Miss Crocodile And The New Neighbor

Miss Crocodile lived on a hillside in a condominium made of dirt. One morning, she had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover oyster on the half-shell, when she heard a knock at the door.

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

She was surprised to see Mrs. Dormouse standing there, her hands on her calf. "How nice to see you, Mrs. Dormouse," Miss Crocodile groaned, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," worried Mrs. Dormouse. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" panted Miss Crocodile unexpectedly, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a bottle of Gatorade?"

"I can't stay," grunted Mrs. Dormouse. I just want to ask you what you think of the duck that's come to the hillside.

"I really don't know," screamed Miss Crocodile. "I didn't know about any duck. I'm sure he is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," informed Mrs. Dormouse thankfully. "I heard that this duck likes to pulverize dollar bills."

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

"Well I do," said Mrs. Dormouse, who always seemed to know what to say. "What do you think is going to happen to the hillside when we get a lot of ducks pulverizing dollar bills?"

"I can't imagine," debated Miss Crocodile.

"What are we going to do about it?" winked Mrs. Dormouse.

"Appoint a committee?" stuttered Miss Crocodile, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mrs. Dormouse had in mind.

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

"Well that's a fine idea," asserted Miss Crocodile mysteriously, 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. Dormouse gracefully. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," opined Miss Crocodile sheepishly, thinking of all the time she'd prefer to be sitting on the bar stool on her front porch, looking out over the hillside and doing the Hokey Pokey. "It's been nice talking to you, Mrs. Dormouse. Do come again."

"Just a minute," cried Mrs. Dormouse cautiously. "You didn't answer about the committee."

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

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

Miss Crocodile sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," she replied thankfully.