In a small village in India, there was a very special large tree. The tree was tall and lush, and its branches and leaves were like a huge green umbrella, sheltering everything around it from the wind and rain. There was a little boy in the village who liked this tree very much.
The little boy often ran to play under the big tree. One day, he was tired from playing and his stomach began to growl with hunger. He looked up at the big tree and said, "Big tree, big tree, I'm so hungry. Can you give me something to eat?" The big tree heard the little boy's words and gently shook its branches. Soon, several big and red apples fell from the tree. The little boy was extremely happy. He picked up the apples and ate them with big bites, and also said to the big tree, "Big tree, you are so kind!"
As the little boy grew up slowly, he began to have his own troubles. Once, he had an argument with his friends and was very sad. He ran to the big tree and sat down leaning against the trunk. The big tree seemed to sense the little boy's sadness. It quietly accompanied the little boy and used its branches and leaves to block the glaring sunlight for him. With the company of the big tree, the little boy's mood gradually calmed down. He said to the big tree, "Big tree, thank you for staying with me."
Later, the little boy grew up and wanted to build a house. He came to the big tree and said, "Big tree, I'm going to build a house, but I don't have any wood. Can you give me some branches?" The big tree was silent for a while, and then gently swayed its branches as if to say, "Take them." So the little boy cut down some branches to build his own house.
After that, the little boy became an old man. He had experienced a great deal and seen all the vicissitudes of the world. When he returned to the place where the big tree was again, the big tree had only a stump left. The old man slowly sat on the stump. He remembered all the little things between him and the big tree when he was a child, and his heart was full of emotions. He gently stroked the stump and said to it, "Big tree, you have dedicated your whole life to me. You are the most generous friend I have ever met." Although the big tree could no longer give the old man anything as it used to, its selfless dedication in the past would always remain in the old man's heart and also became a warm and touching story in this small village.
