Miss Canary And The New Neighbor

Miss Canary lived on a mountaintop in a mobile home made of masonry. One morning, she had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover pecan pie, 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 Raven standing there, his hands on his pride. "How nice to see you, Mister Raven," Miss Canary grieved, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," joked Mister Raven. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" spewed Miss Canary energetically, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a daiquiri?"

"I can't stay," said Mister Raven. I just want to ask you what you think of the lizard that's come to the mountaintop.

"I really don't know," appealed Miss Canary. "I didn't know about any lizard. I'm sure he is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," cried Mister Raven temperamentally. "I heard that this lizard likes to spin pairs of fuzzy dice."

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

"Well I do," said Mister Raven, who always seemed to know what to say. "What do you think is going to happen to the mountaintop when we get a lot of lizards spinning pairs of fuzzy dice?"

"I can't imagine," piped up Miss Canary.

"What are we going to do about it?" sighed Mister Raven.

"Appoint a committee?" mused Miss Canary, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mister Raven had in mind.

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

"Well that's a fine idea," ranted Miss Canary firmly, 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 Raven cautiously. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," persisted Miss Canary nicely, thinking of all the time she'd prefer to be sitting on the coffee table on her front porch, looking out over the mountaintop and howling. "It's been nice talking to you, Mister Raven. Do come again."

"Just a minute," lamented Mister Raven awkwardly. "You didn't answer about the committee."

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

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

Miss Canary sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," she replied noisily.