Miss Puma And The New Neighbor

Miss Puma lived in a lagoon in a farmhouse made of bones. One morning, she had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover burritos, when she heard a knock at the door.

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

She was surprised to see Mister Mosquito standing there, his hands on his mouth. "How nice to see you, Mister Mosquito," Miss Puma phrased, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," swore Mister Mosquito. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" whined Miss Puma clumsily, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a glass of milk?"

"I can't stay," vouched Mister Mosquito. I just want to ask you what you think of the snake that's come to the lagoon.

"I really don't know," vowed Miss Puma. "I didn't know about any snake. I'm sure he is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," yelled Mister Mosquito courageously. "I heard that this snake likes to reposition pairs of headphones."

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

"Well I do," said Mister Mosquito, 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 snakes repositioning pairs of headphones?"

"I can't imagine," pronounced Miss Puma.

"What are we going to do about it?" shuddered Mister Mosquito.

"Appoint a committee?" answered Miss Puma, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mister Mosquito had in mind.

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

"Well that's a fine idea," asserted Miss Puma quickly, 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 Mister Mosquito frenetically. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," moaned Miss Puma thankfully, thinking of all the time she'd prefer to be sitting on the bath mat on her front porch, looking out over the lagoon and getting rigid. "It's been nice talking to you, Mister Mosquito. Do come again."

"Just a minute," accused Mister Mosquito suavely. "You didn't answer about the committee."

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

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

Miss Puma sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," she replied shakily.