Chapter Text
Hooper looked at the gallery of faces with an uneasy feeling in his stomach. It was obvious to everyone involved that this was a predicament. He wouldn’t have called a meeting if it wasn’t. “I’m a little shook up, is all.” He said, crouching down a little to take a nice, long look at the egg.
It was the biggest egg he had ever seen. He could have bet it was a dinosaur egg.
“What do you think’s in it?” Gordon asked.
Bob simply shrugged. “Ostrich?”
“Pelican?” Susan added.
“Ooh, what if it’s a big scary reptile, like a Komodo dragon?” Ernie’s hand crept over his mouth, like how it usually did when he was nervous. Bert bristled. “Gee, I hope not. Hey! What if it’s a pigeon?” He asked excitedly.
“Bah! It can’t be. Pigeon eggs could never be this big!” Hopper crossed his arms. “I’ve got enough of those little so-and-so’s crowdin’ up my storefront anyways. Oy, I don’t want it to be a bird! I’m up to my elbows in birds!”
“Maybe we no have to wait! We could all have giant Denver omelette!” Cookie smacked his lips.
Bob simply shook his head. “I don’t think so Cookie Monster. I think whatever hatches out of that egg will need to be taken care of.”
“I just don’t want to be dealing with some big monstrosity!” Hooper sauntered over back to behind his counter and started fixing glasses of ice water for everyone.
“Mr. Hooper, whatever it will be, it’ll start out as a baby, and babies need to be taken care of. If it turns out we won’t be able to provide for it, we can take it to an animal shelter or the zoo or…wherever.” Bob trailed off.
Hooper handed Gordon a glass. “But that doesn’t mean we’ll give up on it.” Gordon added and took a sip of icewater.
Ernie and Bert exchanged glances. “So when the egg hatches, whatever it is, it’ll be a baby?” Ernie asked.
Susan nodded. “Yes, Ernie. Everything that is born starts out as a baby.”
Bert frowned a little. “Oscar doesn’t really like babies.”