Otter and Muskrat were laughing uncontrollably when Hare and Raccoon arrived.
“What’s funny this time?” asked Hare.
“It…it was…” began Otter, but was laughing too hard to continue.
“There was this…” said Muskrat, before starting to laugh so hard he got the hiccups.
Hare and Raccoon looked at each other, then sat down to wait. “Those two,” said Raccoon sternly, “think everything is funny.”
“Not everything,” said Hare. “I can remember several minutes that went by without either of them laughing at anything.
“They were probably just catching their breath,” sniffed Raccoon.
Otter and Muskrat finally got over it and sat down next to Raccoon and Hare.
“Hi,” said Otter. “Did you come over to use my mudslide?”
“We thought it might be fun,” said Hare, “if you wouldn’t mind.”
“I never mind about the mudslide,” said Otter. “Anybody can use it any time they want. You don’t have to ask me, you know.”
“It just seems polite,” said Raccoon. “Anyway, what were you two laughing about?”
Otter looked at Muskrat. Muskrat looked at Otter. For a moment Raccoon had the feeling it was going to start all over again, but then Otter said “Don’t remember.”
“Nope,” said Muskrat. “It was something funny, that’s all I know.”
“But how do you know when something’s funny?” asked Hare.
“Otter blinked. “I dunno,” he said, “it just is, or else it isn’t.”
“You know it’s funny,” said Muskrat, “when it makes you laugh.”
“But you two laugh at things that don’t make anybody else laugh,” said Raccoon.
“You have to have a sense of humor, of course,” said Otter. “That’s what tells you when to laugh.”
“I have a sense of humor,” said Raccoon.
Otter looked at Muskrat. “I’m not so sure,” said Muskrat. “I’m trying to think of a time I heard you laugh at something.”
“Anything,” nodded Otter.
“I laugh,” protested Raccoon. “Tell them, Hare.”
“Well,” said Hare. “I’m sorry to say, Raccoon, but I can’t remember the last time I heard you laugh.”
“I laugh all the time,” said Raccoon severely. “I have a very good sense of humor.”
She looked at Otter and Muskrat, who were shaking their heads. She looked at Hare, who shrugged.
“Okay, then I’ll prove it,” said Raccoon. “I’ll tell you a joke.”
“We love jokes!” said Otter.
“Then you’ll like this one,” said Raccoon. “A raccoon walks into a meadow and meets a giraffe. Stop me if you’ve heard it.”
“Haven’t heard it,” said Hare.
“Good,” said Raccoon. “the raccoon says to the giraffe, ‘you’re not from around here, are you?”
Raccoon stopped. “Is that it?” asked Muskrat.
“Yes,” said Raccoon. “Get it?”
Hare, Otter, and Muskrat just looked at her. “Raccoon,” said Hare, “I don’t get it. Maybe it’s only funny to raccoons?”
“I don’t think so,” said Raccoon. “I think it was funny the last time I heard it.”
“When was that?” asked Otter.
“I think it was when Pelican was visiting the forest,” said Raccoon.
“That was a very long time ago,” said Hare.
“I’ve heard about that visit,” said Muskrat. “But I wasn’t born yet.”
“Oh,” said Raccoon.
“And anyway,” said Otter, “you’re not laughing.”
“You’re not supposed to laugh at your own jokes,” said Raccoon.
Otter and Muskrat looked at each other. “We always do,” they said together.
“Well anyway,” said Hare, “let’s go play on the mudslide.”
Everyone had fun on Otter’s mudslide. Later that afternoon Hare and Raccoon said goodbye to Otter and Muskrat and headed home. Just as they came into Hare’s meadow, Raccoon stopped short. “Neck of the woods,” she said, starting to smile.
“What?” asked Hare.
“The raccoon in the joke,” said Raccoon, starting to giggle. “He doesn’t say ‘you’re not from around here,’ to the Giraffe. He says ‘you’re not from this neck of the woods, are you.’”
Raccoon started to roar with laughter. She laughed so hard she fell over. She laughed until she got the hiccups. When she finally managed to stop, she said “Hare, why aren’t you laughing?”
“I still don’t get it,” said Hare.
