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A kindly, old stranger was walking through the land when he came upon a village. As he entered, the villagers moved towards their homes locking doors and windows.
The stranger smiled and asked, “Why are you all so frightened?” I am a simple traveler. “I am looking for a soft place to stay for the night and a warm place for a meal.”
"There's not a bite to eat in the whole province," he was told. "We are weak and our children are starving. Better keep moving on."
"Oh, I have everything I need," he said. "In fact, I was thinking of making some stone soup to share with all of you." He pulled out big kettle and filled it with water. He began to build a fire under it.
Then, with great ceremony, he pulled out a stone from a silken bag and dropped it into the water.
By now, hearing the rumor of food, most of the villagers had come out of their homes or were watching from their windows. The traveler sniffed the "broth" and licked his lips. Hunger began to overcome the villager’s fears.
"M-m-m," the stranger said to himself rather loudly, "I do like a tasty stone soup. Of course, stone soup with cabbage, that's hard to beat."
Soon a villager approached hesitantly, holding a small cabbage he'd retrieved from its hiding place and added it to the pot.
"Wonderful!" cried the traveler. "You know, I once had stone soup with cabbage and a bit of beef as well and it was fit for a king."
The village butcher managed to find some beef and so it went, through potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms, and so on, until there was a delicious meal for everyone in the village to share.
As he left, the stranger came upon a group of the children from the village. He gave the silken bag containing the stone to the youngest child and whispering to the group, “It was not the stone but the villagers that had performed the magic."
Moral: By working together, with everyone contributing what they can, a greater good is achieved.
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