The Rightful Heir | Ep. 246

Imagine that your friend has a yummy treat. A chocolate bar, perhaps… a bowl of popcorn… maybe a juicy orange.

Now imagine that they offer to share some with you.

What do you think would be the fairest way for them to split their treat? Well, they could ask you to split it, then choose the portion you want. They could divide it in half, so you each get an equal portion. Or, they could be tricky and split it into unequal portions… then give you the smaller one!

So, what’s the best way to ensure we all get our fair share? We’re about to meet a king who uses his fair share of intelligence to figure it out!

Our story is called "The Rightful Heir.” We found versions of this tale from Jewish and Japanese lore.

Voices in this episode include Joe Hernandez and our special guest, Oliver Stark. You grown-ups may know Oliver from his series regular role as Ryder in “Into the Badlands” on AMC. Oliver currently stars as Evan 'Buck' Buckley in ABC's First Responder drama “9-1-1.”

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!

Think about the last time you shared with someone. How did you feel about sharing? Was it easy? Was it more challenging?

Whether we’re sharing something we can touch and hold, like toys or food — or something more intangible, like feelings or time — sharing can be tricky. But if we keep practicing it, it can lead to all sorts of great things, like cooperation, teamwork, and a stronger connection with those we love.

Musical Spotlight: Chalumeau

The chalumeau is a woodwind instrument with a single reed. In fact, its name comes from a French transformation of the Greek word for “reed.”

Experts believe the chalumeau is the predecessor to the modern-day clarinet. Although shaped like a clarinet, the chalumeau has eight open finger holes instead of keys. Its sound is also warmer and softer than that of its successor.

While the chalumeau was most prevalent in the early part of the Baroque era, single reed instruments with a cylindrical bore date as far back as the 12th century, and variations on the chalumeau have been found in many Arabic and European cultures throughout history.

Story Transcript:

NARRATOR: There once lived a king who ruled his people with a strong hand and a sensible head. Of all the king’s duties, the one he enjoyed most was holding court as judge. When the people of the land found themselves embroiled in a seemingly unsolvable argument, the king would invite them to the palace, so he could hear their case.

One day, the king was told he’d be hearing a case between two brothers. The moment the brothers entered the throne room, the king was struck by how similar they looked. Same face, same hair; they even had the same walk!

The only difference between the two appeared to be their attire. One brother was dressed in green, the other in blue.

KING: Good day, gentlemen! Given how much you two look alike… and walk alike… am I to understand you are identical twins?

NARRATOR: The twins smiled.

KEN: / KAI: (in unison) Yes, Your Majesty!

KING: Goodness! You even talk alike! (beat) And have you come here with a case against someone else? Or against each other?

NARRATOR: The twins frowned.

KEN: / KAI: (in unison) Against EACH OTHER, Your Majesty!

KING: I see… (beat) Well, as the highest judge in the land, I shall help you settle your dispute. But first I need to know what the problem is. Please state your case, in full detail – but one at a time, please! (beat) How about we start with you?

NARRATOR: The king nodded toward the twin in green, who stepped forward with a bow.

KEN: Your Majesty. My name is Ken. My twin brother Kai and I were raised by our mother. She was a wealthy landowner in the country, and this month she passed away.

KING: I’m sorry for your loss.

KEN: Thank you. The trouble is: when Mother died, she didn’t leave behind a will!

KAI: (interrupting) A legal document officially stating her last wishes about what to do with her money and land!

NARRATOR: Ken glared at his interrupting twin.

KEN: (annoyed) I think the king knows what a “will” is, Kai!

KAI: He told us to state our case “in full detail,” Ken! So I was just adding a “full detail”!

KEN: I think you were just BUTTING IN!

KAI: I most certainly was NOT butting – (gets interrupted)

KING: Gentlemen! Please. (beat) So… Your mother didn’t leave a will. You in the blue – which one are you again?

KAI: Kai, Your Majesty.

KING: Kai. How about you take it from here!

KAI: Gladly! (beat) According to the law of this land, when a parent dies the eldest child automatically becomes the heir.

KEN: The one who inherits everything!

KAI: (sigh) The king knows what an “heir” is, Ken!

KEN: (getting him back) I was just adding a “full detail,” Kai!

KING: (warning) Gentlemen!

KAI: The problem is, Ken and I aren’t sure which one of us is the “eldest”! Our birth records were destroyed in a fire long ago, and we were never told which one of us was born first!

KEN: Not only that, but the nurse who attended our birth was very old, and passed away when we were kids.

KING: Soooo… you don't know which twin is the rightful heir…?

KAI: Exactly, Your Majesty!

KING: And you wish for me to figure it out…?

KEN: That is correct, Your Majesty!

KING: I see…

NARRATOR: The king stroked his chin.

KING: Well… one simple way to tell who might be the eldest… is height. (beat) Guards?

NARRATOR: The king turned to a team of barrel-chested men standing by the door.

KING: I want one of you to go to the tailors’ chambers and fetch me a measuring tape.

NARRATOR: One of the guards turned on his heel and rushed out of the room. Within minutes he was back, with a long, coiled measuring tape in his hands.

KING: Thank you! Now. One at a time, I want you to measure the twins’ height. If one of them is taller, perhaps HE is the eldest.

NARRATOR: The guard did as instructed. He unrolled the measuring tape and measured both Ken and Kai.

But guess what?

Their heights were exactly the same!

KING: Hmmmm… We’ll have to try something else. (beat) Like weight! (beat) Guards!

NARRATOR: The king turned back to the burly men.

KING: Please go to the kitchen and bring me the butcher’s scale: the one he uses for weighing his great cuts of meat.

NARRATOR: Two of the guards left the room and went hurrying down the hall. When they came back, they were holding between them a large, heavy scale.

KING: Perfect! One at a time, I want you to weigh the twins. If one of them is heavier, perhaps HE is the eldest!

NARRATOR: The guards did as they were told. They used the scale to weigh Kai and Ken.

But… as you may have guessed… the twins’ weights were exactly the same, too!

The king leaned back in his throne and gazed at the ceiling. Clearly, physical characteristics weren't going to help. So if he couldn’t rely on outward traits that you could see, perhaps he could rely on inner traits that you couldn’t see!

He sat up and fixed his gaze on the twins.

KING: Ken. Kai. We shall adjourn this court for today, while I do some further investigating. I invite you to spend the night at my palace, and we'll reconvene in the morning. (beat) Guards? Show the twins to their rooms!

NARRATOR: After the guards led the twins away, the king called for his royal messengers.

KING: Messengers. I want you to go to the twins’ town and interview their neighbors. Ask them detailed questions about each of the twins’ characters – their personalities! Is one twin known for being kind and loving? Does the other tend to be more prickly and selfish? Find out everything you can, then report back to me by day’s end.

NARRATOR: So the messengers mounted their horses and galloped off to the twins’ town, where they questioned every single one of Kai and Ken’s neighbors. Then they returned to the palace and told the king everything they’d learned.

KING: Alright… so based on what you're telling me… one of the twins had always been a very dutiful son, while the other had been a scoundrel. The only PROBLEM is, since the twins are identical, the neighbors could never tell which one was which!

NARRATOR: The king furrowed his brow.

KING: Goodness. This puzzle is quite an enigma. (beat) But not to worry. We have gained one piece of very valuable information: one twin has always been a good egg, while the other has been more of a bad seed. I’ll see to it that the good twin inherits his mother’s property!

NARRATOR: The following morning, after a luxurious night’s sleep in two feather beds as soft as a cloud, the twins found themselves back in the throne room, standing before the king.

KING: Good morning, gentlemen!

KEN: / KAI: Good morning, Your Majesty!

KING: I’d like to begin today’s proceedings with a question. During your mother’s final days on this earth, which one of you took care of her?

KEN: / KAI: I did, Your Majesty! (beat) (trying to beat the other) No, I did! (beat) (trying to beat the other) No, I did!

KING: Alright, alright! Settle down. (beat) Gentlemen, I believe one of you is lying. So I shall ask you one at a time.

NARRATOR: The king turned to the twin in green.

KING: Kai.

KEN: (correcting) It’s Ken, sire.

KING: Sorry. Ken. Did you take care of your mother during her final days?

KEN: I DID, Your Majesty!

NARRATOR: Now the king turned to the twin in blue.

KING: And YOU. Ken.

KAI: (correcting) It’s Kai, sire.

KING: Right. Sorry. Kai. Did YOU take care of your mother during her final days?

KAI: I DID, Your Majesty!

NARRATOR: The king paused, and gave the twins a long look.

KING: Okay you two. I am giving you an assignment. I want you to leave the palace, then return this afternoon with the following things. (carefully, clearly) First: a gold coin. Second: a wood plank. Third: a pot of dirt. And fourth: a drawing of a person. (beat) Bring me these four things, and I assure you: we will solve this case. (dramatic) On the DOUBLE!

NARRATOR: What do you think the king is planning?

What would you do if you were the king?

We’ll find out what happens, after a quick break.

[BREAK]

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

Before the break, the king was trying to determine which of two identical twins was the rightful heir to their mother’s money, house, and land.

According to law, the elder twin should automatically inherit the estate, but the twins, Ken and Kai, didn’t know which of them was born first!

The king tried measuring the twins, but their heights and weights were identical. So the king decided he would measure… their character. According to the twins’ neighbors, one of the brothers had a reputation for being caring and honest, while the other was known for being a scoundrel. The trouble is, the neighbors didn’t know which twin was which!

So the king sent Ken and Kai on a rather curious errand. Within a few hours, they returned to the palace, Ken dressed in green and Kai dressed in blue.

KEN: / KAI: We’re back, Your Majesty!

KEN: We’ve brought you the gold coin…

KAI: …the wood plank…

KEN: …the pot of dirt…

KAI: …and the drawing of a person! (beat) Though admittedly, it’s kind of scribbly. Ken and I aren’t the best artists.

KEN: Speak for yourself, Kai!

KING: (ignoring the bickering) Thank you, gentlemen. Now listen up, and listen well. (beat) Each of the items you brought represents something. The wood plank represents your mother’s house. The gold coin represents the money she left behind. The dirt symbolizes the land she owned. And the drawing of a person symbolizes the goodwill of your neighbors.

NARRATOR: The king rose to his feet.

KING: Since I believe it is impossible to know for sure which one of you is the elder twin, your mother’s belongings must be divided between you. And you both must have a fair share.

NARRATOR: The king reached into his robe and pulled out a sparkling silver coin.

KING: Gentlemen, I am going to flip this coin. Ken will be heads. Kai will be tails. Whoever wins the coin toss gets to divide your mother’s belongings.

NARRATOR: The king tossed the coin high into the air. It spun, flipped and dipped before finally landing on…

KING: …Tails!!

NARRATOR: It was very small, and very subtle, but out of the corner of the king’s eye, he suddenly saw a look of greed flash across Kai’s face.

KING: Very well! The toss has been won by Ken!

KAI: But I’m Kai!

KING: Right. Sorry. Kai. YOU have won the coin toss, therefore I want YOU to divide these articles fairly between you and your brother. 

NARRATOR: Kai set to work dividing the items. For himself, he kept the gold coin, the wood plank, and the pot of dirt. To his brother he gave the one remaining item: the picture of a person.

KING: Alright, Kai. I see you’ve kept the money, house, and land for yourself. You’ve given your brother the goodwill of your neighbors. Why is that?

KAI: It’s simple, Your Majesty! Ken has often claimed that the goodwill of his neighbors is more important than anything else. Haven’t you, Ken?

KEN: I guess I have, but –  (gets interrupted)

KAI: (interrupting) No buts! (sarcastic) It’s truly noble of you, twin brother. So based on this oh-so-noble belief of yours… when I take the house and the money and the land... and I leave YOU the goodwill of our neighbors… YOU are getting the best of the division! Don’t you agree?

NARRATOR: Ken was too shaken to say a word. The king, however, was not.

KING: That’s a clever move you just made, Kai. (beat) But not clever ENOUGH!

NARRATOR: He fixed Kai with a sharp look.

KING: I happened to learn from your neighbors that one of you was a most dutiful son, while the other was most selfish. And when I asked you to make the division just now, I had no way of knowing which son I had chosen. The dutiful son, who would divide the property fairly? Or the selfish son, who would take everything for himself? Therefore, I found a way to insure against any mistakes.

KAI: Like what, Your Majesty?

KING: Well… if you recall, Kai… I only told you to DIVIDE the property. I did not say you were to AWARD it. THAT duty falls to this court. And now, this court is ready to do its duty.

NARRATOR: The king pointed to the twin in green.

KING: Ken. I hereby award YOU the portion that KAI thought he was choosing for HIMSELF: the money, the house, and the land.

NARRATOR: Now the king pointed to the twin in blue.

KING: And Kai. To YOU I shall award the portion you thought you were choosing for your brother: the goodwill of your neighbors. Because based on what I’ve heard, it’s clear you need it far more than he does! Though now that I think of it, I believe it may have to be earned, not just awarded. (beat) This court… is adjourned!

NARRATOR: And thus it was that the twin brothers got the inheritances they deserved. And I’m happy to say that after a few years of working really hard at it, Kai eventually did earn the goodwill of his neighbors. But he also gained something else: the realization that of all the things his mother left behind, the most important was his very own brother… and that inheritance was priceless.