The first banana story

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl called Maria. She was tall, with
black eyes, and long shining hair. The color of her skin was a clear light
brow.
One morning, while she was collecting firewood, she met a young man. He
looked like a hunter. He was tall, handsome and very neatly dressed. No
one knew who he was or where he came from. Nor did anyone know his
name. Maria liked him. He liked her too. Maria did not know this but he was
an anito or a spirit from the sky. They became friends. Although they were
good friends for a long time, the young man never asked Maria to became
his wife. This made Maria very unhappy. “I have no parents or brothers or
sisters,” she said. “You too are alone. I am sure we could be happy
together.”“I didn’t want to tell you this,” the young man said, “but I am an
anito. I cannot marry a human being. I have to return to the sky.”Maria was
surprised. She did not know what to say. She held his hands tightly. “
please let me go,” said the young man. “I had hoped you would never find
out who I am.”There was a blinding flash of light and the young man
disappeared. But as Maria was holding on to his hands so tightly, he left
them behind. Of course, Maria was frightened. She ran home and buried
them in her garden. Soon she saw a strange plant growing where she had
buried them. The plant grew fast. Then some fruit appeared. It was yellow
and shaped like a man’s hand with fingers on it. It was the first banana