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.
This summer we are hard at work whipping up a bunch of new episodes for you to enjoy.
And today we're bringing you one of those episodes, a magical tale about knowing when to say when.
We officially launch Circle Round's fifth season in September.
Till then, we'll have more new episodes for you sprinkled throughout the summer.
So enjoy this brand new story and stay tuned for more new stories in the coming weeks.
Close your eyes and picture a buffet. A long table piled high with all your favorite foods.
Now, picture yourself taking a big heaping scoop of everything and digging in.
You eat and eat, but soon you fill up. There's still plenty of food on your plate, but no room in your belly.
Because, as many of us do from time to time, you took what you wanted and not what you needed.
In today's tale, we'll meet one character who takes only what she needs...
And another character who does not. . .
. I'm Rebecca Sheer, and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time.
Today our story is called The Mountain Guardian.
Versions of this tale come from the Tibetan people of East Asia.
Some really great people came together to bring you our telling of this tale, including Alonzo Bowden and Audrey Shea.
You may recognize Alonzo Bowden from NBC's Last Comic Standing.
NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, as well as the podcast Who's Paying Attention.
And you can see Audrey Shea in the new feature film Here Today, starring Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish.
So, circle around, everyone, for the Mountain Guardian.
Out in the valley, beneath a towering mountain covered with trees, there lived a young shepherdess.
The shepherdess shared a ramshackle hut with her grandmother. a frail old woman who had raised the shepherdess from the time she was a baby.
One winter, the temperatures dropped especially low, and the snow fell especially fast.
By spring, the shepherdess had lost every sheep in her flock.
The poor creatures all had vanished in the deep and frosty snowdrifts.
I can't believe this. All my beloved sheep, gone. and with them my livelihood.
How will I ever get by now and provide for Grandmother?
I suppose I could ask my uncle for help.
His business in the capital city is always booming.
So the shepherdess set off for the capital city to see her uncle. a well-to-do businessman who resided in a magnificent mansion.
His sizable yard was brimming with orchards and gardens, and his spacious house was bustling with butlers and maids.
But when the shepherdess reached the palatial mansion and began explaining her woes...
Uncle didn't even let her finish her sentence.
Okay, niece. I'm just gonna stop you right there.
Look, I'm really sorry you lost your sheep, but honestly, what does any of this have to do with me?
Was it my fault it snowed so hard this winter?
Was I the one who told you and your grandmother to live out in the boonies?
There's nothing I can do for you, kid. The shepherdess's face was pinched with sorrow as she trudged back to the valley.
Standing outside her hut and gazing at the mountain, she noticed how the harsh winter winds had knocked many branches from the trees that grew up and down the slope.
As a result, the ground was littered with sturdy boughs of all sizes.
And that's when the shepherdess had an idea.
I know what I'll do. I'll collect some of those fallen branches from the mountainside and sell them at the market as firewood.
That should bring in enough money for me and Grandmother to get by for a little while longer anyway.
Now, you may be wondering, why wouldn't the shepherdess chop down an entire tree and sell that?
After all, wasn't the towering mountain covered with strong leafy trees?
Well, you see, ever since the shepherdess was a little girl, her grandmother had told her countless stories. about the Mountain Guardian.
My child, you must remember... In this land, each and every mountain has a guardian. a powerful spirit, a protector.
So everything on the mountain is sacred because it belongs to the guardian.
The plants, the animals, the trees, everything.
So, with grandmother's words etched into her memory, the shepherdess found a big basket, then started up the mountainside to collect branches.
Before long, she had gathered a nice bundle. which she sold at the market the following morning.
This is terrific! I've made enough money for Grandmother and me to get by for at least one more month.
Thank you, Mountain Guardian. The next month, the shepherdess climbed higher up the mountain and found even more fallen wood. which, again, she promptly sold at the market.
Thank you, Mountain Guardian. The next month, she climbed even higher.
Thank you, Mountain Guardian. The next month, she climbed even higher.
Thank you, Mountain Guardian. And then, one fine summer day, she found herself at the very top.
Check out this view. From this lofty summit, I can see for miles and miles and...
Are you? The shepherdess gasped and spun around.
Sitting before her was a lion. A large, fierce lion carved from smooth gray stone like a statue.
And yet, before the shepherdess's very eyes, the stone lion opened its mouth and proceeded to speak.
All right, if you won't introduce yourself, I'll get the ball rolling.
I am the guardian of the mountain. I look after everything that lives here, the plants, the animals, the trees.
So I ask again, who are you? It took a moment for the shepherdess to find her voice.
Me? Well, I'm just a humble shepherdess who lost her flock.
I lost everything. So now I'm gathering wood from the mountainside From your mountainside.
So I may sell it at the market and buy some food and clothing for me and my grandmother.
I see. The lion's stone eyes seemed to glitter.
But what are you doing way up here, where so few dare to tread?
There are plenty of hail and healthy trees much farther down the mountain, Chop just one of those beauties down and its wood will bring you a pretty penny.
I know that, mountain guardian. But those hail and healthy trees of which you speak.
They aren't mine to chop down. They belong to you, and you alone.
So I only gather dead wood, branches and boughs that have been brought down by wind and storms.
And for that dead wood, I thank you, mountain guardian, from the bottom of my heart.
The lion was silent for a moment. Then his stone mouth curled into a grin.
Your answer pleases me, shepherdess, and would like to reward you for your care and compassion.
Come. Empty your basket, place it below my mouth and I will fill it with gold coins.
But take heed, the moment the basket is full, you must tell me.
Not one piece of gold can land on the ground.
Do you understand? I understand. The shepherdess did as she was told and held her empty basket below the lion's mouth.
A moment later, the lion opened its jaws wide and let out a mighty roar.
And as he did, a cascade of gold coins came tumbling out each one glinting in the sunlight and landing in the shepherdess' basket with a clink.
The shepherdess kept her eyes glued to the waterfall of coins Once the basket was nearly full, she held up a hand and cried, Stop!
And just like that, The stream of coins ceased, like someone had turned off a spigot.
Very good shepherdess. Now. Take your newfound riches and use them wisely, but promise me one thing.
You will continue taking care of my mountain, respecting my trees and my land.
Of course, Mountain Guardian. I promise.
The shepherdess got to her knees and bowed to the ground.
When she stood back up, she saw the lion had frozen up again. like a statue.
You would never know he had spoken at all, but the shepherdess had a basket of gold to prove it.
And the shepherdess used that gold wisely, buying seeds to grow crops, tools to fix up her hut, and a whole new flock of glossy, woolly sheep.
Before long, the shepherdess was prospering.
And when word of her good fortune reached her uncle in the city, The businessman was perplexed.
How is my niece suddenly living so high on the hog?
A new farm, a new flock of sheep. Last I saw her, she was down to her last penny.
And her final crust of bread. I must discover the secret of her riches and use it for myself.
Mwahahahaha! What do you think Uncle will do next?
We'll find out what happens after a quick break.
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Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Shear.
Today, our story is called The Mountain Guardian.
Before the break, a good-hearted shepherdess was collecting dead branches for firewood. when she met the guardian of the mountain.
In exchange for sparing the trees that grew on the hillside, the talking stone lion gifted the shepherdess with gold coins.
When the shepherdess's rich uncle learned of his niece's prosperity, he was overcome with jealousy.
Determined to learn the shepherdess' secret, he mounted his horse and galloped from his mansion in the city to his niece's house. in the countryside.
Well, hello there, Uncle. I'm surprised to see you traveling around these parts.
You did say that Grandmother and I live out in the boonies, after all.
Oh, did I say that? Uncle batted his eyelashes.
I don't know what I was talking about. I mean, look how beautiful it is out here.
This rolling valley, this tree-covered mountain, not to mention this fancy new farm of yours. and those magnificent sheep.
Tell me, niece, how is it you're faring so well?
So the shepherdess told Uncle the story of the guardian of the mountain.
She told him how she had collected fallen branches and boughs for firewood, and how pleased the mountain guardian had been.
So he offered me a reward. He told me if I placed my basket below his mouth, he would fill it with gold coins.
And when the basket was nearly full, all I had to do was tell him...
Gold coins, you say? Uncle rubbed his hands together.
The big stone lion gave you gold coins just for collecting firewood?
Well, not just any firewood, Uncle. He was rewarding me because the trees are like his children.
And instead of chopping them down, I... Yes, yes, yes.
Whatever. And all you had to do was put a basket underneath his mouth.
Well, like I was trying to tell you, Uncle.
I had to tell him when the basket was nearly... But that's all Uncle heard.
He had already hopped back on his horse and galloped off toward the city.
The next morning, Uncle rummaged through his gardener's shed for a great big basket and sturdy axe.
He loaded these items onto his horse and trotted to the mountain where the shepherdess had collected her wood.
Okay, with all these hardy trees growing on the hillside, I should have no trouble chopping enough firewood for the Mountain Guardian.
Better get to work. As Uncle made his way up the mountain, he chopped down one tree, Then another.
And before he knew it, his basket was filled with firewood.
Firewood from living trees. Now remember, the shepherdess had tried telling Uncle what Grandmother had told her, how sacred the trees were, how they were like the mountain guardian's children.
But he hadn't listened, had he? So now, he took his enormous basket full of wood and lugged it to the mountaintop. where the large, fierce-looking stone lion was waiting.
Hmm. My niece told me this was a talking lion, but it looks just like a statue to me.
Uncle made a fist and knocked on the lion's side.
Um, hello? Lion? Wake up! Wake up! To Uncle's delight, the lion sprang to life, its massive stone jaw opening and closing.
Who are you? And what are you doing way up here, where so few dare to tread?
With visions of gold coins dancing in his head, Uncle flashed the lion a grin.
Why, I am none other than the beloved uncle. of the young shepherdess who visited you a few months ago.
The one you rewarded with all those gold coins?
I've brought you this great big basket of firewood.
I chopped it all myself, you know. The lion narrowed his eyes.
Oh. Did you now? I did. Just a few hacks of my trusty axe, and I must have cut down half a dozen trees.
Just like that. It was like timber, timber, timber.
Yes, yes, I see. Half a dozen trees. The lion clenched his jaw.
And now I assume you're expecting the same reward I gave your niece.
Very well then, come, empty your basket.
Place it below my mouth, and I will fill it with gold coins.
But take heed. The moment the basket is full, you must tell me.
Not one piece of gold. Look, can we just get started here?
I haven't got all day. Uncle turned his basket over and dumped out all the wood, and he held the empty basket below the lion's mouth.
The lion paused, fixed Uncle with its round, stone eyes.
Then let out that mighty roar. And just like that, a stream of gold coins began tumbling into the basket.
Oh! Oh my gosh! It's true! I'll be rich!
Or richer, anyway. The coins plinked, clinked, and plunked, filling the basket higher and higher.
But when they finally reached the top...
Do you know what Uncle did? Or what he didn't do, rather?
You guessed it. He didn't. say stop. Instead, the pile of coins grew so high that, at last, a glistening piece of gold teetered off the top of the heap and went plummeting to the ground.
Immediately, the lion's cascade of coins came to a halt.
Um, Lion, what's going on? Why'd you stop?
I want my coins. The lion shook its head and let out a little cough.
I'm sorry, it's just the rest of your coins must be stuck in my throat.
Please, put your hand in my mouth and help me pull them out.
Uncle did as he was told. He dropped the basket of coins and thrust his hand deep into the lion's mouth.
But the second his fingers were inside, do you know what happened?
The lion's mighty jaws clamped together... and trapped Uncle's hand in their unyielding grip.
Hey! What'd you do that for? Now I'm stuck.
Let go, lion. Please let go. But the lion would not let go.
He couldn't. the creature had become a motionless statue again, staring straight ahead with round, vacant eyes of stone.
Uncle wiggled and wriggled his arm, trying to set it free.
Oh man, what am I gonna do? I've got this big, beautiful basket of gold coins.
And now that I'm stuck, there's no way I can take it back to the city and...
Oh no! Uncle's face fell as he stared at the basket he had dropped on the ground.
A few seconds ago, it had been brimming with coins.
But to his dismay, he saw it was now brimming with something else entirely.
Don'ts. It was true. Each and every glittering piece of money had transformed into a nugget of rock as smooth and gray as the lion himself.
Uncle clenched his teeth as he jostled and jiggled his arm in hopes of prying it loose.
Come on. He jostled and jiggled all morning.
I almost got it. No, no, no. He jostled and jiggled all afternoon.
Gotta get free. Gotta get free. And by nighttime, he was downright exhausted.
He was also ashamed. Slumping against the lion's smooth, cool body, Uncle lowered his head and let out a sob.
Oh, what a fool I've been. I never should have tried to deceive you, Mountain Guardian.
You gave my good-hearted niece exactly what she deserved.
And now I suppose you're giving me what I deserve too.
I am sorry, Mountain Guardian. So, so sorry.
The moment Uncle uttered his heartfelt apology, can you guess what happened?
Just like that, the lion's jaws spring open...
Then the stone creature threw back its head and began to laugh.
It laughed and it laughed, its deep, cackling rumble echoing all the way across the valley.
Uncle didn't waste a minute. Now that his hand was free from the lion's mouth, he sprinted down the mountainside as fast as his legs could carry him. and vowed never again to let his greed get the better of him.
Once Uncle was gone, the lion quieted down again. closed its mighty mouth, straightened its majestic head, then froze, its body turning back into smooth, cool stone.
Its eyes fixed on the mountain, it would do anything to protect it.
Thank you. Now it's your turn. Have you ever thought about the difference between a need and a want?
A need is something we must have to survive, like food, water, and shelter.
A want is something that's fun to have, but we can live without, like a chocolate bar or a new scooter.
Find a piece of paper and draw a chart with two columns.
Label one of the columns needs and the other one wants.
Talk with a grown-up about things you have in your home and whether they would count as needs or wants.
Then either write those items in the columns on your chart or draw a picture.
And once you've filled out your entire chart, you can make a new one.
If you want. . This week's story, The Mountain Guardian, was adapted by me, Rebecca Shear.
It was edited by Circle Round's supervising producer, Anne-Marie Sievertson.
Circle Round's original music and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis.
Our artist is Sabina Han. Sabina has created a black and white illustration for every single Circle Round story, and you can print them out and color them in.
Ask a grown-up to visit wbur.org slash circle round, then click on Soundtrack and Coloring Pages.
Thank you. And while you're at WBUR.org slash Circle Round, you can find a link to the latest Circle Round coloring book, the Circle Round soundtrack. and a transcript for each and every Circle Round Tale.
Special thanks to this week's actors, Theodore Chin, Faith Saley, Alonzo Bowden, and Audrey Hsieh.
Look for Audrey Shea in the new comedy here today, as well as Netflix's upcoming music-driven film, Mixtape.
And listen for Alonzo Bowden on the podcast Who's Paying Attention. and the NPR quiz show Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.
Grown-ups, you can see Alonzo's fourth stand-up comedy special, Alonzo Bowden...
Heavy Lightweight on Amazon Prime Video.
Our featured instrument this week was the dranyen.
You can learn more about this six-stringed Tibetan lute and see a photo on our website.
Again, that's wbur.org slash circle around.
Want to keep the Circle Round experience going all week long?
Join our communities on Facebook and Instagram.
Our handle is at CircleRoundPodcast. CircleRound is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station.
Thank you. 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, I'm Liv, and my favorite Circle Round story is the lion's whisker.
I like when they get the lion's whisker.
Hi, my name is Cassie and my favorite Circle Round story is Nilsa and the Troll because I like the part where the troll gets a smile on Ace's face. and he gives her strawberries.
My name's Keith, and my favorite Circle Round story is Chief Know-It-All.
And my favorite part is when the chief doesn't win and the new soldier wins.
My name is Opal. I live in Sneebrook Springs, Colorado.
My favorite story is the free rugged part.
Hello, my name is Neil and I live in Mayhem and My favorite story is about Santa's scare and a baker's daughter.
Hi, my name is Quinn and I live in Bellingham, Washington.
And my favorite stories are the three-legged pot and the lute player.
Did someone mention an episode you missed?
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.
Thank you.
