Back in the early days of our growing ferret family, Jack and I took turns
choosing the babies we would have join us.  Since I had chosen my silver
mitt, Jasmine the year before, Jack had decided we should next add the
darkest colored sable we could find.  We already had Gandalf, our White
Wizard, so it was time to add Mandrake, the Dark Wizard.  It took a while
to find her, but one day Jack came home and told me he thought he had found
her at a local pet store.  We both went to look and ended up bringing home
Mandrake and her sister Aislyn, another silver mitt I had fallen in love
with.  Our family grew to five.  The two of them were oh, so tiny and were
dubbed "the littles" as they toddled around their new home and met their
new brothers and sisters who appeared enormous in comparison.  Mandrake was
the only one of our ferrets who actually barked.  I recall a time when she
was still very tiny when I walked into the room and startled her and she
made this loud noise that I had never heard before.  She only did this a
couple times before she realized that although the world around her was
huge, no harm would come to her in her new home.
 
Mandrake never did live up to her name.  Although she was dark in color,
she was bright and gentle and kind in spirit.  She remained a dark sable
throughout her life, though her mask would become more pronounced at
different times of the year.  Her most striking feature to me was her
eyes.=20 They were big and gentle and brown, reminding one of those of a
doe.  She never hurt a soul, human or fuzzy; and she lived her life with a
tranquil, quiet joy that spread through our home and touched us all.  Every
ferret has their favorite toys and for Mandy it was tennis balls.  She
would grab them by the fuzz and busily move them to where they belonged.
Apparently, they each had a specific spot that only she knew about and it
was her job to make sure they got there.  How hard she worked at this!
When it came to raisin time, while the others would crowd around climbing
over each other trying to get theirs first, Mandy would patiently wait to
the side for her turn.  She was our only 100% litter box user.  Even
following her surgery, when she felt awful, she would make sure to get to
the litter box in her hospital cage.  She was truly an angel here on earth.
 
Mandy would have been 6 years old on January 27.  She shared her birthday
with Aislyn and their older brother Gandy.  Last year they were all here
with me to celebrate.  It will be a difficult day for us here, but I will
think of them celebrating together.  Her leaving has brought our family
back to five again, as her joining us did.
 
Mandy, I hope you know that I was only trying to make your life better by
choosing surgery for you and I honestly thought you would be better in time
for Christmas here with us.  I know how much you missed Aislyn when she
left.  I had hoped you would wait a while to join her, but I guess you knew
better.  By now, I know you have found her, along with Jasmine, Gandalf,
Bandit, and Amber.  I will be thinking of all of you together again for
Christmas hoping you have a tree to play in and under with lots of
presents.  Merlin was looking for you this morning, checking for you in the
green sleep sack and the crinkle bag that you loved to nap in.  He misses
you all so much and seems to wonder where all of this brothers and sisters
went in such a short time.
 
My darling girl, I miss you more than words can say.  Your tennis ball is
still where you left it, by the rocking chair.  It belongs there, so there
it will stay.  You will always be in our hearts.  Til we meet again...
 
With all my love your Mom, Lucie,
Missing you terribly with your Dad, Jack and brothers and sisters, Merlin,
Myst, Clarence, Jessie, and Sarah, and your feline friend Binks
[Posted in FML issue 3272]