Hi, Rebecca Shear here.

Before we get to our story, a humble invitation.

Circle Round is a public media podcast.

As public media faces serious federal funding cuts,

I invite you to help keep us going strong by joining the Circle Round Club.

As thanks for your donation, you'll get ad-free episodes, bonus bedtime stories,

exclusive swag, early access to circle around live tickets and more.

Sign up at WBUR.org.org slash circle round club.

Thanks for circling round with us, and thanks for your support.

WBUR Podcasts, Boston.

Hi, Rebecca Shear here.

We're taking some time off this summer as we gear up for Circle Round's ninth season of our WBUR podcast,

featuring dozens of folktales from around the world, and an exciting lineup of live episode recordings across the United States. In the meantime this week, please enjoy a special

encore edition of Circle Round, a really fun story you may have missed the first time around.

Here we go. Close your eyes and picture a buffet, a long table piled high with all your favorite foods.

Now picture yourself taking a big heaping scoop of everything and digging in.

You eat and eat, but soon you fell up.

There's still plenty of food on your plate, but no room in your belly.

Because, as many of us do from time to time, you took what you wanted and not what you needed.

In today's tale, we'll meet one character who takes only what she needs, and another character who does not.

Music what she needs, and another character who does not. I'm Rebecca Shear, and welcome to Circle Round, where story time happens all the time.

Today our story is called The Mountain Guardian.

...