Encore: A Biscuit, A Basket

Circle Round

Circle Round presents a folktale adaptation called

Key takeaways

• The story is framed as a folktale told across Asia, Europe, Africa, and North and South America, with most inspiration from versions told in India.
• Myra frees a tiger from a hunter's trap and receives a bamboo basket that magically produces biscuits when turned upside down.
• Myra uses the basket to pay for an inn room by promising enough biscuits to feed the innkeeper's restaurant customers.
• The innkeeper secretly steals the magic basket and replaces it with an ordinary basket that looks the same.
• The tiger gives Myra a second basket intended for the innkeeper, which releases a swarm of mosquitoes when he flips it over.

Main topics

• good deeds and bad intentions
• magic basket and biscuits
• greed and theft

Notable quotes

Turn it upside down and all the biscuits you wish will come pouring out.

Conclusion

The episode offers a simple moral lesson about generosity, greed, and

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:00) Hey, Circle Round listeners, it's Ben Brock Johnson here, one of the people behind the show. We're hard at work on a new season of Circle Round. And in the meantime, we're bringing you our greatest hits. Today's story is all about good deeds, bad intentions, and biscuits. Lots of nice, delicious biscuits. Are you feeling hungry? Because I am. Anyway, Circle Round, everyone. For a biscuit, a basket. Speaker 1 (0:33) WBUR Speaker 6 (0:34) Podcasts, Boston. Speaker 6 (0:41) Think about a time you offered. Maybe you offered to help a grown-up with a chore or a classmate with a project. We're about to meet a hard-working woman who offers to help someone, and in return, she gets a gift that keeps on giving. Speaker 6 (1:08) I'm Rebecca Shear, and welcome to Circle Round, where story time happens all the time. Today, our story is called A Biscuit, A Basket. Versions have been told by people across Asia, Europe, Africa, and North and South America. We've taken most of our inspiration from versions told in India. Some really great people came together to bring you our folktale, including Sara Chaudhry. who stars in The Muppets Mayhem on Disney +, and Holly Hobby on Hulu. She also stars in the award-winning animated film The Breadwinner. So circle around, everyone, for a biscuit, a basket. Speaker 6 (1:58) Myra and her mother lived in a tumble-down farmhouse in the countryside. Mother was getting older and frailer by the day, so Myra worked hard to support them both. Each morning, she rose bright and early to gather eggs from the chickens. Good morning, ladies. How did we do last Speaker 5 (2:16) night? Then she sold the Speaker 6 (2:18) eggs in the nearest village. Speaker 5 (2:20) Fresh eggs! Farm fresh eggs here! Speaker 6 (2:24) But one summer, the chickens stopped laying eggs. Myra tried everything. She changed their food. She put softer straw in their nests. But she and Mother were dismayed to find it was all in vain. Speaker 4 (2:39) Myra. Speaker 6 (2:41) Now that Speaker 4 (2:42) the chickens aren't laying any eggs, what are we going to do? We can't afford to buy a new flock, Speaker 5 (2:51) but we can't afford to starve either. I know, Mother. I know. So how about I journey to the big city and find myself a job? I'll make a bit of money, then I'll come back home and we can get back on our feet. That sounds like Speaker 4 (3:10) a fine plan, Myra. You've always been such a hard-working, kind-hearted girl. Good Speaker 6 (3:20) luck, my dear. Speaker 6 (3:22) The big city was far away from Myra's tumbledown farmhouse. To get there, she crossed rolling plains and rushing rivers. She walked through grassy fields and meadows. And as she was passing through a thick, jungly forest, she suddenly heard... Speaker 6 (3:41) A voice. Speaker 4 (3:42) Someone help me! Please! I can't move! Speaker 6 (3:48) Myra tried to find where the voice was coming from. She walked this way and that, and in the middle of a sun-dappled clearing, what should she encounter but... A tiger? Indeed. A large female tiger was splayed out on the ground, her big striped body tangled in a big rope net. Oh, I'm Speaker 4 (4:10) so glad you've come by. I've been caught in this hunter's trap for hours, and I have hungry cubs who need me. They'll never survive if I don't come home. Can you please help free me? Speaker 6 (4:25) Myra's kind heart urged her to set the tiger free, but her sensible head thought twice. I could absolutely free you, if Speaker 5 (4:35) you promise Speaker 6 (4:35) you won't turn around and eat Speaker 5 (4:37) me. Speaker 4 (4:38) Eat you? The tiger's yellow eyes sparkled. I promise I won't eat you. Instead, if you save my life and my cubs, I will reward you with something you can use for the rest of your life. Myra was intrigued. Speaker 6 (4:57) Times were so hard lately. Perhaps it was worth seeing what the tiger had in mind. So she pulled a pocket knife from her knapsack, held it to the rope trap, and slashed the trap open. Immediately, the tiger sprang to her feet. I'm free. I'm free! She leaped up and bounded behind a thicket of bushes. When she came out again, balanced on her head was Speaker 5 (5:23) a Speaker 6 (5:24) basket. This basket is for you. Myra noticed that the basket was plain but sturdy, expertly woven from strong, thick bamboo. Thank you, Tiger. Speaker 5 (5:37) I'm sure this basket will come in very handy to hold things. Not that Mother and I have many things to hold in our tumble-down farmhouse, but... Speaker 4 (5:47) Oh, no. This basket isn't for holding things. What's your name? Myra. Okay, Myra. Brace yourself. Speaker 6 (5:56) And watch this. Speaker 4 (5:58) The tiger Speaker 6 (5:59) flicked her head and sent the basket sailing into the air. It flipped upside down as it flew. And Myra flipped out. What? No! way because the moment the basket turned over what should come pouring out but a shower of biscuits myra watched in wonder as sweet buttery biscuits what some of us might call cookies collected in a pile on the ground when the basket landed right side up the stream of biscuits stopped Speaker 5 (6:36) Did that basket just magically produce this big pile of biscuits? It Speaker 4 (6:42) did. And it will do the same for you, Myra. Turn it upside down and all the biscuits you wish will come pouring out. Turn it right side up and it will stop. You can eat them. You can sell them. Either way, you and your mother will never go