Once long ago, Papa and I were walking for miles on a long and winding country road. Finally we approached a large farmhouse surrounded by fields of healthy vegetables.
"Papa, I'm so hungry," I said.
Papa patted my head and winked. I smiled and nodded back. I admired my Papa. I knew he would find a way to get us a warm meal. We knocked on the door, and a well-dressed man and his wife answered.
"Hello," said Papa. "My son, Erik, is hungry. Could you please spare a morsel of food?" The man shook his head. "We have lots of food, but we cannot afford to give any of it away," he said. "Well, I could cook my flavorful nail soup if you would donate a small cup of hot water," said Papa.
The woman looked at her husband. "Soup from a nail?" she said. "That's impossible." But the man's curiosity overwhelmed him, so he brought a small cup of boiling water.
Papa carefully took out a long, crooked nail and with one graceful motion, dropped it into the cup. He stirred the cup of hot liquid.
"This is beginning to smell wonderful," said Papa. I smiled at Papa. He was clever and charming, and my admiration for him grew. He could do anything! Then I remembered something he taught me.
"Papa, it is impolite for me to eat nail soup without offering some to everyone," I said. "But there is such a small amount here."
"We can't let the boy eat alone," said the man to his wife. "We can spare more water."
The woman filled a big pot with water and put it on the stove. When the water boiled, Papa placed the nail into the pot, stirred, and sniffed the air. "The aroma is good, but it would be much more aromatic with an onion. Have you any old onions?"
The woman gave Papa three small onions, and he dropped them into the pot. "Papa, remember how luscious nail soup was with carrots?" I asked.
The man jumped up and pulled four plump carrots from a large basket of vegetables on the floor. "How about some beets and cabbages, too?" he said. "I can spare a few of those."
"And here are some potatoes and green beans," the woman interrupted. "They are healthful and nutritious contributions. We grow them ourselves!"
Papa dropped the vegetables into the boiling water while the man grabbed a variety of spices and meats.
"Here, add these, too," he said enthusiastically.
Soon the soup was ready, and we sat down to eat. I knew the man and his wife would enjoy nail soup. "This soup is amazing," said the woman. "And all from just one nail and a pot of boiling water."
Papa pretended to be surprised by her amazement, but as usual, he had the perfect answer. "What did you expect?" he said. "I told you it would be flavorful." The man and woman smiled. "We just didn't know that sharing a little of our great wealth would taste so good!"
