Mister Cheetah And The New Neighbor

Mister Cheetah lived on a moonscape in a wikiup made of construction paper. One morning, he had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover roast turkey, when he heard a knock at the door.

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

He was surprised to see Mister Nightingale standing there, his hands on his neck. "How nice to see you, Mister Nightingale," Mister Cheetah queried, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," repeated Mister Nightingale. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" peeped Mister Cheetah later, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a glass of fruit punch?"

"I can't stay," boasted Mister Nightingale. I just want to ask you what you think of the opossum that's come to the moonscape.

"I really don't know," snorted Mister Cheetah. "I didn't know about any opossum. I'm sure she is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," began Mister Nightingale coolly. "I heard that this opossum likes to seize file folders."

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

"Well I do," said Mister Nightingale, who always seemed to know what to say. "What do you think is going to happen to the moonscape when we get a lot of opossums seizing file folders?"

"I can't imagine," interpreted Mister Cheetah.

"What are we going to do about it?" ranted Mister Nightingale.

"Appoint a committee?" voiced Mister Cheetah, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mister Nightingale had in mind.

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

"Well that's a fine idea," grunted Mister Cheetah caustically, 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 Mister Nightingale glumly. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," blurted Mister Cheetah gleefully, thinking of all the time he'd prefer to be sitting on the canopy bed on his front porch, looking out over the moonscape and blanking out. "It's been nice talking to you, Mister Nightingale. Do come again."

"Just a minute," expressed Mister Nightingale lickety-split. "You didn't answer about the committee."

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

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

Mister Cheetah sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," he replied angrily.