Miss Mouse And The New Neighbor

Miss Mouse lived on a veld in a trailer made of Scotch tape. One morning, she had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover steak, when she heard a knock at the door.

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

She was surprised to see Mister Parakeet standing there, his hands on his vein. "How nice to see you, Mister Parakeet," Miss Mouse reasoned, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," indicated Mister Parakeet. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" fumed Miss Mouse hysterically, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a tequila sunrise?"

"I can't stay," groaned Mister Parakeet. I just want to ask you what you think of the buffalo that's come to the veld.

"I really don't know," blathered Miss Mouse. "I didn't know about any buffalo. I'm sure she is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," agreed Mister Parakeet daringly. "I heard that this buffalo likes to enclose pairs of dice."

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

"Well I do," said Mister Parakeet, who always seemed to know what to say. "What do you think is going to happen to the veld when we get a lot of buffalo enclosing pairs of dice?"

"I can't imagine," conversed Miss Mouse.

"What are we going to do about it?" opined Mister Parakeet.

"Appoint a committee?" shouted Miss Mouse, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mister Parakeet had in mind.

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

"Well that's a fine idea," repeated Miss Mouse shyly, 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 Parakeet wearily. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," squealed Miss Mouse wryly, thinking of all the time she'd prefer to be sitting on the display case on her front porch, looking out over the veld and getting frazzled. "It's been nice talking to you, Mister Parakeet. Do come again."

"Just a minute," yelled Mister Parakeet lovingly. "You didn't answer about the committee."

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

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

Miss Mouse sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," she replied joyously.