Miss Grizzly Bear And The New Neighbor

Miss Grizzly bear lived on a ridge in a flat made of posts and beams. One morning, she had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover blueberry pie, when she heard a knock at the door.

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

She was surprised to see Mrs. Lemur standing there, her hands on her spine. "How nice to see you, Mrs. Lemur," Miss Grizzly bear inquired, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," chuckled Mrs. Lemur. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" voiced Miss Grizzly bear deliberately, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a cup of Sanka?"

"I can't stay," sniped Mrs. Lemur. I just want to ask you what you think of the nightingale that's come to the ridge.

"I really don't know," spoke up Miss Grizzly bear. "I didn't know about any nightingale. I'm sure she is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," howled Mrs. Lemur recklessly. "I heard that this nightingale likes to measure backpacks."

"Um, I don't know what to say," clarified Miss Grizzly bear, who really didn't know what to say.

"Well I do," said Mrs. Lemur, who always seemed to know what to say. "What do you think is going to happen to the ridge when we get a lot of nightingales measureing backpacks?"

"I can't imagine," bawled Miss Grizzly bear.

"What are we going to do about it?" chuckled Mrs. Lemur.

"Appoint a committee?" vouched Miss Grizzly bear, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mrs. Lemur had in mind.

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

"Well that's a fine idea," expressed Miss Grizzly bear suavely, 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. Lemur woodenly. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," cajoled Miss Grizzly bear unabashedly, thinking of all the time she'd prefer to be sitting on the file cabinet on her front porch, looking out over the ridge and puffing. "It's been nice talking to you, Mrs. Lemur. Do come again."

"Just a minute," inquired Mrs. Lemur crazily. "You didn't answer about the committee."

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

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

Miss Grizzly bear sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," she replied energetically.