A famous stoop. I just can't get that Runestone stoop out of my mind. But it was inside a glass box! That historic stoop step was being held captive and there was no way I could even set my little stone on it, even for a second. I would like to touch my stone to a bit of history, so onward with my search for a stoop. A well-known one at that, before it is put away behind glass. So I continue what I began, asking around for a stoop of note.
First I came across a couple of woodland creatures, Moose and Bear. "I know there aren't any stoops out here in the wilderness, but would you happen to know of a stoop of note I could visit and actually stand on?" Moose and Bear thought it out and all of a sudden Bear remembered a city relative of his that lives in a zoo. "He told me about a place called Sesame Street. It's in the city, so there must be a famous stoop there." I asked him if he could tell me how to get to Sesame Street and he and Moose pointed their big noses in the proper direction.
I enjoy being in the woods and wilderness, but I'm out of practice. I've been a city gnome for awhile now and so I found myself without my bearings. I found a turtle and asked, "Could you point me to a famous stoop of note in the city?" Turtle replied as if he didn't even hear my question. He simply said, "Why don't you wear your stoop, that way you won't have to look for one?" Honestly I never considered that as an option. So I took a moment to try the turtle's suggestion. I quickly realized that was not the solution for me. I asked turtle my question again, "Could you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?" And the turtle pointed his nose in the direction I should go. With a friendly salute I was off in the right direction.
Within a few steps of speaking with the turtle, I met a giant ant! The forest is such a busy place. "I heard you are looking for a stoop to guard," she said. "You're more than welcome to see if my stoop is to your liking." I told her thanks and perhaps I will come back and see what it's like to guard an ant's stoop, but right now I'm on my way to the city.
I walked for quite a while, enjoying the fall colors and watching fat squirrels rustle about. Before I new it, the forest was behind me and I was in a yard. I was behind a very small house and became so curious about who lived there! I walked around to the front and found a minimal stoop, occupied by a sleepy yellow dog. Since I am trying out stoops, I didn't think I should rule this little one out. I stood and stood and stood until the dog finally woke up. I introduced myself and told him about my mission. "I hope you don't mind my trying out your stoop," I said. The yellow dog didn't mind. In fact, he just shrugged his shoulders and went right back to sleep. I ended up dozing on the dog's stoop for a bit, but there was still plenty of sun sweeping the clouds away when I woke up so I decided to continue on. Double-checking that my directions were correct, I asked the yellow dog, "Could you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?" And before he laid his head back down, he pointed his wet, black snout in the proper direction.
I could tell I was further into town when I saw a clown on a park bench. "Are you a park bench gnome?" I asked. This fellow's hair was as red as my hat! He laughed and said, "I am not a gnome, I am a clown. Would you like a hamburger?" I politely declined a hamburger -- I was too excited to eat! Instead I asked, "Could you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?" And the clown pointed a giant clown shoe in the proper direction.
I started trying stoop after stoop now that I was in the city. I tried a nice stoop at a bright yellow house. I found a giant nest, too, and, like the turtle stoop I found it wasn't quite right for me. I went on to another stoop in front of a red door and near a blue mailbox. It would be fun to stand next to a mailbox, there would be plenty of people to see everyday. But none of these stoops felt like historic stoops of note. So I walked and wandered, wondering if I was too late. Perhaps the famous stoop all of my friends pointed me toward along the way had already been put behind glass.
Just as the sun was going down I saw two lights come on just a short ways away. It was a welcoming light, shining softly down onto a dark green door and illuminating the numbers 123. I knew it! I knew this was my famous stoop of note! I ran and ran, up one, two, three steps. I caught my breath. This felt like a famous stoop of note underneath my road-weary stone. I would surely spend the night here, if not a few days, and experience all that Sesame Street has to offer.
Soon I found that this is exactly where all the friendly neighbors meet! I met a fellow with a thick accent who wore a cape and liked to count everything he saw. I met a big yellow bird, too. I'll have to ask if that was his nest I visited. I even met these two great fellows -- one has a rubber ducky and the other has a paper clip collection!
