Mister Colt And The New Neighbor

Mister Colt lived on a tundra in a palace made of pine logs. One morning, he had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover roast Cornish game hen, when he heard a knock at the door.

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

He was surprised to see Mister Manticore standing there, his hands on his funny bone. "How nice to see you, Mister Manticore," Mister Colt crooned, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," acknowledged Mister Manticore. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" tittered Mister Colt brashly, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a cup of tea?"

"I can't stay," comforted Mister Manticore. I just want to ask you what you think of the poodle that's come to the tundra.

"I really don't know," whined Mister Colt. "I didn't know about any poodle. I'm sure she is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," pointed out Mister Manticore slyly. "I heard that this poodle likes to seal mousetraps."

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

"Well I do," said Mister Manticore, who always seemed to know what to say. "What do you think is going to happen to the tundra when we get a lot of poodles sealing mousetraps?"

"I can't imagine," croaked Mister Colt.

"What are we going to do about it?" laughed Mister Manticore.

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

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

"Well that's a fine idea," fantasized Mister Colt gratefully, 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 Manticore haughtily. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," worried Mister Colt excitedly, thinking of all the time he'd prefer to be sitting on the nightstand on his front porch, looking out over the tundra and awakening. "It's been nice talking to you, Mister Manticore. Do come again."

"Just a minute," added Mister Manticore charmingly. "You didn't answer about the committee."

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

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

Mister Colt sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," he replied admiringly.