Elementary Library

Stone Soup

Once upon a time, in a small village, there was a great famine. The people in the village were hungry, and they didn’t have enough food to eat. They kept their food to themselves, afraid to share with their neighbors. Everyone was worried and sad. One day, a traveler walked into the village. He had been traveling for a long time and was very hungry. He knocked on the door of a house and asked, “Can you please give me some food to eat?” The woman who answered the door looked worried. “I’m sorry, but we don’t have any food to spare,” she said. The traveler nodded and walked to the next house, but the answer was the same: no one had enough food to share. The traveler didn’t give up. He had an idea. He went to the center of the village and built a small fire. Then, he placed a big pot on the fire and filled it with water. He smiled and said loudly, “I am going to make the most delicious stone soup! I just need one stone to start!” The villagers were curious. They came out of their homes and watched as the traveler dropped a large stone into the pot of water. “Mmm,” he said. “This stone soup is going to be wonderful, but it will taste even better if I have just a few more ingredients.”

One villager came closer. “What kind of ingredients do you need?” she asked.

“Well,” said the traveler, “a little cabbage would be perfect.”

The woman thought for a moment, then nodded. “I have a cabbage!” She went to her house and brought it to the traveler. The traveler smiled and added the cabbage to the pot. Soon, more villagers gathered around. “What else do you need for your soup?” they asked.

The traveler said, “Some potatoes would be great!”

A man who had been listening went to his house and returned with a bag of potatoes. He put them in the pot. As more people watched, the traveler added more and more ingredients—carrots, onions, and even a little salt and pepper. Each time, someone from the village would bring the ingredient he asked for.