he Secret Cave

aron Von Lodge was the head of a small country known as Lilliland near Switzerland. The time was the early 1900s.

Deep in the Alpine Mountains of Lilliland lived a quiet group of monks of an ancient order. They lived in a small abbey in a very remote area, and many people almost forgot that they were there. Their ancient order emphasized the quiet life of thought and prayer. They did not speak very much, even to each other, and they had little contact with the outside world.

Each Saturday was market day in Lilliland and the monks would arrive by horse-drawn cart in the marketplace with their supply of the most delicious, large, white mushrooms that anyone had ever seen.

A group of people who lived outside of Lilliland was trying to discover how the monks could raise such delicious mushrooms. They wanted to find out the secret that the monks kept to themselves on how the mushrooms were raised. The group even sent spies into Lilliland to follow the monks to see what they could find out about their abbey and the grounds around the abbey. The monks knew that sooner or later the location of their secret garden might be discovered. They did not want this to happen.

One day a group of monks asked to have a meeting with the Baron to discuss the problem of the outside intruders. The meeting with Baron Von Lodge was held at Lilliland Castle to seek his help and advice about keeping the location of the mushroom garden a secret. The Baron found that he needed some first hand information, so the monks agreed to show him the secret location known only to the order of monks. It was in a secret cave not found on any map of the area in the Alpine Mountains.

After visiting the secret cave to see where the mushrooms came from, the Baron declared the cave and all of the area around the cave as an historical and religious site that would not be open to anyone outside the religious order of the monks. In Lilliland the Baron's word was the law. He further said that the monks had the right to privacy in order to live the quiet, religious life that they wished. The monks thanked the Baron for his kindness, consideration and wisdom in this matter.

To this day people line up in the Lilliland marketplace to wait for the monks in their horse-drawn cart to bring them the big, white, luscious mushrooms for their families to enjoy. The secret cave where the mushrooms grow is still a secret. That's the way the monks feel best about it. When the people of Lilliland enjoy a fresh cup of mushroom soup, they often picture the monks and their mushroom garden in the secret cave.