persona non grata

Persona non grata, Peepers.  Persona non grata!  You are a very unwelcome person, for sure.

MOUSES!

Except, of course, when I need you to serve me my din-dins.

Which kinda goes without sayin'.

MOUSES!

I know, I know...  I know what you're thinkin'.  You're thinkin' Peepers must have done somethin' super duper horribly horrific, for her to be persona non grata with Saffron and me.

Well, do you know somethin', my friends?

YOU WOULD BE RIGHT.

MOUSES!

So anyway...

So anyway, it all started the other day.  Or maybe it was actually yesterday.  The whole thing is a total blur on account of my tryin' to completely wipe the event from my memory.

MOUSES!

So one day very recently, perhaps even yesterday, Peepers got out the ol' whatchamacallits.  Yeah, that's what she said.  That's the very word she happened to use.

AND THAT'S WHEN I SHOULD have clued in.  'Cause whenever Peepers starts gettin' all vague, usin' words that could be applied to just about anythin', there's bound to be trouble, for sure.

Either that - trouble, I mean - or she has just gone and forgotten her words.  Could go either way, I suppose.  A lot depends on whether or not she has recently had her caffeine.

But whether she's at a loss for the correct word due to self-decaffeination or intentional vagueness or some weird kinda combination of the two....

THERE'S BOUND TO BE TROUBLE, for sure.

MOUSES!

So anyway....

So anyway, out came the whatchamacallits.  I wasn't sure what they were, at first, as she was holding 'em behind her back.

CLUE NUMBER TWO there was terrible trouble a-brewin'.

HOW DID I NOT KNOW?

Nip-induced half-slumber, I suppose.

MOUSES!

So anyway...

So anyway, out came the whatchamacallits from behind Peepers' back and in one swift movement, she had Saffron in her arms, twisted him around so she was facin' HIS back, and before he could ask WHAT STRANGE INSANITY IS THIS? she had dosed him with perfume.

Okay, so it wasn't perfume.

It was far worse.

FLEA AND TICK ONE AND BE DONE.

MOUSES!

Well!  Well, I have to admit, I almost laughed to myself.  The look on his face...  Oh, it was a good one, for sure.  I mean, I know he's my brother and I really do love him a lot, BUT THAT LOOK ON HIS FACE....

Well...

MOUSES!

So then, when I was busy stiflin' a laugh, closin' my eyes like one does when one stifles, the next thing I knew...

The next thing I knew...

The next thing I knew, I had been treated, as well.

MOUSES!

Which is why...

Which is why PEEPERS IS PERSONA NON GRATA, for sure.

MOUSES!