Copper and Dumplings

This circle round episode was recorded live at the Cleveland Museum of Arts,

“Gartner Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio on March 14th, 2026.”

You can hear all of our live circle round episodes, and learn more about our picture books, merch, newsletter, and circle round club on our website, www.orx-circleround. Think about it, time. You felt afraid.

Fear is a normal and common emotion. We all feel it, and talking with someone about what scares us can really help. In fact, as we're hearing today's tale, when we talk with someone about our fears,

it can be down right magical.

I'm Rebecca Sheer, and welcome to Circle Round, live at the Cleveland Museum of Arts, Gartner Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio.

“Today our story is called Copper and Dumplings.”

You'll find versions of this tale from the East Asian island nation of Japan. Joining me on stage is a trio of talented local actors, Nina Domain, Xavier Hype and Bob Keef. Providing musical accompaniment is the one and only Eric Shimologna's. So circle round everyone for Copper and Dumplings.

The baker lived in a cottage at the far edge of the forest. Every morning she would rise at dawn,

then bustle to the kitchen and whip up batch after batch of her specialty.

Sweet, sticky, rice, dumplings. The baker sold her dumplings at the village market. Her customers adored her, not just because her rice dumplings were the most delicious. They had ever tasted, but because her prices were the lowest they had ever seen.

“You would like one dozen rice dumplings, sir?”

That'll be one copper piece, please. That's right, just one copper piece. And madam, you'd like two dozen rice dumplings? That'll be two copper pieces. That's right, just two copper pieces.

The baker was nowhere near as rich as her sweets, but she was comfortable, content with her lot in life. And yet, with each passing year, things began to change. As the baker grew older, her eyes began to fade. Her fingers became stiff and sore,

and standing over a hot stove made her back and feet ache. The baker was slowing down, and her business was too. Before long, she couldn't afford to buy ingredients to make her dumplings, or food to fill her belly. One chilly autumn night has the baker huddled in her cottage,

hoping her hearts crackling flames would drown out her stomachs, rumbling groans. She heard two voices, bellowing outside the door. Hey, you! It's freezing out here! We saw smoke rising from your chimney!

Let us take by your fire! The baker struggles to her feet and shuffle to the window. The moment she peered outside, her blood turned cold, for lurking at her door for two, hulking, hairy, tango, evil winged goblins with red faces, tangled eyebrows,

and bulbous noses, the size of rolling pins. Oh dear, I mustn't let the tango and come inside. If I do, they're sure to cast a spell on me. They'll either be which me into mindlessly carrying out their whims, or they'll make me disappear forever.

Hello! We know you're there! And since you won't let us in, we'll let ourselves in! The door flung open and inbarged the tango, their wings frapping and their eyes blazing as they barreled to the heart.

You'll need to work on your hospitality, human. Yeah!

We should cast a spell on you.

Yeah! A spell!

“The baker's heart hammered so loud she could hear it in her ears,”

but she did her best to smile. Clearly, you two gentle men are upset, and cold, so please make yourselves cozy by the fire. I'll brew up some tea. She rushed to the kitchen,

and though her trembling hands slowed down her process, she came back with a steaming hot pot of tea. Here you go, gentlemen! I would offer you a snack, but times have been hard,

and my cupboards are unusually bare. The tango slurped the tea, then wiped their shaggy mouths with the backs of their hairy hands. Mmm!

That was the best tea we've ever tasted!

That right, delicious! But it wasn't nearly enough! So make us more! Before we capture spell on you! The baker's shuddered,

and fetched more tea. Her hands were shaking so hard,

“she nearly dropped the pot in the tango's lips.”

Boy, oh boy, human! You see, nervous! All jittery are jumping! Do the two of us, scare you!

The tango's red faces broke into menacing grins, so wide and broad the baker could count

every sharp yellow tooth.

Do you scare me? The baker had no idea what to say next, and then, before she knew what she was doing, no! You don't scare me.

The tango were thrown for a loop. We don't scare you! But we're tango! We're big and mean and cast spells! And trust us!

We're about to cast a doze of a spell! After we finish this delicious tea! The baker felt a rush of relief. Thankfully, she had bought more time. I'm glad the tea is to your liking,

and believe me, gentlemen, I know all about your powers,

“but I don't really see you as big and mean.”

You don't! No! I see you as travelers who needed to come in from the cold. You are my guests, and I'm not afraid of guests,

unlike some other things. The baker wasn't sure where she was going with this, but the tango seemed intrigued. What kinds of other things? Yeah! If we tango don't scare you,

then what does? The baker bit her lip. I shouldn't say it's too embarrassing. But then you were really intrigued now. I'll come on, kill man.

You've got to tell us what scares you. If you do, we won't cast a spell on you today. Yeah! Instead, we'll come back tomorrow.

Give you time, say your goodbyes, what not. The baker fell to another wave of relief. All right, you've persuaded me. I will tell you what I'm afraid of. She glanced around the cottage.

Her eyes fell on an empty bag of rice. I am afraid of rice dumplings. Rice dumplings. Yes, sweet, sticky, rice dumplings. They terrified me.

The tango scanned the baker's face, seeking a glimmer of a smile or some other hint that she might be joking. You're telling us you're actually afraid of rice dumplings. Why?

The baker thought fast. Well, when I see sweet, sticky rice dumplings, I wind up eating so many that I'm sick for days. Weeks sometimes months. But while rice dumplings may scare me,

there's something else that scares me even more. The tango leaned forward. What is it? Yeah, what scares you more than rice dumplings. The baker paused and looked around again.

This time her gaze landed on her calling purse. Her empty, calling purse. What scares me even more than rice dumplings?

Copper pieces?

“Yes, what I am petrified of more than anything.”

And anything are copper pieces.

What ever fall? Yeah, what so scary about a copper piece. Only everything? Do you know what would happen if I had a mess of copper pieces in this cottage?

I'll tell you what would happen. Villagers would be knocking at my door all day long begging to borrow from me or tell me things that I neither want nor need. Robbers and thieves would come sneaking over at night. It would be awful.

The baker let out a long, shaky breath. But hey, enough about me. What are you two afraid of?

“The tango folded their brony arms across their burly chests.”

We aren't afraid of anything. We told you, we're big and big and cast spells. Like the spell we're going to cast on you. Tomorrow! Right.

I get it.

The two of you are powerful.

So powerful that you're going to come back here tomorrow and cast the spell on yours, truly. What come now? Everyone is afraid of something. Surely there's one thing that scares you. And you might as well tell me about it because once you cast your spell

I won't be able to breathe a word of it. The tango grew quiet.

“Judging by the sheepish looks on their faces,”

the baker knew she had struck a nerve. All right, fine. If you bust, no. There is one thing that scares us. And that thing is.

Oh, I can't say it. It just means a creep.

Well, I can't say it either. That how are we going to tell her? How about we say it together? That could work. Okay.

The one thing that scares us is... Oh, you know what that music means? We'll find out what scares the pants off those tricky tango after a quick break. The reviews are in, and super fans like you are loving the Circle Round Club, an exciting opportunity to support public radio and get cool stuff.

Including ad-free episodes and a personalized birthday message for me. Well, I like it that the Circle Round Club is that my back is here, so thank you for messages. And it's a push to the show. And there are new ads.

grown-ups support public radio and sign-up today at wbr.org/ Circle Round Club. I'm Rebecca Scheer and welcome back to Circle Round Live at the Cleveland Museum of Arts, Gartner Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio. Today our story is called "Couper and Doubling." [applause]

Before the break, the baker convinced the hairy winged goblins known as tango to put off casting a spell on her by one day. The clever old woman somehow shifted the conversation to things that scared her, or supposedly scared her her two worst fears she claimed, work on her pieces, and the sweet sticky rice dumplings she once baked

and sold for a living. When it was time for the tango to admit their worst fear, they were so petrified they had to say it together. The one thing that scares us is... Pick it!

The baker tilted her head. Pick it! You're afraid of pickets. Yes! Do you have to say it so many times?

Say what? Pickets? You did it again! You've got to understand those dense clumps of twisty,

They get all tangled in our wings!

And are hair! They catch us and and wrap us! It's terrible! It's horrible! It's no good and very bad!

The baker handed the tango a tissue.

“They blew their rolling pin-sized noses so loudly.”

It shook the walls! I hear what you're saying, gentlemen. If I were in your shoes, I too would be afraid of... Pickets! Ah!

Even whispering it is scary!

Anyway, I should call it a night gentlemen.

This old gal needs some sleep. And you do too! If you're going to cast a doozy of a spell on me tomorrow, a little rest is just the ticket! She said it again!

No, you do! She said, "Tick it!" Oh! The tango wiped their noses and then lumbered out the door.

“And once they had disappeared into the forest,”

the baker bundled into her coat and boots, grabbed a pair of gardening shears, and stepped outside. She meandered through the trees, using her shears to cut through the thickly tangled underbrush.

Then, one armful at a time. She hauled the brambles back home, the baker worked hard, and when the tango came back at sunrise to cast their evil spell, they made a terrifying discovery.

Every inch of the baker's cottage and yard was covered with twisty thorny thickets. Ah! She said the word! Who cares about the word?

We've got the real thing! It's all over the cottage! All around it too! There's no way I'm touching that stuff! Me either!

But we can't cast a spell on the baker if we can't hear her! You're right! So, we won't get her! Instead, we'll get revenge! The baker who could see and hear everything

through a gap in the window, watched the tango fly off when they returned. Each one held a very large, very full sack. The goblins beat their wings and fluttered into the air, hovering over the chimney.

On the gremble, covered roof.

I'll empty my sack into the chimney first!

And when the baker sees what's inside, she'll be scared out of her wits! The baker shuffled to the hearth, and waited. The fire had long since died down, and when she saw what came cascading down the chimney,

she smiled, though she pretended to scream. Ah! My fireplace is filling up with rice dumplings! Sweet, sticky rice dumplings! It's my second worst nightmare, conchru!

Up on the roof, the tango grinned as they called down the chimney. You think that's bad human! 'Cause we're about to set your worst nightmare! The tango emptied the other sack down the chimney,

“and can you guess what came tumbling into the baker's hearth?”

That's right, copper pieces! Oh no! Oh dear! I'm scared out of my wits! I'm quaking in my boots!

I wish those copper pieces would stop pouring down! Someone make them stop! Please! But the copper pieces kept coming. Clinking and clinking, as they formed a big shiny pile.

Now that the baker's hearth was bursting with rice dumplings and copper pieces, the tango gruel way satisfied with their supposed revenge. As for the baker, well, she was satisfied too. After all, thanks to the hairy winged goblins,

to sell at the market, and thousands of copper pieces to save for a rainy day.

“And from that on, she lived in comfort and contentment”

and never tangled with the tango again.

[applause] Now it's your turn. When you feel afraid, what can help you feel safe? Can you hug a stuffed animal? Sing your favorite song?

Maybe you can cuddle with a grown-up and tell them what's on your mind. Some index cards, or cut some paper into rectangles, and make your own, courage cards. On each card draw one thing that gives you courage

and makes you feel safe. Next time, fear, pays a visit, take a breath, pull out a courage card, and use it to help you through. [music]

This week's story, copper and dumplings

was adapted by me, Rebecca Sheer.

“It was edited by Dean Russell, and performed by Nina Domingue,”

Xavier Hype, and Bob Keith. Eric Shimologna's composed our original music and played it live on the Coto. You can learn more about this Japanese stringed instrument and see a photo of Eric playing on our website

wbr.org/circleround. Circleround'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.

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We'd love to stay in touch. Circle-round is the production of WBR, Boston's NPR. I'm Rebecca Schier. Thanks for circling round with us.

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