"Lookout the Moose"

 


                                                                                                    "Lookout the Moose"


    Every day a young moose would stand on the hill overlooking the small village just beyond the forest. His mother would find him there and walk beside him as he looked with wonder. She would always encourage him the same way each morning.

    “Do not ever go into the village because we live in the woods and we are moose. The people in town don't like us."

    One day the young moose saw children playing at the bus stop. He had no friends and wanted to play with the children. His mother had left and so the moose thought he would go closer to see why they were so happy. He was old enough to start growing his horns and they were getting big!. His big head poked out of the bushes near where the children played along the road. One of the children saw him and yelled.

    "Lookout the moose is coming."

    The children were not afraid and jumped around with pleasure to see the young moose; pointing at him and hollering for their friends to come take a look. This made the young moose happy. They seemed to like him he thought and that made him very happy. Despite what his mother had told him he walked out from the bushes and slowly trotted toward the children playing at the bus stop. He didn't know what a bus stop was and had never seen a school bus before. As he approached the happy children they hollered even louder.

    "Lookout, the moose is coming, the moose is coming!"

    The young moose did not have a formal name and hadn’t thought much about it until now. He thought that the children were calling him a name; Lookout! So every time that he heard them cry out, "Lookout for the Moose,” he thought they were calling to him. He thought it was a very nice name and the children called out his name so loudly. They were glad to see him! So he trotted
even faster to go play with his new found friends. The bus pulled up in front of the children as they hollered.

    "Lookout, the moose is coming!" They jumped onto bus just as Lookout arrived. He followed the last little boy right up to the step of the bus; trying to stick his big head into the door. Just then the bus driver yelled to the children now on the bus.

    "Lookout, the moose is coming!" He said with an excited but worried voice. 

    The children laughed and stuck their noses up to the windows of the bus, trying to get a better look at the moose. The silly moose now tried to squeeze up through the doorway of the bus and get on board himself! The bus driver still yelling at Lookout, tried hard to close the door, but Lookout was stuck in the way. The children laughed and hollered even louder.

    "Look out! Look out!"  This made Lookout very happy. So many new friends liked him and called out his new name!

    The driver finally was able to get the moose out of the way and shut the door. Then he threw the bus into gear. The bus lurched down the road. Lookout stepped back out of the way and saw every smiling face in the windows of the bus as it went past down the road toward the schoolhouse. So Lookout decided that he should follow the bus and see where his new friends were going. He was having so much fun and wanted to play some more with the children.


    As Lookout came down the road near the school, he noticed a man standing in the middle of the street. He had on white gloves, a white hat to match and a nice blue suit. He had his back to Lookout. His arms were out and something was in his mouth. He was helping the children get across the street to the school. Just as the children passed the crossing guard they saw the moose and began to yell just like the other children on the bus.

    "Lookout, here comes the moose!" Then they ran as the crossing guard turned around, now face to face with Lookout! He blew his whistle and then ran right past the school children. Lookout thought that the sound of the whistle was a signal to start running! So he ran after the crossing guard whom he thought was playing also. As the children rushed into the school, Lookout was following right behind. When he got to the door, the man with the whistle tried to shut the door on poor Lookout! The young moose tried and tried to fit into the door. He could hear all the children inside calling his name and laughing. He was having so much fun and wanted to go to school just like his new friends! However, he just couldn't quite fit through the door! Then a loud school bell rang surprising Lookout. The door slammed shut and soon no more voices could be heard. Lookout walked all the way around the school but could not find a way in. He couldn't find any of his new friends to play with either. This made Lookout sad. He was having so much fun. Where did everyone go?

  He looked down the street and saw that he was close to the stores in town. Perhaps he would find someone else to play with. So he went off to find out. He came near one store where an old man was sweeping the sidewalk. When the  man saw the moose coming, he yelled too.

    “Lookout! The moose is coming, the moose is coming!"  He shook his broom at Lookout and the moose thought that it was someone else to play with. So he grabbed the broom with his mouth which made the old man surprised. Lookout would not let go of the broom. so the shop owner slowly backed toward the door. Lookout followed the man with the broom still in his big moose mouth as the man tried to get in his door while trying to get his broom back. Lookout tried to follow him and see what was inside the store. There were so many smells coming from inside. It was a bakery shop. The smells filled Lookout's big nostrils so he tried to go in. However the broom in his mouth kept getting in the way. He didn't want to drop the broom because it was part of the new game he was playing with the baker. He tried and tried but only part of his head got into the door.

    "Lookout. There is a big moose trying to get into my store and eat my cakes and cookies!" The baker yelled! The man let go of the broom in Lookouts mouth which sent the moose backwards. Then the moose watched the man grab something and hold it up to his head. So Lookout quietly moved closer to the door again. Maybe he was going to get some cakes and cookies thought. Or maybe play some more.  So he stood there patiently. Then the baker slammed the door shut right in poor Lookout's face. It hit his nose and the broom dropped to the ground. The man inside pulled the shade down so Lookout walked over to the big window to look and see where his new friend had gone. Finally he turned to walk away. All of a sudden, down the street, some more people began calling out his name.

    “Lookout! There's a moose."  They cried!

  He trotted down the street once again. Now even more people were calling out his name. He liked his new name. Everyone seemed to know him. There were people he had never seen or met before. However they all knew him by name and that made him proud. He was having a great time and didn't understand why mother did not approve of him going to town. Lookout decided he wanted to live in town now too! All the people were real friendly and they all knew him!

    The more the people called his name, the farther he walked into town. There was a large building with three great big open doors to it. So he thought, “surely I can find someone in here to play with!" There were great big red trucks as big as the school bus he tried to get on. However these trucks had no seats in the back for children and there was no driver. In between the trucks there was a long pole that went right up to the ceiling. Lookout stood there and looked all the way up the pole and saw a door at the top. He could here faint voices up there and wanted to find out who it was. Just then a loud bell began to ring, along with a siren that grew louder every second. He could hear men yelling. First one man came sliding down the pole, then another. Then they began yanking on boots and jackets. They didn't notice that a moose was standing right there. As they ran for the trucks, the moose watched closely. Lookout wanted to go too. He walked to the nearest truck and poked his big head inside. A man with a big funny hat blew a loud horn and Lookout jumped back. He almost landed on another man, also dressed in funny clothes and a big hat. The man took one look at the moose and yelled, "Lookout for the moose!" Then he jumped into the loud red fire truck.

    The truck made lots of noise and soon Lookout could not hear anything when the sirens started blaring. So he ran out into the street ahead of the trucks. He stood there for a second until the trucks came out of the building and headed right for Lookout. He ran down the middle of the street, every once in a while turning his head to see where the trucks were at. They were right behind him! He tried to run faster but he was too slow. Every once in a while he thought he could hear someone call out his name. He didn't understand why they wanted to play though.

    "Lookout you dumb moose!” they would cry. But every time Lookout would stop to wonder the big red trucks would blow their horn and someone inside would yell.

  "Lookout you big dumb moose!" However, Lookout could not figure why there was so much confusion.

  Further down the street he heard a faint voice cry out. ” Lookout, there is a fire! My little dog is inside!"  A little girl cried standing next to her mother. She had been home sick from kindergarten when the fire started.

    Lookout got there first before the fire trucks arrived. He caused such a big traffic jam! He didn't know he was in the way. The tiny little girl was holding a toy stuffed animal. It looked just like a moose and Lookout wanted to go take a look at it.  So he walked up to the little girl who was crying. She looked at the big moose standing over her and then at her little toy moose. Then she looked back up at the big moose. He could see the tears in her eyes. Just then she said, “Lookout there is a fire and my little dog is in there." Then she pointed to a window on the side of the house.

    Lookout had never seen a fire before but could hear the dog barking inside. He remembered one day in the woods that a dog chased after him! When he chased back, the dog ran around and played with him. He still wanted to play. So he walked over to the window and saw the small dog jumping up at the window. But he was too small to get out! The fire truck stopped out front and a fireman pulled the mother and her little girl back farther. The little girl screamed as loud as she could and pointing at the window where her dog was. 

    "Lookout! My dog is in there! Save my dog, Please!" But the fireman moved her away from the house. The dog barked frantically as the fire grew bigger. The firemen yelled for everyone including Lookout, to get back as they unraveled their fire hoses. But Lookout still wanted to play. He heard the little girl yelling his name over and over again and something told him that he had to get her dog. So Lookout stuck his big head into the window as far as he could, while the little dog jumped into the air barking wildly. Soon everyone was yelling.

    "Lookout, Lookout!"

    The moose knew he had to do something. So just as the little dog jumped one big leap again at the open window, Lookout grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and carried him away. The little girl screamed and tried to pull away from the firemen, yelling, Lookout, that is my dog! The tiny dog barked wildly and Lookout saw the little girl's happy face. So he brought the dog to her and set him down.


    The people gathered around while others yelled, Lookout!  When they saw what Lookout had done they were amazed. Other children came close and some parents said, "Lookout, don't get too close to the moose!" Still everyone wanted to come closer to him.

    "Everyone likes me," he thought. "Mother was wrong!" Just then it occurred to Lookout that it was getting late. He looked off toward the woods and thought he saw his mother. The little girl looked up at Lookout, while hugging her dog; sitting on the ground. She smiled then stood up and thanked the moose.

    "Lookout everyone, I think he wants to go home now!" So she waved her hands so everyone would move out of the way.

    Everyone patted Lookout on the back as he walked past. He never imagined that town would be so much fun. He had to go home but turned once again as the little girl reminded him of one more thing.

    "Lookout that you don't get in any trouble on the way home." She smiled again and waved goodbye. Then everyone waved goodbye to Lookout as he wandered back into the woods. He was going to go home and tell his mother that the people in town were all nice and friendly.  He couldn't wait to get back home and tell mother his new name.  Lookout!

                The End   


 
written by S. A. Gibbins 1994