That Smell

"What's that smell?" she asked, crinkling her nose. "What smell?" he answered, alternately trying to get a whiff of himself and singing the old lynyrd skynyrd song. "That smell. You don't smell it?"

"Uhm...no...i don't..." he said walking around nose up in the air sniffing like a... "maybe its the dog. he always smells". "Yeah...must be the dog."

[later that day]

"ewww...there's that smell again!"

"What is it?!!!"

"i think it's the couch...i hope it's not the couch. we can't afford a new couch...it can't be the couch." he blurted out in a panic (he loves the couch).

they both walk over to the couch (he still singing "that smell" somewhat to himself) sniffing. "it's definitely right here." she said, standing at one end of the couch (HIS END OF THE COUCH). "something must have died" he said. "in the couch? under the couch? where?" "well," he answered "i guess it could have died under the floor or in the wall or something."

"is that better?"

"i don't know. if it's in the couch, maybe we could find it. but it may be too late and the smell...might...be with ("oooh oooh that smell. can't you smell that smell") stuck in it. if it's in the wall, maybe after a couple of days, it will go away."

they move the couch determining the smell is not in the couch (which he is happy about, as the couch matches his chair...which after years of use, broke down so badly it had to be thrown out. he sits in the couch sometimes remembering his chair. he likes it when the kids all climb up on his lap as he sits watching tv...he doesn't like it as much when he's reading...it makes it difficult to hold the book. anyway, it would upset him greatly to have to throw the couch out too).

"so, the smell is in the wall...or the floor...it will hopefully go away soon."

"what if it doesn't? what if it always smells like that? what if it gets worse? if it's dead, it's going to get worse!"

"maybe it will get better"

"it will get worse"

"but maybe after it gets worse, it will get better...things are like that sometimes".

"i don't know. it smells" "yes. yes it does"

"what do we do?"

"ohhh! ughhhh! what's that smell?!! that's even worse! and stronger--it's every where!"

"the farmer next door is spraying his fields".

thus, at least for a day or two, the dead smelly mouse problem is solved.