Random Sequence

Sylvia was both an apprehensive daydreamer and grumpy snoop. Her elderly and wealthy new neighbors -- she called them the "shriveled aristocracy" -- kept a glamorous menagerie in their backyard. There were caged cockatoos and a Capuchin monkey; fenced-in, free-range emus; and a boa constrictor behind glass. Sylvia suspected cruelty or illegal ownership, or possibly both. After dark, she snuck into the neighbors' yard with a flashlight and examined the monkey's spacious cage. She saw that the creature had doll furniture to use -- including an armoire, a roll-top desk, and a miniature sofa on which it was lounging. "What a luxurious rig," thought Sylvia. "My own living room isn't so--" The monkey gave her a raspberry. "Oh, you temperamental knave!" Sylvia whispered. Then she thought that perhaps the flashlight's bright beam had annoyed the little simian. "Sorry," she murmured. The anthropoid bared it's teeth and made a hissing noise. Sylvia opened her mouth in surprise and the monkey threw a peanut into it. She swallowed involuntarily. Sylvia was terribly allergic to peanuts and died shortly thereafter. A few months later, the boa constrictor escaped from its terrarium and strangled the monkey. The emus, who had observed it all, made guttural sounds that sounded like "okay sir ahhh, sir ahhhh."