Shownotes Transcript
WBUR Podcasts, Boston. Have you ever heard the saying, one good turn deserves another? What it means is, if someone helps you out, then you should find a way to help them out. But in today's story, we'll hear what happens when one good turn turns bad. Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo!
I'm Rebecca Shear and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time.
Today our story is called One Good Turn. We found versions of this tale from so many places, including, and brace yourself because this is quite a list, India, Korea, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Yemen in Asia, Albania, Denmark, England, Finland, Greece, Italy, Norway, Romania, and the Czech Republic in Europe, plus Russia, South Africa, West Africa, and the American South.
Some really great people came together to bring you our version of this folktale, including Lulu Miller, Ana Gonzalez, and Alan Gofinski, respectively the host, producer, and songbud of Terrestrials, the Radiolab for Kids podcast from WNYC Studios. So circle around, everyone, for one good turn. ♪
It was springtime, and Rabbit was hopping through the countryside, basking in the warm sun and grazing in the lush grass. What a beautiful morning!
And is it just me, or is the clover especially delectable today? Not to mention the dandelion greens. Rabbit had just stuffed her fuzzy cheeks with yet another mouthful. When she suddenly heard a voice.
Help me! Somebody help me! Rabbits, you may know, have excellent hearing. They can swivel their long ears in every direction to pick up sound, like a radar dish. And that's exactly what Rabbit did. Let's see. The voice seems to be coming from over there, near the cluster of bushes. I must investigate. She enjoyed one last gulp of grass. Then took off like a shot.
When she came to the bushes, she saw something that made her legs wobble and her knees go weak. Poking out from under the bushes was a big rock. And poking out from under the rock was the tip of a scaly black tail. Is somebody there? I'm trapped!
Rabbit's fur prickled, for she knew that scaly black tail could only belong to one creature. Snake! Rabbit's head told her to run. After all, among Snake's favorite foods were caterpillars, slugs, mice, rats, and, you guessed it, rabbits. But Rabbit's heart told her something different.
It was telling her to have a heart and help a fellow animal in need. Eventually, her heart won out. Snake? It's me, Rabbit. I promise I will get you out if you promise not to eat me. Do we have a deal? Absolutely, we have a deal. Now, get me out!
The rock was too heavy to lift, so Rabbit threw her furry body against it and pushed. She pushed, and she pushed, until at last, the rock slid aside and there was Snake, his sinewy body in a coil, his golden eyes shining bright.
Hello, rabbits. Would you believe I've been stuck under that rock all week? I'm sorry to hear that, Snake. Thank goodness I heard you crying out. Indeed. Thank goodness. Because after being stuck all week, I haven't eaten all week and I am famished. I'm sure you are. How about I help you find a nice juicy caterpillar or a soft slimy slug? That's
kind of you, Rabbit, but why waste time searching for creepy crawlies in the ground when I already have a mouth-watering meal right here? Snake flicked his tongue. Rabbit's blood turned cold. Wait a minute. That mouth-watering meal you're referring to isn't me, is it? After all, you made a promise. If I got you out from under the rock, you wouldn't eat me.
Did I promise that? I'm so faint with hunger, I can't remember a thing. Well, you did. And the least you can do is follow through. After all, I am the one who saved your life. And you're the one who's going to end it if you let me die of starvation. How can you be so ungrateful?
How can you be so uncharitable? Uncharitable? Last I checked, you're the one who wants to reward kindness with evil by eating the one who saved you. Haven't you heard the expression, one good turn deserves another?
I have, but I've also heard the expression, it's a dog-eat-dog world. Every creature for themselves. Though in this case, I suppose it's not so much a dog-eat-dog world as a snake-eat-rabbit world. Snake let out a menacing hiss.
Oh, boy. Oh, boy.
Her paw got snagged in a vine dangling from a tree. Oh no! She scrambled to untangle herself. Come on, come on! But she was still struggling when Snake caught up. Haha, now I've got you. Please, Snake, have mercy. Nah, I'd rather have a meal. Snake uncoiled his tail and pulled back his head. And just as he was about to close in...
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Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Shear. Today our story is called One Good Turn. Before the break, Rabbit promised to get Snake out from under a rock if he promised not to eat her. But the moment he was free, he went back on his word and tried making Rabbit his meal.
Rabbit scrambled to get away, but in the deep leafy forest, her paw got tangled in a tree vine. And just as Snake was about to close in, who should come leaping down from the branches above? What is going on here?
I was trying to take a nap just now, okay? Owl left behind this super snuggly nest, and it is cozy beyond belief, but how am I supposed to get any shut-eye when you two are carrying on like this? Rabbit stared into Fox's angry eyes and felt a wave of relief.
Because as it happens, Fox was the wisest, cleverest animal around. And that gave Rabbit an idea. Hiya, Fox. Apologies for the commotion. But see, Snake and I are having a quarrel, and it's a matter of life and death. Ugh, so dramatic.
A matter of life and death. Seriously, though, we're having a major debate. And perhaps you can help us settle it, Fox. After all, you're so very wise and clever. Fox's angry face relaxed into a grin. I appreciate the praise, Rabbit. I am wise and clever. So sure, I'd be happy to help you settle your dispute. What's the deal?
Well, I told Snake I'd save his life if he promised not to eat me. He agreed. But the moment I came to his rescue, guess what? He tried to eat me. That's because self-preservation is the first law of life. You gotta look out for yourself, no matter what. But what about others and showing them gratitude? Surely I deserve some thanks after I got you out from under that rock.
Wait a minute. Fox tilted her bright orange head. Are you saying Snake was trapped under a rock? I was. And Rabbit, you extricated him from that rock. Fancy word for it, but I did. And where might this rock be? It's quite a ways from here. Down a hill and across a meadow. I see. Listen, you two. Before I can settle this dispute, I need to lay eyes on this rock. Take me there, won't you?
Rabbit was eager for justice. Snake was eager for a meal. So after Fox untangled Rabbit's paw, she followed Rabbit and Snake down the hill and across the meadow. When they reached the cluster of bushes and Fox spied the rock, her eyes went wide. My, my, my, that's a very large rock. You moved it all by yourself, Rabbit? I did. I saw Snake was in trouble and felt it was my duty to save him.
Especially after he promised not to eat me. Fox leaned down toward the rock. She sniffed it. She tapped it. She even gave it a lick. Then she fixed Rabbit and Snake with a stare. I must confess, you two, this is a tricky case. Even for a wise, clever creature like me. You know what might help?
If we could reenact the scene, can you show me exactly what it looked like when all of this began? Snake and Rabbit did as they were told. Snake slithered under the bush, and Rabbit heaved the rock over his coiled body. Thank you. You need an awful lot of your tail, Snake. Was it really poking out that much? She's right. You need to slide it over more. So Rabbit pushed the rock again.
Terrific. But I'm still seeing a lot of tail. Snake, does that feel right to you? It feels terrible, actually. This rock is heavy. But you're correct. I don't think this much of my tail was sticking out. So Rabbit pushed the rock again until all that stuck out was the very tip of Snake's scaly black tail tail.
How about now, Snake? How does that feel? Like I can't move a muscle. Like I can't breathe any air. Like the life is being mashed out of me. So you're exactly where you were before? Yes. And you're feeling trapped? Yes. Smushed? Yes. Squashed? Yes.
In that case, my work here is done. And next time, I hope you'll think twice before going back on your word, Snake. Because one good turn does deserve another. And Rabbit deserves a far better turn than the one she got. And with that, Fox flicked her bushy tail and bound it away, leaving Rabbit free to do as she wished and leaving Snake stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Which,
With your permission, we may feature you in The Lion's Roar, the monthly newsletter of the Circle Round Club. More on this super fun club for super fans like you in just a moment. But first, this week's episode, One Good Turn, was adapted by me, Rebecca Shear. It was edited by Dean Russell.
Our original music and sound design is by Eric Shimilonis. Eric's featured instrument this week was the banjo. You can learn more about this stringed instrument and see a photo of Eric playing one on our website, wbur.org slash circleround.
Circle Round's artist is Sabina Han. Sabina has created a black and white coloring page for every single Circle Round story, and you can print them out and color them in. Grown-ups, visit our website, wbur.org slash circleround, and click on Coloring Pages. Special thanks to this week's actors, Lulu Miller, Ana Gonzalez, and Alan Gafinski from Terrestrials, the Radiolab for Kids podcast from WNYC Studios.
Terrestrials is a show for people of all ages that explores the strangeness that exists right here on Earth. Listen for a whole new season starting April 17th.
If you love Circle Round and want to circle around with us in even more ways while also supporting public radio, I invite you to join the Circle Round Club. You'll get a super fun welcome package, ad-free episodes, bonus bedtime stories, music education videos from Eric Shimalonis, newsletters and updates from me, plus early access to our live events. Sign up today and support the public radio podcast you love at wbur.org slash circleround.
Grown-ups, if you have a moment, please leave us a five-star rating or review on whatever podcast app you're using right now. It helps other listeners find the show so we can make the Circle Round circle even bigger. Circle Round is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station. I'm Rebecca Shear. Thanks for circling round 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 Mia, and I live in Melbourne, Australia. My favorite circle around stories are the 12 months and the bigger and the biggest daughter. My favorite part of the bigger and the biggest daughter is when Phoebe turns into an owl. My favorite part of the 12 months is when Anna and her little brother get all the fruit from the 12 months.
My name's Ida, and I live in Kentucky. My favorite circle round is the olive jar. I like the part when the neighbors are just joking about all the things. My name's Laura. I live in Buchanan, Michigan. My favorite circle round is the doggies in the window, and I like olives.
Hi, my name is Leo. I live in Silver Spring, Maryland. My favorite episode is Onions and Garlic. My favorite part is when the ship gets sunk. Hi, my name is Noah. I live in Silver Spring, Maryland. My favorite Jaguar story is Earning Peanuts because I like the part when the squirrel gives the greedy man what he deserves, peanuts. My name is Toby. I live in
I live in a wealthy Massachusetts and my favorite story is the top of the... My favorite part is when Muddy dies in the water, Satan. My name is Quentin and I'm from New York and my favorite circle round story is the sea and the sky and I like the part when Kite goes
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 circleround.