In a small Khmer village, there lived an old woman who had a single banana tree behind her house. Every morning, she watered it and whispered,
“Grow well, my child. You will feed me one day.”

The neighbors laughed,
“Why care for one tree? It’s too small to feed you!”

But the woman smiled and continued to care for it with patience. When the tree finally bore fruit, a golden bunch of bananas appeared — brighter and larger than any other in the village.

One night, a hungry thief crept into her yard to steal them. But as he touched the bunch, the tree bent down and wrapped its leaves around him! He was trapped until morning.

The old woman found him crying and said,
“If you were hungry, you could have asked. There’s enough for both of us.”

She shared the bananas with him, and from that day, the thief became her helper, tending the tree beside her every morning.

👉 Moral of the story: Patience and kindness can turn enemies into friends.