|
Stone Soup Once upon a time there was a country in peril. A war had ravaged the land for many years. The men of the country had long ago been forced to fight in the army, leaving the women to tend the fields and raise the children. Having no husbands around to help them, the women became strong and hardworking. However, because of the war, they also became hard-hearted and apathetic towards the suffering of others. One day, during the final battles, a group of soldiers arrived in a village that had been cared for by women since the start of the war. The soldiers had not eaten for many days. With their bellies swollen for want of food, they begged the women for a small bite of food and a sip of water. The women scoffed at the men, turning their noses into the air. "Hah!" They cried. "You warring types steal our husbands away from us and burn our fields to prevent the enemy from eating our food. You leave us to starve in the winter, then laugh at our fruitless toil in the summertime as you torch our homes, lest the enemy dare rest there in the future. Now you ask of us to feed you? Away, you filth! Away!" And with that, the women turned their backs. "Wait!" Said the oldest soldier. "We never did those things. We always paid for the food we took! We helped toil in the fields when we weren't fighting for the country's freedom. We gave our bread to the starving villagers. We put out the fires that burned away the homes of peasants. You cannot fault us all for the misdeeds of a few!" The women simply snorted and said nothing. The old soldier sighed and fell silent. He turned to his comrads and, with a wink, loudly ordered for one of them to fetch him the most delicious looking stone he could find. This caught the women's attention. "Why would you want a stone?" They asked him, curious. The old soldier smiled at them warmly despite his complaining stomach and said, "I would make soup from a stone." The women laughed uproariously. "Soup from a stone, indeed! If you can actually make soup from a stone, we will shelter you for a month! Soup from a stone! Hah!" The old soldier bowed deeply, for before he had been a soldier he had been a member of the king's court and knew how to act courteously. "And if we cannot prepare the soup, we will leave your village forever." The women agreed and the deal was struck. Soon a soldier returned with a stone, round and grey. "Put it in a pot filled with water and set it to boil." The other soldiers obeyed and soon the water was boiling merrily away. The old soldier tasted the soup and frowned a bit. "The soup is turning out well. However, it would taste even better with some carrots." He smiled and turned to the women. "Would you kindly supply some carrots? If you do, you may have some of the soup after it is done." One of the women ran out and picked some carrots and brought them back. The old soldier threw them in the pot and, after a while, tasted it again. He shook his head and said, "Hmmm...it's not bad. It would taste much better, though, if it had some meat in it, though." Another woman ran and slaughtered a chicken and brought it to the old soldier, who threw it into the pot. After it had boiled a while, the soldier tasted it again. "This is almost perfect!" He proclaimed. "However, it would do much better with some onions green and white." The onions were brought and thrown into the pot. "Look at how the stone soup simmers!" The women remarked to each other. "It smells delicious! I never knew you could make soup from a stone!" The old soldier tasted the soup again. "Oh, but if we had a bit of potato to go into the soup, it would be wonderful!" The women went and gathered some potatos, which were peeled and sliced and thrown into the pot. The soldiers watched as the soup bubbled and bubbled. Finally, the old soldier announced it was ready. The women brought out bowls and spoons for all present and each tasted the soup. "Delicious!" They proclaimed, for indeed it was. The taste of potatos, and onions, and chicken, and of carrots was delicious. Strangely enough, one could barely taste the stone. After they were done feasting, the soldiers moved into the village to stay, where they ate stone soup every day of the week. 1*2*3*4*5*6 |