"This is so exciting," Mogey intoned gleefully, "I've always wanted to know more about your childhood, Smush!"
Smush's sister, Anastasia Smush, had come to visit, her first call since Mogey and Smush had become pals, business partners, and co-arch enemies of Raymond "Nails" Murdock, the local cobbler and star linebacker. To get her better acquainted with the area, Mogey and Smush had brought Anastasia along on a morning constitutional through The Forest of Drip (so-called for the intense moisture and gaudy jewelry worn by local gnomes).
"Sorry, Mogey," said Anastasia, "but I've been sworn to secrecy."
"Grumble, grumble," Smush mumbled.
"Did you just say the words 'grumble, grumble,?'" Mogey queried.
"Grumble," Smush replied.
"Anyhoo," said Mogey, as they walked through a particularly humid patch of forest, startling a pair of gnomes who were comparing diamond nose rings, "did you ever wonder why there are so many ferns growing in these damp woods?"
"Well," Smush answered, "most ferns are epiphytic vascular plants that harvest moisture from the air around them. It's only natural that they'd grow in rainforests, riverbanks, and other damp areas."
"Uh... huh..." Mogey said, his curiosity piqued. "And what about pine forests? Have you any idea why I breathe so much easier in a fine stand of pines?"
Anastasia Smush replied without a thought. "Many evergreens emit phytoncides which have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties."
"Wow!" Mogey exclaimed. "How do the two of you know so much about plants?"
"It probably comes naturally to us because our maternal grandmother was a cabbage nymph and our father--" Anastasia began.
"AMATEUR BOTANY!" Smush interrupted. "We Smushes are real horticulture freaks. And we had a great section on plants in our public library."
An awkward silence befell the trio then, broken only by the jingling of gnome chains in the breeze.
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