In memory of Zeus, and trying to fond rhyme or reason, I have written a
story on what I hope may have happened.
 
ALONE AGAIN
 
It was a normal day at The Rainbow Bridge.  The animals were happy and
playing.  Then silence.  The animals waited and could hear one yell,
"Their here!  My people are here!"  A dog broke from the group and went
running to meet the humans who had come to be reunited with their beloved
pet.  There was quite excitment in the tearful reunion.  Then they all
moved on together.
 
One day God went walking through the clearings at The Rainbow Bridge.
He loved to stop and play with all of his creatures there.  He suddenly
stopped as he could hear crying.  "Crying?  he thought.  No, not here.
The animals had all they could need.  They were healed from their wounds,
plently of food and water.  Lots of space to run and all the toys they
could want.  Still he could hear it.
 
God peeked behind a bush and could see a little ferret.  There was no doubt
that tears were in his eyes.  "Hello little one" he said.  "I don't think I
know you.  What is your name?"  The little one looked up, tears still in
his eyes.  "Name?  I don't think I have a name.  The place I was before
they just called me "the animal".
 
"well, little ferret, why are you crying?" asked God.  The ferret replied,
"All my friends keep leaving me.  We all play together and then someone
comes.  My friends rush off to meet the humans and then leave me".  "I'm
afraid that someday I will be all alone".
 
God held ythe ferret saying, "You will never be alone.  The Rainbow Bridge
is only a waiting place until the humans who loved you come to be reunited
with you.  then you will all go to heaven together".
 
God could see the ferret pondering.  Finally the ferret spoke, "Love?  What
is love?  I don't think I have ever had that".  God explained to the ferret
about love and caring.  the ferret burst into tears.  "I never had love!
The people used to hit me.  They always yelled at me.  They would leave
me locked in a cage and not play or feed me".
 
Feeling sadness welling in his heart, God looked at the little fuzzy face.
"I will send you back child.  I will send you to someone who will show you
what love is.  But, it will only be for a short while".
 
THE PET STORE
 
There was a great flash and the little ferret now found himself in a cage
surrounded by others.  He looked and saw people sticking their fingers
into the cage.  His mind raced back to the days he had been mistreated.
In panic he bit those who went to touch him.
 
Day by day this continued.  Finally he was all alone in the cage.  All his
playmates had been taken from him.  "I won't let anyone hurt me again" was
all he said to himself.  He wondered why god had sent him back here.  He
was supposed to find out about love.  This was not love.  These were the
same kind of people who hurt him before.
 
Then the day came when he could no longer look out the cage.  They had
placed him in a different container away from those people.  He wondered
what would happen next.  Other hand reached out to him, he bit them as
well.
 
One day he saw movement.  He heard a strange sound and looked up.  Looking
down at him was a man.  He laughed when he saw the man had whiskers kinda
like he did.  And the man was smiling at him.  He could hear they
"dookadookadooka" sound coming from this mans lips.  Those were the noises
that he and his friends made when playing.
 
Other people were in the room.  One said, "That's the problem child.  The
one I told you about.  He has bitten everyone who comes near him".  The man
looked at the ferret and said, "Nah!  No such thing as a bad ferret.  He's
just misunderstood".
 
Ferret saw the fuzzy faced man reach for him.  He let the finger get closer
and closer.  Slowly ferret backed into the corner.  As the man reached him
he bit.  The the ferret realized something.  He was being lifted up while
still holding onto the mans finger.
 
Ferret was surprised.  Rather then being yelled at, grabbed, or hit the man
spoke calmly and petted him.  He heard the man say "C'mon little one.  no
need to bite.  I'm not gonna hurt you".  Slowly the ferret released him
grip.  The man held him and stroked him fur.  Talking to him the whole
time.  Ferret felt so relaxed and comfortable with THIS human.
 
A short time later ferret tried to bite the man again to see what would
happen.  As he grabbed the finger the man put him in the bin saying, "No -
no bite".  Ferret was amazed that the man was so gentle about it.  The man
grabbed him by the scruff and dragged him around the bin saying "I am the
alpha".  Ferret knew this to mean the man was the boss.  He was just
surprised that a HUMAN knew what this meant.
 
Ferret was happy that this man played with him and held him.  It felt so
wonderful.  But then the man placed him back into the bin.  He was saddened
to hear the man say "I have to go now little one".  The lid closed, and
once again the ferret was alone.
 
"Love?" thought the ferret.  "I don't think I'll ever know what that is".
 
HOME
 
A few days had passed.  each day the ferret was happy and excited to see
the fuzzy face man come to visit.  It meant he would have someone he could
trust to treat him well.  He was still afraid of the other humans though.
He continued to bite them, being afraid they would hurt him.
 
He could hear talking.  A woman said "We don't know what else we can do.
We're hoping you can take him rather then a shelter.  He hasnt bit you so.
he MUST trust you".  Another voice said, "I already have quite a few, but
he needs someone to give him some special attention".  The ferret KNEW that
voice, it was the fuzzy-face man!!
 
The bin opened up.  the ferret looked into the eyes of the fuzzy-faced man.
the man smiled saying, "Come here little one, we're going home".  Home?
thought the ferret.  A real home or like the last I was in?  Ferret was
scared to think he would be abused again.  But he trusted this man.  God
had said he would send the ferret to someone to teach him of love.  Was
this the person?  The ferret was scared, but took the chance and went into
the cage the man brought.
 
When the cage opened the little ferret was happily surprised.  He could see
a big room with all kindsa toys in it.  He liked to play with the toys when
he was at The Bridge.  He looked over in the corner and there was another
cage.  it was the biggest he ever saw.  And there was food, water, and one
of those hanging blankies he heard other ferrets talk about.  He wasn't
certain if this was the "Love" or the "Heaven" God told him about.  But he
knew he liked it.
 
The man brought some people over to meet the little ferret.  One of them,
a little boy said, "I think you should name him "Zeus".  I kinda like that
name".  The fuzzy faced man picked him up.  "Did'ya hear that?" the man
said, "from now on your name is Zeus".  Zeus - the ferret liked that name.
 
Zeus loved to run and play around with the man.  One time he could hear
other ferrets - they sounded happy.  Old fuzzy-face man must have sensed
this.  He reached down and picked Zeus up.  While stroking his fur he said,
"Yes, you have brothers and sisters in the other room.  It will be a while
before you can meet them though.  "Wow!  Playmates!  I'll never be alone
again" was all the Zeus could think.  He enjoyed being with this man.  One
night when Zeus was tired from playing, he went to lay down.  he saw this
curious blankie on the floor.  the man called it a towel.  Zeus felt so
peaceful laying on it.  It was colored like a rainbow, and brought some
pleasant memories of his time at The Bridge.
 
Zeus began feeling kinda sick.  It was hard for him to open his eyes.  The
man brought him to someone to find what was wrong.  Zeus really didn't care
for the medicine he ahd to take.  But the man was so gentle with him.  And
that special food the man gave him, that Fuzzy Soup as the guy called it,
it was soooooooo good.  And, even though he couldn't see the man, he could
hear him.  He would follow him around.  Zeus thought of it as just another
ferret game.
 
One night the man held Zeus in his arms and stared talking about The
Rainbow Bridge.  Zeus wondered how a human could know about the it.  But he
soon found out.  The man talked of another ferret at The Bridge.  He called
her their "Little Fur-Angel", and "Their Guardian at the Bridge".  He said
her name was Lady.  He had remembered Lady from when he was at The Bridge.
He rememebered how she talked about the human she loved.  He felt soooooo
lucky to be with this man.
 
GOING BACK
 
One night, as Zeus was sleeping, he heard a voice calling him.  He looked
up to see God standing there.  God asked how he liked his adventure back
on earth.  Zeus told God about how the man had treated him and played with
him.  "He is so kinda and gentle.  he always holds me and plays with me,
and look - he takes such good care of me.  I'm so happy to be with him, I
love him so".
 
God nodded, and, with a tear in his eye said, "So you've learned what love
is?".  "Yes", proudly proclaimed Zeus, "I know how wonderful love feels !!
I am so happy!".  Zeus felt God stroke his fur, but he felt a chill.  With
tears in his eyes God said, "I sent you back to learn about love.  Now that
you have found it you must return".
 
Return?  Go back to The Bridge?  Why?  Zeus could not understand, "Why?
I'm getting better!  The man takes good care of me.  Look, even my eyes are
open again!  Please don't make me go back!" "It has to be" said God.  "Some
day you will understand.  But now you know that you will never be alone.
You will always be in this mans heart, and he in yours.  You have found
that there are others that shared his love.  You can wait with them until
the time comes.  Then you will all go on as a family".
 
"The power of love is great, but not without loss.  Without losing someone
they love, humans tend to forget.  Losing someone they love makes their
heart open to more love, they share it more and give it more freely.
This mans love for you was mutliplied by losing someone before.  You have
learned what love is, and he will learn a greater love".
 
Zeus tried to protest, he was so saddened to learn he had to leave again.
He tried to cry but a funny noise came from within.  He barked almost like
a dog.  It must have been loud though, cause he heard the man wake up and
come into the room.  The man held him crying.  "Please, no . . .  you
were getting better.  God, please don't take him from me . . . "
 
The man fed Zeus some more Fuzzy Soup.  He felt so warm cradled in the mans
arms.  Soon he was falling back asleep and the man put him back on the
blankie.
 
Later that morning Zeus was feeling sicker then ever.  The man was crying
as the man lifted him from the blankie.  Zeus looked into the mans tearful
eyes.  He tried to speak but but couldn't, he tried so hard to say 'Daddy,
i love you'.  He was surprised to hear the man say, "I know little one.  I
love you too.  Our time together was too short.  But, it's time for you to
leave".
 
Soon Zeus was on the table where they gave him the medicine the first time.
The woman there, Zeus rememebered her being called a vet, was so gentle
with him.  He felt the warm of the mans hand stroking his fur.  Slowly
eveything past again.  He could no longer hear the crying or feel the
touch on his fur.
 
When Zeus awoke, he was again at The Rainbow Bridge.  God was now cradled
him in his arms.  He could see another ferret there smiling at him, tears
in her eyes.  It was Lady.  Lady reached out and hugged him.  "You are now
my brother, I will never leave you.  We will be together until the others
come to join us".  Zeus felt the love and warmth in her embrace.  It
reminded him so much of what he felt with daddy.
 
Zeus looked Lady in the eyes.  He smiled at her saying, "We have a
wonderful daddy, don't we?" Lady smiled, "Yes, we do - we have a wonderful
daddy".  Zeus turned to God, "Thank you for allowing me to learn about
love".  With that Zeus and Lady ran off to begin a day of play, both
knowing they would never be alone.
[Posted in FML issue 2889]