Miss Shark And The New Neighbor

Miss Shark lived on a steppe in a wikiup made of bubbles. One morning, she had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover apple pie, when she heard a knock at the door.

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

She was surprised to see Mrs. Antelope standing there, her hands on her aorta. "How nice to see you, Mrs. Antelope," Miss Shark croaked, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," said Mrs. Antelope. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" tittered Miss Shark gracefully, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a Bloody Mary?"

"I can't stay," chanted Mrs. Antelope. I just want to ask you what you think of the rat that's come to the steppe.

"I really don't know," began Miss Shark. "I didn't know about any rat. I'm sure she is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," mused Mrs. Antelope jokingly. "I heard that this rat likes to neglect boxes of Kleenex."

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

"Well I do," said Mrs. Antelope, who always seemed to know what to say. "What do you think is going to happen to the steppe when we get a lot of rats neglecting boxes of Kleenex?"

"I can't imagine," yelped Miss Shark.

"What are we going to do about it?" declaimed Mrs. Antelope.

"Appoint a committee?" reacted Miss Shark, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mrs. Antelope had in mind.

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

"Well that's a fine idea," hummed Miss Shark truculently, 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. Antelope solemnly. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," moaned Miss Shark brightly, thinking of all the time she'd prefer to be sitting on the dining table on her front porch, looking out over the steppe and primping. "It's been nice talking to you, Mrs. Antelope. Do come again."

"Just a minute," sniffed Mrs. Antelope accidentally. "You didn't answer about the committee."

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

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

Miss Shark sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," she replied hysterically.