The Crystal Story Box | Ep. 250

Do you have a favorite story?

If so, what makes it your favorite? Does it have fascinating characters? A twisty-turny plot? Perhaps it tickles your funny bone or tugs at your heart.

We’re about to return to a time when the world didn’t have stories… until a sly little spider gave all of us a tale to tell!

Our story is called "The Crystal Story Box.” Versions of this legend originally come from the Ashanti people of Ghana in West Africa, and feature a trickster you’ve met in several other Circle Round stories, including “The Magic Bowl,” “The Perfect Partnership” and “Pulling Strings”: Anansi!

Voices in this episode include Ryan Dalusung, Shawn Richardz, Dawn Ursula and Bashir Salahuddin. Comedian, writer and actor Bashir Salahuddin co-created and co-stars in “South Side” on Max. He also appears as “Hondo” in the blockbuster film, “Top Gun: Maverick,” and as Anansi in the above-mentioned Circle Round episode, “Pulling Strings”!

This episode was adapted for Circle Round by Rebecca Sheir. It was edited by Sofie Kodner. 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!

Believe it or not, this story marks the grand finale of Circle Round’s seventh season! Now that we have 250 episodes under our belt, we want to know:

What’s your favorite Circle Round story? 

If you fast-forward to the end of this or any other Circle Round episode, you’ll hear a montage of listeners talking about their favorite Circle Round tales… and you can be one of them!

Grown-ups: grab a smartphone, open the Voice Memo app, hit record, and have your Circle round fan say their name, location, and favorite Circle Round story. When you’re done, email the sound file to circleround@wbur.org. We may feature your recording at the end of a future Circle Round episode!

Musical Spotlight: Talking Drum

When you play this hourglass-shaped drum from West Africa, you can change its pitch so that it sounds like – you guessed it – a person talking!

The talking drum’s two drumheads are connected by leather tension cords. You squeeze the cords between your arm and body to modulate the drum’s pitch. Experienced players can vary the pitch to mimic the sound, volume and rhythm of human speech.

Hourglass-shaped talking drums are some of the oldest instruments used by West African storytellers called griots. You’ll also find variations on talking drums in East Africa, Melanesia (a region in the southwest Pacific comprising the countries of Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea) and Southeast Asia.

Story Transcript:

NARRATOR: Long, long ago… back in the earliest of times… the earth contained mountains and valleys, rivers and oceans, animals and people.

One thing it did NOT contain… was stories.

You see, every single story – every tale… every yarn… every mystery, fable, and myth – was kept locked in a crystal box high above the clouds way up in the Sky Kingdom: the heavenly, celestial realm of Sky Goddess.

So, you may ask… if everyone on earth knew about Sky Goddess’s crystal box, why didn’t they venture up to the Sky Kingdom? And ask Sky Goddess to let the stories go free?

Well, maybe because they all knew what the answer would be.

SKY GODDESS: (outraged, mocking) “Let the stories go free”!???? I will NEVER let the stories go free! They’re far too precious for you earth-bound beings. The stories shall remain up here, in the Sky Kingdom! FOREVER!

NARRATOR: But then… along came Anansi the spider.

Anansi loved weaving webs – and not just sticky webs made from strong, stretchy silk. Anansi loved weaving webs… of deception! The shrewd, cunning fellow lived by his wits – and was so clever, so resourceful, he could trick almost anyone into doing almost anything.

ANANSI: …But can I trick a heavenly deity like Sky Goddess into giving up the box of stories? I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’m GOOD… but I’m not DIVINE. (beat) Still. There must be SOME way I can use my wits to free the stories from Sky Goddess’s clutches. There MUST!

NARRATOR: So Anansi spun a strong, sticky web all the way from the earth to the sky. After wiggling his way through the clouds, he found himself face to face… with Sky Goddess.

SKY GODDESS: Anansi! What brings you all the way up to my Sky Kingdom?

ANANSI: Well, Sky Goddess... I have journeyed here to humbly ask for something. (beat) I have come to ask… for the crystal box of stories.

NARRATOR: Sky Goddess felt a rush of outrage. How dare this itty-bitty arachnid march up here and make such a demand!

So, she decided she would teach him a lesson. 

SKY GODDESS: Listen, Anansi. I will give you the crystal box of stories.

ANANSI: You will???

SKY GODDESS: I WILL! But only if YOU give ME something first. How about we make… a TRADE?

NARRATOR: Anansi flashed Sky Goddess a grin.

ANANSI: Sure thing, Sky Goddess! I’ll give you whatever you want. You name it, it’s yours.

SKY GODDESS: Very well then. I want you to give me…

NARRATOR: A sneaky smile crossed Sky Goddess's face.

SKY GODDESS: (dramatic) …Python.

NARRATOR: Anansi’s mouth dropped open. His heart hammered so hard in his abdomen, he could feel it in his thorax.

ANANSI: (nervous) Ummmm… I’m sorry, Sky Goddess. Did I hear you right? Do you really want me to give you… Python??? As in, the super-massive snake who squeezes the life out of her victims before swallowing them whole?

SKY GODDESS: That’s the one! (beat) And if you really want that box of stories, Anansi, you must bring me what I ask. (beat) Now GET TO IT!

NARRATOR: As Anansi lowered himself back to earth, he wasn’t sure which was spinning faster: his thread or his mind!

ANANSI: Python?!? How can I possibly bring Sky Goddess PYTHON? I mean, it’s clear I’m no match for that mammoth reptile in physical strength… so I’ll have to use my MENTAL strength. But how?

NARRATOR: Anansi thought and thought. And by the time he was back on solid ground, he had come up with a plan.

ANANSI: A-ha!!!

NARRATOR: Running as fast as his eight legs could go, Anansi scuttled into the thick, tangled forest. He found a long tree branch and some twisty vines, then he dragged them to the river. He knew Python often came to the water’s edge for a drink. And indeed, there was the giant snake, coiled up on the bank, lapping at the water with her flickering tongue.

PYTHON: (ad-lib lapping up water in river)

NARRATOR: Anansi drew in a breath, then spoke out in an extra-loud voice.

ANANSI: Ya know… Now that I think of it… maybe my friends were RIGHT! Maybe Python ISN’T that LONG after all!

NARRATOR: Python ceased her drinking. She lifted her enormous, diamond-shaped head and flicked it in Anansi’s direction.

PYTHON: (annoyed, angry, suspicious) WHAT did you say, Anansi????

NARRATOR: Anansi shrugged.

ANANSI: I said… maybe you AREN’T that LONG after all! (beat) You see this tree branch here?

NARRATOR: He pointed to the long branch. Python rolled her slitted eyes.

PYTHON: Of course I see the tree branch! We snakes don’t have the best eyesight, but that branch is so long I couldn’t possibly miss it!

ANANSI: And that’s the thing! I was talking with some friends, and THEY said this tree branch is SO long, it MUST be longer than YOU!

PYTHON: Longer than ME???

NARRATOR: Just as Anansi had hoped, the mighty snake’s pride was wounded.

PYTHON: How dare your friends sling about such insults? Don’t they know that I am the greatest snake in the land??? If not the WORLD??? I’m so big I could swallow all of your friends whole! After squeezing the life out of them, of course.

NARRATOR: Anansi suppressed a shudder.

ANANSI: That’s exactly what I told them, Python! But they wouldn’t listen to me. (beat) Gosh. If only there was some way to prove my silly friends wrong!

NARRATOR: Python’s face lit up.

PYTHON: But there IS a way! Place that tree branch on the ground, and I shall lie down beside it. I will stretch my prodigious body as long as it will go, then you can witness how puny the branch is in comparison! And you can tell your foolish friends!

NARRATOR: Anansi’s heart skipped a beat.

ANANSI: What a terrific idea, Python! I don’t know how I didn’t think of it myself! I’ll lay the branch right here, and we’ll see how you measure up!

NARRATOR: Python grinned, revealing a set of needle-sharp teeth. Then she slithered over to the tree branch and unfurled her hefty body beside it.

PYTHON: Well, Anansi? Which is longer: the branch or me?

NARRATOR: Anansi frowned.

ANANSI: Actually… I’m not sure! Your head and tail keep curling up. So I can’t tell how long you TRULY are! (beat) I’ll tell you what.

NARRATOR: He reached for the vines he had taken from the forest.

ANANSI: I’ll use these vines to tie you to the branch. That way, your body will be perfectly straight!

NARRATOR: Anansi set to work weaving the vines over and over, around and around, until Python’s scaly body was perfectly straight… and perfectly stuck!

PYTHON: Well…? Am I longer than the branch or not? What have you learned?

ANANSI: ‘What have I learned’...???

NARRATOR: Anansi beamed.

ANANSI: I’ve learned that a tiny critter like me can outwit a colossal creature like you – if he plays his cards right!

NARRATOR: Quick as a wink, he spun a thick layer of thread around Python’s tied-up body, from the tip of her tail to the top of her head. Then he wove another web, caught a strong wind, and carried the gargantuan snake all the way up to the Sky Kingdom… where Sky Goddess was so stunned she could hardly speak.

SKY GODDESS: Anansi??! You…! You’re…! You’re back!

ANANSI: That I AM, Sky Goddess! And as you can see, I’ve brought you what you asked for. So now it’s time for YOU to give ME what I asked for! The crystal box of stories!

NARRATOR: Sky Goddess gave Anansi a long stare. This slight little spider was more clever than she thought! Clearly she’d have to try a different tack.

SKY GODDESS: (thinking fast) Well… The thing is… I’ve given the matter some more thought. And I now realize that my box of stories is so valuable, so precious, it should come at a far greater price than just one silly snake. (beat) No offense, Python!

PYTHON: (downtrodden) None taken.

SKY GODDESS: (beat) Therefore, Anansi… I need you to bring me something else. (beat) (dramatic as we go to the break on a cliffhanger) And look out, my web-slinging friend. Because THIS one may very well STING!

NARRATOR: What will Sky Goddess ask Anansi to deliver next?

We’ll find out, after a quick break.

[BREAK]

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

Before the break, Sky Goddess was hoarding all the world’s stories in a crystal box in her Sky Kingdom.

Anansi the spider spun a web to the clouds and demanded that Sky Goddess give the box to him, so that he could bring it to earth. But the crafty, possessive deity wasn’t about to give up her precious stories. So she offered Anansi a seemingly impossible trade: the stories… for Python.

Ever the trickster, Anansi used his wits to capture the proud, vain snake and bring her to Sky Goddess. So the astonished, annoyed deity gave Anansi another assignment.

SKY GODDESS: I need you to bring me… Hornet.

NARRATOR: A shiver coursed through Anansi’s body. He began trembling so hard all eight of his knees knocked together.

ANANSI: (nervous) Ummmm… Sky Goddess? Did I hear you right? Do you really want me to give you… Hornet? As in, the big angry wasp with a stinger so sharp, it’s like a red-hot poker that would render a spider like me motionless? Paralyze me completely?

SKY GODDESS: That’s the one! (beat) But if you really want that box of stories, you must bring me what I ask. (beat) Now get to it!

NARRATOR: Once more, Anansi’s thread AND brain were spinning as he lowered back down to earth.

ANANSI: Well, I can’t do what I did with Python and wrap Hornet in vines; that buzzing, blustering critter will slip right through… and then he’ll be so furious, he’ll sting me! But there must be some way I can use my wits to catch him. But HOW?

NARRATOR: Anansi pondered and pondered. And by the time his eight feet touched the ground, he knew exactly what he would do.

ANANSI: A-ha!!!

NARRATOR: Once again, he set off through the tangled forest, this time in search of the smooth, round gourd known as… a calabash. Once he found one, he set to work scooping out the flesh and seeds. Then he filled the hollowed-out calabash with water, and scurried to the top of the tree where Hornet kept his hive.

As Anansi peered down through the branches, he couldn’t see Hornet. But he could see his hive, and he could hear Hornet buzzing around inside of it.

Quickly, Anansi took some water from the calabash and sprinkled it all over his body. Then he turned the calabash over, and poured the rest of the water onto the hive below!

HORNET: (mad) Jeeperzzzz and gee whizzzzz!

NARRATOR: Just as Anansi expected, Hornet came zipping out. He was as wet as a sponge and as mad as a… well… as mad as a hornet.

HORNET: (angry) Izzzzz the sky falling???? Becauzzzzze my hive izzzzz oozzzzzzing with water!

ANANSI: (calling down) It was a sudden storm, Hornet! It got me too. Look at me! I’m drenched! (beat) And I hear there’s another storm on the way!

NARRATOR: Hornet darted up to Anansi.

HORNET: Izzzzz that true, Anansi? Izzzz another storm coming in? (beat) Tell me quick — before I paralyzzzzzzze you with my stinger!

NARRATOR: Anansi swallowed hard, then forced his face into a smile.

ANANSI: Well, Hornet – if another storm does come in, that hive of yours isn’t going to do you much good. So how about you fly inside my calabash here? It’s big and hollow and completely water-proof!

NARRATOR: Hornet didn’t hesitate. He shook the water off his body, then made a beeline – or “hornet” line? – for the calabash.

Once he was inside, Anansi grabbed some leaves, plugged the gourd’s mouth, then spun a sticky thread around it. Next, he wove another web, caught a gentle breeze, and carried the calabash all the way up to the Sky Kingdom.

When Sky Goddess saw the calabash, and heard Hornet buzzing around inside it, she was more shocked than ever!

SKY GODDESS: (so stunned she can’t finish a sentence) Anansi!! You…! You…!

ANANSI: (relishing finishing her sentence) …I brought you Hornet? I sure did!

SKY GODDESS: (so stunned she can’t finish a sentence) But you… you’re…!

ANANSI: (relishing finished her sentence) …I am “amazing”...? That’s awfully high praise – especially coming from you, Sky Goddess! But I’ll take it. I’ll also take what you promised you’d give me. The crystal box of stories! 

NARRATOR: Sky Goddess was at a loss for words. Twice now she had challenged Anansi, neither time expecting the little spider to come through.

And yet… thanks to his big brains… he had.

Defeated, humbled, and nothing short of impressed, Sky Goddess fetched the crystal box of stories and handed it over.

SKY GODDESS: Anansi. My stories are now yours, to do with as you please.

ANANSI: Thank you, Sky Goddess. I promise they’ll all live happily ever after. 

NARRATOR: Anansi flashed Sky Goddess a smile, then spun another web and dove back down toward earth. On the way, he took the crystal box… held it out… and flipped it over!

Just like that, all the stories that had been locked up for so long went tumbling out of the box and down to the world below.

Happy stories, sad stories, surprising stories with twists, mysterious stories with  turns… They all scattered everywhere!

And that’s why… to this day… you and I and everyone else in the world have access to an endless number of stories that can entertain us, inspire us, make us laugh and cry, think and dream.

And we owe it all to a sly little spider who didn’t let an eensy-weensy body get in the way of an enormous mind.