Many years ago three soldiers, hungry and weary of battle, came upon a small
village. The villagers, suffering a meagre harvest and the many years of war,
quickly hid what little they had to eat and met the three at the village square,
wringing their hands and bemoaning the lack of anything to eat.
The soldiers spoke quietly among themselves and the first soldier then turned to
the village elders. "Your tired fields have left you nothing to share, so we
will share what little we have, the secret of how to make soup from stones."
Naturally the villagers were intrigued and soon a fire was put to the town's
greatest kettle as the soldiers dropped in three smooth stones. "Now this will
be a fine soup," said the second soldier, "but a pinch of salt and some parsley
would make it wonderful!"
Up jumped a villager, crying "What luck! I've just remembered where some's been
left!" And off she ran, returning with an apronful of parsley and a turnip.
As the kettle boiled on, the memory of the village improved, soon barley,
carrots, beef and cream had found their way into the great pot, and a cask of
wine was rolled into the square as all sat down to feast.
They ate and danced and sang well into the night, refreshed by the feast and
their new-found friends. In the morning, the three soldiers awoke to find the
entire village standing before them. At their feet lay a satchel of the
village's best breads and cheese.
"You have given us the greatest of gifts, the secret of how to make soup from
stones," said an elder, "and we shall never forget."
The third soldier turned to the crowd and said, "There is no secret, but this is
certain, it is only by sharing that we may make a feast."
And off the soldiers wandered, down the road.
Author unknown. If anyone has a proprietary interest in this story please
authenticate and I will be happy to credit, or remove, as the circumstances
dictate.
Thanks to Simply Inspirational
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