The Big Green Bag | Ep. 288

Have you ever thought about the difference between a “want” and a “need”?

Wants are things that might be nice and fun to have, but we can survive without them: things like toys or ice cream.

Needs are things that we must have in order to stay healthy and safe, like warmth, shelter and food.

In today’s story, we’ll meet a character who can’t tell the difference between wants and needs… until he learns a high-flying lesson about them both!

Our tale is called “The Big Green Bag.” We found versions of this tale from the British Isles off the northwest coast of Europe, as well as Romania in southeastern Europe.

Voices in this episode include Tim Bagley and Rebecca Mader. Grown-ups, you may know Tim Bagley from his starring roles in “Somebody Somewhere” and “Hacks,” and Rebecca Mader from her starring roles in “Once Upon a Time” and “Lost.”

This episode was adapted for Circle Round by Rebecca Sheir. It was edited by Dean Russell. Original music and sound design is by Eric Shimelonis. Our artist is Sabina Hahn.

GROWN-UPS! PRINT THIS so everyone can color while listening. We’re also keeping an album so please share your picture on Facebook and Instagram, and tag it with #CircleRoundPodcast. To access all the coloring pages for past episodes click HERE. Our resident artist is Sabina Hahn and you can learn more about her HERE.

Now it’s your turn!

Think about the things that you feel give you a happy life. Then find some paper, cut it into squares, and draw each of those things on a separate square.

With help from a grown-up, sort your squares into two piles: wants and needs. Talk with your grown-up about why you feel each item is a want or a need.

Then ask your grown-up to tell you about their wants and needs, and see which ones match up!

Musical Spotlight: Țambal

The Romanian ţambal consists of a trapezoidal soundboard with 20-35 courses of strings struck with two wooden hammers. In English-speaking countries, it’s known as the dulcimer (from dulce melos, Greek for “sweet sound”).

The ţambal is a development of the Persian santur, which came to many European countries in the 11th century (and which Eric Shimelonis used in such Circle Round episodes as “The Caged Bird” and “The Sorcerer’s Offer”). While records indicate the existence of the ţambal in Romania in the 16th century, it did not become popular until much later, when it was taken up by the lăutari (gypsy musicians). It’s now a distinctive element of Romanian folk music.

Story Transcript:

NARRATOR: Long, long ago, there was a man.

A very wealthy man who lived in a very swanky house, with a spacious swimming pool out back and a soaring fountain out front. To each side was a manicured garden, full of exotic plants, sculpted hedges, and priceless statues.

So! Given everything the man had, you would think he’d be satisfied, right? Content with his swanky lot in life?

The truth is… he was not satisfied. Instead of appreciating what he had, he would always grouse about what he lacked!

MAN: Why own just one swanky house when I could have two??? A country house and a city house?!? And why settle on a mere swimming pool when I could have my own private lagoon? Or lake? I could fill it with swans and flamingos and all the fish a man could eat!

NARRATOR: As you can see, the man may have been rich in money… but he was poor in sense. And so he did something rather foolish. He took everything he owned – the money, the riches — and in hopes of getting even MORE – he gambled it all! He placed big whopping bets on card games…

MAN: Deal me in! I’m betting it all!

NARRATOR: …and dog races…

MAN: I’m putting all my money on the underdog! Literally!

NARRATOR: …but the odds were always stacked against him. And guess what?

He wound up losing everything.

So… with nothing but the shirt on his back and the shoes on his feet… the man went begging from town to town.

MAN: Anyone have a coin to spare? Or a bite of food?

NARRATOR: He was trudging down a country road one day when he encountered a woman by the roadside. She was wearing a long green cloak. Her eyes were green, too, and they sparkled like emeralds as she gave the man a wave.

WOMAN: Good day, sir!

MAN: “Good day”???

NARRATOR: The man’s face soured into a scowl.

MAN: And what, pray tell, is so “good” about it? This day is nothing short of wretched! This LIFE is nothing short of wretched!

NARRATOR: The woman furrowed her brow.

WOMAN: My good sir! You seem awfully troubled. Tell me. What is the matter?

MAN: What ISN’T the matter? Believe it or not, I used to have an exquisite life. Until I gambled away my last penny. Now I have nothing. No money. No food. And my belly’s as empty as a hollow drum!

NARRATOR: The man looked down at his grumbling stomach. And that's when he noticed… the bag. Sitting at the woman’s feet was a large green bag tied shut with a green ribbon. The bag was so full, so plump, its seams were nearly splitting. The man eyed it with curiosity.

MAN: Sayyy… That bag of yours doesn’t have anything to eat in it, does it?

WOMAN: (mysterious) Anything to eat…?

NARRATOR: The woman shook her head.

WOMAN: (mysterious) I can’t say that it does. (beat) But here!

NARRATOR: She reached into her cloak and drew out a loaf of bread.

WOMAN: Perhaps you’d like to pull off a hunk of bread…? So you can – ?? (gets cut off mid-sentence)

NARRATOR: Before she could finish, the man seized the entire loaf and gobbled it down – without so much as a thank you.

WOMAN: Goodness! You WERE hungry! I hope that bread hit the spot?

NARRATOR: The man wiped the crumbs from his mouth and frowned.

MAN: That was just an appetizer! You sure you don’t have any tasty food in that bag of yours?

WOMAN: I can’t say that I do, sir. And besides. I need this bag to stay exactly as it is… (dramatic/mysterious) so it can get tossed into the sea!

NARRATOR: The man paused as he took in this curious statement.

MAN: Excuse me???? Did you just say your green bag is getting “tossed into the sea”?

WOMAN: That is my hope… provided I can find the right person to do it for me. That’s why I’m sitting here by the road! I’m waiting for someone to take my green bag, bring it to the shore, and toss it into the sea!

MAN: But… why? Why would you want someone to toss a perfectly good bag into the sea?

WOMAN: (coy) Ohhh…

NARRATOR: The woman smiled a mysterious smile.

WOMAN: (mysterious) …I have my reasons. (beat) And the person who does as I ask will receive a rich reward!

MAN: (curious/greedy) “A rich reward,” you say…? What KIND of rich reward?

WOMAN: Well… I will make all of their cares disappear! Their worries will be a thing of the past! (beat) But only if they promise not to open the bag. They must keep it exactly as it is, with all of its contents intact. If anything comes out… they will suffer an unimaginable fate. 

NARRATOR: The man imagined a life free from cares and worries. Then he knelt down and snatched up the bag.

MAN: That settles it, ma’am! I will toss your green bag into the sea!

NARRATOR: But before he could turn to go, the woman stopped him.

WOMAN: Not so fast, sir! I must make sure you understand. If you open up this bag, you’re not going to like what happens to you!

MAN: I don’t like what’s already happened to me! So I promise not to open the bag. Okay?

WOMAN: Very well…

NARRATOR: She fixed the man with a steely gaze.

WOMAN: Be on your way then! (mysterious) And be WARNED!

NARRATOR: What do you think will happen now that the man has the big green bag?

We’ll hear how our story unfolds, after a quick break.

[BREAK]

NARRATOR: I’m Rebecca Sheir. Welcome back to Circle Round. Today our story is called “The Big Green Bag.”

Before the break, a rich man gambled away everything he owned. Then one day he encountered a green-cloaked woman seeking someone to toss her big green bag into the sea. She explained that if they did so without opening the bag…

WOMAN: …I will make all of their cares disappear! Their worries will be a thing of the past!

NARRATOR: But if they did open it, and let anything out…?

WOMAN: …they will suffer an unimaginable fate.

NARRATOR: The desperate, grasping fellow offered his services, promising to do as the woman said. Then he slung the bag over his shoulder and took off down the road. Questions swirled through his mind as he walked.

MAN: What is the woman keeping in this bag? Why was she so insistent that I not open it? (beat) And how could she possibly know if I did…? 

NARRATOR: With every mile, his curiosity grew… as did his temptation. And as he was passing by a thick green forest, an idea rushed into his head.

MAN: How about if I pop into this forest and take a quick look in the bag? I’ll keep everything inside. I won’t mess with anything. And the woman will be none the wiser!

NARRATOR: The man veered off the road and headed into the woods. He followed a long winding path through tightly-packed trees and thick brambles. He stopped when he came to a trickling stream.

MAN: Well? This is as good a place as any to peek inside. Here goes!

NARRATOR: With trembling fingers, he untied the green ribbon and yanked the bag open. But when he peered inside…

MAN: (GASP)

NARRATOR: …he recoiled in disgust.

MAN: Yuck! This entire thing is filled with… with… with BUGS!!!

NARRATOR: It was true. Ants and aphids… beetles and bees… spiders and slugs… wasps and worms… they were all scuttling and wriggling around inside the bag. And the moment they sensed fresh air, do you know what they did?

They came scuttling and wriggling out, before zipping, scuttering and flying around the forest!

MAN: This is revolting! I’ve never seen so many creepy-crawlies in my life!

WOMAN: And you weren’t SUPPOSED to see them! Because you were supposed to keep the bag CLOSED!

NARRATOR: The man whirled around, and there was the woman, her emerald-green eyes blazing.

WOMAN: You promised you would do as I ask! And toss the bag into the sea without opening it! And now look what you’ve done! (beat) Gather up the insects and put them back! NOW!

NARRATOR: The man took the empty bag and went racing around, trying to capture the bugs. Some were wriggling on the ground, others were zipping through the air, still others were scuttering onto tree trunks and disappearing into the bark!

MAN: (as he races around) Trust me, ma’am! I am trying to do as you say! But there are thousands of these things! Millions even! A man like me could never gather all of them!

WOMAN: You know what? You’re right! A man like you couldn’t gather all of them. (mysterious) …So let’s fix that, shall we?

NARRATOR: The woman threw back her head and waved her arms. And as the man went zigging and zagging around the forest, trying to get the bugs back into the bag, do you know what happened?

He began… to change!

The hair on his head and body… turned into feathers!

His nose…. became a sharp beak!

His arms changed into wings… and his shrinking legs sprouted sharp-clawed, backward-pointing toes.

For this was the “unimaginable fate” the woman warned about. Right there, in that forest, the man had transformed into the very first WOODPECKER!

He winged his way through the trees, pausing to bang his chisel-like beak against their trunks, in hopes of catching the insects behind the bark.

And guess what? He’s still trying to catch them today!

If you visit certain forests, you might hear him… pecking and pecking… as he strives to fill up the big green bag, and throw away his cares and worries, forever.