Stone Soup

Stone Soup: Once upon a time, there was a great famine throughout the land. The people in one small village didn't have enough to eat, and definitely would not have enough to store away for the winter. People were afraid their families would go hungry, so they would hide any small amount of food they could- even from their friends and neighbors. One day a wandering traveler came walking tiredly into the village. He introduced himself to a villager and asked, “Do you know where I can find a place to sleep and maybe have a meal?” “No, there is not one bite to eat in the whole country, let alone in this small village” he said. Another villager stated, “You’re better off moving along, there’s no spare beds here either, you should go look somewhere else. Good luck!” “What a shame, would it be alright if I take a rest and make myself a small fire before moving along?” asked the Traveler. The Villagers didn’t seem to care. As the Traveler found himself a spot to make a fire, he said, “Such nice people. With this famine, I bet they are all starving. Good thing I have everything I need to make a delicious stone soup and I’m pretty sure I can make plenty to share.” “What?!” exclaimed a villager, “make what now?” “Stone soup!” the Traveler replied, “see this peppered stone here? If I just fill my cooking pot….” Just then, the Traveler realized that he must have dropped his pot some ways back. “Does anyone have a pot I can borrow?” he asked. “Mmm… I might have one you can use. But don’t go running off with it!” said a villager. “Thank you so much!” the Traveler said, “Now, as I was saying, see this peppered stone here? If I just put it in the pot with water and let this stone simmer, you’d be surprised what a delicious soup it makes. Of course, stone soup with some cabbage tastes even better” “Maybe I can find some cabbage in my garden. I’ll be right back!” yelled a villager. The Traveler then said, “you know, I once had stone soup with cabbage AND carrots. It was a GREAT meal!” Another villager responded, “I might have some left over carrots in my kitchen. I’ll be right back!” The Traveler then noted, “You know, I once had stone soup with cabbage, carrots AND a bit of beef, it was a SUPERB meal!” Another villager announced, “I might find some beef scraps in my butcher shop. I’ll be right back!” “Fantastic!” beamed the Traveler. By now, the whole village had heard about the traveler and his delicious stone soup that was cooking. They began to offer bits of vegetables from their gardens and their hiding spots- potatoes, onions, celery, even small things like salt and pepper! The Stone Soup was finally ready to eat and everyone had a bowl. The Villagers then begin hounding the Traveler, “I’d trade my cow for your stone!” “No, I’ll give you my horse for your stone!” All in all, the Traveler turned down all of their offers, “No, no, no, I couldn’t take anything else from you. You all have already offered so much to me and each other! This soup would not have been as tasty without all of you bringing something to share, even as small as a grain of salt” he said. The Villagers then realized that the Traveler was right. They didn’t need the stone to make the delicious soup. They just needed each other. And so they villagers welcomed the traveler into their homes and thanked him for sharing his delicious stone soup recipe with them. The real recipe, however, was that when they all work together and share what they can, they all benefit from the outcome. The next morning, the traveler packed his stone and continued on his way. THE END.