The Well of Honor
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This Circle Round episode was one of two recorded in February 2025 at Boston's Symphony Hall, home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. To be first in line for upcoming Circle Round events, including our annual Tanglewood show this summer, join the Circle Round Club. Grown-ups, sign up your superfans today at wbur.org slash circleroundclub. And now, on with the story! ♪

There's an old Egyptian proverb that says, a lie has no legs. In other words, a lie and untruth has no legs to stand on. And with nothing to support it, it's bound to come crashing down. We're about to meet a character who tells a lie so big, so whopping, he comes crashing down too. ♪

I'm Rebecca Shear and welcome to Circle Round Live at Symphony Hall in Boston, Massachusetts. Today our story is called The Well of Honor. You'll find versions of this tale from Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, and parts of the Middle East. Joining me on stage is a star-studded cast of actors, Josh Gondelman, Hari Kondabolu, Faith Saley, and Bethany Van Delft.

Providing musical accompaniment, under the direction of our own Eric Shimalonis, is a world-class sextet from the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Kathy Basrak on viola, Chris El Chico on clarinet, Clint Foreman on flute, Ben Levy on double bass, Suzanne Nelson on bassoon, and Austin Ruff on horn. So, circle around, everyone, for the Well of Honor. ♪♪

Once upon a time, in a wide green valley, there lived four animal friends. Sheep, goat, goose, and donkey. The soil in the animal's valley was rich and fertile. So sheep, goat, goose, and donkey had plenty of grasses, weeds, and other yummy plants to nibble and graze.

But there was one plant that did not grow in the rich, fertile valley. A rather delicious plant which the four friends craved. And that plant was... Barley is a type of grain. It has a long, thin stem and a spiky top that turns into kernels you can eat.

Barley has sort of a nutty flavor, and sheep, goat, goose, and donkey were nutty for it. So the four friends decided to start their own barley farm. That way, we can eat as much barley as we want. You betcha, sheep. We'll plant it, grow it, and harvest it ourselves. We sure will, goat.

As long as we split the harvest evenly between us. Isn't that right, Donkey? That's right, Goose. We'll split the crops four ways. Now let's get started. The first thing the animals did was weed. Yank up those unwanted vines and creepers, friends. We need a clear plot.

The second thing they did was plow. Everybody grab a stick and loosen up the soil. The third thing they did was plant. Down the rows, friends, and sow those seeds.

All the while, as they tended their growing crops, the animals worked hard. Or most of the animals worked hard. While sheep, goat, and goose kept their noses and snouts and beaks to the grindstone, Donkey came up with excuse after excuse for why he couldn't lend a hand or a hoof like

Or... Or...

I'm too sore. I must have slept weird last night because I am aching all over. You guys do all the work today, okay? I'll help out tomorrow. And yet, when tomorrow rolled around? My eyes are watery. My tummy is queasy. So did another excuse. My hair is itchy. I think I'm getting fleas.

Sheep, goat, and goose wanted to trust Donkey. He was their friend, after all. But as the excuses piled up, their patience wore thin. Still, they kept working. And after some months of sun and rain, the animal's field was billowing with tall yellow stalks of barley.

This barley looks amazing, friends. Surely we can eat it now, right? After all of our hard work. Sheep, goat, and goose gave donkey a bristly look. Did you just say all of our hard work? Because you hardly lifted a finger.

Or a hoof. So, if you want to eat some of this barley... You have to work for it. By harvesting the crop and dividing it up.

As you can imagine, the last thing Donkey wanted to do was work. He was far more interested in eating. But if he had to work in order to eat, then so be it. All right, I'll harvest the crop. Then I'll divide it four ways, just like we promised. See you back here tomorrow morning.

by their friend's sudden agreeableness, Sheep, Goat and Goose walked, trotted and waddled home. Donkey, meanwhile, buckled down and got to work. He used his sharp teeth to cut the barley stalks, gnawing and slicing the stems from the roots.

Then he began dividing the stalks into four even piles. One for sheep, one for goat, one for goose, one for me. One for sheep, one for goat, one for goose, one for me. By the time Donkey was done, night was falling, and he was falling asleep. Oh!

I have never been this exhausted in my life. And come to think of it, I've never been this hungry either. I'll take one little nibble from my share of the crop just to tide me over until morning. So, Donkey took a nibble from his share of barley. Mmm, yummy. Mmm. But I'm still hungry. How about one more little nibble? So, he took another nibble. Om, om, om, om.

Delicious! Which led to another nibble. Scrumptious! Which led to another! Oh man, this barley is the best! On and on it went. Donkey kept swearing he'd take just one more nibble. But he couldn't help himself. And before long, he hadn't just polished off his share of barley...

Just one more. He had polished off his friend's shares, too. The field was now empty, and Donkey's stomach was full. So full it was swollen like a balloon, and he could hardly move. He tried dragging his bloated body away from the field and back home, but after just one or two heavy halting steps, he sank to the ground. What?

And dropped off to sleep. The next morning, Donkey was still snoozing away when Sheep, Goat, and Goose came back. The moment they spied the empty field and Donkey's full belly, they immediately knew what happened. Donkey ate old Barley! And now it's in his swollen stomach. We must wake him up and make him admit his crime, Honk.

What if he refuses to fess up? We need a plan. Yes, Honk, a plan. Sheep, Goat, and Goose huddled together. They tossed around idea after idea until at long last they had a plan. And if their strategy worked, it wouldn't just make their balloon-bellied friend confess. It would burst his balloon, too.

What are sheep, goat, and goose cooking up? Will their plans succeed? 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? 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. I'm Rebecca Shear and welcome back to Circle Round live at Symphony Hall in Boston, Massachusetts. Today our story is called The Well of Honor. Before the break, Donkey ate all the barley that sheep, goat, and goose worked so hard to grow. Then he fell asleep in the field.

When sheep, goat, and goose realized what happened, they came up with a way to make Donkey confess. But first, they had to wake him up. "Cool it with the racket, will ya?" Donkey blinked open his eyes. The first thing he noticed was his swollen, gurgling stomach.

The second thing he noticed were his glowering, glaring friends. Clearly Sheep, Goat, and Goose had discovered the missing barley. And he was the prime suspect. Hi there, friends. Sorry to snap at you, but I'm feeling...

Rather poorly. After harvesting and dividing our barley crop, I fell ill. So ill, I was moaning and groaning all night. I'm still pretty queasy. So why don't you go ahead and bring your shares of barley home, and I'll get mine later. Sheep, goat, and goose exchanged a look.

would bring our shares of barley home, Donkey. But they're all gone. Because you ate them, Honk. I ate them? Donkey's heart began to hammer. His stomach continued to churn. What are you talking about, friends? How could I possibly eat anything when I feel so hungry?

Wretched. I mean, look at me. My belly is so puffed up I can barely move. If the barley is really gone, maybe one of you snuck in overnight and ate it. Sheep, goat, and goose exchanged another look. Clearly it was time to put their plan into action. Okay, donkey. If you truly

think one of us bolted down the barley? Then we should all put ourselves to the test. By visiting the well of honor. The well of honor? Donkey held back a burp. What is the well of honor? It's a magical well with special powers. All you have to do is jump over it.

and you will determine the guilty from the innocent. Donkey cringed. He knew full well that he was the guilty one, but he wasn't about to confess. So he staggered to his feet, then dragged his bulging belly along the ground as sheep, goat, and goose set off across the countryside.

They stopped at a high, round wall of stones with a big, deep hole in the middle. This is the Well of Honor. Tell the truth while jumping over it, and you'll make it to the other side. But tell a lie, and you'll fall in and splash down to the water below.

Sheep volunteered to jump first. She took a running start, then sprang into the air. "I hereby swear I did not eat the barley!" Sheep soared over the well before landing safely on the other side. "Look at that! Guess I'm innocent. Goat, why don't you go next?"

Goat agreed. He lowered his head, broke into a trot, then took a leap. I hereby swear I did not eat the barley. Goat whizzed over the well. Then he, too, safely landed on the other side. Hey, looks like I'm innocent, too.

Goose, why don't you go next? And no flying, okay? Goose nodded. She fluffed her feathers and waddled toward the well before launching off the ground. I hereby swear I did not eat the barley, honk! Goose gracefully glided over, then landed on the other side with sheep and goat. Gosh, it appears I'm innocent too, donkey!

Why don't you go next? Me? Donkey shook his head. Come on, friends. Do you honestly believe in magical wells that can separate the guilty from the innocent? I mean, why don't we just forget about this whole thing and go... No way, Donkeys!

The rest of us jumped over the well of honor. Now it's your turn to give it a go. Donkey knew he was stuck. So he took a deep breath, said a little prayer, then lumbered toward the well. But when he sprang into the air... I hereby swear I did not...

His ballooning belly was so heavy he couldn't make it to the other side. Instead, he fell into the well. Eat the belly! And landed at the bottom with a splash. Sitting in the water, in the dark, Donkey felt a wave of remorse.

And after his friends ever so generously extracted him from the well, he gave each one of them a sincere apology. Because Donkey learned an invaluable lesson that fateful day. He learned the importance of sharing and being honest and never, ever biting off more than you can or should chew.

Now it's your turn. Think about the last time you shared something. Then think about these four questions. One, what did you share? Two, who did you share it with?

3. How did it make that person feel? And 4. How did it make you feel? With these questions in mind, find some paper and draw a picture of your sharing moment. Show your drawing to someone you have fun with. And if you'd like, show it to us. Ask a grown-up to snap a photo of you and your artwork and email it to circlearound at wbur.org.

With your permission, we may feature you in The Lion's Roar, the monthly newsletter of the Circle Round Club, our membership program for superfans like you. Learn more on our website, wbur.org slash circleround. This week's story, The Well of Honor, was adapted by me, Rebecca Shear. It was edited by Dean Russell.

Circle Round's composer is Eric Shimalonis, who conducted our world-class sextet from the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Kathy Basrak on viola, Chris El Chico on clarinet, Clint Foreman on flute, Ben Levy on double bass, Suzanne Nelson on bassoon, and Austin Ruff on horn. Special thanks to everyone at the BSO, including Chad Smith, Tony Fogg, Mark Rulison, Angie DiSocio, Dana Falloon, John Stanton, Stephen Ponczak, Amy Aldrich, and Jason Lyon.

And a big circle round of applause for our actors at Symphony Hall, Josh Gondelman, Hari Kondabolu, Faith Saley, and Bethany Van Delft. Josh Gondelman is a stand-up comedian and Emmy Award-winning writer who can often be heard on the NPR News Quiz Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. You grown-ups can find his comedy special People Pleaser streaming online.

Hari Kondabolu is also a regular panelist on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. His comedy specials include Vacation Baby on Hulu and Warn Your Relatives on Netflix. Most recently, he hosted the Netflix food competition show Snack vs. Chef. Faith Saley is a writer, actress, comedian, and Emmy Award-winning contributor to CBS Sunday Morning. She is also a regular on NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Her one-woman show Approval Junkie is available on Audible.

Bethany Van Delft is an award-winning stand-up comedian and a regular host and storyteller for The Moth. She also co-hosted the Nova series Parental Logic. Circle Round's artist is Sabina Han. Sabina has created a black and white coloring page for all of our Circle Round stories, and you can print them out and color them in. Grown-ups, visit our website, wbur.org, and click on Coloring Pages. Circle Round is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station.

I'm Rebecca Shear. 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 Mario.

My favorite part is when Amos beats the ogre.

No, you've got to be kidding, right?

My name is Hayden. My favorite circle of stories, the nine six, and my favorite part is when the Apple stole the nine six from the queen. My name is Felicity and I live in

in Sisters, Oregon, and my favorite episode of Circle Round is Granny Snowstorm, and my favorite part is when the girl shakes the mattress and it begins to snow. - Hi, my name is Milo, and I live in Detroit, Michigan. My favorite Circle Round story is the young healer. I like the part when the healer says, "Okay, River, let's see what you got."

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.