The Bugbear's Treasure
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Hello! Welcome to Stories Podcast. I'm your host, Amanda Weldon. Today's story is called The Bugbear's Treasure, an original story based on English folklore written for you by Daniel Hines.

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This episode of Stories Podcast is sponsored by Squarespace. Squarespace is the all-in-one website platform for entrepreneurs to stand out and succeed online. Whether you're just launching a new venture or managing a successful business, Squarespace makes it possible to create a beautiful website and engage with your audience. And Squarespace makes it so easy to sell anything from products to content to time, all in one place, all on your terms, without any cost.

with Squarespace Payments. Onboarding is fast and simple. Get started in just a few clicks and start receiving payments right away. It's even easy to invoice clients and create proposals, estimates, and contracts. Simplify your workflow and manage your business on one platform. Also, Squarespace has integrated SEO tools. Every Squarespace website is optimized to be indexed with meta descriptions, an auto-generated site map, and more.

so you show up more often to more people in global search engine results. Head to squarespace.com for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, squarespace.com slash dragon to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. That's squarespace.com slash dragon for 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

The Toyota Tundra and Tacoma are designed to outlast and outlive, combining raw power with precision engineering, all backed by Toyota's legendary reputation for reliability. Climb inside a Tundra and experience the uncompromising strength. With its available i-FORCE MAX engine, the Tundra delivers exceptional power, torque, and towing capacity. Plus, the spacious and high-tech cabin keeps you connected on the run. Or check out a Tacoma.

Agile, dependable, and unstoppable, the Tacoma's designed for those who go beyond the trails. Stay ahead of the pack with available off-road features like crawl control, or break out your tunes with the available portable JBL speaker. Toyota trucks are built to last, year after year, mile after mile.

So outlast every adventure and outlive the moment. Buy a Tundra or Tacoma today. Visit buyatoyota.com, Toyota's official website for deals, or stop by your local Toyota dealer to find out more. Toyota, let's go places. Thanks! Enjoy the episode! The Bugbear's Treasure

Once upon a time, in a wild country long ago, there lived a girl named Eleanor, though everyone called her Nori. She had her own little house on the top of a little hill that overlooked the sprawling green rows of her little pasture. She grew vegetables and had some orange trees around the edges of the field that bloomed sweet and bright.

It was such a perfect spot for a house that Nori was amazed no one had claimed it. After she had settled and grown friendly with her neighbors, though, she soon found out why. The word was that the field was the home of a colossal bugbear. Not as common as goblins, bugbears are similar but larger, hairier, and much, much nastier.

For the first year, Nori thought all the stories were just that, stories. It wasn't until she was getting ready to bring in her first year's crop that she came face to face with the monster.

It was late one night. The moon was skinnier than the tiniest trimming of your fingernail. The only light was the pale light of the stars, twinkling above like fireflies in a distant field. Nori had been walking the trails and had brought a picnic dinner, which she'd eaten by a little brook. Now she was making her way back home, empty basket on her shoulder and a little song on her lips.

As she got close to her house, she saw another light. Someone had lit a campfire in front of her home. She crinkled her nose, confused for a moment, and then thought it must be a neighbor looking for help.

Hello, she called. It's Nori, back from my walk. Is that one of my friends or neighbors waiting at my door? It was hard to make out the form by the fire, so Nori walked right up and sat down on a stone, facing them across the flames. Maybe a neighbor, growled a low voice, but definitely not a friend. Nori blinked through the flames and froze.

By the flickering light, she could see that she wasn't sitting with a person at all. It was a bugbear, tall and shaggy, with great clawed paws like a bear and a huge knobbly face that looked like it had been carved out of a knotty wood. A bugbear, she hissed to herself. That's right, rumbled the creature.

When he spoke, Nori could see his teeth, long and yellow and cracked. These are my fields you're living on. I'm sorry to hear that, said Nori. I built my house and didn't see you. I planted my crops and didn't see you. How can it be that you live here when I live here and you've never once been around?

I own the whole forest, from the shore to the river. All of you humans are taking the land from the Bugbear King. Oh, and who is the Bugbear King? Nori asked. She was so taken in by the conversation that she was forgetting to be afraid, despite the creature's monstrous look.

I am the Bugbear King, the Bugbear King roared, and I own these fields and all the food you've been growing.

Well, that's just not fair, said Nori, her anger making her bold. I did all the work to clear the fields and plant my food, and I won't let you take it. And besides, you make me move out, and who is going to grow the food next year? And the year after that? You need someone to work the land, or it'll turn back into a grass when I leave. And good luck making a meal of that. The bugbear leaned back and growled.

What the girl said was true, and her veggies were much tastier than grass and skimpy berries and stolen sheep. Fine, you can stay, but I get whatever you grow, Nori shook her head. I won't work for a bully just because he has long claws and nasty teeth. If I give you everything I grow, then I'd starve. I'll give you half for three years.

She said this knowing that three is a sacred number among fairies and goblins and other sort of magic folk. After three years, I own the fields and you leave me alone.

The bugbear hemmed and hawed. He growled and stomped his feet. At one point, he even leaned over the crackling fire and gave a mighty ROAR right into Nori's face. But she held still as stone. A deal had been offered, and she knew that a fairy folk like the bugbear wouldn't be able to resist.

Fine! Three years! the bugbear growled. This was a good deal for him because, of course, he didn't really own the fields or even live there. He wandered from place to place, field to farm, and stole crops and fruit and even the occasional buying sheep. Now, in his mind, he had tricked this young farmer into giving him half of what she grew.

Little did he know that while Nori was young, she was quick and clever too. Okay, come back next year for the harvest. I'll take everything to the right of the middle path here, and you take everything to the left. Deal, the bugbear said, holding out a giant paw. Nori took it and shook, her skin crawling as the yellowed claws brushed her wrist.

Business done, the bugbear got up and disappeared in a rush of fur and moonlight. If she couldn't still feel the scratch of his claws, she might have thought she imagined the whole thing. Shaken but determined to get the best of the bugbear, she went into her little house and built a fire.

When it was Rory and Shiri, she went to her little shelf of books and pulled out a fairy tale volume of folklore. There, she read story after story and found this one fact. It was okay to trick a fae folk like a bugbear, as long as you kept to the wording of the agreement. Everything to the left of the path, she said to herself. I can do that.

Now for a quick ad break. We'll be back with the rest of the story after this. If you'd like Stories Podcast and other favorite kid podcasts ad-free, subscribe to Wondery Plus Kids on Apple Podcasts. This episode of Stories Podcast is sponsored by Squarespace. Squarespace is the all-in-one website platform for entrepreneurs to stand out and succeed online.

Whether you're just launching a new venture or managing a successful business, Squarespace makes it possible to create a beautiful website and engage with your audience. And Squarespace makes it so easy to sell anything from products to content to time, all in one place, all on your terms with Squarespace Payments. Onboarding is fast and simple. Get started in just a few clicks and start receiving payments right away. It's

It's even easy to invoice clients and create proposals, estimates, and contracts. Simplify your workflow and manage your business on one platform. Also, Squarespace has integrated SEO tools. Every Squarespace website is optimized to be indexed with meta descriptions, an auto-generated site map, and more, so you show up more often to more people in global search engine results.

Head to squarespace.com for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, squarespace.com slash dragon to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. That's squarespace.com slash dragon for 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

The Toyota Tundra and Tacoma are designed to outlast and outlive, combining raw power with precision engineering, all backed by Toyota's legendary reputation for reliability. Climb inside a Tundra and experience the uncompromising strength. With its available i-FORCE MAX engine, the Tundra delivers exceptional power, torque, and towing capacity. Plus, the spacious and high-tech cabin keeps you connected on the run.

or check out a Tacoma. Agile, dependable, and unstoppable, the Tacoma's designed for those who go beyond the trails. Stay ahead of the pack with available off-road features like crawl control, or break out your tunes with the available portable JBL speaker. Toyota trucks are built to last.

year after year, mile after mile. So outlast every adventure and outlive the moment. Buy a Tundra or Tacoma today. Visit buyatoyota.com, Toyota's official website for deals, or stop by your local Toyota dealer to find out more. Toyota, let's go places. Thanks, and now back to the story. It was soon spring and time to plant.

Normally, she'd do a mix of vegetables across both sides of her fields. But this year, she'd have to share with the bugbear, so she did things differently. On her side of the field, she carefully tilled the soil and planted neat rows of potatoes and corn and squash and sugar beets and all of her favorites. She gave them all tender care from seed to shoot and stem and made sure every plant grew tall and strong.

On the other side of the field, she mucked about in the dirt until it looked like a hen-pecked lot and then scattered handfuls of dandelion seeds over the entire thing. Dandelions are a weed and grow fast and often without any particular care. Of course, they're not nearly as tasty as sugar beets and they don't nourish you like potatoes, but they were easy. They let her technically honor her deal with the bugbear,

while growing twice as much as normal on her half by spending the extra time. It was a warm fall night, the moon full and heavy, when the bugbear came back for his harvest. He looked over at the fields and then sat by the outside fire once more, the flames licking red and hungry. He was there waiting when Nori came back from her walk.

I see you've had a good year, he said. I'll be taking my half of the vegetables now. Those ears of corn look especially delicious. Sorry, Nori said with a wide, if fake, sympathetic grin. The vegetables are all on my side of the field. See those dandelions? Those are for you.

"'Weeds!' the bugbear roared, his eyes flashing yellow. "'You promised me half of what you grew!' "'The half on your side of the path,' Nori agreed. "'We shook on it. Enjoy your dandelions.' The bugbear gnashed his teeth and hollered, but he knew she was right. "'Fine. Next year I want half of everything that grows on both sides.'

Hmm, Nori said. She was pretending to consider it, but she already had a plan for this. Counting what grows on both halves is gonna be a real pain. How about you get everything above the ground and I'll keep everything under the ground? The bugbear thought of all that delicious corn on the cob and licked his big shaggy lips. You've got a deal. They shook on it and he disappeared into the dark again.

The next morning, Nori was a little surprised to see he hadn't even bothered taking the dandelions. Well, his loss. She used the greens and salads, and the roots roasted made a nice warm drink that was almost like coffee, if a little muddier tasting. In the spring, she went out to plant her fields again.

This time she worked both sides, digging neat little furrows and planting her seeds with care. She did another variety of vegetables, including sugar beets again, and potatoes, turnips, onions, and other root vegetables. Maybe you can already see her plan. Root vegetables grow all the good parts in their roots underground. That's where they get the name.

They have little green leaves up top, but they're not especially tasty, and some are even poisonous. That fall, just as everything was coming ripe, Nori came home from her walk and found the bugbear sitting by the fire again. His eyes were dark and the flames were dark to match. She sat across from him, nervously eyeing his monstrous mitts and terrible teeth.

I don't see any corn, he growled finally. Oh, I don't remember saying I'd plant any, said Nori. Look at all those lovely greens above the ground, though. Those are all for you, shouted the bugbear, smashing his fist into the ground and leaving a muddy crater. You tricked me again!

Well, I never, said Nori, doing her best to act offended. I kept to the exact agreement we made. Now it's been two years, and after next year, you have to leave me alone. Fine, said the bugbear. I have better things to do anyway. And next year, I get everything below ground. You get whatever grows on top.

That's a deal, said Nori, and she went to shake, but the bugbear pulled his paw back at the last second. And I get half the corn. Okay, fair enough, said Nori. Shake on it. Third year and then it's my land, free and clear. Deal, said the bugbear.

He blew into the fire, making a cloud of flames, and then disappeared into the night. Nori sat a while longer, laughing to herself. Apparently, the bugbear didn't know there was a lot more than corn she could grow.

That spring, she planted wheat and tomatoes and plenty of fresh herbs. The tomatoes she picked all summer long with the herbs and made jar after jar of delicious pasta sauce. When the wheat was ready, her neighbors came and she traded some of the wheat to Mrs. Carey in exchange for her grinding it into flour.

So, that fall, when the bugbear came back, he found Nori sitting by the fire with a piping hot bowl of spaghetti. The fields were full of bare tomato vines and wheat stalks threshed down to stubble in the dirt. You've tricked me three times, he grumbled, sitting by the fire. I'd eat you if I could, but a deal is a deal.

I'm sorry to have to trick you, Nori said kindly. I just would starve if I gave you half. But bugbear, you're always welcome at my fire. She reached down and picked up another bowl of pasta topped with tomatoes and basil. Someone threatening me? I'll protect myself. But a friend stopping by for dinner? Now that's completely different. She handed the bowl to the bugbear, who looked at it skeptically.

What is this? Worms and red? It's spaghetti noodles with tomato sauce, Nori laughed. It's from wheat and veggies. Just give it a try. The bugbear skeptically picked up a noodle and slurped it into his mouth. His eyes went wide and then he slurped another and another. Soon, the bowl was empty and he was licking it clean. I love biscotti, he roared.

Well, like I said, if you'd come as a friend and not a fiend, then you're welcome to dinner anytime. And you have more, Paschetti? All you can eat. Then let's make a new deal, said the bugbear. I'll keep away the wolves and meaner fairy folk, and I'll even clear out some of the old trees to make your fields bigger. In return, I get to come to Sunday dinner, and you make me more, Paschetti.

That's a deal, Nori said, holding out her hand. The bugbear put out his and then pulled it back. No fooling this time. Bugbear, Nori said. I promise that if you do right by me, I'll do right by you. Let's shake as friends. Friends, rumbled the bugbear and shook her hand in his furry mitt, careful to pull back his claws this time.

And by the way, Nori said, friends get second helpings. She pulled out another steaming bowl of noodles and handed it over. I love being friends! The bugbear roared, diving into his pasta with gusto.

And from that day on, Nori never had another problem on her little piece of land ever again. The bugbear kept his careful watch, and every Sunday they had dinner by the fire. And they both lived happily ever after. The End

Today's story, The Bug Bear's Treasure, was an original story based on English folklore written for you by Daniel Hines. It was edited and produced for you by Andrew Martin and performed for you by me, Amanda Weldon. If you would like to support Stories Podcast, you can leave us a five-star review on iTunes. Check out all of our merch available at storiespodcast.com slash shop, commission a special video on Cameo, follow us on Instagram at storiespodcast, or simply tell your friends about us.

In case you missed it, Dan and I have a new show. On Stories RPG, we play games just like Starsworn with all your Max Goodname friends and Giga City Guardians featuring the brilliant Firefly. Click the link in the episode description or go to patreon.com slash stories RPG to get ad-free episodes, play along games, and coloring books. We've already got a bunch of episodes over there, so check them out now. Thanks for listening!

The Toyota Tundra and Tacoma are designed to outlast and outlive, combining raw power with precision engineering, all backed by Toyota's legendary reputation for reliability. Climb inside a Tundra and experience the uncompromising strength. With its available i-FORCE MAX engine, the Tundra delivers exceptional power, torque, and towing capacity. Plus, the spacious and high-tech cabin keeps you connected on the run. Or check out a Tacoma.

Agile, dependable, and unstoppable, the Tacoma's designed for those who go beyond the trails. Stay ahead of the pack with available off-road features like crawl control, or break out your tunes with the available portable JBL speaker. Toyota trucks are built to last, year after year, mile after mile.

So outlast every adventure and outlive the moment. Buy a Tundra or Tacoma today. Visit buyatoyota.com, Toyota's official website for deals, or stop by your local Toyota dealer to find out more. Toyota. Let's go places.