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.
WBUR podcasts, Boston. Have you ever taken more than you needed?
It happens to all of us. When we're tempted by something, we sometimes end up going a little overboard.
But in today's story, an entire town learns that when you bite off more than you can chew...
It can leave a very bad taste. Woohoo! I'm Rebecca Shear, and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time.
Today, our story is called The Missing Mountainside.
Versions of this tale come from Taiwan, a mountainous island off the coast of China.
Some really great people came together to bring you our adaptation of this tale, including Karen Huey, whom you kids may know from the animated series Abominable and the Invisible City on Hulu. and whom you grown-ups might know from the Fox comedy Welcome to Flatch, now in its second season.
So circle around, everyone, for the missing mountainside.
If you visit the island of Taiwan, you'll find many hills and mountains, And one of those mountains has a most intriguing history.
It's known as Banping Mountain or Half Screen Mountain.
And it has that name because when the mountain first formed, One side had a totally flat face, like a screen.
It was as if someone had taken the biggest knife you've ever seen and sliced part of the mountain clear away.
Science says this unusually flat face was the result of tectonic plates and movement of the Earth's crust.
But legend says it was the result of something else entirely.
And it all began long, long ago in a bustling town at the mountain's base. the town was home to a lively marketplace where people flocked from hither and yon to haggle over food. flowers and fruits, silks and spices, rugs and rice.
One day, an old woman with long silvery hair showed up at the marketplace.
She was pushing a rickety cart with a bright silver pot on top.
Dumplings. Steaming dumplings here. Get them while they're hot.
The dumplings in the woman's pot sent a delicious aroma wafting through the marketplace.
And before long, dozens of market goers were jostling for a place in line.
I must get my hands on those dumplings. They smell amazing.
Tell us, old woman. How much do they cost?
The old woman tapped a wrinkled finger to her chin.
How much do my dumplings cost, you ask? What a marvelous question.
I was thinking I would sell one dumpling for one copper piece.
Two dumplings for two copper pieces and three dumplings... for free.
The market goers were taken aback. Um, you aren't serious, are you?
Surely. You must be joking. Are you actually telling us that you'd sell one dumpling for one copper piece?
And two dumplings for two copper pieces. but you'd give away three dumplings for free.
Is that correct? That's absolutely correct.
I would never lie. But these dumplings aren't going to sell themselves.
So, let's start with you, sir. The woman turned to the first person in line.
How many dumplings would you like? Well? if you're really giving three dumplings away for free.
Then I'll take three dumplings. Alrighty then.
Here you go. And you, ma'am, how many dumplings would you like?
I'd like three, of course. Why pay for just one?
One or two when I can get three for free.
Why, indeed. And how about you, sir? How many dumplings would you like?
Is there any question? I'll take three. All day long, people lined up at the old woman's cart to buy her dumplings.
Though I shouldn't say bye, because all they did was take.
Not a single person paid for one or two dumplings.
They all took three for free, then gobbled them down with gusto.
Oh these dumplings are delicious. Absolutely scrumptious.
I could eat these all day! Why do you think the old woman puts in them?
I can't really tell. Rice, I think? And mushrooms, maybe.
Or some kind of meat? I don't know. I don't know either, but what I do know is that if that kooky old lady comes back tomorrow, I'm going to take all the free dumplings I can get.
So am I. Me too! Me three! Much to everyone's delight, the old dumpling seller did come back. and offered the same curious deal as yesterday.
One dumpling for one copper piece, two dumplings for two copper pieces and three dumplings for free.
Once more, crowds of market goers swarmed to her cart.
And can you guess how many dumplings each of them ordered?
That's right. I'll take three dumplings.
Give me three dumplings. I want three delicious dumplings.
The old woman wasn't earning a cent, but she didn't seem to mind.
She wore a big smile as she gave her dumplings away.
And as her customers stuffed themselves silly, she had a twinkle in her eye.
My, my, my. There seems to be no end to these people's appetite. and no bottom to their stomachs.
But if everything goes as I hope it will, They'll need a very strong stomach to handle what I have in store.
What do you think the dumpling seller is cooking up?
Other than dumplings. We'll find out what happens after a quick break.
Support for Circle Round comes from Indeed.
You just realized that your business needed to hire someone yesterday.
How can you find amazing candidates fast?
There's no need to wait. You can speed up your hiring with Indeed.
And Circle Round listeners will get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs. more visibility at indeed.com slash circle round.
Just go to indeed.com slash circle round right now.
Support the show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast.
Indeed.com slash circle round. Terms and conditions apply.
Hiring? Indeed is all you need. mind. The reviews are in, and super fans like you are loving the Circle Round Club. an exciting opportunity to support public radio and get cool stuff. including ad-free episodes and a personalized birthday message from me. is that Rebecca here sends extra messages.
And it supports the show. And there are no ads.
Grownups, support public radio and sign up today at WBUR.org slash CircleRoundClub.
Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Shear.
Today, our story is called The Missing Mountainside.
Amen. Before the break, in the marketplace at the foot of a mountain, A mysterious old woman was offering appetizing dumplings at an unusual price.
One dumpling for one copper piece, two dumplings for two copper pieces. and three dumplings for free.
The old woman attracted throngs of customers, all of them making the same demand.
Give me three dumplings. Three free dumplings.
And be quick about it. This happened over and over again.
But then, end of the week. A young woman wearing worn out shoes and a a patched-up shirt got to the front of the dumpling seller's line.
Excuse me, ma'am, but I've been hearing all week about your amazing dumplings, and I'd love to have a taste.
So I'm wondering, may I please have just one?
A hush fell over the crowd. the old woman cupped a weathered hand over one ear.
I'm sorry, young lady, but I can't always rely on these old ears of mine.
Did I hear you correctly? really order just one dumpling well yes just one dumpling The other market-goers stared at the young woman in disbelief.
You're seriously ordering just one dumpling?
Then you must have dumplings for brains.
Didn't you hear the old woman's offer? It was one dumpling for one copper piece, two dumplings for two copper pieces, and three dumplings for free.
Yes, I know. I've heard all about it. But this old woman of whom you speak, all week long.
She has carted her heavy load of dumplings to this marketplace.
And from what I hear, all week long, she has fed everyone.
Everyone. For free. Is that true, madam?
The old woman nodded. Yes, my dear. It is true.
So people near and far have been raving about your dumplings.
Yet no one has seen fit to pay you a cent.
Am I the only one who sees how wrong that is?
You deserve to make a living. Just like the rest of us.
What you don't deserve is to be taken advantage of.
So here. The young woman reached into her pocket and pulled out one copper piece.
Times have been hard for me lately, and I have just enough money to pay for one dumpling.
But it's better than nothing. The old woman gazed at the copper piece.
Then she gazed at the young woman and grinned.
Lady, good, good lady. I wish to thank you.
You see, I was hoping this day would come.
And thanks to you, it has. it's only one copper piece.
I wish I could afford more, but... No. It's plenty.
Your one copper piece is more than enough to show me that you have passed my test.
The market goers exchanged a confused look.
The young woman was pretty mystified herself.
Test? I don't understand. What kind of test are you talking about?
Well, the truth of the matter is, I am not a cookie old dumpling seller, as many people have come to call me.
I am actually the spirit of the mountain that looms over this village.
A powerful entity who has been seeking a trustworthy and true-hearted soul. to reward for their goodness.
And you, my dear. You are that trustworthy and true-hearted soul.
You are the one I have been waiting for.
And as such, you shall receive a well-deserved reward.
The mountain spirit lifted the dumpling pot and placed it in the young woman's hands.
This dumpling pot is for you. Keep it in your possession, and whenever you are hungry, just reach inside, and a fresh-made dumpling will be waiting.
The pot's magic will only work if you just take what you need.
But something tells me you won't have a problem with that.
Wow... Mountain Spirit... I thank you... Truly...
And I thank you, truly. But as for everyone else, she shot the rest of the crowd a withering glance.
I want all of you to look up. Lift your heads and take a peek at the mountain towering above you.
Tell me what you see. The market-goers did as they were told and craned their necks upward.
And what they saw made their jaws drop. The side of the mountain!
It's no longer there! It's like somebody sliced it clear off!
Or chopped it clear away. But where has it gone?
What have you done with it? The question is not what have I done with it?
The question is what have you done with it?
The market goers were too stunned to speak.
The mountain spirit fixed them with a steely stare.
Ladies and gentlemen, the dumplings you've been eating all week long. were not real dumplings.
They were made from the stones of the mountain, And now, thanks to your self-serving actions and gluttonous greed Half of the mountain is gone, never to return.
So let this be a lesson to you all that sometimes what is taken away cannot ever be replaced.
And with that, she raised her head, waved her arms. and Dis appeared.
The market-goers felt their hearts throb with remorse and their stomachs ache with pain. because all of a sudden they could feel the heavy, rocky pieces of the missing mountainside tremble. churning in their bellies.
I wish I could say that's the end of the story.
But years and years later, humans began eating away at the mountain again.
You see, sometime in the 20th century, Banping Mountain became a quarry. with miners chipping away at the mountain's precious limestone and carting it off to sell.
So these days, Halfscreen Mountain no longer has that sheer cliff drop like someone sliced one side clear away.
Instead, it has sloping sides all around.
But even though it looks much like many other mountains, it can still serve as a towering reminder to take only what we need.
And never bite off more than we can chew.
Woohoo! Now it's your turn. It's hard to believe, but our two 100th Circle Round episode is coming up.
And guess what? We want you to be a part of it.
We're inviting listeners like you to send us recordings that we'll use in the show.
All you need is a smartphone or some other recording device and, well, you.
Find a grown-up and ask them first to record you doing a cheer.
It could be yay. It could be hooray. Either way.
This cheer will be a very important part of our 200th episode.
The second thing we want you to record is a line you've heard me say more than a few times now, and that line is...
Thanks for circling around with us. Once you've got your cheer and your thanks for circling around with us.
Ask your grown-up to email your audio to circleround at wbur.org.
It can be one audio file or two. And grownups, please be sure to include your child's name so we can give them a shout out And hey, if you missed anything I just said, no worries.
You can find all the instructions on our website. wbur.org slash circleround This week's story, The Missing Mountainside, was adapted by me, Rebecca Shear.
It was edited by Nora Sachs. Our original music and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis.
Our artist is Sabina Hahn. Sabina has drawn a black and white coloring page for all 190-plus Circle Round stories. and you can color them in while you listen.
Grownups, visit our website, and click on coloring pages.
And while you're at wbur.org slash circleround, Just click on Books.
Special thanks to this week's actors.
Dawn Ursula and Karen Huey. Kids, listen for Karen in the animated series Abominable and the Invisible City on Hulu. and grown-ups, check out Karen in the Fox comedy Welcome to Flatch, now in its second season.
And one more big thanks this week. We'd like to give a grateful shout out to the science professors who helped with the technical details of this story.
Will Ouimet at the University of Connecticut and Dr. Tony Lee at National Taiwan Normal University.
Our featured instrument this week was the pipa.
To learn more about this ancient plucked instrument popular in Taiwan And to see a photo of Eric Shimalonis playing it, visit our website.
Again, that's wbur.org slash circle around.
Grownups, if you enjoy what you hear on Circle Round, please write us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
It helps keep us going strong so we can circle around with you for years to come.
Circle Round is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station.
I'm Rebecca Shear, and one more time, 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.
This is Adam from Burnsville, Maryland, my favorite circle The story is the three lumps of clay.
I like the part where Beer Balls helps the other characters.
Thank you, Rebecca Sheer and Eric G. Malonis.
We love you. My name is Louise and I live in Madison, Wisconsin. and my favorite Circle Round story is Fair Feathered Friends.
My name is Maren. I'm from San Francisco.
My favorite story is the fantastic fiddle and I like the part where nobody can stop dancing, and the rancher says, This is a wicked spell.
My name is Palmer. And I'm from North Carolina, and my favorite circle around is the taste of honey.
I like the part when the gourd tricks the geese.
It's Jennifer and I'm from Oklahoma and my favorite story. is the rice cakes and the Onis.
I like the part when the Onis eat the rice cakes.
My name is Claire. I live in Hawaii. In Kailua, my favorite turnaround story is the golden coconut.
I like the part when the grandma says, this is my golden coconut.
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.
