Encore: Getting Skunked
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WBUR Podcasts, Boston. The winter holidays are here and the Circle Round team is taking time off to celebrate and to gear up for our next live recording at Boston's Symphony Hall. Join us February 8th for a live taping of two new episodes featuring members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Find tickets at wbur.org slash circle round and click on events. This

This week we're sharing a favorite episode from the archives, a super fun folktale you may have missed the first time around. We'll be back with a brand new episode soon. Till then, enjoy the story! There's nothing like a little recognition, right? Getting cheers and applause when you score a goal in your soccer game, being praised for how hard you worked on a project.

But, as we're about to hear, when our desire for recognition outweighs our ability to achieve it, things can backfire in unexpected ways. I'm Rebecca Shear, and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time. Today our story is called Getting Skunked. It was inspired by legends told by the Abenaki, Algonquin-speaking peoples from the northeastern part of North America. ♪

Some really great people came together to bring you our version of this tale, including author and Emmy Award-winning actor Terrence Turrell, star of the CBS comedy Be Positive. His series of children's books includes Blackie, The She's, The Crowned Kids, and My Little Black Book. So circle around, everyone, for getting skunked. Way, way back in the olden times, the most beautiful of all the animals was skunk.

In modern times, Skunk is black, with white stripes on his back and snout, right? Well, back when our story takes place, Skunk's silky fur was pure, snowy white. Not only that, but Skunk didn't spray. He didn't have those glands under his tail that spritz out chemicals that smell like rotten eggs or rancid garlic. This is the tale of how Skunk came to be the way he is today. It all started when a specially cold winter came.

The snow had been falling non-stop for months, and with no sign of spring on the horizon, the people were worried. Do you see how deep the snow is? And it's getting deeper by the minute! Soon it'll be higher than our rooftops! How will we hunt for food? How will we plant our crops? And how will we gather wood for warmth? Or for cooking? Our children will go hungry!

Our houses will be icy. I say we talk to Glooska Bay. Yes! He'll know how to help us. Glooska Bay was the kind, heroic giant who took care of the people and watched over them. So they approached Glooska Bay and told him their problem. I understand your troubles, my people. First thing tomorrow, I will journey to the top of the tallest mountain and visit Snowbird. She's the one who controls the snow.

I will talk with her and see what I can do. But the next morning, just as Glooscapay was about to set off on his travels, who should pipe up? Um, Glooscapay? But Skunk. Well, hello there, Skunk. Your fur is so white. I didn't see you there in the snow. What's up, little one? Well, Glooscapay, I was wondering, is there any chance I could come with you to visit Snowbird?

Maybe help you sweet-talk her a little? Before we go on, something you should know about Skunk. Though he was regarded as the most beautiful and sweet-smelling of all the animals, that was about it. He wasn't praised for his smarts or his bravery or anything else, really. But Skunk dreamt of being hailed as a hero, and he figured joining Glooscapay's quest could make his dream come true. Glooscapay, however, wasn't exactly jazzed by the idea. Listen, Skunk.

I appreciate the offer. But look at you. You're so small. And this snow is so deep. If you join me on this journey, how will you keep up? I can do it, Glooscapay. I can. Please let me come along. Please? Please?

So Glooska Bay gave in, and he and Skunk took off towards Snowbird's Mountain. As they ventured north, the blanket of snow grew deeper and deeper, and Skunk found himself leaping from one of Glooska Bay's footprints to the next. But the hulking giant had such a long stride that Skunk would occasionally miss a footprint. Then he'd go plummeting under the snow. And Glooska Bay would have to pull him back out. Thank you.

By the time the duo reached the peak of Snowbird's Mountain, Skunk wasn't feeling very heroic. Icicles hung from his white fur, and his teeth were chattering so hard he could barely speak. But when he and Glooska Bay arrived at Snowbird's Perch, the giant did all the talking. "Snowbird!" The massive white bird craned her neck toward Glooska Bay.

Tumbling down from her outstretched wings were millions of snowflakes. Snowbird, you must close your wings and stop making all this snow. I mean, don't get me wrong. The world needs your snow. It keeps the soil warm and moist until it's time for planting crops. It keeps the lakes and rivers full of water. But this year, you're making too much snow.

Look at my little friend here. Glooskabay lifted Skunk by the scruff of his frozen neck. He's practically an ice cube. It's time for spring to come, Snowbird. It's time for warmth, time for things to grow. So please, will you close your wings? Snowbird gave Glooskabay a long look. Then she nodded her head, folded in her wings, and the snow stopped falling.

Now that their mission was accomplished, Glooska Bay and Skunk made their way back down the mountain. By the time they reached the bottom, the sky was a shimmering blue and patches of grass were visible through the melting snow. When the people caught sight of Glooska Bay, they clustered around him and cheered.

You did it! You got Snowbird to close up her wings! And now spring can come! And we can plant! And we can hunt! And our children can run around and play! Hooray! We will always be grateful! Thank you! While the people sang Glooskabay's praises, Skunk stood off to the side and grumbled. Oh, so Glooskabay's the big hero, huh?

"'I'm the one who froze my tail off to reach that kooky bird on top of her mountain, "'but Glooscapay gets all the glory instead of me? "'No respect, no respect at all.' "'Skunk sighed and gazed up at the sky, the bright blue sky, "'and as he did, his mind suddenly clicked. "'Wait a minute, I know how to make them respect me.'

Because I'm going to do something they'll never forget. What do you think Skunk is planning? We'll find out what it is 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.

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Circle Round superfans have been raving about the Circle Round Club, an exciting way to support our public radio podcast and get ad-free episodes, exclusive swag, early access to events, and bonus bedtime stories. Check out this rave review. One thing I like about Circle Round Club is all the bedtime stories. It's really fun, and they're almost like a mini sort of Circle Round story, except they're much shorter.

Grownups, get your Circle Round superfan signed up today at wbur.org slash Circle Round Club. Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Shear. Today, our story is called Getting Skunked. Before the break, Gluska Bay trekked to the top of the tallest mountain and convinced a snowbird to close her wings and stop the snow. Sweet-smelling white-furred skunk insisted on coming along.

But when Skunk and Glooska Bay returned from their mission, the grateful people hailed Glooska Bay as their hero and ignored Skunk completely. No respect. No respect at all. Craving attention and admiration, Skunk began concocting a plan. He found a big ball of twine and set off toward a mountain nearly as tall as snowbirds. At the top of this mountain was Day Eagle,

And if Snowbird brought the snow, what do you think Day Eagle brought? That's right, the day! When her great wide wings were open, light came streaming out of them and bathed all of Earth. When she closed her wings, the light disappeared, and the whole world was dark. By the time Skunk reached Day Eagle's lofty perch, the enormous bird had tucked in her wings and nodded off for the night.

Squinting through the darkness, Skunk began wrapping his twine around Day Eagle's wings. This will teach him not to underestimate me. Skunk worked swiftly and silently, wrapping the twine this way and that, tying it in knot after knot. Then he scurried back down the mountain.

The next morning, there was no morning. Day Eagle's wings were bound so tightly, she couldn't open them and shine light upon the earth. But the people didn't know that. The light! Where is the light? Why hasn't Day Eagle opened her wings? Will it be dark on earth forever?

Glooska Bay was every bit as worried and puzzled as the people were. He headed straight to the top of Day Eagle's mountain, where he found her wrapped in twine. The poor bird was contorting her body as she tried to unknot the string with her beak. Day Eagle! What has become of you? Who tied you up like this? I don't know, Glooska Bay.

Someone must have snuck over while I was asleep. Luskabe set to work undoing the knots, but there were so many and they were tied so tightly, he could only free one of Day Eagle's wings. I'm sorry, Day Eagle. It's the best I can do. From now on, I'm afraid one half of the world will be light while the other half is dark.

All I ask is that you keep turning around on your mountaintop so that both sides of the earth get their fair share. Can you do that? I can. And indeed, ever since. When it's daytime on one side of the earth, it's nighttime on the other, and vice versa.

As Glooska Bay rolled the twine back into a ball, he noticed something. Stuck to the string were bits of fur. White, silky fur. Aha! Skunk! Glooska Bay went barreling down the mountain and straight to Skunk's den. The silky white critter was curled up next to a crackling bonfire and was snoozing away. Skunk!

What were you thinking? You nearly threw the world into nighttime forever. At the sound of Glooscapay's deep voice, Skunk's eyes snapped open. Glooscapay, what are you doing here? And why is it so light outside? I thought that when I tied up Day Eagle, I... Oops.

So you did do it, you little rascal. All at once, Kluska Bay grabbed a handful of ashes from the fire and smeared them across Skunk's face and back. My fur! My beautiful white fur! From now on, just one glance at you and everyone will remember your mischief, my friend. And as for that sweet smell of yours... Kluska Bay breathed in some of the fire's smoke.

then blew it all over Skunk's body. From now on, you will smell of rotten eggs and rancid garlic. People will see you and run away for fear of getting your stink. But, Glooscapay... No buts. However, since you did want to bring on never-ending darkness, from now on, you will only come out at night.

No one will see you during the day. Of course, given your smell, I doubt they'll want to see you anyway. Skunk hung his streaked head. All he had wanted was to be admired and adored. Instead, now he had a striped body, a nocturnal sleep cycle, and a smell so strong it would send anyone running. And so it is to this day.

Now, to be fair, Skunk only sprays his spray when he feels threatened or in danger. But word to the wise, unless you're a big fan of rotten eggs or rancid garlic, I wouldn't get too close. Now it's your turn. What's one compliment you can give someone today? Maybe you can compliment a teammate for trying so hard during a game. Or compliment a family member or neighbor for baking such delicious brownies.

Think about your compliment and who you'll give it to. Then go out and do it. You'll make someone else feel amazing. And I bet you'll feel amazing, too. This week's story, Getting Skunked, was adapted by me, Rebecca Shear. It was edited by our supervising producer, Amory Severson. Original music and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis. Our artist is Sabina Hahn.

Want to color while you listen? Sabina has drawn a black and white picture for every Circle Round story. You grown-ups can download them from our website, wbur.org slash circleround. And while you're there, you can find links to the Circle Round coloring book, soundtrack, and t-shirt.

Special thanks to this week's actors. Grown-ups, watch for Terrence on the CBS comedy Be Positive. And kids, Terrence's book series includes Blackie, The She's, The Crowned Kids, and My Little Black Book.

Our featured instrument this week was the slide guitar. To learn more about it and see a photo of Eric Shimalonis playing one, visit our website. Again, that's wbur.org slash circleround.

Thanks for circling around with us.

Now that you've made it to the end of this Circle Round episode, we want to know, what's your favorite Circle Round story? Thousands of fans just like you have been telling us about the Circle Round stories they like best. Take a listen. Maybe one of their favorites is one of yours, too.

Hi, my name is Abigail, and I'm from Taiwan. My favorite turnaround story is the hat, the horn, and the purse because I like how the father trusted his son. My name is Benjamin. I am from Stottsdale, Arizona, and my favorite turnaround story is Townsend Trotterdiles because my favorite part is when Mouse Stare Hots from Trotterdile to Trotterdile.

My name is Luna, and I'm from Asheville, North Carolina. My favorite circle round is sea and sky because kite yells land. My name is Kavya, and I'm from Chicago, Illinois. And my favorite circle round is the three-legged pot. And I like the part when the pot says time to skip and skip. Whee! Whee!

My name is Edith and I am from Pittsburgh and my favorite circle round story is Anansi and the story box. My favorite part is when he flips it open.

My name is Eddie and I'm from Banksburg. That's the way it sounds. And I love the part where she takes away the entertainment. Hello, my name is Vincent and I'm from Austin, Texas. And my favorite Zookaround story is 9-6 because I just like it. Thank you, Rebecca Shearer. I love your Zookaround stories.

Did someone mention a story you've missed? Not to worry. Grownups, you can find all of our Circle Round stories, plus links to the Circle Round Club, picture books, coloring pages, and oh so much more on our website, wbur.org slash circle round.