It’s Stone Soup Day at the library.

This is the day where all the librarians bring in a random selection of ingredients (vegetables, mainly) and toss them into a large pot full of broth. The most important ingredient, however, is the stone. Yep, a real (hopefully sanitary) stone that is dropped into the soup. Add some warm bread and butter and a good time is had by all.

This yearly tradition is based upon the “Stone Soup” folktale. A couple of soldiers coming home from a war, enter a village where they ask for food and shelter. The villagers, who are greedy and suspicious, claim that they have nothing to give. So the soldiers concoct a plan. They fill a cauldron full of water, throw a “magic” stone in, and put it on a fire. One by one, curious citizens approach the soldiers to see what they are doing. One by one, each villager consents to contribute a little something to the pot. Soon, there is a full-blown cauldron of soup which the soldiers share with the now-cooperative villagers.