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. Ever played the game telephone?
You sit in a big circle. And if you're the one starting, you whisper a word or phrase into the ear of the person next to you.
Then they whisper what they think they heard into the next person's ear, and so on.
By the time your message gets all the way around the circle, chances are it's pretty mixed up. and sounds nothing like what you originally said.
And that is exactly what can happen when people gossip. when they meddle in other people's business and share other people's secrets.
In today's story, we'll meet a big gossip who learns a very tricky lesson about spilling other people's beans.
. . . I'm Rebecca Sheer, and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time.
Today our story is called When Fish Fly.
Versions of this folktale come from a number of places, including the Ukraine and Russia, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. and India.
Some really great people came together to bring you our tale, including John Culinary and Anthony Carino.
Grownups, you might know these real-life cousins from HGTV's Cousins on Call, Kitchen Cousins, and America's most desperate kitchens.
And kids, you may have seen the guy's very first children's book, It's called What Can You Do With a Toolbox, and it's on shelves now.
So circle around, everyone, for When Fish Fly.
There once was a butcher named Ivan. From all his years working with heavy, beefy animals, Ivan had grown muscular and strong, with burly legs and brawny arms.
He was a big guy. But he had an even bigger mouth.
You see, Ivan loved... to gossip. Hey! Did you hear what happened to Mrs. Jones?
And I just heard the juiciest thing about Mr. Nelson.
He couldn't keep a thing to himself. Once Ivan caught wind of a piece of news, It wasn't long before the entire town knew about it.
This one's a doozy, a real doozy. Next door to Ivan lived a fisherman named Oscar.
Oscar was a clever man, and people in town often came to him for advice, including what to do about Ivan.
You have to help us, Oscar. Ivan the Butcher is such a busybody.
Such a blabbermouth. How can we get him to mind his own business?
And stop sharing ours. Well, I don't know, friends.
Not yet anyway. But trust me, I will find a way.
It just so happens that Oscar's grandmother was turning 100 years old.
So Oscar was planning a surprise party. And somehow Ivan the Butcher hadn't found out about it.
The day before the big bash, Oscar was in his house getting everything ready.
Okay, the decorations are up. The party hats are out.
We've got our snacks, of course. Cheese and crackers.
Grandma's favorite donuts. Now remember, Oscar the Fisherman lived next door to Ivan the Butcher.
Ivan the blabbermouth butcher. So Oscar knew to keep things on the down low whenever he was at home.
He spoke quietly on the phone, and more often than not, he kept his curtains closed.
Well, today, Oscar was too busy to realize that his tabby cat had torn a hole in one of the curtains.
So as Oscar was preparing for the party, guess who was peeping through the window, watching everything?
That's right. Oscar. Hey, Oscar. Ivan the Blabbermouth Butcher. you're doing, Oscar.
You can't hide from me. Oscar couldn't believe his lousy luck.
Oh, no. He motioned for Ivan to come inside.
The butcher came barreling through the door.
Wow! This is quite the party you're planning, neighbor.
What's the occasion? Oscar thought about lying to Ivan.
But in addition to being clever, the fisherman was also very honest.
Well, Ivan, it's my grandmother's 100th birthday.
It's supposed to be a surprise. Ivan's eyes lit up.
Oh I love surprises! Don't you worry, Oscar.
Your secret is safe with me. The butcher turned around and began heading toward the door.
Now, if you'll excuse me... I just need to head into town and run a few errands.
Oscar's mind began to race. He knew exactly what Ivan was really going to do.
Rush to Grandmother's house and tell her everything.
Wait, Ivan. What if you put off your errands for a few hours and we went fishing?
All these years we've been neighbors, and we've never really spent any quality time together.
What do you say? Ivan was a big guy. And he had a big appetite.
The thought of fresh fish made his mouth water.
Fishing? Huh? That sounds good to me. My errands can wait.
Great. Why don't you go home, get yourself all ready, grab a couple of baskets, and I'll meet you at your place in an hour.
It's a deal. As soon as Ivan left Oscar jumped into action.
He went into the kitchen where he was storing the snacks for the party.
He picked up three wheels of cheese and stuffed them into a bag.
Then he filled a basket with donuts. Clutching the bag and basket, Oscar dashed through the forest.
When he got to the river that flowed alongside it, he was pleased to see his traps were teeming with fish.
Without missing a beat, Oscar scooped the fish out of the traps and placed them in a tree.
Get in there, little buddies. There you go.
Then he took the wheels of cheese and rolled one into each.
Of the fish traps. Are these going to fit in there?
Perfect. After that, he walked from bush to bush, hanging donuts on the branches.
You get a donut. You get a donut. You get a donut.
Everyone gets a donut. When Oscar was done, he wiped the donut crumbs from his fingers, then crossed them tightly. hoping that his plan would work.
Donuts on bushes, fish in trees, cheese in traps.
What do you think Oscar the Fisherman has up his sleeve?
We'll find out 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?
Easy. Just use Indeed. 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. end. I'm Rebecca Shearer.
Welcome back to Circle Round. Today, our story is called When Fish Fly.
When Fish Fly When we left off, Oscar, the clever fisherman, was trying to keep Ivan, the blabbermouth butcher, from spilling the beans about grandmother's upcoming surprise party So Oscar hatched a plan.
He invited Ivan, his next-door neighbor, to come fishing with him.
But first, Oscar ran to the forest. He hung donuts from the bushes. put fish up in a tree, and filled his fish traps with cheese.
Then he scurried back to Ivan's house, and the two men set off toward the river together.
As they neared the water... Ivan stopped in his tracks.
Oh my gosh. Are those donut bushes? Oscar smiled to himself.
His plan was working. Donut bushes? Let me see.
What do you know? They are donut bushes, huh?
You don't see that every day. Remember, Ivan had an enormous appetite.
So immediately he began plucking donuts from the branches and popping them into his mouth.
Once the bushes were bare, He turned his eyes toward the trees, hoping to find more doughnuts there.
What he saw made his eyes grow wider and rounder than the cinnamon-glazed treats he'd just devoured.
Oh my gosh! Is that a fish tree? Oscar rushed over.
A fish tree? Let me see. Oh my goodness, it is!
It's like the little guy sprouted wings and flew up there.
Man, can you believe it? First donuts in the bushes, then fish and trees.
Oscar then paused and scratched his head.
But wait, if the fish are in the tree, what do you think is in my traps at the river?
There's only one way to find out. Oscar and Ivan dashed to the river.
When they got there, Ivan's jaw dropped down so far, he looked like a largemouth bass.
Oh! My gosh. Is that cheese in the traps?
Oscar stifled a giggle. Cheese? In my traps?
Let me see. Holy mackerel, it is cheese.
Wow, first donuts in the bushes, then fish in a tree, then cheese in the traps.
This is amazing. Oscar watched as Ivan darted over to the traps, pulled out the cheese, and began to eat.
But, uh, neighbor... It's probably better if we keep all these miracles to ourselves.
I mean, this clearly is an enchanted place.
And it's nobody else's business, right? Ivan put down the cheese he was nibbling and held up his hand.
You're right as can be, neighbor. I won't tell a soul.
Attaboy. Now, what do you say we take the long way home?
And mosey through town? So, they did. And wouldn't you know it, the moment they reached the bustling town square, Ivan began shooting his mouth off.
Hey, everybody, get a load of this. Oscar and I just saw the most incredible things!
Bushes that grew donuts. Flying fish in the trees.
We even saw traps filled with cheese. As Ivan blabbed on and on, quite a crowd formed around him.
At first, everyone listened intently, but as Ivan continued regaling them about his adventures by the river, It wasn't long before they began to laugh and laugh.
And laugh. Get a load of this guy. Donuts growing on you.
Fish flying in trees. Cheese caught in traps.
After this, how can we believe anything Ivan says?
But it's true! I saw it with my own eyes.
Soon, the entire town was pointing and laughing at Ivan.
Their chortles, snickers, and giggles rang in his ears as he turned on his heels and bounded back home.
Oscar the fisherman came running up behind him.
Ivan, you okay? The butcher hung his head thick.
Didn't believe me, Oscar! They didn't believe a thing I said!
Well... It's like I told you, neighbor.
None of that stuff was anybody else's business.
You promised me you wouldn't tell anyone.
You know, some things just aren't meant to be blabbed to everybody, like donut bushes and fish trees and cheese traps.
And surprise parties? Suddenly, Ivan understood.
Oh, Oscar. I'm so, so sorry. From now on, I'm minding nobody's business but my own.
And he did. As for Oscar, well, he did wind up throwing that 100th birthday party for his grandmother, and boy, was she surprised.
All the guests toasted to her health as they feasted on cheese and donuts.
Oscar even roasted up some fish from his traps.
Ivan was among those at the party. After dinner, he offered to make everyone some coffee.
And true story, much to everyone's delight.
He didn't spill any beans. . . . Now it's your turn.
Remember at the start of the show when we talked about the game Telephone?
Next chance you get, why not play a few rounds of your own? gather at least four other people, and either sit in a circle or stand in a line.
Have the first person think of a word or phrase and whisper it to the next person.
Then that person should whisper whatever he or she heard to the next person, and so on.
When the very last person hears the message, ask him or her to say it out loud.
Then see how much the original word or phrase changed through your telephone line.
This week's story, When Fish Fly, was adapted by me, Rebecca Shear, and edited by Circle Round's executive producer, Jessica Alpert.
Original music and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis.
Our artist is Sabina Han. Sabina has created coloring pages to go along with each and every one of our stories.
Have your grown-up visit wbur.org slash circleround.
Then click Coloring Pages. Once you've printed them out and colored them in, share them on Instagram.
We're at Instagram.com slash Circle Round Podcast.
Special thanks to this week's actors, James Konacek and Underland.
Tom Whaley, John Culinary, and Anthony Carino.
The HGTV stars have written a brand new children's book called What Can You Do With a Toolbox?
And added bonus? You can bring the book to life with sound through an app called Novel Effect.
You can learn more on our website, wbur.org slash circle round.
The featured instrument in today's story was the toy piano.
You can read about this really fun keyboard and see a picture on our website, wbur.org slash circleround.
If you haven't yet subscribed to Circle Around, find us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.
And please write us a review. It helps other people find the show.
Circle Round is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station.
I'm Rebecca Shear. Thanks for circling around with us.
