"Fiddlesticks!", said Mr. Smiley. He had a hankering for some Gorgonzola cheese, but could find none in the refrigerator. You know that Mr. Smiley is upset when he says "Fiddlesticks!", as that is the most serious epithet to pass his lips.
With no Gorgonzola to be found, Mr. Smiley felt that a trip to the Cheese Shop was absolutely necessary. There are many cheese shops in Smileyville, all of them named "Smileyville Cheese Shop". Mr. Smiley prefers the Smileyville Cheese Shop located at the corner of Smiley Boulevard and Happy Fun Drive, across from the Happy Fun Cemetery, near the spot where a duck pooped on Mr. Smiley's Bubble Car a few years back.
It's hard for Mr. Smiley to express why he prefers this particular Smileyville Cheese Shop, since all of the Smileyville Cheese Shops offer a remarkable selection of cheeses at good prices, and provide excellent service. You can search high and low among the Smileyville Cheese Shops, and you will be hard pressed to find a bad one, or anything that distinguishes one from the others in the eyes of an outsider. "It's hard to explain", said Mr. Smiley, as he squeezed the Gorgonzola and sniffed it. "I just like this one".
If the reader will permit a slight digression, one should note that Smileys invariably squeeze and sniff the cheese before buying, but always buy the first one selected. Smileys believe that one must squeeze and sniff the cheese to demonstrate one's knowledge of cheese; however, it is very impolite to return a squozen and sniffed cheese to the display. To be honest, no Smiley would ever fail to buy a cheese even if spoiled, as this might hurt the feelings of the cheesemonger; this is academic, though, since no self-respecting cheesemonger in Smileyville would ever stock a spoiled cheese. It might lead to gossip.
A nice fresh Gorgonzola in hand, Mr. Smiley returned home in his Bubble Car. Clothilde had just finished a batch of bread-and-butter pickles, so they sat on the veranda with plates of Gorgonzola and pickles, and watched the sun set behind the oddly-shaped-and-brightly-colored house next door. As the sun set and the moonflowers bloomed, Mr. Smiley whispered to Clothilde: "the summer solstice will be here soon". Clothilde shivered, for she knew what that meant.
