WBUR Podcasts, Boston. I'm Rebecca Shear and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time. Today our story is called Seven Silver Rings. It comes from several indigenous groups in present day North America, including the Seneca and Shawnee. Some really great people came together to bring you our version of this tale, including real life couple Marielle Heller and Yorma Taconi. Actress, writer and director Marielle Heller has directed such films as The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Can You Ever Forgive Me and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. You grownups can see her in the Golden Globe-winning TV series The Queen's Gambit. Writer, actor, director, musician and comedian Yorma Taconi authored the children's book Little Fox and The Wild Imagination. As part of the comedy trio The Lonely Island, he co-hosts The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers podcast. So, Circle Round everyone, for Seven Silver Rings. If you've seen the nocturnal mammal known as raccoon, then you know he has a stocky body, short limbs and dexterous front paws with slender little fingers. His fur is grayish-brown, save for the black mask that surrounds his eyes and the black rings that go up and down his bushy tail. But once upon a time, raccoon didn't have that mask or those rings. He was grayish-brown all over. This is the story of how everything changed. It began late one night as raccoon prepared to go out hunting. Let's see, first I think I'll pinch some eggs from the birds, then I'll mix some nuts from the squirrels, and if I'm still hungry, which given my appetite, no doubt I will be. I'll creep into the cornfield and filch some carbs from the farmer. I should probably point out here that most of raccoons hunting actually consisted of stealing. I like to think of it as permanent borrowing without asking permission or forgiveness. And raccoons favorite thing to steal? Permanently borrow. Was anything shiny? Shiny rocks, shiny pebbles, shiny buttons and beads? He was wild about them all. And on this particular night, as he set out to steal some food. Permanently borrow. How many times do I have to tell you? He spied something so shiny, so sparkly, it stopped him right in his tracks. Look at that! He was passing by Raven's house at the time. Through the window, he could see that the jet black diurnal bird was sleeping with seven silver rings. Silver rings stacked by her side. Those rings, they're so beautiful. See how they glimmer and glisten, shimmer and shine. I must have them for myself. Raven was a big bird with pointy claws and a razor sharp beak. Raccoon knew that if he snuck into her house and woke her up, he'd be in trouble. I must find a way to get the seven silver rings without getting caught. And I know just how I'll do it. Quick as a flash, raccoon scampered back to his house. He rummaged and scrambled around until he found just what he was looking for. Blackface mask, a check. Amazing plan to make off with Raven's seven silver rings without her noticing. Big time check. Raccoon slipped the blackface mask over his eyes and returned to Raven's abode. He crept to the window, took in a deep breath, then let out. A moan. A rather ghostly moan, so loud and scary it roused Raven from her slumber. Oh dear, what is that horrible sound? Raven glanced around. When she laid eyes on the moaning masked figure outside her window, she fought to keep the tremor from her voice. Uh, listen you, I don't know who you are or what you want, but you better leave right now. I mean it, if you don't get out of here then I'm going to, to, to get out of here. The terrified bird gave a squawk and raced out the door. Raccoon watched with a smile as Raven spread her wings, lofted into the air and disappeared into the night sky. Gully, that was easier than I thought it would be. Now that Raven's flown off, I can make off with her dazzling rings. But when he tried scooping the rings into his furry grayish brown arms, he realized he had a problem. Ugh, I can't carry all seven rings at the same time. I can't wear them either. My fingers are too small and thin. Raccoon put his mind to work, and that's when he came up with a new plan. One by one, he began sliding the rings over his grayish brown tail. One, two, three, four. The moment he was done, seven. He took to his heels and raced back home. By the time he got there, it was morning. And the exhausted nocturnal critter promptly fell fast asleep. M-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m. Meanwhile, Raven was heading home too. She was delighted to discover the moaning masked figure was gone. But she was dismayed to realize that something else was gone too. Seven silver rings. They're nowhere to be seen. Raven's bright eyes robed back and forth as she tried to figure out where her rings might be. Let's see. The rings were beside me when that mysterious moaner showed up. Once they scared me off, they must have scuttled in and stolen my rings. A scowl crossed Raven's face. Anger flooded her jet-black chest. If that sneaky thief thinks they can pull a fast one on me, they are gravely mistaken. Because whoever they are, I will find them. I will track them down and make them pay. And when I do, they'll realize they messed with the wrong bird. What do you think will happen next? Will Raven sniff out the thief? We'll find out after a quick break. The Brains On Universe is always expanding with shows about science, history, and debate. The shows are fun for kids and their adults. Brains On features kids' questions about the world answered through the lens of science. What happens when you dream? Can we live on Mars? Do plants sleep? The skits, interviews, songs, and explanations will have everyone laughing and learning. Forever Ago explores the history of everything. From bubble gum and surfing to the national anthem in Pride Flags, Forever Ago helps you explore the before. On Smash Boom Best, you get to judge which is cooler on topics like chocolate versus cheese, Spider-Man or Batman, books, or movies. Strong opinions and stronger arguments are encouraged and rewarded. Find Brains On Forever Ago and Smash Boom Best wherever you get podcasts. Or head to BrainsOn.org to learn more. Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Shear. Today our story is called Seven Silver Rings. Before the break, Raccoon played a trick on Raven by stealing her seven silver- Okay, I know I'm not supposed to enter the scene yet, but what did I tell you at the start of the story? I don't think of it as stealing. I think of it as permanently borrowing? I'm sorry, Raccoon, but I don't buy it. Fine, be that way. I'll see you in a few. See ya. Okay, where were we? Right, Raccoon stole Raven's rings. He was wearing a mask at the time and it was night, so Raven had no idea who the culprit was. But their ghostly moans were unmistakable. So, come morning, she went out into the forest and approached each animal one by one, asking them to deliver their best moan. Alright, Bear. You're first. Let it rip. Uh, okay. Yeah, that's not it. How about you, Badger? That's not it either. Eagle? Nope. Fox? Uh-uh. Rabbit? Not even close. Raven spent all day hearing moan after moan. By sundown, there was just one moan she hadn't yet heard. Can you guess who's? Raccoon. Raccoon, I need to talk to you. Open the door. Raccoon hadn't yet woken for the night until the shouting and knocking cut through his sleep. Ugh, what's all that racket? Raccoon, let me in. It's Raven. Raven? Raccoon's eyes snapped open, and that's when he made a troubling discovery. He was so tired when he got home that morning that he had forgotten to remove the black mask from his face and the silver rings from his tail. With trembling paws, he yanked off the mask. Then he scrambled to pull off each of the rings. One, two, three, four. When he was done. Six, seven. He stashed the mask and the rings under his blanket, then hustled to the door. Hiya, Raven. What can I do for you? What can you do for me, Raccoon? I'll tell you what you can do for me. You can moan. As you might imagine, this was not the response Raccoon expected. Uh, I can do what now? You can moan. Last night, someone came over to my house. They scared me away with these ghostly moans. Then they made off with my seven silver rings. So moan. Raccoon gave his grayish-brown head a shake. No offense, Raven, but you're barking up the wrong tree. I don't even know how to moan. Is that like a oh, or maybe something like... I mean, I don't know how. While Raccoon made one decidedly un-moan-like sound after another, he got so into it, so carried away, that he started throwing his arms around and swishing his tail back and forth. And that's when Raven cut him short. Enough. I just realized that I don't need to hear your moans, Raccoon, because I can see your guilt. Raccoon felt a rush of panic. He glanced at his blanket. Certain that one of the rings must have revealed itself, but all seven were still hidden from sight. So what guilt was Raven seeing? Tell me, Raccoon, have you ever heard of tarnish? Tarnish? Yes. The black residue that forms when metals like brass, copper, or silver come into contact with certain chemicals in the air or certain oils on the body, like, say, the oils in fur. I'd like to say I caught you red-handed, Raccoon, but instead, I've caught you black-tailed. What are you talking about? Raccoon whirled around to face his tail. And that's when he saw it. Lining the bushy, grayish-brown appendage were seven black rings. Let me guess. After frightening me with your mysterious mask and your ghostly moaning, you stuck my seven silver rings around your tail. And when you came back to your house, you didn't take them off. So as you slept the day away, the silver tarnished and left behind seven black rings. Raccoon knew his goose was cooked. He hung his head, tucked his newly-striped tail between his legs. Then heaved a sigh and showed Raven what was under the blanket. I knew it. You have the black mask and the seven silver rings. Last night's moaning ghost was you. Yes, it was. And I'm sorry, Raven. I will never do it again. No, you will not, because I will never let you forget what you did. From this day forward, Raccoon, you shall bear the marks of your theft. Come again? To remind you of your wrongdoings, your eyes shall be surrounded by black fur, just like the mask you used to deceive me. And your tail shall be ringed with black stripes to remind you of the rings you stole. Don't you mean permanently borrowed? No, I do not. Noted. So, thus it was that Raccoon went from grayish-brown all over to grayish-brown with a black mask around his eyes and black rings around his tail. And yet, despite these eternal reminders of his misdeeds, Raccoon never learned his lesson. To this day, the fuzzy nocturnal critter still strikes, scuttling around like a thief in the night as he pinches, pilfers, swipes, and, no two ways about it, steals. Now it's your turn. We know we should respect the belongings of others, but it isn't always easy. To help us out, we can consider these three questions. One, how would we feel if somebody took one of our belongings without asking? Two, why is it important to ask for permission before we take something that belongs to someone else? And three, if we do take something that belongs to someone else and we don't ask permission, how might we apologize and make things right? Pair up with a grown-up and talk over these questions. The more you explore, the more you'll understand how our actions affect others and vice versa. Sobina has created a black and white coloring page for all of our Circle Round stories, and you can color them in while you listen. Grown-ups, download our 300-plus coloring pages at wbor.org-slash-circle-round. Special thanks to this week's actors, Igor Shimolonis, Eric Shimolonis, Marielle Heller, and Yorma Ticoni. Marielle Heller has directed numerous films, including The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Can You Ever Forgive Me, and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Coming up, she's set to write and direct a live action remake of the classic animated movie, Fern Gully, The Last Rainforest. Writer, actor, director, musician, and comedian Yorma Ticoni is one-third of the comedy trio, The Lonely Island. He's the author of the children's book, Little Fox and the Wild Imagination, and co-host of The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers podcast. His latest film is the grown-up action comedy thriller Over Your Dead Body. Oh, and fun fact, Marielle and Yorma are no strangers to Circle Round. You can hear one or both of their voices in a bunch of Circle Round episodes, including Queen of the Forest, Milk from a Bull, The Seamstress and the D.V., something fishy, look-alike, Falls, Treasure Mountain, and The Bags of Seeds. You can find all these episodes and more on our website, wbur.org slash circle round. Circle Round is a production of WBUR Boston's NPR. I'm Rebecca Scheer. 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. Hello, my name is James. I live in Portugal. My favorite is the podcast, the Birds of a Different Fed. My favorite part is when the lion tries to eat the guinea fowl. My name's Elizabeth. I'm from Minnesota. And my favorite Circle Round story is a sticky situation. It's because when the tree rhymes. My name is Junie. I live in Ohio. And my favorite Circle Round is kind, hot, and strong-mind. My favorite part is when strong-mind gets to be the royal advisor. My name is Gabe. And I live in Sisters Oregon. And my favorite Circle Round story is this down horse. And my favorite part is when the horse comes to wife. My name is Solie. I'm from Burriak, Kentucky. And my favorite Circle Round story is a Biscuit of Baskets. And my favorite part is when the basket is full of mosquitoes and the aimkeeper gets bitten with all of them. My name is Sally. I'm from Guilford, Connecticut. And my favorite Circle Round story is Princess Persistence. I like the part where Sabra Tree says, Give me back my husband, Yama. My name's Shari, and I live in Easily, South Carolina. My favorite Circle Round story is a Tire and Clans. I like it because Mindy and Guy was in it. Bye. Love your shows. Did someone mention a story you've missed? Not to worry. Grown-ups, 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. W-B-U-R-D-O-R-C-S-C-R-R-O-N-D.
