Fairy-Tale Files, published once weekly, feature three variations of a fairy tale chosen by one of Fairy Tale Review’s Assistant Editors.

In Hawaiian mythology, a stretching tree, a type of demigod/heroic trickster, often serves as a means of transportation for the child in search of a lost father.

The stretching tree often goes by the name Niu-loa-hiki, which translates to Long-traveling-coconut, a symbol of the blood tie that binds a migratory people to their original home.

A tree that has the power to stretch and/or reconstitute itself at will? Look no further than the charming Groot, star of Marvel’s latest escapade and voiced by the inimitable Vin Diesel.

This edition of Fairy-Tale Files is brought to you by Fairy Tale Review Prose Editor Tommy Mira y Lopez.