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This Circle Round episode was recorded live at the Dale F. Halton Theater in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Ever heard the term poetic justice?

Poetic justice is when, at the end of a story,

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 Shear, and welcome to Circle Round Live at the DALF 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 Shimalones.

So, circle around everyone for a sticky situation.

Congratulations. Rayo lived in a humble hut in a quiet village beneath a tall mountain Rayo 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!

Rayo 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,

...