Stone Soup

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Feel free to modify any story to fit your audience. That includes changing out the names of characters for names of people in your audience or changing the place name to be YOUR hometown.

Some of the best campfire stories aren’t scary at all. Read on to find out how a clever cook rescued a fair Princess.

Props:

• a smooth fist-sized rock

Once upon a time, there was a smart young cook named Bill. In the country where Bill lived, an ugly, evil Troll had captured the beautiful Princess Laura and was holding her hostage in his cave.

Princess Laura’s father, the King, had sent all of his knights one-by-one to defeat the Troll and rescue Princess Laura. But the Troll bested each knight and made a feast of their bones. Then the King sent each of his wizards, one-by-one to defeat the Troll. But the Troll bested each wizard and made a feast of their bones.

Finally, Bill, the cook asked the King if he could try to defeat the Troll and rescue Princess Laura. The King said, “Bill, if you defeat the Troll and rescue the Princess, you may marry her and have my kingdom when I am gone.”

So Bill packed up his trusty soup pot, got onto his little white mule and rode to the Troll’s cave. At the mouth of the cave, Bill made a small fire. He filled the pot with water, put it over the fire to boil and sat down to wait.

Pretty soon, the Troll came to the mouth of the cave. Before the Troll could grab Bill and make a feast of his bones, Bill stood up and said:

“Oh great Troll! It is known far and wide that you are among cleverest of all Trolls for you have stolen the fair Princess Laura. I have come to make you a soup that will the smartest Troll in the land!”

And since Trolls are very vain about being clever, the evil Troll didn’t grab Bill and make a feast of his bones. Instead, the Troll growled: “And just what is this soup?”

Bill said, “It is Stone Soup! See this stone? It makes the best soup in the world and when you eat it, you will be the smartest Troll. First, I need an onion.”

The Troll was being clever and asked, “Why do I have to give YOU an onion?”

Bill said, “Because if it is MY onion, then the soup would only work for me. Now, I need an onion!” And into the pot went and onion.

“When will it be ready?” demanded the Troll.

“In a little bit,” said Bill. “It just needs some carrots!” And into the pot went some carrots.

“When will it be ready?” demanded the Troll.

“In a little bit,” said Bill. “It just needs some potatoes!” And into the pot went some potatoes.

And a bit of beef.

And a handful of barley.

And a pinch of salt.

Finally, the soup was simmering and the Troll was starting to drool. Bill looked up and him and said, “It’s almost ready! Now, I just need to add the final ingredient: the Stone!” And into the bubbling soup went the stone.

The Troll was getting excited at the idea of eating soup that would make him the cleverest Troll in all the land.

“The soup it almost ready!” said Bill. “I should just taste it to make sure that it’s done.”

But the Troll didn’t want Bill to eat the soup and become clever. So the Troll grabbed the bubbling pot of soup and swallowed it all. The Troll started choking. He had swallowed the stone! In a moment, the Troll was dead.

Bill walked into the cave and rescued Princess Laura. They returned to the King and were married. When the King asked Bill how he had defeated the Troll, Bill just said, “I make a mean pot of Stone Soup!”

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