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Goodness gets rewarded and misdeeds get punished, often in a very fitting way. Spoiler alert, that's exactly what happens in the story we're about to hear. But our misbehaving character doesn't just receive poetic justice. He receives it from an actual poet. I'm Rebecca Scheer, and welcome to Circle Round. Live at the Dale F. Halton Theater in Charlotte, North Carolina. Today our story is called A Sticky Situation. It was inspired by tales from the East Asian Island nation of Japan. Joining me on stage is a trio of talented actors, Frank Dominguez, Caroline Lee, and Phil Vavra. Providing musical accompaniment is the one and only Eric Chimolognes. So, Circle Round everyone, for A Sticky Situation. Reo lived in a humble hut in a quiet village. Beneath a tall mountain. Reo earned his living by collecting wood from the pine trees that covered the mountain slopes, then selling the wood at the market. Firewood! Get your firewood here! Reo was not technically a wood cutter or a wood chopper, because he never cut or chopped any of the wood he sold. Instead, as he trekked up and down the mountainside, he gathered up dead branches that had fallen to the ground. One day, while out collecting fallen wood, Reo met a fellow named Ren. Hi, Reo. I'm your new next-door neighbor. I just moved to the village yesterday, and I have to say, the pine trees on this mountain are amazing. I mean, look at all this beautiful wood I collected. It's gonna fetch a pretty penny at the market. Reo glanced at the thick limbs of wood in Ren's wagon. Then he glanced at the shiny steel ax on Ren's belt. Ren, did you actually chop this wood with your ax? Um, how else would I chop it with my pinky finger? But the pine trees on this mountain are alive, just like you and me. Why would you chop off their limbs? It's called making a living, Reo, something you clearly know nothing about, judging by that ramshackle hovel you call home. Reo ignored the dig. Ren, don't you realize what happens when you hack a branch off a living pine tree? The sap of the tree, its rich, sticky lifeblood, will drip and drip, and if it drips too much, the tree could die. Ren rolled his eyes. You are way too tender-hearted, Reo. If you want to succeed in this world, you'd better toughen up. And with that, Reo's new neighbor gripped the handle of his wagon and marched away. Reo sighed and continued up the slope, gathering fallen sticks in his sack. He was about to reach the mountain's summit when he suddenly heard, crying. Somebody's in distress. I must find them and help them out. Reo wound his way to the top of the mountain, and there, standing tall and proud, was the most majestic pine tree he had ever seen. It was so tall and lofty, it looked like a bright green steeple, with its crown reaching up to the sky, its delicate needles sparkled like emeralds, and each and every one of those needles shuddered, and shook as the tree let out sob after sob. Pine tree, are you crying? Can trees actually cry? Yes, trees can cry. If like me, they're cursed. I'm doomed and done for, unless my fate is reversed. Reo froze. Uh, hang on a sec. Pine tree? Are you actually talking? Yes. How'd you guess? I don't know. Because you just spoke? I was being coy, boy oh boy. Oh, and you're a poet? Don't you know it? I should have seen that coming. Even friend, what I said was true. I'm done for and cursed. I know not what to do. I used to be splendid, but I'm not anymore. Thanks to these wounds, I am at death's door. Reo cocked his head as he took in the tree's words. Wounds? What wounds are you talking about? The tree bent one of her branches toward her trunk, as if pointing, and that's when Reo saw them. A series of wide, gaping gashes and cuts were thick, sturdy limbs used to grow, and now those gashes and cuts were dripping with sticky sap. Oh, pine tree, did somebody come and chop off your branches? You bet they did. Earlier today, one looked at my limbs and their axe had its way. Now sticky, sticky is my sap, where my tender branches were snapped. It didn't take long for Reo to figure out who had done the deed. Oh, Ren, hang in there pine tree. I'm going to help you. Without missing a beat, Reo yanked off his jacket, tore off his shirt, and ripped them into strips, long, thin strips, like bandages. Then he wrapped the bandages around the tree's oozing trunk and held them gently in place. I'm so sorry this happened, pine tree, but I think the bandages are sealing the wounds. Do you feel any better? Reo expected the tree to respond with more poetry, but instead of producing a rhyming couplet, it produced a real curveball, an utter surprise that seemed to defy all rhyme and reason. What do you think the tree did after Reo bandaged its wounds? We'll find out after a quick break. The reviews are in, and super fans like you are loving the Circle Round Club, an exciting opportunity to support public radio and get cool stuff, including ad-free episodes and a personalized birthday message from me. What I like about the Circle Round Club is that Rebecca Sheer sends extra messages and it supports the show, and there are no ads. Grownups support public radio and sign up today at wbr.org slash circle round club. I'm Rebecca Sheer. Welcome back to Circle Round Live at the Dale F. Halden Theatre in Charlotte, North Carolina. Today our story is called A Sticky Situation. Before the break, kind-hearted Reo tended to the sticky, sappy wounds of a rhyming pine tree. Once the makeshift bandages were in place, the tree did not let out another round of verse. Instead, there was a tinkling, jingling sound, and all of a sudden, what should come cascading down from the treetop but a shower of tinkling, jingling coins? That's right. Shiny silver coins were dropping from the tree and pulling on the ground in sparkling piles. Pine tree, are you really giving me all these coins? The coins are yours. Oh yes indeed, for helping out a tree in need. So take the coins and thank you friend for saving me from a sad, sad end. Reo wrapped his arms around the tree and gave it a hug. Then he gathered up the coins into his sack and headed home. On the way, he passed the house of his new neighbor. Ren was just getting back from the market. His wagon was now empty, but thanks to the pine tree's wood, his wallet was full. Still, when he spied the coins glittering in Reo's sack, he turned green with envy. Reo, I thought you went up the mountainside to collect dead fallen wood. Not cold hard cash. Where'd you get the loot? Reo paused. He was hesitant to tell his new greedy neighbor the truth, but he was also too honest to tell a lie. Well Ren, if you really must know, these coins were given to me by a pine tree. A pine tree? At first, Ren kept a straight face. But then... He doubled over with laughter. A pine tree gave you money? You have got to be joking. You know the old saying, right? Money doesn't grow on trees. Yes, I know the old saying, but a pine tree did give me this money. Every single coin. Ren stopped laughing and stared into Reo's eyes. Okay, wait a minute. You're actually being serious, aren't you? You actually got these coins from a pine tree? Yes, I did! Ren paused. Then he tilted his head and tried to act casual. So, uh, just out of curiosity, which pine tree was it? As you know, the mountainside is covered with them. It was a tree way up at the summit. The one so tall it looks like a bright green steeple. A bright green steeple. Ren's eyes lit up. Oh, you mean the really big one! The one with all the thick, sturdy branches. Yep. And speaking of those thick, sturdy branches, you really should have thought twice before you took your axe and... But that's as far as Reo got. Ren had already taken off for the mountain, eager for the pine tree to give him a sack of money too. When he reached the summit, his heart was pounding. From exertion, of course, but also from excitement. After all, he was moments away from swimming in silver. Hey there, tree. Now that you've given Reo his prize, it's my turn to be showered with coins. So what do you say you do your thing and show me the money? Ren closed his eyes, waiting for the tree to unleash a torrent of coins. But instead, it spoke. You're the man I met today, the one who took my branches away. Sticky, sticky is my blood. So give me a pat and get a flood. Ren felt a surge of excitement, a flood. The pine tree must be talking about a flood of coins. All right, tree. I'll give you a pat, a nice big one. Here. He stuck out his palm and smacked the tree's trunk, as if giving it a high five. Now bring it on, tree. Have at it. Unleash that flood. And wouldn't you know it? That's exactly what the pine tree did. Only it wasn't a flood of coins. Instead, it was a flood of sap, sticky, syrupy tree sap, slouching and slouching all over the place. Yuck. This is not the flood I was talking about, tree. Stop it. Stop it. But the tree did not stop it. It was a flood you wanted, so a flood you shall know. As I drip and dribble, gush and flow, the sap kept coming, like an ooey gooey waterfall, sticking all over Ren's hair and face and clothes. Cut it out. Leave me be. Lay off the sap, you silly tree. Oh, so you're rhyming now. Isn't that great? But thanks to your greed, this is your fate. The sap oozed down Ren's body. It began to pool around his feet, a thick puddle of gloppy, gluey syrup, rising past his ankles, past his knees. Yuck. And when it rose past Ren's waist, he was stuck, trapped, fixed to the spot. I can't move. Somebody help me. Help me. But nobody came to help. And Ren was stuck in his gluey prison for the rest of the day and all through the night. Come morning, the sap softened enough for him to break free. He let out a sigh of relief and remorse. Then he scrambled down the mountainside, scurrying as fast as his gummy, squishy feet could carry him. By the time he got home, he had made himself a promise. I will never chop wood from a living tree again. I'll only gather fallen wood, just like Rayo. My neighbor's tender heart may be sappy, but better a sappy heart than a sappy head and face and body. It took days for Ren to wash off all the sap, but it didn't wash away his resolve. Because after the poetic justice he got from the rhyming pine tree, he refused to be in another sticky situation again. Now it's your turn. Just like our rhyming pine tree, you too can write poetic verse. Pick a topic, then write a short poem about it, just four lines. If you'd like, you can use our pine tree's rhyming scheme of A, B, A, B. So the first and third lines will rhyme, as will the second and fourth. Once you're done, share your poem with someone you love, then share it with us. With your permission, we may feature it in your monthly circle round newsletter, The Lion's Roar. Ask a grown-up to help you email your rhyming verse to circleround at wbur.org. This week's story, A Sticky Situation, was adapted by me, Rebecca Scheer. It was edited by Amory Severson and performed by Frank Dominguez, Caroline Lee, and Phil Vavra. Eric Chimolognes composed our original music and played it live on the Taisho Goto. You can learn more about this Japanese stringed instrument and see a photo of Eric playing one on our website, wbur.org slash circle round. Circle round's artist is Sabina Han. 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 while you listen. Grown-ups, visit our website, wbur.org slash circle round, and click on coloring pages. And while you're at wbur.org slash circle round, you can also check out our circle round picture books, live events, and sign up for your circle round newsletter, The Lion's Roar. Again, it's all at wbur.org slash circle round. And if you're looking for even more ways to circle round with us, please join the Circle Round Club and you'll support your favorite public media podcast while getting all sorts of cool stuff, including ad-free episodes, bonus bedtime stories, exclusive swag, and the chance to add on goodies like our snuggly lion stuffy and a personalized birthday message from me. Grown-ups, visit wbur.org slash circle round and click on Circle Round Club. One more thing, Grown-ups, if you enjoy Circle Round, please leave us a five-star rating or review on your favorite podcast app. Every rating and review will help us keep circling round with you for years to come. Circle Round is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR. 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. Hi, my name is Sophie. I'm from Ethiopia, and my favorite circle round is Strong Mind and Kind Heart. My favorite part is when the old, creepy house turned into a jeep palace. My name is Kenley. I live in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and my favorite circle round story is The Lion's Whisker. My name is Rio, and I'm from Ryan, New York. My favorite circle round story is Miss Tilda. I like the part when the mayor says, I could have sworn her name was Miss Tonya. My name is Kare. I live in Ryan, New York. My favorite circle round story is called Indulgently. I like the part when, with pigeons, thieves, ants, life. My name is Jasmine. My favorite circle round story is The Friends I Hope. I love the part when it's going to eating the magic herbs. Going to see how you know together. I thought we were best friends. My name is Rowan, and I am at Nashville, Tennessee. And my favorite story is Princess Rowan's Dremel Day. And my favorite part is when Princess Pearl goes to court. My name is Harry, and I'm from Oakland, California. My favorite circle round story is Granny's Snowstorm. And my favorite part is when Granny's Snowstorm sees Boris. Hi, I'm Georgie, and from Oakland, California. And my favorite circle round episode is Home Sweet Home. I like the part when Lepid says that scrawny little hair is mighty enough to hunt an elephant. My name is Ethan. I live in Seattle, Washington. My favorite story is Trail of Tricks. My favorite part is when Mousey Tricks, Python, Hawk, Tiger, and makes him say Mousey. Did someone mention a story you've missed? Not to worry. Grown Ups, 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, wbor.org slash circle round.
