The Stone Horse | Ep. 300

An old Chinese proverb says: “If you work hard enough at it, you can grind even an iron rod down to a needle.”

In other words: no matter how difficult or daunting a task may seem, it’s amazing what we can achieve when we keep going and persevere.

As we’ll hear in today’s story, nearly anything is possible if you’re willing to put in the work… even the seemingly impossible!

Our tale is called “The Stone Horse.” It was inspired by tales from the East Asian country of China.

We recorded this episode before a live audience of excited kids and grown-ups at the PACE Center in Parker, CO. Joining host Rebecca Sheir on stage was a quartet  of Colorado-based actors: Jeffrey Donovan, Kenya Mahogany, Michael McNeill and Matt Zambrano. And playing live music on the ruan (learn more about this Chinese lute below) was Eric Shimelonis.

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

You can reflect on your friendships by making Friendship Hands! Here’s how.

Hang your Friendship Hands somewhere you’ll see them. Hopefully, you’ll keep the skills going on that left hand… and build on the ones on the right!

Musical Spotlight: Ruan

The Chinese plucked string instrument known as the ruan is a lute with a fretted neck, a circular body and four strings. While traditionally made of silk, ruan strings have been made of steel since the 20th century. The frets were created from ivory but are now more commonly made from metal mounted on wood.

The ruan dates back more than 1,800 years, when it was originally known as the pipa or qin-pipa. After the lute was introduced to China during the early 5th century, the instrument gradually developed into the higher-pitched present form you hear today (Eric Shimelonis has used the pipa in many Circle Round stories, most recently “The Lone Dragon.”). The old form of pipa with a straight neck and round body was renamed the ruan for Ruan Xian: a master player of the instrument.

You play the ruan by plucking the strings with a plectrum or pick; some players use long acrylic nails. Westerners sometimes refer to the ruan as the “moon guitar,” “Chinese guitar” or “Chinese mandolin.” Today, the ruan comes in five sizes and is  a fixture in Chinese opera and orchestras. You can also hear Eric playing the ruan – also live on-stage – in our episodes “The Peach of Life” and “Grime and Punishment.”

Script:

NARRATOR: The sculptor lived with his daughter, Ruby, in a quaint little town near the mountains.

The sculptor was well-known for carving stone statues of animals. Tortoises and tigers… frogs and fish… cats and cranes… dragons and dogs… the sculptor’s stone animals were always magnificent. Exquisite. Stunning and sublime.

Ruby loved lending a hand in her father’s workshop behind the house. Every day after school, she would hurry home to help him hammer…

RUBY: Here’s your hammer, Father!

SCULPTOR: Thank you, Ruby!

NARRATOR: … and chisel…

RUBY: Here’s your chisel, Father!

SCULPTOR: Much appreciated, Ruby!

NARRATOR: …and polish.

RUBY: Here’s your polishing cloth, Father!

SCULPTOR: What would I do without you, Ruby?

NARRATOR: One day, while Ruby was at school, the sculptor heard a knock at the door.

SCULPTOR: May I help you?

OFFICER: Yes you may! I’m the new town officer. I’ve been appointed to lay down the law around here. To write the rules. To run the show.

SCULPTOR: Welcome to town, Officer! What can I do for you?

OFFICER: Well… word has it that you make statues. And from what I’ve heard, the figures you carve are magnificent! Exquisite! Stunning and sublime! (beat) So I want to order a statue of something ESPECIALLY magnificent, exquisite, stunning and sublime!

SCULPTOR: Alright! And what would that be…?

OFFICER: (conceited, with a flourish) ME!!!!! 

SCULPTOR: With all due respect, Officer… My specialty is animals.

OFFICER: But people are animals! Are they not?

SCULPTOR: You know what I mean.

OFFICER: Fine! Fine. In that case, I want to order a statue of ME… riding a HORSE!

SCULPTOR: You… riding a horse…? I can do that.

OFFICER: Good! And make the body sleek and muscular! Powerful and strong!

SCULPTOR: The horse’s?

OFFICER: No! MINE! (beat) I’ll be back to pick it up in two weeks.

SCULPTOR: Two WEEKS???!??

NARRATOR: The sculptor felt his heart pound.

SCULPTOR: Officer! To finish a complex statue like this one, I’ll need at least two MONTHS!

OFFICER: I don’t care what you need! I need the statue to be finished in two WEEKS. Given my fancy new position as town officer, I’m throwing myself a welcome party – and I must show off my statue to my guests! (beat) So have it ready in two weeks – or I’ll have you thrown out of town!

NARRATOR: The sculptor could hardly believe his ears.

SCULPTOR: You would throw me out of town??? For not finishing a sculpture on time? Isn’t that a bit extreme?

OFFICER: Look, buddy. I told you. I lay down the law around here. I write the rules. I run the show.

SCULPTOR: Very well. I’ll have the statue of you, riding a horse, ready in two weeks.

OFFICER: Excellent! (beat) And one more thing? Make the HAIR long and flowing! Voluminous and full!

SCULPTOR: The horse’s?

OFFICER: No! MINE! (beat) (gruff, threatening) Good day.

NARRATOR: The officer stomped off and the sculptor buckled down. A few hours later, when school let out and Ruby breezed into the workshop, she found her father hunched over a notebook, sketching and scribbling away.

RUBY: Hello Father! I’m home!

NARRATOR: She planted a kiss on the sculptor’s cheek. He looked up with a dazed grin.

SCULPTOR: Oh! Ruby! Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes! And I do mean SORE. I’ve been staring at this notebook for hours!

RUBY: What are you working on?

NARRATOR: The sculptor heaved a sigh. Then he sat Ruby down and told her all about his latest order. Her blood grew hotter with every word.

RUBY: (angry) That new officer has no right to make such preposterous demands! (beat) But the last thing I want is for you to be sent away. So for the next two weeks, I will spend every waking hour that I’m not at school helping you. We will finish the officer’s statue together!

NARRATOR: The sculptor tracked down a sparkling white block of alabaster. And after two weeks of hammering, chiseling, and polishing faster and harder than ever, he and Ruby completed the statue of the officer riding a horse.

RUBY: Oh Father! Look at him! He’s magnificent! Exquisite! Stunning and sublime!

SCULPTOR: The officer?

RUBY: No! The horse! (beat) But speaking of the officer, he should be here any minute. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he swings by and sees his statue!

NARRATOR: Unfortunately, when the officer did swing by and see his statue…

OFFICER: I’ve come for my – (distressed, dismayed) Ohhhh!

NARRATOR: …the look on his face was not happy.

OFFICER: What is this garbage? I told you to make the body sleek and muscular! Powerful and strong! And I told you to make the hair long and flowing! Voluminous and full!

SCULPTOR: And I DID! See how the horse’s –? (gets cut off)

OFFICER: (interrupting) Not the HORSE’S! … MINE! (beat) Compared with that glorious steed, I look pathetic!

RUBY: I beg to differ, Officer! I think you look dignified! And noble! Thanks to my father’s genius, you look WAY MORE IMPRESSIVE than you ACTUALLY – oops.

NARRATOR: The officer fixed an angry eye on Ruby.

OFFICER: I’m sorry, but who are YOU?

RUBY: I’m Ruby. I live here. With my father, the sculptor.

OFFICER: Well, RUBY. You’re about to live on your own. Because your father – the so-called “sculptor” – is taking a trip! Far, far away!

RUBY: You mean you’re throwing him out of town?

SCULPTOR: But your statue was finished on time!

OFFICER: It may have been finished on time. But it wasn’t finished to my liking! So yes! I am throwing you out of town, buddy. (beat) There’s just one thing I need to do first.

NARRATOR: He snatched a hammer off the table. And before Ruby or her father could say or do a thing, the spiteful fellow hurled the hammer toward the statue...

OFFICER: (efforting) YAHHHH!

NARRATOR: …and knocked the stone rider to the floor, where it shattered into a thousand pieces. Miraculously, the stone horse stayed intact.

OFFICER: Much better! Now come along, buddy.

NARRATOR: The sculptor threw his daughter one last, sad look… then followed the officer out the door.

Ruby was miserable without her father. Every time she came home from school, she would listen for the tap of his hammer, or the clink of his chisel. But, of course, she heard nothing.

She tried to stay strong. Keep a stiff upper lip. But one day, as she stood in the abandoned workshop… looking around… it all became too much… and she began to cry.

RUBY: (ad-lib crying)

NARRATOR: She stumbled and staggered around the room, clutching her father’s desk, his sketches, his tools. When she came to the horse statue… its sparkling white body now covered with dust… she wrapped her arms around it, as if giving it a hug. The tears streaming down her face trickled all over the stone.

RUBY: (as she cries) Oh horse! Dear horse! My father is gone and he did nothing wrong! In fact, he did everything RIGHT! You were a masterpiece!

HORSE: Though I’m much MORE of a masterpiece now that that silly rider is gone. …Know what I’m sayin’?

NARRATOR: Ruby jumped up and stared at the horse. To her surprise, it stared back! Its alabaster eyes blinked open and shut, and its long stone tail flicked from side to side.

RUBY: (shocked) Ummm… Did you just - ? Are you actually - ?

HORSE: I gotta say, kiddo. You seem pretty weirded out. I’m assuming you didn’t expect me to spring to life after being touched by your tears?

RUBY: (in shock) Uhhh… No! I didn’t!

HORSE: I figured. (beat) But all that aside… it just so happens that I know how to bring your father back.

RUBY: (gasp!) You DO???

HORSE: Oh yeah! So get ready and get set, kiddo. (dramatic) Because you and I are going on a little ADVENTURE!

NARRATOR: What do you think will happen next? Will Ruby and the horse bring the sculptor home?

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

[BREAK]

NARRATOR: I’m Rebecca Sheir and welcome back to Circle Round, live at the PACE Center in Parker, Colorado! Today our story is called “The Stone Horse.”

Before the break, the new town officer ordered a statue of him riding a horse. But when he came to the sculptor’s workshop to pick it up, he was so dissatisfied that he smashed the rider to pieces… and threw the sculptor out of town!

The sculptor's daughter, Ruby, missed her father like mad. Overcome with grief, she threw her arms around the stone horse… and her tears brought the statue to life!

HORSE: Alright, kiddo. If you and I are going to rescue your father and bring him home, I need you to hop on my back!

NARRATOR: Ruby jumped on, and the horse took off running. It burst out the door and into the yard, and once it reached top speed, its four hooves lifted off the ground. And just like that, they were flying through the air!

RUBY: Ummmm… Is this a bad time to tell you I’m afraid of heights?

HORSE: Sorry, kiddo! Just close your eyes and hold on!

NARRATOR: Ruby and the horse soared over a rolling meadow… they skimmed over a deep blue lake. After crossing over the mountains, they came to a tiny village. The horse swooped downward. And there… sitting beside a stream, dressed in rags, with his face in his hands… was the sculptor.

RUBY: Father! We’ve come to rescue you!

NARRATOR: The sculptor looked up in amazement.

SCULPTOR: Ruby! It’s YOU! And you’ve come here… on our horse statue? Only now, it’s less statue, more horse!!!

HORSE: Yup! It’s true. Weird, I know. But true.

RUBY: Okay Father. Long story short: my tears made the horse come to life. And now we’ve come to bring you home! So hop on!

NARRATOR: The sculptor joined Ruby on the horse’s back and they lofted into the sky. They whizzed over the mountains, they zipped over the lake and meadow… before arriving safe and sound in their quaint little town.

Given how “little” the town was, it wasn’t long before the officer learned of the sculptor’s unexpected return. When he stormed to the sculptor’s house, and Ruby answered the door, he met her innocent gaze with an infuriated glower.

OFFICER: Ruby!!! Where is your father????

RUBY: He isn’t home, Officer. Nor is he living in banishment in a tiny village across the mountains. Much to your dismay, I’m sure.

OFFICER: Stop being cute, will you???? I had that hammer-and-chisel-wielding hack tossed out of town! Yet now he’s back! How is that possible?

NARRATOR: Ruby hesitated. She worried what the officer would do if she told him the truth. But then she worried what he would do if she didn’t. So she came clean and told him everything.

OFFICER: Hang on a minute! Are you telling me that the stone horse… came to life?

RUBY: Yes…

OFFICER: And it flew over the mountains to rescue your father?

RUBY: Yes…

NARRATOR: The officer paused. A flying stone horse? If he got his hands on this marvel, he could sell it, and live like a king! OR he could rent it out for flying horse rides! And charge a very pretty penny!

OFFICER: Ruby! Where is the stone horse now?

RUBY: Behind the house. In the backyard.

OFFICER: Bring it to me. Or I’ll throw your father out of town again! And he’ll never come back!

NARRATOR: Ruby slumped her shoulders and went back to fetch the horse. By the time she reached it, she was near tears.

HORSE: Hey there, kiddo! (beat) Oy. You don’t look so good.

RUBY: (near tears) That’s because I’m NOT so good. The officer has come to take you away. And we’d better do as he says, or he’ll throw my father out again! And he’ll never come back!

HORSE: I see.

NARRATOR: The horse lowered its head, as if deep in thought. When it lifted its gaze, its stone eyes were shining.

HORSE: Listen, kiddo. It sounds like we don’t have much of a choice here. But don’t worry. I can handle this. Send me away with the officer and I promise: he will never bother you, or your father, again.

RUBY: (near tears) But I don’t want you to go! I’m not ready to say goodbye!

HORSE: Either am I, kiddo! But I’ll never forget you. OR your father. Ever.

NARRATOR: Ruby patted the horse’s head, then led it out front to the officer.

OFFICER: Hello, my pretty pony!!!! I believe this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship! And a LUCRATIVE one too!

NARRATOR: The officer clambered on to the horse’s back. The horse gave Ruby one last look, then took off into the sky.

OFFICER: (as they fly) Woohoo! Thanks to you, horsey, I am going to make a fortune! But before we head back to my place, how about you take me on a ride I’ll never forget????

HORSE: (sly) A ride you’ll never forget…? As you wish!

NARRATOR: The officer expected the horse to pick up speed. But instead, it ground… to a halt. Its body grew still. Its legs went rigid. Its head froze in place… and its eyes stared blankly ahead.

OFFICER: Uhhh, what's going on, horsey???? Why did you stop moving????? (beat) (GASP!) (as if plummeting toward earth) Oh nooooooooo!!!!

NARRATOR: As you can probably guess, the horse had turned itself back into stone! And as its lifeless body plummeted toward the earth, the officer did, too! They tumbled and toppled, head over heels – and hooves – before splashing into the deep blue lake and sinking to the bottom.

Well, as you can imagine, the officer never bothered Ruby or her father again. He never bothered ANYONE in town again. After swimming his way out of the lake, he ran away as fast as his soaking-wet legs could carry him… and he hasn't been seen since.

As for the stone horse, well, it remained silent and still, far beneath the water. But it lived on in Ruby and her father’s hearts.

Years later, when the sculptor was old and grey, he breathed his last breath and peacefully left this world. Ruby felt just as alone as the day her dad was thrown out of town.

To soothe her aching heart, she went for a long walk. As she passed the shimmering blue lake…and recalled soaring over it during her father’s daring rescue… a sob caught in her throat, and she began…

RUBY: (ad-lib crying)

NARRATOR: …to cry.

She cried and cried. And when one of her tears trickled into the waters of the lake, do you know what happened?

HORSE: Hey there, kiddo!!!!

NARRATOR: Ruby glanced up… and there it was: her beloved stone steed, heroically rising to the surface!

HORSE: I've gotta say, kiddo – I’m feeling a bit stiff! And you look like you could use a pick-me-up! (beat) So! (playful, dramatic) …What do you say we go on a little ADVENTURE?