The Story of Stone Soup
Once upon a time, in a little town in post-war Eastern Europe, there was a great famine in which there was barely any food and everyone, everywhere was very, very hungry. People hoarded whatever food they could find, because there was not enough to go around. One day a lonely wandering soldier came into a village and began asking questions as if he planned to stay for the night.
"There's not a bite to eat in the whole province," every townsperson told him. "Better keep moving on."
The young man continued walking, and came to the house of an old woman. He knocked on her door and she answered hesitantly. “I have no food to share with you,” she told him, “but you can sleep on the floor by the fire if you would like a nice warm place to spend the night.”
“Thank you for your generosity,” he told her. So the young man entered her home for the evening. His stomach growled of hunger, but only having one piece of bread and a little bit of butter for herself, the old woman offered him no food. Seeing a cabbage in the kitchen, the young man had an idea.
“Do you have a pot?” he asked the old woman. “Because if you do, I can make us soup.”
“I have a cauldron, but no ingredients for soup,” said the woman.
But the young man had a plan. He drug the cauldron from the hearth and out into the meager garden behind her cottage. He filled it half-way full with water and began to set it to boil.
“How are you going to make soup with no ingredients?” asked the old woman.
"Oh, I have everything I need," he said. The young man reached into his pocket and with great ceremony, he drew an ordinary-looking stone dropped it into the water. “I will make us stone soup.”
The young man dropped the stone into the cauldron and watched the water boil. He leaned over the pot and sniffed. “"I do like a tasty stone soup. With this stone, our soup will be fit for a king.”
Hearing the rumor of food, villagers wandered to the old woman’s garden to watch the young man make the soup. As the soldier sniffed the broth and licked his lips in anticipation, hunger began to overcome their skepticism.
"Ahh," the young stranger said to himself rather loudly, "I do like a tasty stone soup. Of course, stone soup with a little bit of cabbage would be fit for a king."
The old woman lingered by the cauldron and looked toward the door of her cottage. After a minute, she went inside and returned with her cabbage. “Here, add this to the soup,” she said.
The young man added the cabbage and stirred the broth. "Ahh," the young stranger said to himself rather loudly, "I do like a tasty stone soup with cabbage. Of course, stone soup with a little bit of potatoes would be fit for a king."
A villager heard the young man and smelled the soup. He lingered by the cauldron and looked toward the door of his cottage. After a minute, he left and returned with some potatoes. “Here, add this to the soup,” he said.
The young man added the potatoes and stirred the broth. "Ahh," the young stranger said to himself rather loudly, "I do like a tasty stone soup with potatoes. Of course, stone soup with a little bit of onions would be fit for a king."
Another villager heard the young man and smelled the soup. He lingered by the cauldron and looked toward the door of his cottage. After a minute, he left and returned with some onions. “Here, add this to the soup,” he said.
The young man added the onions and stirred the broth. "Ahh," the young stranger said to himself rather loudly, "I do like a tasty stone soup with onions. Of course, stone soup with a little bit of carrots would be fit for a king."
Another villager heard the young man and smelled the soup. He lingered by the cauldron and looked toward the door of his cottage. After a minute, he left and returned with some carrots. “Here, add this to the soup,” he said.
The young man added the carrots and stirred the broth. "Ahh," the young stranger said to himself rather loudly, "I do like a tasty stone soup with carrots. Of course, stone soup with a little bit of mushrooms would be fit for a king."
Another villager heard the young man and smelled the soup. She lingered by the cauldron and looked toward the door of her cottage. After a minute, she left and returned with some mushrooms. “Here, add this to the soup,” he said.
The young man added the mushrooms and stirred the broth. "Ahh," the young stranger said to himself rather loudly, "I do like a tasty stone soup with mushrooms. Of course, stone soup with a little bit of beans would be fit for a king."
Another villager heard the young man and smelled the soup. He lingered by the cauldron and looked toward the door of his cottage. After a minute, he left and returned with some beans. “Here, add this to the soup,” he said.
The young man added the beans and stirred the broth. "Ahh," the young stranger said to himself rather loudly, "I do like a tasty stone soup with beans. This stone soup will be fit for a king."
And after the cabbage and the potatoes and the onions and the carrots and the mushrooms and the beans, the stone soup was fit for a king, and the cauldron was overflowing with soup. There was indeed a delicious meal for all.
Each villager hurried home and returned with bowls and cups and spoons and ate until they had their fill.
The starving village was hungry no more.
And the lonely wandering soldier was hungry no more.
In the morning the lonely wandering soldier continued his wanderings, but he left his magical stone with the little old woman… and the village was never starving again.
