At dawn the telephone rings, 'Hello, Senor Rod? This is Ernesto, the caretaker at your country house.'
'Ah yes, Ernesto. What can I do for you? Is there a problem?'
'Um, I am just calling to advise you, Senor Rod, that your parrot, he is dead.'
'My parrot? Dead? The one that won the international competition?'
'Si, Senor, thats the one.'
'Darn! Thats a pity! I spent a small fortune on that bird. What did he die from?'
'From eating the rotten meat, Senor Rod.'
'Rotten meat? Who the heck fed him the rotten meat?'
'Nobody, Senor. He ate the meat of the dead horse.'
'Dead horse? What dead horse?'
The thoroughbred, Senor Rod.'
'My prize thoroughbred is dead?'
'Yes Senor Rod, he died from all that work pulling the water cart.'
'Are you insane?? What water cart?'
'The one we used to put out the fire, Senor.'
'Good Lord!! What fire are you talking about, man??'
'The one at your house, Senor! A candle fell and the curtains caught on fire.'
'What the heck?? Are you saying that my mansion is destroyed because of a candle??!!'
'Yes, Senor Rod.'
'But there's electricity at the house!! What was the candle for?'
'For the funeral, Senor Rod.'
'WHAT BLOODY FUNERAL??!!'
'Your wife's, Senor Rod, she showed up very late one night and I thought she was a thief. I couldn't find any ammo for your new Sako 338-06 so I struck her on the head with it.
SILENCE..... LONG SILENCE...... MORE LONG SILENCE........
'Ernesto, if you put one scratch on my new Sako 338-06, your going to be in deep deep trouble!!
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