Stone soup
June 2010
There was once a village struck by famine and the people there were starving.
Children ran around on spindly legs, and as for animals, their ribs were sticking out so pathetically it was hard not to cry. One day, into this world of hunger and deprivation strode a handsome and happy looking stranger. The villagers grew wary when they saw him because who could feed one more mouth when they did not have enough for their own stomachs? The village headman approached the stranger and told him, “Please go away. We do not have food for you.” The stranger smiled gently. “But I do not want food,” he said. “On the contrary I have come to feed you because I heard about your sad plight. I am going to make you some stone soup.
The villagers watched suspiciously as he built a fire and filled a cauldron with water. With great ceremony, he pulled a stone from a bag, dropping the stone into the pot of water. He sniffed the brew extravagantly and exclaimed how delicious the stone soup is. As the villagers begin to show interest, he mentioned how good the soup would be with just a little cabbage in it. A villager brought out a cabbage to share. Another remembered that he had some onions in the corner of his kitchen. A mother of three offered a few carrots she had hidden away against a crisis. Someone else poured in a handful of lentils. Slowly, slowly, the soup grew thick, delicious and nourishing. Lovingly, the man filled their empty plates and watched as the villagers had their first good meal in a long time. “There is no soup as tasty as stone soup,” said four-year-old Anita, as she slurped the last of her soup contentedly.Takeaway: “This story means even little, little things make a lot of difference. Everyone can contribute even if they think they have only little and it will be useful for all. And also, even a stranger can help you out of the worst of situations.”
Aditya Deshingkar, 11, Vile Parle, Mumbai
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