Horse and Fly

“I bet I can make you laugh,” Fly said, buzzing around Horse’s ears.

“Humph.” Horse shook his head. “I highly doubt it.”

“Oh, really?” Fly landed on the fence post. “How about this one? I was in a café, and I said, ‘Waiter, waiter, there’s a friend in my soup.’”

Horse stared blankly at him.

“Oh, come on! That was funny.”

“Get it?” Fly said. “You know, usually it’s ‘Waiter, waiter, there’s a fly in my soup.’ But since I’m a fly, I said ‘friend.’” Fly sighed. “You don’t get it.”

“I get it,” said Horse. “It’s just not funny.” He turned his back on Fly.

“OK, how about this one? It’s about horses.” Fly settled on Horse’s head.

“How do you hire a horse?”

“I am not for hire,” Horse said, shaking his mane and swishing his tail.

“Put four bricks under him, and he’ll stand higher,” Fly said.

“Are you saying I’m short?” Horse asked.

“No, no, of course not. It’s a joke,” Fly explained.

“Because I’m not short, you know. I’m 16 hands. That’s tall for a horse.” Horse raised his head in the air.

“Sixteen hands? Wow, you must go through a lot of gloves!” Fly burst into buzzy laughter.

Horse snorted.

“Oh, come on! That was funny,” Fly said, moving to Horse’s nose.

“Get it?”

Horse just kicked at the ground.

“Now I know why horses have long faces,” Fly said. “They never laugh!”

“Yes, we do,” said Horse. “I appreciate a good joke—when I hear one.”

“Oh, get off your high horse.” Fly carefully watched Horse’s face for a smile.

Nothing.

Fly sighed. “Fine. I quit. I could tell you joke after joke until I’m hoarse—”

“And then you’d be a hoarse fly. Get it? Horsefly!” Horse said. He whinnied just a little. Then he whinnied again, louder. “Now thatwas funny, Fly! Horsefly!” Horse collapsed onto the ground in a fit of giggles and rolled onto his back in the grass.

Fly shrugged. “Well, at least I made him laugh.”

Courtsey