Mister Manticore And The New Neighbor

Mister Manticore lived in a lagoon in a motor home made of balsa. One morning, he had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover hamburgers, when he heard a knock at the door.

He bounced to the door, wondering who would be stopping for a visit at this time of day.

He was surprised to see Mister Raven standing there, his hands on his tooth. "How nice to see you, Mister Raven," Mister Manticore shrieked, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," accused Mister Raven. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" intoned Mister Manticore angrily, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a latte?"

"I can't stay," wondered Mister Raven. I just want to ask you what you think of the hornet that's come to the lagoon.

"I really don't know," instructed Mister Manticore. "I didn't know about any hornet. I'm sure he is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," intimated Mister Raven menacingly. "I heard that this hornet likes to scrape sea shells."

"Um, I don't know what to say," sniped Mister Manticore, who really didn't know what to say.

"Well I do," said Mister Raven, who always seemed to know what to say. "What do you think is going to happen to the lagoon when we get a lot of hornets scraping sea shells?"

"I can't imagine," griped Mister Manticore.

"What are we going to do about it?" yelled Mister Raven.

"Appoint a committee?" asserted Mister Manticore, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mister Raven had in mind.

"That's exactly right," said Mister Raven dreamily. "A committee to study the problem."

"Well that's a fine idea," spewed Mister Manticore caustically, who wanted to bring the conversation to a close quickly, without finding himself on this committee.

"I'd like for you to be on the committee," said Mister Raven briskly. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," responded Mister Manticore later, thinking of all the time he'd prefer to be sitting on the washstand on his front porch, looking out over the lagoon and dilly-dallying. "It's been nice talking to you, Mister Raven. Do come again."

"Just a minute," sniveled Mister Raven cautiously. "You didn't answer about the committee."

Mister Manticore thought he had answered, and was beginning to get impish. "Thank you so much for thinking of me. It is a lovely day, isn't it? How is Mrs. Raven doing these days?"

Mister Raven would have none of it. "So, let's meet at your house, say tomorrow at two?"

Mister Manticore sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," he replied dolefully.