The Beech-Wood Box | Ep. 317

Think about a time you did something new.

Did you learn a new skill? Visit a new place? Maybe you made something new?

In today’s story, a king challenges his people to do something very new – and it’ll take a whole lot of magic to make it happen!

Our story is called “The Beech-Wood Box.” We found versions of this tale from Poland and Hungary, where they’ve been shared among the Roma: the largest ethnic minority in Europe.

Voices in this episode include: Amy Brentano, Kiran Kumar, Jefferson A. Russell, Igor Shimelonis, Dawn Ursula, Krassimira Belev, and Christian Hebel.

Krassimira Belev wrote, produced, and starred in the award-winning feature film, “The Therapy.” She co-founded the FFC Global Short Film Fund, providing funding and mentorship to women and non-binary filmmakers. Her upcoming films include  “Hawaii,” “It Goes on All Fours,” and “A Reel Dilemma.”

Violinist Christian Hebel has lent his talents to the big screen, small screen, and stages around the world. When he’s not touring with pop and rock legends like Barbra Streisand, Sting, and Billy Joel, he’s soloing with top orchestras and recording Hollywood’s biggest film scores. He’s also played on several Circle Round episodes, including “The Magpie With Salt On Her Tail” and “The Sweetest Sounds.”

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

Do you play an instrument?

If so, we invite you to share it with us!

Grown-ups: make a quick video or audio recording of your Circle Round fan playing their instrument, then email it to circleround@wbur.org.

We look forward to hearing your music!

Musical Spotlight: Cimbalom

A cimbalom is a type of chordophone – a chordophone being any musical instrument that produces sound primarily through the vibration of strings stretched between two fixed points. Specifically, the cimbalom is a hammered dulcimer: a Babylonian-era ancestor of the piano.

The cimbalom consists of a large, trapezoidal box with metal strings stretched across its top. You play the cimbalom by striking two beaters against the strings. You’ll often hear the cimbalom in the music of the Roma: the people who originated the story you’re hearing this week!

Script:

NARRATOR (host Rebecca Sheir): Nadya the peddler journeyed from place to place, selling knick-knacks and trinkets by day and sleeping in her ragged, patched-up tent by night.

Nadya loved seeing new places, having new adventures, and meeting new people. While she was content with her life, she couldn’t help but feel like something was missing.

NADYA: A CHILD! (beat) With this itinerant existence of mine, I’ve never been able to settle down and have a bouncing baby of my own! (beat) But perhaps I will someday!

NARRATOR: One evening. Nadya was in a misty, moonlit forest, pitching her ragged, patched-up tent, when her stomach let loose a growl.

NADYA: Ohhhh! I was so busy peddling at that bazaar today, I didn't eat a morsel – and my belly is emptier than a corn husk in winter! I’ll go find something to eat in the woods.

NARRATOR: As Nadya wove her way through the forest, she spotted a nest where a songbird was feeding her hatchlings some worms. She glimpsed a deer and her fawn nibbling a shrub. She spied a mother squirrel carrying tree nuts to her pups.

NADYA: Awww! Look at all those good mothers, keeping their babies healthy and fed! What lucky ducks they are to have such beautiful children! …Or lucky birds, deer, and squirrels, I guess!

NARRATOR: While Nadya didn’t care for worms or shrubs, roasted nuts sounded like a decent snack. But the moment she started plucking beech nuts off a beech tree…

MATUJA: Hello there!

NARRATOR: Nadya stopped and cast her head about.

NADYA: Who said that??? Where are you?

NARRATOR: When her gaze returned to the tree, Nadya got her answer. For peering out from a hollow in the smooth, gray trunk… was a woman, with long silvery hair and a dazzling smile.

MATUJA: I hope I didn’t startle you, Nadya!

NADYA: Startle me? You scared the living daylights out of me! (beat) And who are you? How do you know my name? And what are you doing inside this tree?

MATUJA: I am Matuja, spirit of the beech tree. I know your name because I’ve been watching you, Nadya. I have heard you voice your deepest wish. So I am here to grant it.

NARRATOR: Nadya’s heart did a back-flip.

NADYA: You mean, my wish of having a child? You can make it come true?

MATUJA: I can! But I’ll need your help, so listen carefully. Tomorrow, you must find a pumpkin as big and round as a full moon! Scoop out the seeds and pour it full of milk. Drink the milk down… and I promise: in due time you shall have your child.

NADYA: I shall have my own child???? Thank you, Matuja*! I promise: I shall do everything you say!

NARRATOR: Nadya grinned and turned to go. Matuja stopped her.

MATUJA: And one more thing, Nadya! When your child has grown… and it’s time for them to make their way in the world… you must give them THIS.

NARRATOR: Matuja reached out and handed Nadya a wooden box. It was about the size of a shoe box, but flatter.

MATUJA: This box is carved from the wood of this beech tree. Your child must bring it on their travels. It will be of use to them. It will ensure they are every bit as happy as they deserve to be.

NARRATOR: And with that, she flashed another dazzling smile…

[SOT: magic sound]

NARRATOR: …and vanished.

Nadya hardly slept a wink that night. Come day break, she rushed to the bazaar and sold just enough knick-knacks and trinkets to buy a big, round pumpkin and a fresh bottle of milk. She scooped out the pumpkin’s seeds, poured in the milk, then drank it down.

And approximately nine months later…

[SOT: baby cry]

NARRATOR: …she gave birth to a bright-eyed baby boy. When she took him into her arms, his cries gave way to contented coos.

[SOT: happy baby coos]

NADYA: Hello, my precious one! Look how happy you are with that gummy, toothless grin! [SOT: happy baby cooing] I shall name you Happy! So that you’ll be joyful and content all the rest of your days.

NARRATOR: Nadya worked hard to make Happy’s life every bit as joyful as his name. And even though mother and son faced plenty of hard times, Happy kept on smiling.

The years went by, and before Nadya knew it, it was time for her son to make his way in the world.

NADYA: (sounding 18ish years older) Happy. Raising you has been a dream come true! Now that you’re grown, and starting your own life, I must give you this.

NARRATOR: She held out the beech-wood box. Happy marveled at its dense, strong, pale-cream surface.

HAPPY: This box is beautiful! Thank you, Mother!

NADYA: You’re very welcome. I have it on good authority that this box will be of use to you, Happy. So keep it safe, and may fortune smile upon you wherever you go!

NARRATOR: Happy tucked the beech-wood box into his satchel. Then he grabbed a walking stick and set out into the world. He had just wandered into a new kingdom when he overheard some villagers chatting in the town square.

VILLAGER 1: Can you believe the king’s latest challenge?

VILLAGER 2: The king is issuing another challenge??? Last I heard, he was offering ten chests of gold to anyone who could read his mind! But nobody managed to do it!

VILLAGER 3: And before THAT, he offered ten chests of gold to anyone who could kidnap a dragon! And nobody could do that either!

VILLAGER 4: But you know how eccentric the king is! When His Royal Majesty isn’t issuing another odd challenge, he’s making another odd rule!

VILLAGER 2: Right! Like how every evening, from five o’clock to six o'clock, everyone in the kingdom must fall silent! So he can listen to the sound of the wind!

VILLAGER 3: He calls it “The Listening Hour.” And woe unto anyone who disrespects The Listening Hour!

VILLAGER 4: MAJOR woe!

VILLAGER 1: Well… speaking of silence… and sound… that’s what the king’s latest challenge is all about! He’s offering ten chests of gold to anyone who can produce a sound he has never heard before.

VILLAGER 2: A sound he has never heard before?

VILLAGER 3: The king has journeyed to every country on earth!

VILLAGER 4: What sound could possibly be new to him?

VILLAGER 1: I don’t know! But whoever figures it out is going to be a very rich person! A very rich person indeed!

NARRATOR: Happy slowed his step. He thought about the king’s challenge. Then he thought about Nadya.

HAPPY: She worked so hard to raise me and care for me all those years. If I could give her ten chests of gold, she would never have to work again! She would be set for life!

NARRATOR: Happy meandered through the village, musing about what new sound he might bring the king.

HAPPY: What if I bring him the call of an exotic animal?! Of course, that means I have to find an exotic animal. (beat) So maybe the sound of an undiscovered language?? But if it’s undiscovered, then there’s no way I could – (gets interrupted)

GUARD: (stage-whisper) HOLD YOUR TONGUE!

NARRATOR: Happy swung round, and there – wearing a striped uniform and an angry expression – was a member of the king’s guard.

HAPPY: I’m sorry. What did you say? And why are you whispering?

GUARD: (stage-whisper) I said, HOLD YOUR TONGUE! It’s five o’clock! …The Listening Hour!

NARRATOR: Happy was perplexed. But then he remembered what the villagers said about the king.

[SOT: the following lines are reverbed, to denote flashback]

VILLAGER 2: Every day, from five o’clock to six o'clock, everyone in the kingdom must fall silent! So he can listen to the sound of the wind!

VILLAGER 3: He calls it “The Listening Hour.” And woe unto anyone who disrespects The Listening Hour!

NARRATOR: A chill raced down Happy’s spine. Clearly, HE had “disrespected The Listening Hour.” He fixed the guard with pleading eyes.

HAPPY: (full voice) Please, sir! I’m new to this kingdom and I just learned about this whole Listening Hour thing a little while ago and – (gets interrupted mid-sentence)

GUARD: (stage-whisper) SILENCE!

NARRATOR: The guard extended an arm and grabbed Happy by the scruff of his coat.

GUARD:  (stage-whisper) Newcomer or not, you have defied the king’s sacred Listening Hour! And now… YOU MUST PAY!!!

[theme music in]

NARRATOR: What will happen to our hapless hero, Happy?

We’ll find out, after a quick break.

[theme music out]

[BREAK]

[theme music in]

NARRATOR: Welcome back to Circle Round. I’m Rebecca Sheir. Today our story is called “The Beech-Wood Box.”

[theme music out]

NARRATOR: Before the break – with little more than a walking stick and a beech-wood box gifted by his mother – Happy was seeking his fortune in the world. He soon learned of a quirky king who would reward ten chests of gold to anyone who could present him with a brand new sound.

Before Happy could brainstorm a solution, he accidentally violated the king’s notorious “Listening Hour”... and was thrown into the palace dungeon!

[SOT: dungeon door clanks shut]

HAPPY: Ohhh! I hope I’m not stuck in this dungeon forever! It’s so dark! And so cold! There’s not a flicker of light or warmth anywhere!

MATUJA: (mysterious) Are you SURE about that???

NARRATOR: The chilly darkness gave way to a warm, glowing light. And who should Happy spy in front of him… with long silvery hair and a dazzling smile… but the tree spirit, Matuja!

MATUJA: (mysterious) Greetings, Happy! Though I wish we were meeting under “happier” circumstances!

NARRATOR: Happy’s jaw dropped.

HAPPY: Who are you? How do you know my name? And what are you doing inside this dungeon?

MATUJA: You know, your mother asked me some very similar questions some time ago.

HAPPY: You know my mother?

MATUJA: I do! I made Nadya’s acquaintance before you were born. I am Matuja: spirit of the beech tree.

HAPPY: Spirit of the what????!??

MATUJA: The beech tree! Smooth, gray bark? Produces nuts? Has dense, strong, pale-cream wood? (mysterious) Like the wood in the box your mother gave you…?

NARRATOR: Happy’s eyes went as wide as pumpkin pies.

HAPPY: The box my mother gave me?!?? How do you know about that?

MATUJA: Because I gave it to HER! Before you were born. And thanks to that box, you will NOT (quoting HAPPY from earlier) ‘be stuck in this dungeon forever.’

HAPPY: I won’t?

MATUJA: Happy, you deserve a life every bit as joyful as your name. And your beech-wood box will make it so! Do you have it with you?

HAPPY: Of course! I carry it with me always!

MATUJA: Good! (beat) May I see it?

NARRATOR: Happy placed the box in Matuja’s hands. She lifted it to her face. She held it under her eyes. And then… she cried!

MATUJA: (ad-lib crying)

NARRATOR: Once the box was dripping with glistening tears, she held it to her lips… and laughed!

MATUJA: (ad-lib cheerful laughter)

NARRATOR: Happy’s brow wrinkled in confusion.

HAPPY: Ummm, Matuja? What’s going on?

MUTUJA: That remains to be seen! …AND heard. (beat) Might you have a stick?

HAPPY: I have my walking stick! Here!

NARRATOR: He handed Matuja the stick. She promptly snapped it in half.

HAPPY: What did you do that for?!

MATUJA: Watch. (beat) I shall attach one piece of the stick to the box… to make a neck.

HAPPY: A neck…

MATUJA: And then… I will string the box's neck… with THESE!

NARRATOR: Matuja plucked out several strands of her long, silvery hair. She ran the hairs down the neck, across the box, and fastened them tight.

She then picked up the other half of the stick. After plucking out more strands of hair, she strung them across it, from the top of the stick to the bottom.

MATUJA: Happy, this… is a bow.

HAPPY: A bow…

MATUJA: That’s right! I want you to rest the box on your shoulder and hold its neck with one hand. With your other hand, you must hold on to the bow. Rub the bow’s strings against the neck’s strings and watch – and HEAR – what happens!

NARRATOR: She gave Happy the box and bow. Then she flashed one of her dazzling smiles…and was gone.

The dungeon went dark. Happy let out a shiver. Then he did as the tree spirit requested. He rested his new contraption under his chin, and put bow… to box.

[SOT: violin]

NARRATOR: The strings began to vibrate… and suddenly the air was filled with a warm, rich, resonant  sound. At first, it was slow and sad.

[SOT: violin]

NARRATOR: Then it grew lively and gay – SO lively and gay it was like the dungeon was flooded with light!

[SOT: violin]

NARRATOR: And as it happens… it actually was! The door at the top of the steps had flown open, letting in a glow of sunshine from the outside world.

And who should come bounding down the steps… with an astonished look on his face… but the king!

KING: What in the world are you doing???

[SOT: violin out]

NARRATOR: Happy dropped his bow. He gaped at the king, unsure of what to say.

HAPPY: I, um, I…

KING: No need to speak, man! Go back to what you were doing! Go back to making that magnificent sound with that wondrous box!

NARRATOR: Happy let out a long exhale. “Magnificent sound”? “Wondrous box”? Here he was thinking he had displeased the king, when it was actually the opposite!

Beaming with delight – and relief – Happy tucked the box under his chin… held up the bow… and began to play.

[SOT: violin in]

NARRATOR: The king sat perfectly still, his eyes glued on Happy’s beech-wood box. When the sound turned slow and mournful, he shed tear after tear.

KING: (ad-lib crying)

[SOT: violin shift]

NARRATOR: And when the sound turned bright and joyful, he let out laugh after laugh!

KING: (ad-lib laughing)

NARRATOR: The king was amazed – and impressed. Because somehow, this young man had done it! He had made a brand new sound the king had never heard before! And when Happy received his reward, he was more than happy to give it to his hardworking mother.

[SOT: violin]

NARRATOR: Word of Happy’s beech-wood box spread throughout the land. People were so enthralled that they began to make and play their own!

And before long… countless multitudes were practicing on the musical instrument we now call the violin.  

Maybe you are, too!

Because all these years later, the violin hasn't lost its power. To this day, it’s revered and celebrated around the world for expressing a world of emotion.