Alvin in the First Scene 64

Then the soldier ferreted about the ground below the eaves of the villagers’ cottages until he had gathered a dozen or more, smooth, dark stones. He inspected each closely, smelled them individually, sometimes comparing one stone’s fragrance to that of another. When all was done, he had kept only a few. He polished them with snow, wiped them clean, and then placed them gingerly, one by one, into the pot. Now the onlookers were really getting curious –more than that, they were sure the soldier was mad with hunger. The soldier then took a big wooden spoon from his knapsack and began stirring the water in the pot and occasionally taking a taste. “Mmmmmm,” he finally said, “this is the best Rock Soup I have tasted in a long time.” The villagers couldn’t believe their ears. Rock Soup? Surely he was mad!