 Ratu needed a tree to make a new canoe so he went to the forest and picked out the tallest and straightest tree he could find. With his sharpened axe, he chopped down the tree and went home to rest before cutting it into smaller pieces. When he returned, the tree was standing as tall and straight as it was before he chopped it down. Astonished, he cut the tree down once more and this time, he chopped off the branches. The next morning when he went to cut the trunk into pieces for his canoe, once again the tree was standing straight and tall. He was so determined to use this tree to make his canoe he cut it down for a third time. This time, he not only chopped off all the branches, he cut the trunk in pieces that were the right size for his canoe. Too tired to continue, he decided to return at sunrise to finish. Just before dawn, as he approached the tree, he heard fluttering and buzzing and chirping and droning. He hid behind thick bushes and watched. All the birds and animals and insects that lived in the tree were putting it back together branch by branch, leaf by leaf, fitting the bark together as if it were a puzzle. Ratu’s anger grew as he watched the spirits of the forest pull the tree upright. He rushed toward them and yelled, “Stop! This is my tree. I need it to make my canoe.” The creatures gathered behind the spirits and with one voice they asked, “ Who gave you permission to kill one of our trees?”
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World TalesAge old stories of wit and wisdom from around the world. Tales retold by Nancy King. Archives
April 2025
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Nancy King is a widely published author and a professor emerita at the University of Delaware, where she has taught theater, drama, playwriting, creative writing, and multidisciplinary studies with an emphasis on world literature. She has published seven previous works of nonfiction and five novels. Her new memoir, Breaking the Silence, explores the power of stories in healing from trauma and abuse. Her career has emphasized the use of her own experience in being silenced to encourage students to find their voices and to express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences with authenticity, as a way to add meaning to their lives.
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