The Stone Soup Factor: Part Three

Overcoming Challenges: The Awakening and a Triple Miracle

"Paece," Yoj said excitedly, "Look, I found some baby rabbits!"

Yoj, Lily and Paece had climbed up the mountain slope to the place on the mountain where Yoj snared the last rabbit, hoping to be able to catch another one for Gran. So far, Yoj had not seen evidence of any rabbits and thus, he could scarcely believe what he saw. 

Suddenly, he realized that there would be no scarcity of rabbit meat for his family, as he had found what appeared to be a whole family of rabbits.

"I wonder where the mother and the father are, Paece?" he said, looking around.

Paece stood there momentarily, looking at the baby rabbits, totally fascinated with them. He did not say anything at all, which really did not surprise Yoj, as Paece had not spoken one word since Lily had found him the evening before.

"Lily, come and see all the baby rabbits!" Yoj called out to her. He bent down and picked up one of the furry, little rabbits and held it in his hands. It seemed so tiny. He placed it in Paece's small hands.

"Be careful," he cautioned Paece. "Hold him tight, but not too tight."

Yoj looked around, but there was no sign of the baby rabbit’s parents anywhere.

"Maybe it was the mother rabbit that I caught the other day?" Yoj wondered silently. "Oh no, it can't be! Maybe there is no father here, either?"

"Beautiful." said Lily, as she gazed at them in total amazement. "This is absolutely wonderful!" she said, stroking the fur of several other baby rabbits. "You are just so sweet!"

"We are going to take these little babies to Gran," said Yoj. "She will know what to do with them. Take a look around and see if you can find any more babies."

Yoj pulled off his jacket and put five of the baby rabbits they had found into it, and tied the sleeves together to form a basket. Paece seemed to know just what to do and placed the sixth one in the jacket basket. Lily found one more baby rabbit in the bushes nearby, so all together, there were seven of them. She kept that one in her hands and snuggled her face up close to it.

"Good thing I found you, little one. Wow, seven babies!" Lily said to Paece. "I am going to need your help to take care of all these baby rabbits."

Suddenly, for the first time since she had found him, she saw a glimmer of light flicker in Paece's eyes, as if somehow he had just awakened from a deep sleep. Paece was coming back to life. Both Yoj and Lily knew that he was probably still in a state of shock. They wondered what had happened to him and if he was going to be all right.

"I wonder how old they are," Yoj said, as he looked at the baby rabbits and then at Paece. "Maybe they are a couple of weeks old, at the most!"

Suddenly, Paece held up four fingers on his right hand.

"Four?" asked Yoj. "Four weeks? The rabbits are four weeks old?"

"Maybe," said Lily. "Four?" she asked him.

Paece nodded his head, but he still did not say one word.

"Are you four years old?" Lily asked him gently, suddenly realizing that he might have understood the word old. "You are four years old."

Again, Paece nodded. Then he pointed to the baby rabbits and shook his head.

"You don't know how old the baby rabbits are," Yoj said.

Paece shook his head.

"Lily, this is wonderful! I can see that Paece is trying to communicate with us. I was starting to wonder if he ever would. Let's go and tell Gran. Paece, do you want to carry one of the babies?"

Paece shook his head again.

"That was definitely a no," said Yoj. He was relieved to find out that his new, little friend was beginning to answer questions. "All right, I will carry them."

Lily put her baby rabbit in the jacket basket, as well.

"Gran! Gran!" hollered Yoj, as all three of them approached the cabin, a while later. "Gran, I have a wonderful surprise for you.”

“Gran!" he called out again, but no one answered.

"Gran must have gone into the village," Yoj decided. "Now what do we do?" he asked Lily.

"Let's find something and make a bed for them," said Lily, taking over like a mother hen. "Paece, help me find some straw, all right?"

Paece nodded, as if he understood her every word. He ran over to the corner of the garden and grabbed a 

handful of golden, yellow straw. He carefully placed it into the jacket basket.

"Why doesn't he say anything?" Yoj asked her a later, when the baby rabbits were all snuggled in the wooden box they had found and lined with straw.

"I don't know," said Lily. "Paece understands what we are saying, Yoj,"

Gran called out to him from the distance, as she approached the cabin, a couple of hours later. "Yoj! I have some good news. Come and help me."

Yoj ran down the hill towards her. She was carrying a large, white bag of flour. 

"This is great, but it is too heavy for you to have carried all this way. You should have waited for me to come and help you with it. Where did you get this, Gran?" he asked.

Gran took a moment or two to catch her breath and then said, "It is so amazing. The men dug their way through the rocks into the flour mill, through one of the back doorways. The mill is still going to work, as the grinders are not broken. There is going to be enough flour for everyone in the village. It is a miracle!"

"I am so glad!" said Yoj. He was immensely relieved. "That is the best news yet!"

"Gran, I have a surprise for you too. Come and see."

The bag of flour was too heavy for him to carry alone, so Gran took one end of the bag and Yoj took the other. Together, they carried it the rest of the way up the hill to the doorway of the cabin.

"Lily, we have flour and the mill is all right," Yoj called out to Lily, as soon as he saw her and Paece. They were feeding the baby rabbits.

"Thank God," said Lily, as she remembered how hungry they had been. "If only I could tell my mom," she thought to herself, but she decided not to spoil their surprise for Gran. "I sure hope my mom has enough food."

"Look Gran," Lily said, as she led Gran over to the box where the seven baby rabbits were snuggled close together in the straw.

Gran almost burst into tears.

"Wonderful!" she said, finally getting her emotions under control. "We are going to have to build a rabbit hutch. Maybe we will start a rabbit farm, right, Paece?"

She did not want to tell Yoj and Lily that there was a rumor in the village that Paece might have been orphaned. A young couple had been visiting in the area and they had a young child with them. No one knew if they were dead or alive, or if they had left the village. Either way, it appeared that Paece was all alone, at least for now.

To her utter astonishment, Paece nodded his head. He did not say one word, but he did not have to say anything. Gran knew immediately that he had awakened.

"Gran, Paece is four years old, right Paece?" said Yoj.

Paece nodded his head, looking directly at Gran. Then, he held up four fingers.

"My goodness," said Gran, a moment later, as she regained her composure. "Imagine that, a triple miracle! I have three children, seven rabbits and a whole bag of flour! What a wonderful day this has been!"

Off in the distance, there was the echo of a sweet violin playing a mountain melody.

"Everything is going to be all right," Yoj assured Lily and Paece.

"Yes, it is," echoed Gran. "We are going to make sure of that."

 Overcoming Challenges: The Awakening and a Triple Miracle

"Paece," Yoj said excitedly, "Look, I found some baby rabbits!"

Yoj, Lily and Paece had climbed up the mountain slope to the place on the mountain where Yoj snared the last rabbit, hoping to be able to catch another one for Gran. So far, Yoj had not seen evidence of any rabbits and thus, he could scarcely believe what he saw. 

Suddenly, he realized that there would be no scarcity of rabbit meat for his family, as he had found what appeared to be a whole family of rabbits.

"I wonder where the mother and the father are, Paece?" he said, looking around.

Paece stood there momentarily, looking at the baby rabbits, totally fascinated with them. He did not say anything at all, which really did not surprise Yoj, as Paece had not spoken one word since Lily had found him the evening before.

"Lily, come and see all the baby rabbits!" Yoj called out to her. He bent down and picked up one of the furry, little rabbits and held it in his hands. It seemed so tiny. He placed it in Paece's small hands.

"Be careful," he cautioned Paece. "Hold him tight, but not too tight."

Yoj looked around, but there was no sign of the baby rabbit’s parents anywhere.

"Maybe it was the mother rabbit that I caught the other day?" Yoj wondered silently. "Oh no, it can't be! Maybe there is no father here, either?"

"Beautiful." said Lily, as she gazed at them in total amazement. "This is absolutely wonderful!" she said, stroking the fur of several other baby rabbits. "You are just so sweet!"

"We are going to take these little babies to Gran," said Yoj. "She will know what to do with them. Take a look around and see if you can find any more babies."

Yoj pulled off his jacket and put five of the baby rabbits they had found into it, and tied the sleeves together to form a basket. Paece seemed to know just what to do and placed the sixth one in the jacket basket. Lily found one more baby rabbit in the bushes nearby, so all together, there were seven of them. She kept that one in her hands and snuggled her face up close to it.

"Good thing I found you, little one. Wow, seven babies!" Lily said to Paece. "I am going to need your help to take care of all these baby rabbits."

Suddenly, for the first time since she had found him, she saw a glimmer of light flicker in Paece's eyes, as if somehow he had just awakened from a deep sleep. Paece was coming back to life. Both Yoj and Lily knew that he was probably still in a state of shock. They wondered what had happened to him and if he was going to be all right.

"I wonder how old they are," Yoj said, as he looked at the baby rabbits and then at Paece. "Maybe they are a couple of weeks old, at the most!"

Suddenly, Paece held up four fingers on his right hand.

"Four?" asked Yoj. "Four weeks? The rabbits are four weeks old?"

"Maybe," said Lily. "Four?" she asked him.

Paece nodded his head, but he still did not say one word.

"Are you four years old?" Lily asked him gently, suddenly realizing that he might have understood the word old. "You are four years old."

Again, Paece nodded. Then he pointed to the baby rabbits and shook his head.

"You don't know how old the baby rabbits are," Yoj said.

Paece shook his head.

"Lily, this is wonderful! I can see that Paece is trying to communicate with us. I was starting to wonder if he ever would. Let's go and tell Gran. Paece, do you want to carry one of the babies?"

Paece shook his head again.

"That was definitely a no," said Yoj. He was relieved to find out that his new, little friend was beginning to answer questions. "All right, I will carry them."

Lily put her baby rabbit in the jacket basket, as well.

"Gran! Gran!" hollered Yoj, as all three of them approached the cabin, a while later. "Gran, I have a wonderful surprise for you.”

“Gran!" he called out again, but no one answered.

"Gran must have gone into the village," Yoj decided. "Now what do we do?" he asked Lily.

"Let's find something and make a bed for them," said Lily, taking over like a mother hen. "Paece, help me find some straw, all right?"

Paece nodded, as if he understood her every word. He ran over to the corner of the garden and grabbed a 

handful of golden, yellow straw. He carefully placed it into the jacket basket.

"Why doesn't he say anything?" Yoj asked her a later, when the baby rabbits were all snuggled in the wooden box they had found and lined with straw.

"I don't know," said Lily. "Paece understands what we are saying, Yoj,"

Gran called out to him from the distance, as she approached the cabin, a couple of hours later. "Yoj! I have some good news. Come and help me."

Yoj ran down the hill towards her. She was carrying a large, white bag of flour. 

"This is great, but it is too heavy for you to have carried all this way. You should have waited for me to come and help you with it. Where did you get this, Gran?" he asked.

Gran took a moment or two to catch her breath and then said, "It is so amazing. The men dug their way through the rocks into the flour mill, through one of the back doorways. The mill is still going to work, as the grinders are not broken. There is going to be enough flour for everyone in the village. It is a miracle!"

"I am so glad!" said Yoj. He was immensely relieved. "That is the best news yet!"

"Gran, I have a surprise for you too. Come and see."

The bag of flour was too heavy for him to carry alone, so Gran took one end of the bag and Yoj took the other. Together, they carried it the rest of the way up the hill to the doorway of the cabin.

"Lily, we have flour and the mill is all right," Yoj called out to Lily, as soon as he saw her and Paece. They were feeding the baby rabbits.

"Thank God," said Lily, as she remembered how hungry they had been. "If only I could tell my mom," she thought to herself, but she decided not to spoil their surprise for Gran. "I sure hope my mom has enough food."

"Look Gran," Lily said, as she led Gran over to the box where the seven baby rabbits were snuggled close together in the straw.

Gran almost burst into tears.

"Wonderful!" she said, finally getting her emotions under control. "We are going to have to build a rabbit hutch. Maybe we will start a rabbit farm, right, Paece?"

She did not want to tell Yoj and Lily that there was a rumor in the village that Paece might have been orphaned. A young couple had been visiting in the area and they had a young child with them. No one knew if they were dead or alive, or if they had left the village. Either way, it appeared that Paece was all alone, at least for now.

To her utter astonishment, Paece nodded his head. He did not say one word, but he did not have to say anything. Gran knew immediately that he had awakened.

"Gran, Paece is four years old, right Paece?" said Yoj.

Paece nodded his head, looking directly at Gran. Then, he held up four fingers.

"My goodness," said Gran, a moment later, as she regained her composure. "Imagine that, a triple miracle! I have three children, seven rabbits and a whole bag of flour! What a wonderful day this has been!"

Off in the distance, there was the echo of a sweet violin playing a mountain melody.

"Everything is going to be all right," Yoj assured Lily and Paece.

"Yes, it is," echoed Gran. "We are going to make sure of that."