. I can offer you a whole different kind of fortune.
This time, when Mr. Riches reached into his pocket, he pulled out polka-dotted drawstring purse.
This purse is fabulous. filled to the brim with gold coins.
Go back to the market and buy something else.
The morning rush should be over by now.
So the woodcutter thanked Mr. Riches and took the polka-dotted drawstring purse to the market.
But just as he was stepping inside, a falcon with long pointed wings swooped down from the sky, seized the drawstring purse and its talons, and flew away.
So once again, carrying nothing but his faithful axe, the woodcutter headed back across the park. toward the forest.
Woodcutter! I told you to take that purse. and buy things, nice things, but here you are empty-handed and going back to work?
What gives? Once again, the woodcutter sighed and told Mr. Riches what had happened.
I see. Not catching many lucky breaks today, are you?
Mr. Riches heard Sir Luck chuckling. But not to worry.
Mr. Riches snapped his fingers. and a giant gray stallion came galloping across the park.
The steed's massive hooves were fitted with diamond-studded horseshoes and his brown leather saddlebag was bursting with gold coins.
Forget about work, friend, and forget about the market.
Take this horse and bring him. and all this money home with you.
The woodcutter thanked Mr. Riches and began leading the stallion home.
But soon after they left the park, a deer came bounding across the road and startled the gray stallion.
The horse jerked his reins out of the woodcutter's hands, then bolted away on his big, diamond-studded horseshoes before disappearing into a stand of trees.
So, yet again, carrying nothing but his faithful axe, The woodcutter headed back across the park toward the forest.
When Mr. Riches spotted the woodcutter returning, he frowned.
Sir Luck, on the other hand... Well, pardon the expression, but isn't this rich?
Three times you tried giving riches to that woodcutter.
And three times. He's come back carrying nothing but that axe.
I suppose you think you can do better. Oh, I don't think it.
Sir Luck hopped up from the bench. I know it.
Sir Luck pulled a copper coin from his pocket.
Hello there, sir. How's it going? Listen, I'd like to give you this copper coin.
The woodcutter scratched his head. Thanks for the offer, sir.
But I really should get to my chopping. Not so fast.
Sir Luck laid a hand on the woodcutter's shoulder.
Listen, this copper coin may not look like much. but it might lead to very great things.
All I ask is that you don't do any work today instead Go home, and on the way, spend this copper coin on the very first thing you see.
Whatever it is, if it's for sale and you can afford it, buy it.
The woodcutter thought for a moment. All right then, I'll take your copper coin. and spend it on the first thing I see.
Thank you. As the woodcutter headed home, came upon a traveling merchant who was selling all sorts of goods. silks, spices, exotic fruits and vegetables.
But the only item that cost less than one copper coin was... A rod?
Not just any rod, sir. Tell me. Do you like olives?
I do. Well... We all know how time consuming it can be to pick olives by hand, right?
With this rod, all you have to do is find an olive tree, give the tree a good whack, and the plumpest and juiciest olives will pop right off, just like that.
So the woodcutter traded his one copper coin for one rod, then resumed his trip back home.
On the way, he passed an olive grove and spotted a tree that was practically exploding with olives.
So he picked up his rod and gave the tree a good whack.
And sure enough, dozens of plump, juicy olives fell to the ground.
But that's not all. Something else had fallen out of the tree too. something much larger than an olive.
And this something was polka-dotted with a drawstring and filled to the brim with gold.
Gold coins. Whoa! It's the drawstring purse!
The one that man gave me before the falcon swiped it out of my hands.
What good luck! Gripping the purse extra tight, the woodcutter continued on his way.
But then he spied something on the ground.
Horse tracks? And they're enormous! The only horse I've seen that could leave tracks That massive is that gray stallion.
That huge one that ran away when... Of course!
The woodcutter followed the horse tracks to an apple orchard.
And guess who was standing by a tree, nibbling all the apples?
I'll give you a hint. He was wearing massive, diamond-studded horseshoes and carrying a brown leather saddlebag bursting with gold coins.
Well, looks like we've found each other again, buddy.
Now, little did the woodcutter know... But as he led the gray horse back toward his house, he was being followed. by Sir Luck and Mr. Riches.
You see, thanks to my good luck, the woodcutter bought that rod, and thanks to that rod, he whacked that olive tree and found the drawstring purse. plus the horse and the saddlebag.
And now he's taking them home and he'll never have to chop wood another day in his life.
Score one for luck. Okay, I hear you. But tell me, whose money was inside that drawstring purse and that saddlebag?
Those gold coins were mine. Thank you very much.
I'm the reason the guy never has to chop wood again.
Score one for riches! By the time they reached the woodcutter's street.
Both Sir Luck and Mr. Riches were convinced that they had won.
But then something happened that made them scratch their heads.
The woodcutter led the gray stallion past his own house and over to the home of his neighbor.
Amen. The woodcutter's house was a humble cottage.
A bit of peeling paint here, a missing shutter there.
But his neighbor's house was a different story altogether.
It was no bigger than a woodshed. with cracked windows and crumbling walls on the verge of caving in.
The woodcutter tied the stallion to his neighbor's rusty gate.
Then he knocked on the front door and went inside.
What's he doing in there? I don't know. Bragging about his newfound riches, maybe?
His newfound luck, you mean? A few minutes later... the woodcutter came out again.
He was no longer holding the polka-dotted drawstring purse.
And when he left his neighbor's yard, he left the giant gray stallion and the brown leather saddlebag filled with coins tied to his neighbor's gate.
Then he crossed into his own yard and shut his front door.
Sir Luck and Mr. Riches were trying to figure out what had just happened when...
All of a sudden... Hello again, gentlemen.
...they heard a familiar voice. It was Madam Wisdom, accompanied by two other women.
So, it seems our little challenge worked, eh?
Mr. Riches and Sir Luck exchanged a look.
What do you mean, the challenge worked? The woodcutter rejected our gifts.
Exactly. Let me explain. You see, just like the woodcutter tried telling you...
He's always been content with his life. Friends, allow me to introduce...
She pointed to the woman on her left. Ms.
Contentment. Pleased to make your acquaintance.
Thanks to Ms. Contentment here, the woodcutter is satisfied with his work and his life.
So he appreciates everything he has, no matter how little.
And because of that... He's able to be generous.
Sir Luck? Mr. Riches? She pointed to the woman on her right.
Meet... Dame Generosity. How do you do?
Thanks to our dear dame generosity, the woodcutter is unselfish, and willing and able to share with others.
And that's what you saw him do just now.
Share. with his very own neighbor. Mr. Riches and Sir Luck were speechless.
This whole time each one of them had been tripping all over himself. convinced that he could make the woodcutter happier with either riches or luck.
And yet, this whole time, All the humble woodcutter wanted to do was share his bounty with someone who needed it far more than he did.
In this case, a neighbor who had fallen on hard times.
So, all of a sudden, Mr. Riches and Sir Luck realized...
When it all comes down to it, riches weren't the most important thing, nor was luck.
No, the most important things, the things that truly matter. were standing right there in front of them.
Contentment. Generosity. and the wisdom to find a place in your heart for both.
Thank you. Now it's your turn. Think about one thing you can do this week to show generosity.
Maybe you can donate books or toys to a charity, or split your sandwich with a friend.
Whatever it is, tell a grown-up your generosity plan.
Then, once you've followed through, come back to that grown-up and tell them how it felt to share with others.
This week's story, Sir Luck and Mr. Riches, was adapted by me, Rebecca Shear.
It was edited by Virginia Marshall. Circle Round's executive producer is Catherine Brewer.
Circle Round's original music and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis.
If you like Eric's music, you will love the music of Circle Round Volume 1. our soundtrack from our first season.
To get your copy, visit our website. www.wbur.org and click on Soundtrack and Coloring Pages.
While you're there, you can find a bunch of black and white illustrations by Circle Round's artist Sabina Han.
She's created a picture for every single Circle Round story, and you can color them in.
Special thanks to this week's actors. Maurice Emmanuel Parent, David Wayne, and Michael Ian Black.
David Wayne directed and co-wrote Wet Hot American Summer, First Day of Camp. a prequel to his earlier film, Wet Hot American Summer.
Grown-ups, keep an eye out for David's new comedy, Medical Police, coming to Netflix.
And Michael Ian Black has starred in numerous films and TV series including written and or directed several films, and has published a bunch of books for kids, including... a pig parade is a terrible idea, cock-a-doodle-doo-bop, and the very fun trilogy, I'm Bored,
I'm sad and I'm worried. This week's featured instrument was the chromatic button accordion.
You can learn more about this reed instrument and see a picture by visiting our website That's WBUR.org slash Circle Round.
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, my name is Erin. I live in Berkeley, California, and my favorite Circle Round Story is the three-legged part because I like the part when the three-legged pot skips out three short legs.
Hello, my name is Maisie and I live in Oakland.
My favorite story is when Ariana's music And my favorite part is when he gets lift off by the whale.
Hi, I'm Ben. I live in Indianapolis, and my favorite circle around is the fishermen's leftovers.
I'm Marcelo. I live in California. My favorite story. is the dream wishes.
I liked it because the old lady ate all the cheese.
Hi, my name is Ida. I live in Minnesota.
And my favorite circle around is the horse of a different color.
And I like the... is that it has a rainbow horse.
I'm Amara, and my favorite Circle Round story is Mosh-Up. and grandfather's son.
I like it when Masha catches grandfather's son in the net.
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.
