'Caught+Ya!'

__ Daily 'Caught Ya's' to help you! __ Presenting the Cast of Characters in this Soap Opera... Hairy Beast--Hilda HippoBertha Boa---Wilfred Warthog

__** As the "General Animal Hospital" Turns... **__ Every day in this spot, you will be **regaled** with news from the dramatic story of "General Animal Hospital." Hairy Beast, an **inoffensive** beastie with green fur, was a grossly ugly, but gentle animal. Once, he was madly in love with Hilda Hippo, a **comely** hippopotamus with a cruel heart.
 * Fickle** Hilda, however, decided that Hairy was too ugly for her. Hilda, the mean, **impulsive** lady could no longer stand Hairy's **repulsive**, warty **visage**. She wrote him a nasty, **demeaning**, insulting letter to tell him how she felt.

Dear Hairy, You're a **grotesque**, ugly beast. I do not love you. There, that's it! Hatefully yours, Hilda

Hairy received this **odious** letter on September 22, 2014. He cried **copious** tears, tore out tufts of green fur, and demolished his apartment like a wild beast. His **demeanor** was like that of a dog who had lost its favourite squeaky toy, missed supper and been scolded. Poor, sad **woebegone** Hairy was totally destroyed; his heart was broken, stomped on, and crushed.

Bertha Boa was a sweet, thoughtful, and kind **serpent**. She heard Hairy's **laments**, and she slithered to his apartment to investigate.

"Oh no," she whispered. She found the door **ajar**, a total mess inside, but Hairy was nowhere to be seen. Bertha **rummaged** for unfortunate, grotesque Hairy under the bed, in the fridge, and behind the boots in the closet. Bertha searched everywhere but could not find Hairy, yet she still heard **dolorous** sobs echoing through the trashed, messy apartment. Bertha became really **perturbed**, so she went back to her apartment to write a note to her friend, Wilfred Warthog.

Dear Wilfred, What is wrong with our friend Hairy Beast? He seems to cry a lot and acts **distraught** about something. Let's try to **console** him and maybe he'll come out of hiding. Love, Bertha

Wilfred thought that Bertha had a good idea, so he wrote Hairy a short, consoling **correspondence**.

Dear Hairy, Well, old chum, where have you been? What is wrong with you that you can't answer your door? Are you all right? Your friend, Wilfred

Wilfred wrote Hairy the **unsympathetic** note, and Bertha sent him a bouquet of flowers.

When the doorbell rang, Hairy, hoping it was news from Hilda, crept out from his hiding place in the bathtub and **agitatedly** answered the door. He adored the flowers from Bertha, but he was insulted by Wilfred's **inadvertently** unkind note. Hair felt overwhelmed. He had been jilted by his girl, insulted by his friend, and had his warts **vilified**. He burst anew into tears. Then he shredded the flowers and ate them, tears flowing onto the stems like rain. Luckily, Wilfred realized that his note may have been **pompous**, and he went to visit Hairy to **atone** for his thoughtless behaviour.

__**VOCABULARY:**__ 1. Regaled: entertained, informed, told 2. Inoffensive: kind, gentle, not mean 3. Comely: pretty, attractive 4. Fickly: wishy washy, indecisive, can't make up her mind 5. Impulsive: someone who acts on impulse, without thinking things through (they act before they think!) 6. Repulsive: really gross, makes you sick 7. Visage: your face 8. Demeaning: put down, mean 9. Grotesque: gross, ugly 10. Odious: hateful, damaging, rude

11. Copious: huge amounts, a lot of 12. Demeanor: behaviour 13. Woebegone: sad, sorrowful 14: Serpent: snake 15. Laments: cries of sadness 16. Ajar: open (RIddle: When is a door not a door? When its ajar!!) 17. Rummaged: searched for 18. Dolorous: painful, sorrowful 19. Perturbed: bothered, worried

20. Distraught: upset 21. Console: comfort 22. Correspondence: note or letter 24. Unsympathetic: unkind, not showing sympathy 25. Agitatedly: frustrated, annoyed 26. Inadvertently: unintentional, not meant to 27. Vilified:insulted, made fun of 28. Anew: all over again 29. Pompous: arrogant, thoughtless 30. Atone: make up for