diff --git a/src/compile/mod.rs b/src/compile/mod.rs
index 84b4a19..b189cc9 100644
--- a/src/compile/mod.rs
+++ b/src/compile/mod.rs
@@ -104,6 +104,10 @@ impl Compile {
     pub(crate) fn collect_locals(&mut self, body: &Body) {
         locals::CollectLocals::new(self).collect(body);
     }
+
+    pub(crate) fn scope(&self) -> &Scope {
+        &self.scope
+    }
 }
 
 /// Constant data pool used for building the const pool.
diff --git a/src/compile/scope.rs b/src/compile/scope.rs
index bc57a50..2a348f1 100644
--- a/src/compile/scope.rs
+++ b/src/compile/scope.rs
@@ -69,4 +69,8 @@ impl Scope {
     pub fn globals_mut(&mut self) -> Option<&mut ScopeLocalSyms> {
         self.scope.first_mut()
     }
+
+    pub fn layers_len(&self) -> usize {
+        self.scope.len()
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/compile/thunk.rs b/src/compile/thunk.rs
index 47b571b..9143ce6 100644
--- a/src/compile/thunk.rs
+++ b/src/compile/thunk.rs
@@ -419,12 +419,21 @@ impl Visit for CompileBody<'_> {
         let thunk = match atom {
             Atom::Ident(ident) => {
                 let sym = global_sym(ident.to_string());
-                // TODO : use "LOAD_GLOBAL" instead of "LOAD_LOCAL" when inside a user function
-                if let Some(local) = self.compile.lookup_local(sym) {
+                // Small gotcha:
+                // Looking up a name will either result in a local or a global lookup. If it's
+                // a local variable first, then it's determined as a local and that's the end
+                // of the story... except when we're at the top scope level, we're both "local"
+                // *and* global.
+                //
+                // This checks to make sure that it's both a local variable and that there's more
+                // than one scope layer.
+                if let (true, Some(local)) = (self.compile.scope().layers_len() > 1, self.compile.lookup_local(sym)) {
                     // get local
                     Inst::LoadLocal(local).into()
                 } else {
                     // get or create global
+                    // create_global only makes a new global with this symbol name if one has not
+                    // been created yet
                     let global = self.compile.create_global(sym);
                     Inst::LoadGlobal(global).into()
                 }