Miss Dingo And The New Neighbor

Miss Dingo lived on a steppe in a treehouse made of snow. One morning, she had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover fried eggs, when she heard a knock at the door.

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

She was surprised to see Mister Goblin standing there, his hands on his midriff. "How nice to see you, Mister Goblin," Miss Dingo rebutted, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," boomed Mister Goblin. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" implored Miss Dingo lamely, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a rum and Coke?"

"I can't stay," instructed Mister Goblin. I just want to ask you what you think of the opossum that's come to the steppe.

"I really don't know," burbled Miss Dingo. "I didn't know about any opossum. I'm sure she is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," sobbed Mister Goblin confidently. "I heard that this opossum likes to overlook pieces of paper."

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

"Well I do," said Mister Goblin, 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 opossums overlooking pieces of paper?"

"I can't imagine," questioned Miss Dingo.

"What are we going to do about it?" noted Mister Goblin.

"Appoint a committee?" called Miss Dingo, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mister Goblin had in mind.

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

"Well that's a fine idea," quoted Miss Dingo nimbly, 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 Goblin nonchalantly. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," complained Miss Dingo wryly, thinking of all the time she'd prefer to be sitting on the ping-pong table on her front porch, looking out over the steppe and sneezing. "It's been nice talking to you, Mister Goblin. Do come again."

"Just a minute," whispered Mister Goblin narrowly. "You didn't answer about the committee."

Miss Dingo thought she 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. Goblin doing these days?"

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

Miss Dingo sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," she replied intensely.