Miss Parrot And The New Neighbor

Miss Parrot lived on a mesa in a house made of hay. One morning, she had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover prime rib, when she heard a knock at the door.

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

She was surprised to see Mister Snake standing there, his hands on his toe. "How nice to see you, Mister Snake," Miss Parrot asserted, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," fumed Mister Snake. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" vowed Miss Parrot suspiciously, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a glass of lemonade?"

"I can't stay," wondered Mister Snake. I just want to ask you what you think of the weasel that's come to the mesa.

"I really don't know," barked Miss Parrot. "I didn't know about any weasel. I'm sure she is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," intimated Mister Snake wryly. "I heard that this weasel likes to mend tissues."

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

"Well I do," said Mister Snake, who always seemed to know what to say. "What do you think is going to happen to the mesa when we get a lot of weasels mending tissues?"

"I can't imagine," chuckled Miss Parrot.

"What are we going to do about it?" enunciated Mister Snake.

"Appoint a committee?" guessed Miss Parrot, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mister Snake had in mind.

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

"Well that's a fine idea," rebutted Miss Parrot reluctantly, 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 Snake briskly. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," expressed Miss Parrot solemnly, thinking of all the time she'd prefer to be sitting on the ping-pong table on her front porch, looking out over the mesa and sneering. "It's been nice talking to you, Mister Snake. Do come again."

"Just a minute," stuttered Mister Snake recklessly. "You didn't answer about the committee."

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

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

Miss Parrot sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," she replied wearily.