Soup Circle

It was winter in my village, which meant rationing our stores that we collected during the spring and summer months to survive. Of course, we would try to share, but we had to be careful because you could easily starve, and there was no hunting or foraging during the snowstorms that pelted us repeatedly. I was known for collecting bones from animals like rabbits and chickens, and I would use them to make a broth that would provide decent sustenance. This meant a lot of stone soup was cooked throughout the winter, and my neighbors knew they could bring whatever they had to add to the soup, and we would share meals.

In the early afternoon, as the fire I had just created crackled, I stretched my hands out to feel its warmth. Then I pulled the giant cast-iron cauldron I had and hooked it above the fire. The flames licked the bottom as I added the bones and water. After a few hours of boiling the bones, I removed them and placed them into a separate jar. Then, I started adding the various vegetables I had, like potatoes, cabbage, carrots, and finally, mushrooms. As I plopped each mushroom into the boiling water, I somehow managed to create a perfect circle. I giggled to myself. There was always joy in the small things. Just as I moved my wooden spoon to disrupt and stir all the vegetables, suddenly, a splashing sound erupted, and something flew up out of the soup. 

Startled, it buzzed around my head, and as I turned, trying to catch a glimpse, it looked small, and it had wings that fluttered quickly. Then, it finally came into my view, and behold! It was a small fairy. For a moment, I just looked at it, bewildered as it shook off the soup remnants. 

“Hello!” it said joyfully. Then, grinned at me. I was dumbfounded, but said hello in the sweetest voice I could muster. 

By the look on my face, the fairy could tell I didn’t know how it got there. “So, you didn’t mean to summon me, did you?” I shook my head, “Well, that’s just great.” The fairy shrugged, “Eh, it’s not like I get summoned often anyway, so I’m happy to be here!” It buzzed around my head and then plopped itself onto my shoulder.

“It looks like you’re making soup,” The fairy said and laughed, pointing at the mushrooms, “I guess that’s how I ended up here!” 

“What? The mushroom circle?” I asked the fairy.

“Oh, yes, you created a perfect mushroom circle! And in a soup! Therefore, you summoned the soup fairy!” The fairy did a twirl in the air and laughed again.

The fairy buzzed around my small cabin, looking at all the ingredients and various objects I had laid out. “You know, I can help with this soup, if you’d like,” he told me with a grin. I narrowed my eyes at the fairy and asked him how he could help.

The fairy chuckled and said, “Don’t worry, I’m not a mischievous fairy. I can actually help!”

“That would be nice,” I told the fairy. “It is winter, and my village always struggles to make it through the winters.”

“Do you have more pots?”

“Oh yes, many!”

“Gather all of the pots!” the fairy exclaimed.

A little while later, after I had gathered all the pots I could, we were looking at my big cauldron plus about thirteen other various-sized pots.

“Excellent,” the fairy clapped his hands together. “Time to get to work!” 

The fairy then hovered above the cauldron that was brimming with soup, and with a few movements of his hands, a few words I didn’t understand, and what looked like sparks flying out of his fingertips, soup started flowing out from the cauldron and filling all of the pots one by one. But, curiously enough, the cauldron wasn’t empty; it was still full of soup. And now, so were all of the pots.

“See, I told you I could help,” said the fairy happily. “Everyone deserves food. Everyone deserves soup, especially!”

I couldn’t believe it. There was so much. This could easily feed everyone in the entire village.

I excitedly started rushing to pull on my boots and my long fur cloak. “I have to gather everyone!”

“Well, I’m glad I could help,” the fairy said and made movements like it was going to leave. 

“Wait,” I said, “Please stay. I’m sure the village would love to thank you for what you’ve done to help us!” The fairy laughed again, “I don’t like to make myself known to humans if I can help it, same with most fairies. Even though it seems you did so by accident, you can always summon me again!” 

“I can?”

“Oh, yes, just do exactly what you did earlier!” He winked and disappeared.

I don’t know if I’d be able to repeat that, I thought to myself. But I was too excited about all the food and that I could give a warm meal to all in the village, so I let the thought slip away. I ran and pounded on each cabin door and told each villager to do the same. After a while, everyone was gathered in my home or outside of it, because there wasn’t room for everyone in my modest cabin. But they were all happily waiting in line for a warm and hefty bowl of soup.

“How did you manage to make all of this?” Asked one of my neighbors. 

I grinned and said, “I don’t think you’d believe me, but I had help from the soup fairy!”

We all survived that winter and many thereafter. I had indeed perfected how to summon the soup fairy, and he didn’t mind having a human friend.

…

What did you think of the story? How would you react if you summoned the soup fairy? Let us know in the comments below!

–Clever&WTF