Stone Soup

Sometime ago there were three soldiers. There were on their way home from the war and there were very hungry and very tired. “I wish we had something good to eat “said the first soldier.” I wish we had a bad to sleep in. “said the second.” I wish those things were possible” said the third “but we can't.” We must march on until we reached home.

Soon they marched. Suddenly they came to a village. The villagers so them coming. The villagers knew that the soldiers are always hungry. The villagers didn't have much food. They worried if they offered the food to the soldier then they themselves wouldn't eat that night, so they decided to hide all their food. The first soldier went to the first house. “Could you give us something to eat and a place to sleep?” We would be glad to give you if we had some. Bu we don't and we would gladly to give you space to sleep, if we didn’t need all of it ourselves. But all our beds are full.
And so it went with all the villagers. Everyone had a good excuse.
"We gave all our food to the soldier who came before you."
"Our father's sick, we would share it with you if he wasn't sick."
"The harvest was bad, we need the grain for the cattle feed. If we didn't need the grain, we would share it with you."

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The soldiers thought, and then they said, “We wish you could offer us something to eat, but since you can't - we'll have to make stone soup."

“Stone soup?” The villagers had never heard of it before.

“First we'll need a large pot," said the soldiers.

That was no problem. The villagers brought the largest pot they could find.

“Now we need water to fill it and a fire to cook with."

The villagers brought buckets of water and built a fire in the village square.

“We need three round smooth stones."

That, too, was no problem at all. The villagers brought them, and the soldiers dropped them one by one into the pot.

The soldier stirred the pot and added some salt and pepper (all good soups have salt and pepper).

“Stones like these usually make a very fine soup, but if we had some carrots, it would taste a lot better," they said.

“I think I can find a carrot!” said one of the villagers. She ran home and got all the carrots she had hidden from the soldiers.

“This soup would taste so much better if we put some cabbage in it, " said the soldiers as they sliced the carrots.” We wish you had some cabbage. It's a shamed that you don't. "

“Let me see if I can find one, “said another villager. She went home and came back with three cabbages that she had hidden from the soldiers.

“If we added a little beef and a few potatoes, this soup would be good enough for a rich man's table.”

No sooner said than done. The villagers ran to get the hidden food.

Just imagine! A rich man's soup - and all from just a few stones!

The soldiers stirred and sighed, “If we stirred in a little barley and a cup of milk, this soup would be fit for the king himself.”

The villagers were really impressed. The soldiers knew the king! They wished they knew the king!

The villagers brought their hidden barley and milk to the soldiers, who stirred the ingredients into the pot.

Finally the soup was ready. Tables were set up and torches were lit. The soup was so delicious. Fit for a king. But the villagers said to themselves, “If a king ate this soup, he would require bread, and a roast and some cider to go with it, wouldn't he?"

Before not too long, everyone sat down to enjoy a great feast of roast, bread, cider and soup. Never before had they tasted such delicious soup. And imagine - it was made just from stones!!