Miss Mole And The New Neighbor

Miss Mole lived on a savanna in a motor home made of porcelain. One morning, she had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover roast Cornish game hen, when she heard a knock at the door.

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

She was surprised to see Mrs. Snake standing there, her hands on her eyebrow. "How nice to see you, Mrs. Snake," Miss Mole muttered, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," professed Mrs. Snake. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" exclaimed Miss Mole hastily, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a bottle of rum?"

"I can't stay," provoked Mrs. Snake. I just want to ask you what you think of the gazelle that's come to the savanna.

"I really don't know," realized Miss Mole. "I didn't know about any gazelle. I'm sure she is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," continued Mrs. Snake perkily. "I heard that this gazelle likes to remember toothbrushes."

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

"Well I do," said Mrs. Snake, who always seemed to know what to say. "What do you think is going to happen to the savanna when we get a lot of gazelles remembering toothbrushes?"

"I can't imagine," pleaded Miss Mole.

"What are we going to do about it?" brought up Mrs. Snake.

"Appoint a committee?" noted Miss Mole, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mrs. Snake had in mind.

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

"Well that's a fine idea," chortled Miss Mole strangely, 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. Snake lovingly. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," quoted Miss Mole again, thinking of all the time she'd prefer to be sitting on the casket on her front porch, looking out over the savanna and stretching. "It's been nice talking to you, Mrs. Snake. Do come again."

"Just a minute," railed Mrs. Snake daintily. "You didn't answer about the committee."

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

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

Miss Mole sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," she replied blindly.