Funny story from überguitarist, Richard Thompson -- coincidentally, I just now finished listening to Unhalfbricking -- about an international gang of gnome-nappers....
The gnome, the duck and the coachFirst, the case of the missing garden gnome. Thompson lives in Los Angeles. He was given the said object (actually a Japanese garden ornament that has mutated in the mind to a gnome) and initially hated it. At one point, he secretly threw it into the ocean only for it to reappear. But, as is often the case with such things, a love-hate relationship formed. If not quite a bonding, it was at least an acceptable level of tolerance. Now, though, the object seems to have vanished.
"It's quite distressing," Thompson says. "Having loathed it for so long, now that it's gone, I miss it."
It seems the gnome now could be in the hands of an international gang. This year Thompson received a postcard. It was a view of the Sydney Opera House, and yes, there on the steps was the gnome. In a cruel gesture, the words "Wish You Were Here" were written on the card.
Thompson might have had the chance to investigate further when he visits Australia this month, but he says he has evidence that the nomad gnome has moved again. For now, it appears it's a gnome without a home.
Then again, this sounds familiar. Is it another urban myth?
A slightly related tale that is definitely true...
>>>...an "unknown" resident of Wellington Mills placed a gnome at the intersection to watch as the roundabout was built. The "fad" then took off and under the cover of darkness many gnomes were either planted or came out of the forest to join their curious companion. Once the roundabout was finished
there were two teams of gnomes playing a game of football in the centre of the roundabout! At the change of the sporting season a cricket match was under way.
>>>The magical little folk have since moved to a little Hamlet just beside the roundabout and have happily existed there for ten+ years. The current 2003 population of gnomes is 900+ and growing...
http://hometown.aol.com.au/kingtreelodge/myhomepage/business.html
Posted by: Big Ramifications | 11 April 2004 at 11:30
Yeah, I'm pretty sure there are a load of gnome stories out there, Big. And I'm DAMN sure the international gnome knapping is not new.
Posted by: Tony.T | 12 April 2004 at 13:04