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Mr. Tufts tugged on his tie, the heat was getting to him.  All the neighbors had gathered together to discuss the situation at the end of the block.  Why they decided to hold this meeting indoors while it was a sweaty summer day, Tufts couldn't say.  But, being a mild-mannered fellow, he kept his complaining to an understated wheezing, non-obvious adjustments to his person and silently sent death stares at the Hopps couple.  Their home, he noted, was decked out exactly as he had imagined it; the walls in frightfully cheerful flower patterns, the carpet a dusty rose and all the sittable surfaces covered in plastic "to keep from all the hair, you know" Mrs. Hops had informed him as she noticed his stare upon entering.  The refreshments, too, were rather to be expected with a pitcher of drink-the ice long melted-surrounded by some inedible looking little treats.  He had been excited to see the spread, but as he had gotten close enough for a true inspection, he turned his back immediately and made his way to the most comfortable chair in the room to wait for the other to arrive.

Mrs. Hopps snapped a few times to bring attention to the front of the room as all the neighbors were beginning to create a ruckus with all the greetings and complaints already loudly being spoken.

"Ahem! ahem!" She called out, though the snaps had gotten everyone's attention.  "Something, must be done about the situation in our sweet little burb" She twitched a bit, as did many there, at the mention of the meat of the meeting.  Tufts thought to himself that at least the lady had just decided to get to the point instead of the rambling conversations she was more usually inclined to carry on.  "Does anyone have any ideas on how to...solve this problem?" Immediately, Little Jack stood up.  "Ah! the floor recognizes Mr. Little Jack" Confused at the formality, but full of fire, Little Jack began to bellow, "We burn the place down! It's insufferable! Kick them out and let them find their way somewheres else!  I know they're holed up in that wreck, refusing to leave! We'll make them leave!" 

"Oh, Jack, sit down!" Mr. Hopps had stood up now too.  "No one's burning anything down and smoking anyone out or anything like that.  We need real solutions, not mob-making sensationalized threats." Mr. Hopps smoothed down his mustache and called on Ruby, though she made no obvious movement to add to the discussion.

"Well," she said in a squeaky voice, "we have asked the authorities to help us out, and nothing has come of it.  We have tried to talk with them inside and they refuse to answer the door.  I suppose, even if Little Jack is a bit over the top-sorry, Jack-he is right in that we need to take matters into our own hands.  Believe me, I live two doors down and the smells and the screeching coming from that place every night is just...is just...it just stinks!" Ruby sat back down, lashing back and forth in obvious annoyance and emotion.

"Yes, yes...but what should we do?" Asked Mr. Hopps again, this time in almost a whine.

"We should go out as a group and knock on their door and surround the place until they come out to talk reason about their property.  They have to come out at some point and they will know exactly how we feel about the situation there!  No burning to the ground required.  Perhaps we can convince them to move out.  We could even be helpful about it all and suggest a neighborhood intervention in cleaning the place up for them." Mr. Tufts had finally spoke up, surprising himself.  The room all turned to look at him and a great grinning smile broke out on Mr. Hopps' face.  "Brilliant idea! Brilliant!  We should go now! We will have a siege of the situation house!" Mr. Tufts began to mumble alarmedly that he had not meant it be a siege...but he supposed that after all, that is what he had been saying.

The group all sprang from the Hopps' home and down the road, gathering in a circle around the situation house and starting a low drone of conversation with Mr. Hopps calling out to the folks inside, explaining the group's actions and what they hoped to gain from it.  People made themselves comfortable on the pavement, happy to be out the stuffiness of the Hopps' living room and to be on the searing hot of the summertime pavement.  The siege had begun and soon neighbors took to washing neighbors and themselves, napping, and swatting at small insects as the hours went on.  Mr. Tufts had shed his suit and tie from work and was enjoying a bit of shade under a tall tree, absentmindedly flicking away the summer time flies.  There were more of them than those inside, and therefore, they could outlast any waiting game.  He smiled lazily, as he brushed down his coat again.  This had truly become a glaring of cats.