Once upon a time, there was a village in an African country where wicked and inhospitable people lived. In this village, all foreigners were mistreated and chased away.

However, in this village lived one family that was generous, benevolent, and always warm with the foreigners. One day, a mysterious stranger passed through this village. He knocked on the door of each house and asked for water and food, but no one gave him what he asked for. Only the benevolent family gave him food and water when he asked. After drinking and eating, he thanked them and told them a secret. He told them, “No one in this village gave me food and drink when I needed it—nobody except you. So, I’m going to give you a gift for your generosity. Leave this village before the first rays of the sun or a misfortune will strike you.” After saying these words, the stranger went back to where he came from. The family did not understand why the stranger had told them this.

Just before the first rays of the sun, the family left the village but remained close enough to be able to observe it. What the family members saw froze their blood: From the moment that the first rays of sun hit the village, all its inhabitants turned into stone. Whether pet or human, all had become stone. 

This village became a village of stone.