Mister Snipe And The New Neighbor

Mister Snipe lived in a neighborhood in a palace made of denim. One morning, he had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover hors d'oeuvre, when he heard a knock at the door.

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

He was surprised to see Mrs. Manatee standing there, her hands on her pinky. "How nice to see you, Mrs. Manatee," Mister Snipe smiled, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," conversed Mrs. Manatee. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" decided Mister Snipe elatedly, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a glass of tomato juice?"

"I can't stay," rationalized Mrs. Manatee. I just want to ask you what you think of the tsetse fly that's come to the neighborhood.

"I really don't know," declaimed Mister Snipe. "I didn't know about any tsetse fly. I'm sure she is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," purred Mrs. Manatee warily. "I heard that this tsetse fly likes to cook iPhones."

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

"Well I do," said Mrs. Manatee, who always seemed to know what to say. "What do you think is going to happen to the neighborhood when we get a lot of tsetse flies cooking iPhones?"

"I can't imagine," rationalized Mister Snipe.

"What are we going to do about it?" alleged Mrs. Manatee.

"Appoint a committee?" wept Mister Snipe, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mrs. Manatee had in mind.

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

"Well that's a fine idea," boasted Mister Snipe uneasily, 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 Mrs. Manatee smoothly. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," orated Mister Snipe gingerly, thinking of all the time he'd prefer to be sitting on the piano on his front porch, looking out over the neighborhood and turning blue. "It's been nice talking to you, Mrs. Manatee. Do come again."

"Just a minute," squealed Mrs. Manatee miserably. "You didn't answer about the committee."

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

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

Mister Snipe sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," he replied dubiously.