Wit & Wisdom
Roger Jenkins
storyteller
storyteller
© Roger Jenkins 2011 Made With Serif WebPlus.
A poor, hungry traveler came to a village late in the day, and hoped to find a generous villager willing to let him have some dinner. He knocked on the first house door.
“Good evening,” said the woman. “And what might you be wanting?”
“Well, I could use some shelter for the night.”
“As I suspected!” said the woman. “Then you may as well keep right on going, for my cottage is not an inn.”
“Do not be so cruel. We are human beings and should help one another.”
“Help one another!?” said the woman. “I have not a bite of food in the house”
But the traveler begged and argued, argued and begged, until at last the woman gave in and told him he could spend the night on her floor. The traveler thanked her. As soon as he entered her cottage he saw that the woman was not so badly off as she had claimed. She was only selfish and stingy. Again the traveler asked her if he might have something to eat.
“And how do you expect me to feed you when I haven’t eaten all day?”
The traveler knew better. “Not a bite all day? Why you poor woman, you must be starving! Here,lend me a pot and I’ll make dinner for the both of us.”
The woman was curious, so she let him have a big metal pot. The traveler filled the pot with water and placed it over the fire. He took a small stone from his pocket, turned it three times in his hand, and dropped it into the pot. The woman watched the stone sink to the bottom. “Stone soup,” said the traveler, and he began to stir the water with a long wooden stick.
“Stone soup?” asked the woman.
“That’s right, stone soup,” said the traveler.
Now the woman thought she had seen everything , but making soup with a stone? She had to see that!
“I’m afraid,” he said, “I’ve been making soup with this same stone for over a week, our soup might be a little thin. If only I had a bit of flour to add, it would be a good deal better.” And he went on stirring the soup.
“I might have some flour,” said the woman. And she fetched him some of the finest flour to be had. The traveler sprinkled the flour into the soup and went on stirring and stirring. “This soup is coming along nicely,” said the traveler. “It would be even better if I had a few potatoes and a bit of meat.”
The woman remembered where she might find some potatoes and a bit of meat. She gave them to the traveler, who went on stirring and stirring.
“If only we had a drop of milk,” said the traveler, “we could invite the king himself to dine with us!”
“The king himself?!” cried the woman, growing more and more excited. And sure enough, she had more than enough milk.
The traveler stirred and stirred and stirred. Suddenly, he reached down to the bottom of the pot, caught up the stone and said, “It’s ready! Now we’ll have a real feast. Of course, with stone soup the king always has good red wine. But then, it’s no use thinking about what we haven’t got.”
The woman ran to the cupboard and brought out a wine bottle and glasses. Never in her life had the woman tasted such rich and delicious soup — and just think, it was all made from a stone!
STONE SOUP