Summer Camp: The Long Crimson Thread

Summary

Circle Round – “Summer Camp: The Long Crimson Thread” (July 14, 2026)

Episode Overview

This episode of WBUR’s Circle Round, titled “The Long Crimson Thread,” adapts a classic Welsh folktale highlighting themes of inner strength, generosity, and using resourcefulness to help others in times of hardship. Host Rebecca Shear guides a sound-rich journey as Catrin, a young woman facing famine in her drought-stricken village, discovers the power of kindness through an unlikely encounter with a mysterious mouse.

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Key Discussion Points & Story Breakdown

1. Introduction: Summer Camp & The Tale’s Lesson

• Camp Setting: Counselor Erica Henningson welcomes “Circle Round summer campers.”
• Purpose: Introduces the story as one about inner strength and helping neighbors.

  “Here's a story about inner strength and about helping your neighbors.” — Erica Henningson (00:08)

2. Setting the Scene: Drought & Desperation

• Backdrop: Catrin and her father are starving in a drought-ridden Welsh village. Neighbors, crops, and animals all suffer from lack of food.
• Key Insight: Even small bodies can possess great intelligence and character—central theme from the Welsh proverb introduced by Rebecca Shear (00:38).

3. The Mouse Appears: Kindness Amid Hardship

• Catrin’s Dilemma: With their last potato, Catrin offers the food to her father, revealing her selflessness.
• The Mouse: A small, well-fed white mouse arrives, scaring her father but delighting Catrin.
• Key Exchange:

  "Oh, that's all right, Father. You can have it. I'm happy to give up my share." — Catrin (02:58)
  "That's my Catrin. Her heart's always full, even when her stomach is empty." — Catrin's Father (03:05)

• Memorable Moment: Catrin’s father’s phobia of mice injects humor and tenderness (04:00, 04:43).

4. A Gift in Return: The Grain of Wheat

• Despite the famine, Catrin shows compassion, giving the mouse a slice of their last potato (05:07).
• The next morning, the mouse returns, dropping golden grains of wheat on Catrin’s book (09:11), repeating this mysterious act several times.

5. The Crimson Thread: Following the Mouse

• Problem & Solution: Catrin, curious where the food comes from, ties a long piece of bright red thread around the mouse’s leg and follows its trail through gardens, walls, and a forest (10:50–12:22).
• Quote:

  "This may be a hare brained idea, but it's worth a shot." — Catrin (11:01)

6. Discovery: The Hidden Granary

• The crimson trail leads to a hidden mound in a burnt field. The mouse vanishes inside and emerges with more wheat (12:42).
• Catrin fetches her father. They dig beneath the mound and uncover a stone cellar filled with piles of fresh wheat—enough to feed the hungry village (14:24–15:16).
• Memorable Dialogue:

  "Are you telling me you learned about this place from a... from a..." — Catrin’s Father (15:36)
  "From a mouse?" — Catrin (15:42)
  "I told you not to say that word." — Catrin’s Father (15:45)

7. Resolution: Sharing the Harvest

• The villagers, led by Catrin and her father, distribute the wheat. The mysterious mouse becomes a local hero—respected and honored even by the formerly fearful (15:57 onwards).
• Theme Reinforced: Small acts of kindness can yield large, community-wide benefits.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Theme Introduction:

  “There's an old saying that goes a little body often harbors a great soul. In other words, even if we're physically small, we can possess big intelligence, character, and inner strength.”
  — Rebecca Shear (00:38)

• Father’s Mouse Phobia:

  "Please don't say that word. Just hearing that word makes me shiver all over. So, please, Catrin, can you take that... that thing outside while I go lie down?"
  — Catrin's Father (04:01)

• Resourcefulness:

  "This may be a hare brained idea, but it's worth a shot."
  — Catrin, tying the thread (11:01)

• Triumphant Discovery:

  "Well, I think we're about to save our village from starvation. So grab one of these shovels and dig."
  — Catrin (14:06)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:08 — Opening “camp” and theme introduction
• 00:38 — Proverb about inner strength, story set-up
• 02:51 — Father and Catrin discuss hunger; encounter with mouse
• 05:07 — Catrin chooses to feed the mouse
• 09:11 — First appearance of the wheat grains
• 10:50 — Catrin ties crimson thread to mouse, begins the chase
• 12:42 — Discovery of the earthen mound
• 14:24–15:16 — Excavating the mound; finding the granary
• 15:57 — The granary wheat helps save the village

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Episode Activity: Create Your Mouse Puppet!

• Craft Directions: Listeners are invited to make a mouse finger puppet, encouraging creativity and hands-on storytelling at home.
• Materials & Steps: Trace and cut a paper circle, form a cone for the body, add ears/tail/whiskers, and decorate the face.

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Episode Credits, Actor Highlights & Resources

• Featured Cast: Mark Pellegrino and Jessica Vann
• Music & Sound: Original compositions, featuring the Welsh crwth instrument
• Extension Content: Printable coloring pages, further activities, and club membership at wbur.org/CircleRound

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Notable Listener Voices (Fan Favorites)

In a final segment, kids from around the world share their own favorite Circle Round stories (22:10).

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Tone & Style

The episode is warm, accessible, and imbued with humor, encouragement, and gentle drama. It speaks directly to children but remains engaging for all ages (3–103), celebrating kindness, courage, and creativity through folktale tradition.

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In Summary:

“The Long Crimson Thread” is a heartwarming folktale adaptation demonstrating how humility, generosity, and resourcefulness—often found in unexpected people or places (and creatures!)—can lift up entire communities in times of need. Through imaginative storytelling and relatable heroes, Circle Round encourages listeners young and old to look for ways to help others, no matter how small they may feel.

Transcript

[Catrin]

Hey there, Circle Round summer campers. It's your counselor, Erica Henningson. Welcome back to camp, where we're playing songs, playing games, and most importantly, telling each other stories. Here's a story about inner strength and about helping your neighbors. It's called the Long Crimson Thread. Enjoy campers.

[WBUR Announcer]

Wbur podcasts boston.

[Rebecca Shear]

There's an old saying that goes a little body often harbors a great soul. In other words, even if we're physically small, we can possess big intelligence, character, and inner strength. In today's tale, this expression comes to life with help from a curious young woman, a devastating drought, and a tiny critter with a delicious secret. I'm Rebecca Shear, and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time. Today, our story is called the Long Crimson Thread. Versions of this tale come from the country of Wales in the United Kingdom. Some really great people came together to bring you our version of this tale, including Mark Pellegrino and Jessica Vann. Jessica Vann has starred in the feature films Soul Searching and A Hollywood Christmas. She's also starred in Rush Hour on cbs, the MTV comedy Awkward, and recently guest starred on Justified City Primeval on fx. Mark Pellegrino currently stars in American Rust on Amazon. Watch for Mark in Beverly Hills Cop. Axel Foley coming to Netflix on July 3rd. So circle around, everyone for the Long Crimson Thread. Catrin and her father lived in a cozy thatched roof cottage in a country. The town was surrounded by rolling pastures where the townspeople raised cattle and horses and grew fields of wheat and potatoes. One summer, the weather turned unusually hot and dry, and though the townspeople kept their eyes on the sky, desperately searching for just one rain cloud, all they could see was the endless sun, its bright, scorching rays baking their crops and turning their pastures to dust. As the summer wore on, everyone grew weaker and weaker with hunger, including Catrin and her father.

[Catrin's Father]

Catrin, our cupboards are so empty. There's nothing for breakfast but this one potato.

[Catrin]

Oh, that's all right, Father. You can have it. I'm happy to give up my share.

[Catrin's Father]

That's my Catrin. Her heart's always full, even when her stomach is empty. But no way. Daughter, you are a growing girl. You need your nourishment. So you eat this potato, and I'll.

[Rebecca Shear]

The potato dropped to the floor as Father leapt onto his chair.

[Catrin]

Father, what's wrong?

[Rebecca Shear]

Father didn't respond. He just swallowed hard, then thrust a quivering finger over Catrin's head. When she turned to see what he was pointing at, what should she spy crouched in the corner of the room, but a small, white, whiskery mouse.

[Catrin]

Oh, Father, it's so adorable.

[Listener Voices]

Adorable.

[Catrin's Father]

I have never told you this, Catrin, but ever since I was a boy, I've been terrified of

[Catrin]

mice.

[Catrin's Father]

Oh, please don't say that word. Just hearing that word makes me shiver all over. So, please, Catrin, can you take that. That thing outside while I go lie down? My heart's racing faster than a jackrabbit.

[Rebecca Shear]

His father staggered off to his bedroom. Catrin gazed at the mouse. Its eyes were bright and round, its nose pointed and twitching.

[Catrin]

Oh, listen, little fella. You heard what father said just now. I need to take you outside. But before I do, tell me something. Did you come into our house because you're hungry? I can't really tell if that's a yes or a no, but given this awful drought, I'll assume it's a yes. After all, it isn't just us villagers who are starving. The horses are so skinny you can ribs. And the cows haven't been able to give milk in weeks. So here.

[Rebecca Shear]

She picked up the potato and cut off a slice.

[Catrin]

Have a snack.

[Rebecca Shear]

Catrin assumed the critter would grab the food in its tiny claws and start nibbling away. But it didn't. It just kept staring at her with those bright, round eyes.

[Catrin]

So you're not hungry? But how is that possible? I mean, I'm so hungry I could eat my shoe. Yet your belly is round, your white fur is shiny, and you're.

[Catrin's Father]

Catherine. Have you gotten rid of that.

[Catrin]

That mouse?

[Catrin's Father]

I told you not to say that word.

[Catrin]

Sorry.

[Rebecca Shear]

Quickly, Catrin scooped the mouse into her hand and walked out the door. A wall of heat closed around her as she stepped into the blazing sun.

[Catrin]

Okay, listen, friend, I know it's like a zillion degrees out here, but you can't stay in my house. Father will have nightmares for weeks. You do understand, right? Good.

[Rebecca Shear]

Catran knelt down and set the mouse on the burnt grass. The furry creature fixed her with a long and meaningful gaze. Then it let out another squeak and went scuttling away. Catrin didn't expect to see her fuzzy friend again. Little did she know the well fed critter would make another appearance. One that would change everything. What do you think will happen next? We'll find out after a quick break.

[Ben Brock Johnson]

Hey, parents. It's Ben Brock Johnson from the WBUR Podcasts team. Circle round is supported by doordash. Doordash is for those parent moments when the plan falls apart. And as a parent of twins, I can relate. I have a lot on my plate. You know what I often don't have on my plate? Dinner. Or the groceries with which to make said dinner. Sometimes a swimsuit will go missing. Even though I thought we had like four of those groceries. Retail dinner supplies. Doordash can help with all of these things. When doordash brings the goods right to our door, dad gets a little more time for himself and a little more time for a good bedtime story. When life gets crazy, Doordash brings some order to it. Order now,

[WBUR Announcer]

100 years from now in a land far, far away. Hang on. It's not so far away at all, actually. Hey, Circle Round families. We're here to share a new listening experience from wbur, the Midnight Rebellion. It's a climate podcast adventure for kids 8 and up. Time traveling, problem solving, laughs in danger. It's hidden here. Follow the feed to listen. Oh, and bring your goggles and boots. That's the Midnight Rebellion in your feed or wherever you get podcasts.

[Rebecca Shear]

Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Shear. Today our story is called the Long Crimson Throw. Before the break, Catrin and her father were visited by a mouse. A rather well fed mouse. Which was interesting given that a drought was raging and everyone in town, people and animals included, had grown hungry and thin. The next morning, while Father went out searching for food, Catrin sat at the table reading her favorite book. Or at least trying to read her favorite book.

[Catrin]

Oh, I'm so hungry I can't focus. I keep reading the same sentence over and over and over and over.

[Rebecca Shear]

Catrin looked up. Standing on the table before her was the white mouse. Clutched in its claws was a yellow grain of wheat. The mouse tilted its head, then dropped the wheat on top of Catrin's open book.

[Catrin]

Aw, thank you, fella. But where did you get this wheat? The fields are so bone dry, no one's been able to grow a thing.

[Rebecca Shear]

The mouse stared at Catrin with its bright round eyes. Then it tipped its furry head to one side and scurried away. Fifteen minutes later, the mouse came back and dropped a second grain of wheat on Catrin's book.

[Catrin]

Thank you, fella.

[Rebecca Shear]

Then the mouse returned with a third grain, then a fourth, then a fifth. When the mouse returned again, bringing with it a sixth grain of wheat, Catrin lifted the creature into her hand.

[Catrin]

Listen, fella, I want to tell you how much I appreciate these fresh grains of wheat. As you know, the wheat in our fields shriveled up and died weeks ago. So can you tell me where you've been finding these grains? Right, of course. You can't. But you can show me where you've been finding them, right? I'm going to take that as a yes. But to be on the safe side, I need you to say so for just a moment.

[Rebecca Shear]

Catrin nestled the mouse in her pocket and found a spool of bright crimson thread. She snipped off a long length, then knotted one end around the mouse's leg.

[Catrin]

Okay, fella, this may be a hare brained idea, but it's worth a shot. Off you go now.

[Rebecca Shear]

Catrin placed the mouse on the floor. It stared at her for a moment before letting out a squeak and scampering toward the back door. Then it flattened its slender body, squeezed beneath the crack, and disappeared with the long crimson thread trailing behind, Catrin didn't miss a beat. She raced to the door, threw it open, and followed the mouse and thread as they sped across the backyard. The mouse moved much faster than Catrin did. Mice are zippy creatures, after all. But thanks to the bright red string, Catrin was able to trace the mouse's path.

[Catrin]

Okay, it's running through the backyard. It's moving across the garden. Oh, boy. Now it's going through a hole in the stone wall. Guess I better climb over.

[Rebecca Shear]

Summoning all of her strength, Catrin went clambering over the wall. When she reached the other side, she caught a glimpse of the long crimson thread moving into the forest.

[Catrin]

Boy, oh, boy. Boy, this is some wild goose chase. Or wild mouse chase. In any case, I'd better quicken my step.

[Rebecca Shear]

Catrin followed the thread through the woods. She crunched through leaves, hopped over tree roots, and jumped over fallen logs before emerging into a grassy field. The grass was burnt and brown, which didn't surprise Catrin at all. But what she saw in the middle of the field made her jaw drop.

[Catrin]

Whoa. It's a huge mound of earth. And the mouse just disappeared inside it. But wait. It's coming back. And look. It's got another grain of wheat in its claws. Oh, my goodness. I must get Father.

[Rebecca Shear]

Catrin spun on her heel and went hurrying back the way she came. She was so weak with hunger and so exhausted from running that her lungs felt like they might explode and her legs felt like they might fall off. But eventually, she reached her thatched roof cottage, where Father greeted her with a smile.

[Catrin's Father]

Catrin, there you are. I didn't find any food this morning, but I'm happy I found you. I was wondering where you'd gone.

[Catrin]

Oh, Father, I need you to fetch two shovels and come with me.

[Catrin's Father]

What?

[Catrin]

Oh, there's no time to explain. Just find two shovels and let's go.

[Rebecca Shear]

Father grabbed two shovels, then followed Catrin as she hurried through the backyard, across the garden, over the stone wall, through the forest, into the grassy field, and over to the great earthen mound.

[Catrin's Father]

Catherine, where are we? What are we doing here?

[Catrin]

Well, as for where we are, I actually have no idea. But as for what we're doing, well, I think we're about to save our village from starvation. So grab one of these shovels and dig.

[Rebecca Shear]

Father did as he was told, and he and Catrin set to work, plunging their shovels into the ground. The hole they dug got deeper and wider until their shovels struck something hard.

[Catrin's Father]

It looks like a door.

[Catrin]

A cellar door made of stone.

[Rebecca Shear]

Let's open it together. Catrin and Father took hold of the heavy door. When they heaved it open, they discovered it led to a crumbling stone stairway. Slowly, they crept down the uneven steps. At the bottom was a cool, dry room made of stone. It was a cellar. And what's more, it was filled floor to ceiling with great big piles of wheat.

[Catrin's Father]

And it's so fresh. It's so yellow. Catrin, how did you know about this place?

[Catrin]

A little friend told me. Or showed me, anyway.

[Listener Voices]

And look.

[Catrin]

There he is now.

[Listener Voices]

Eeek.

[Rebecca Shear]

As the white mouse came scampering down the steps, Father leaped into Catrin's arms.

[Catrin's Father]

Catrin, are you telling me you learned about this place from a. From a.

[Catrin]

From a mouse?

[Catrin's Father]

I told you not to say that word.

[Catrin]

Sorry, but yes. My new friend here helped me find this place. And now he'll help us save our village.

[Rebecca Shear]

Once word spread of the mysterious underground granary, everyone in town flocked to the grassy field. Using bags and bow buckets, wheelbarrows and carts, they scooped out as much grain as they could, then used it to make enough bread, cakes and biscuits to keep everyone well fed for months until they were able to replant their fields and grow more food for themselves. Nobody knew who had hidden all that wheat in the secret granary, but before long, they all knew who had found it. And from then on, the white mouse was all always welcome in everyone's house. Well, maybe not always welcome, but it was always respected and honored as the bold little creature who saved the town in a big way. Now it's your turn. You can make your own mouse friend by creating a mouse finger puppet. To start, use something round to trace a circle on a piece of paper. Ask a grown up to help you cut out a quarter of that circle. It should look like a slice of pizza or pie. Then apply glue along the edge and roll it up to make a cone. The cone will be the mouse's body, the pointy end is its nose. Use the rest of your paper to cut out circles or ovals to make ears. Then use paper, string or pipe cleaners to make the tail and whiskers. Glue everything in place, then color in the mouse's eyes and nose. Now put your mouse on your finger and voila, you have your very own puppet. This week's episode, the Long Crimson Thread, was adapted by me, Rebecca Shear. It was edited by Sophie Kodner. Our original music and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis. Our artist is Sabina Hahn. Sabina Sabina has created a black and white coloring page for all of our Circle Round stories and you can print them out and color them in Grown Ups. Visit our website WBUR.org CircleRound and click on coloring pages. Special thanks to this week's actors Mark Pellegrino and Jessica Van. Mark Pellegrino has starred in the TV shows Lost and Supernatural and currently appears in American Rust on Amazon. Watch for Mark in Beverly Hills College Axel Foley coming to Netflix on July 3rd. Jessica Vann has starred in the feature films Soul Searching and A Hollywood Christmas. She's also starred in Rush Hour on cbs, the MTV comedy Awkward, and recently guest starred on Justified City Primeval on fx. Our featured instrument this week was the crwth. You can learn more about this ancient stringed instrument with a long history in Wales and see a photo of Eric shyamalan as playing one on our website. Again, that's WBUR.org CircleRound and while you're at WBUR.org CircleRound you can nab our Circle Round swag, including backpacks, lunchboxes, and our series of Circle Round picture books autographed by me, Rebecca Shear. You can also become the newest member of the Circle Round Club. As a member, you can support the public radio podcast you love and get a bevy of perks including ad free episodes, bonus bedtime stories and first dibs on tickets to our live events. You'll also get exclusive access to the Circle Round Club store where you can get super special extras including our tote bag, our cuddly plush lion, and a personalized birthday message from me. Become a member [e-mail] CircleRound Grown Ups. If you enjoy Circle Round, please leave us a 5 star review on your favorite podcast app and tell your friends about the show. It'll help us keep circling around with you for years to come. Circle Round is a production of wbur, Boston's NPR News Station. I'm Rebecca Scheer. Thanks for circling Round with us. Now that you've made it to the end of this Circle Round episode, we want to know what's your favorite Circle Round story? Thousands of fans just like you have been telling us about the Circle Round stories they like best. Take a listen. Maybe one of their favorites is one of yours, too.

[Listener Voices]

Hi, my name is Ally. I'm from Los Angeles, California. My favorite story is the Nine Sticks. My name is Thomas. I live in London, Washington, D.C. and my favorite Circle Round story is the Liming Rhino. I like the part when all the food falls into a size. My name is Madeline and I'm from Phoenix, Arizona. And my favorite Silver Wine story is the Basilisk Stair. I like the part where the basilisk turns into stone. My name is Liam and I live in Colorado. My favorite episode is the Polka Dotted Pigeon. My favorite part is when the pigeon finds out the note that the princess sent him to deliver was actually just scribbled. My name is Sammy and I live in Shreveport, Louisiana. And my favorite Circle Round story is the Baby. And I like when she says Bird Duke Chris. My name is Robert. I live in Santa Fe, New Mexico. And my favorite Circle Round is the Hungry Hippo. And I like the part when he sprays his dung everywhere. Hi, my name is Nikki and I live in Chicago, Illinois. My favorite chocolate stories, Uncommon Camera. My favorite part is when he says I'll be happy to tell you to ask her for another hundred coins. My name is Cora, I'm from South Massachusetts. And my favorite Circle Mound story is the Forest Folk. I like the part when the forest folk take the cake. My name is Gwen. I'm from Salem, Massachusetts. My favorite Circle Mound story is the Rooster in the Sky. I like the part where Tatiana gets the golden Hammock.

[Rebecca Shear]

Did someone mention a story you've missed? Not to worry, grownups. You can find all of our Circle Round stories plus links to the Circle Round Club, picture books, coloring pages and oh so much more on our website, WBUR. Org CircleRound.