Miss Honeybee And The New Neighbor

Miss Honeybee lived on a plateau in a cardboard box made of cards. One morning, she had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover catfish stew, when she heard a knock at the door.

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

She was surprised to see Mrs. Honeybee standing there, her hands on her hair. "How nice to see you, Mrs. Honeybee," Miss Honeybee opined, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," mused Mrs. Honeybee. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" swore Miss Honeybee excitedly, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a Mudslide?"

"I can't stay," sputtered Mrs. Honeybee. I just want to ask you what you think of the shark that's come to the plateau.

"I really don't know," drawled Miss Honeybee. "I didn't know about any shark. I'm sure he is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," hollered Mrs. Honeybee tenderly. "I heard that this shark likes to blame pairs of pliers."

"Um, I don't know what to say," guessed Miss Honeybee, who really didn't know what to say.

"Well I do," said Mrs. Honeybee, who always seemed to know what to say. "What do you think is going to happen to the plateau when we get a lot of sharks blaming pairs of pliers?"

"I can't imagine," smiled Miss Honeybee.

"What are we going to do about it?" recited Mrs. Honeybee.

"Appoint a committee?" noted Miss Honeybee, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mrs. Honeybee had in mind.

"That's exactly right," said Mrs. Honeybee defiantly. "A committee to study the problem."

"Well that's a fine idea," expressed Miss Honeybee courageously, who wanted to bring the conversation to a close quickly, without finding herself on this committee.

"I'd like for you to be on the committee," said Mrs. Honeybee strangely. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," mused Miss Honeybee cruelly, thinking of all the time she'd prefer to be sitting on the filing cabinet on her front porch, looking out over the plateau and blushing. "It's been nice talking to you, Mrs. Honeybee. Do come again."

"Just a minute," sneered Mrs. Honeybee courageously. "You didn't answer about the committee."

Miss Honeybee thought she had answered, and was beginning to get sociable. "Thank you so much for thinking of me. It is a lovely day, isn't it? How is Mister Honeybee doing these days?"

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

Miss Honeybee sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," she replied dubiously.