Mister Flamingo And The New Neighbor

Mister Flamingo lived on a mountainside in a house made of fiber. One morning, he had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover hash, when he heard a knock at the door.

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

He was surprised to see Mrs. Mule standing there, her hands on her waist. "How nice to see you, Mrs. Mule," Mister Flamingo interpreted, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," contended Mrs. Mule. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" divulged Mister Flamingo peevishly, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you an Irish Coffee?"

"I can't stay," squealed Mrs. Mule. I just want to ask you what you think of the hermit crab that's come to the mountainside.

"I really don't know," yelped Mister Flamingo. "I didn't know about any hermit crab. I'm sure he is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," scoffed Mrs. Mule thankfully. "I heard that this hermit crab likes to reposition candles."

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

"Well I do," said Mrs. Mule, who always seemed to know what to say. "What do you think is going to happen to the mountainside when we get a lot of hermit crabs repositioning candles?"

"I can't imagine," jeered Mister Flamingo.

"What are we going to do about it?" yelled Mrs. Mule.

"Appoint a committee?" whimpered Mister Flamingo, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mrs. Mule had in mind.

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

"Well that's a fine idea," instructed Mister Flamingo ruefully, 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 Mrs. Mule gracefully. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," retorted Mister Flamingo quietly, thinking of all the time he'd prefer to be sitting on the bathtub on his front porch, looking out over the mountainside and watching. "It's been nice talking to you, Mrs. Mule. Do come again."

"Just a minute," blurted Mrs. Mule boisterously. "You didn't answer about the committee."

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

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

Mister Flamingo sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," he replied frantically.