Tell me, have you ever heard the folktale of the "Stone Soup"?
In case you have not, here it is, for you to read. The answer to your question is at the bottom, underneath the tale :)
There once was a traveler making his way through the forest and wondering where he might find shelter for the night. He thought to himself how good it would be to sit by a nice warm fire and eat a hearty dinner. But the sun was already low in the sky and there was not a cottage in sight.
At that moment he met an old woman out gathering twigs and branches for kindling. “Hello there and good evening!” called the traveler.
“Good evening,” said the woman. “And what might you be wanting here?”
“Well, I could use some shelter for the night.”
“Just as I suspected!” said the woman. “Then you may as well keep right on going, for my cottage is not an inn.”
“But my good woman,” said the traveler, “do not be so cruel. We are human beings and should help one another when we can.”
“Help one another!? Ha!” said the woman. “And who, pray tell, will help me, since I have not a bite of food in the house? No, you had best continue on your way.”
But the traveler could not be so easily turned away. He 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 for her kindness. “I would much rather be warm on the hard floor,” he said, “than cold and alone in the forest.”
As soon as he entered the cottage he saw that the woman was not so badly off as she had claimed to be. She was only selfish and stingy, and she liked to complain. So in his most polite and charming manner the traveler asked her if he might have something to eat.
“And how do you expect me to feed the likes of you when I haven’t tasted a bite all day myself?” asked the woman.
The traveler, of course, knew better. “Not a bite all day? Why you poor woman, you must be starving! Here, you just lend me a pot and I’ll make dinner for the both of us.”
“For the both of us!” said the woman. “How can you make dinner without any food?”
“You’ll see, my good woman,” said the traveler. “I’ve learned things in my travels that couldn’t be found in any book.”
The woman began to grow curious, and 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.
“What’s this going to be?” she asked.
“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 most everything in her day, but making soup with a stone — this was certainly something new!
“Just watch me,” said the traveler. “If you learn how to make stone soup, you’ll never go hungry again.”
The woman stood nearby, watching him closely.
“I’m afraid, though,” he said, “that since I’ve been making soup with this same stone for over a week, our soup might be a little thin. Now if only I had a bit of flour or ground oatmeal to add, it would be a good deal better. But then, it’s no use thinking about what we haven’t got.” And he went on stirring the soup.
“Wait, I might just have some flour somewhere,” 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, “and it would even be good enough for company if only I had a few potatoes and a bit of salted beef to add. But then, it’s no use thinking about what we haven’t got.”
The woman was silent for a while, and then she remembered a place where she might find some potatoes and even a bit of beef. She ran to get them and gave them to the traveler, who went on stirring and stirring.
“If only we had a little barley and a drop of milk,” said the traveler, “we could invite the king himself to dine with us, for I know from his cook that he eats this very soup every evening.”
“Good gracious! The king himself!” cried the woman, growing more and more excited.
“But then, it’s no use thinking about what we haven’t got,” said the traveler.
“Wait, wait just a minute,” said the woman, and sure enough, she did have some barley and 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, as fine as the king and queen. Of course, with stone soup the king and queen always have sandwiches and good red wine. And they always have a tablecloth on the table. But then, it’s no use thinking about what we haven’t got.”
Well, by this time, as you can imagine, the woman was feeling very grand. Whatever was good enough for the king and queen, she thought, was good enough for her. So she ran to the cupboard and brought out a wine bottle and glasses, bread and butter, cheese, smoked beef and veal. The table could hardly hold it all. Never in her life had the woman eaten such a feast or tasted such rich and delicious soup — and just think, it was all made from a stone! They ate and they drank and they drank and they ate and they ate and they drank, until they had their fill. And when they finally got sleepy and the traveler was going to lie down on the floor, the woman said, “No, no! such a grand person must surely have a bed to sleep in.”
“You are too kind,” said the traveler. “In all my travels I have never met a more gracious woman.” And he lay down in the soft bed and fell fast asleep.
When the traveler awoke the next morning, the woman gave him a roll and coffee, and as he was leaving she handed him a bright gold coin. “Thank you, thank you so much for what you’ve taught me,” she said. “Now I shall always live in comfort, for I have learned how to make soup with a stone.”
“Oh, but you’re very welcome,” said the traveler. “It’s really very simple if only you remember to add something good to it.” The traveler went on his way through the forest, and the old woman stood at her door, watching him go.
“Such people,” she said, “don’t grow on trees.”
There is a spell that was specifically designed for just such a request as yours. There is a lot of ritual involved though, one aspect of which is fasting for a week.
Would you like more info?
:)
2006-08-27 02:57:36
·
answer #6
·
answered by googlywotsit 5
·
1⤊
1⤋