Early morning at the Rainbow Bridge and Muldoone was already up and about
which was quite surprising, normally he did not like to get up until he
had to be but recently Mully had discovered some new things about life
at the Bridge he had never known about.
 
To be at the Rainbow Bridge early in the morning was the most beautiful
place in the universe.  The sun was just coming up and the sky was being
painted with bold streaks of lavender, pale blue, gold, peach, and each
color seemed to give itself over to another, continuing this cycle until
the sky was fully lit with the beautiful morning light.
 
As Muldoone continued to stroll along, he found himself in a beautiful
meadow and as far as the eye could see, he saw Foxgloves blooming in
every shade of purple, pinks, and whites.  Foxgloves were his favorite
of all the flowers that grew at the Rainbow Bridge but that was the kind
of thing a guy ferret didn't discuss with his buddies, he kept his
passion for flowers a secret.
 
On the fringes of the Rabbit Village, Muldoone paused to watch mother
bunnies getting the youngster bunnies together for breakfast.  One of
the mama rabbits was busy tying bibs on each smaller bunny seated at a
round table.  Tables everywhere, bunnies of all colors were seated at
round tables clamoring for their breakfast.
 
Mully decided enough he had had enough sightseeing for the day and he had
better head for the Bridge, he had two ferrets to greet that morning.  As
he was walking along he kept hearing a rustling behind him but when he
turned to look no one was there.  Wondering who was following him, he
stopped and turned quickly and caught a glimpse of Clancy trying to duck
off in some bushes but he wasn't quick enough, Mully had seen him.
 
"Ok, Quancy, comes out, I sees you" Muldoone told his young follower.
 
Sheepishly Clancy came out from behind the bush he had been trying to
hide behind.
 
"What you be doing here?" Muldoone demanded of him.  As far as Mully was
concerned, Clancy was a brat and he was always full of stupid questions.
Muldoone only allowed him along when ordered by Nanna.
 
"Misser Muldoone, I wants to go wiff you on dis gweeting.  Cans I go
wiff you pwease?  Pwease Misser Muldoone, I wants to gwow up to bees
a Wainbow Bwidge Gweeter just wike you" Clancy told him.
 
Muldoone thought on the matter for a bit and then finally gave in.  "You
pwomise to stays out of da way and not askis stoupid quessions?  I no
has time for dat" Mully told him.
 
"I pwomise Misser Muldoone" Clancy told him.
 
"Ok, you can comes but 'member what I tells you" Muldoone told him very
sternly.  "I gots no time, I gots to get to da Bwidge."
 
Off the two ferret went making their way to the Bridge and upon arrival
Muldoone showed Clancy where to stand and he reminded him again to stay
out of the way and he didn't want to have to answer a bunch of questions
about things.
 
Muldoone and Clancy didn't have to wait long.  The Ferret Promise Song
began to dance on the breeze and it now filled the air, with its
bittersweet refrain.  It sang of hope and promise, of sorrow and loss,
all tied together in the cycle of life.  Its gentle, sad melody danced
over on the breeze as it winded its way to the earth, and the aching
heart of a human, below.  The lights over the Bridge danced and swirled.
Colors more beautiful than ever seen on earth painted the sky.  The
colors came together with a flash of blue.  The Welcoming Song told of
pain fading away of limbs being made strong again and eyes once more
bright it sang of the long march of days and the new journey that now
begins at the Bridge.  At the moment each ferret passed, the Creator
gently took them in His thundering velvet right hand and whispered to
their hearts I knew you before you were a ferret, I knew you while you
were on earth, and now you have return ed to Me, rest now wee-one, you
are home, come and start your new journey that begins at the Bridge.
 
The flash of light subsided and then Mully heard the unmistakable sounds
of ferrety feets coming across the time-worn planks of the Bridge; the
Moonbeam Molly Express having delivered another ferret whose time on
earth had been cut short.
 
Muldoone could see not one but two ferrets coming across the Bridge.  One
ferret was carrying a blue blanket and seemed very hesitant as the two
were slowly making their way across the Bridge.
 
As the two fuzzies reached the end of the Bridge, Muldoone stepped
forward offering his nose to them in a friendly greeting.  "Hello and
welcomes to da Wainbow Bwidge, I be Mr. Muldoone, officialist Wainbow
Bwidge Gweeter.  Muldoone could see that one ferret seemed very
frightened and he had his eyes squinched tightly shut but the other
ferret seemed at ease.
 
The brown sable ferret spoke first introducing himself.  "Hi dere, Misser
'Doonie, I be Socks and dis be Paco."
 
Muldoone noticed Socks staring intently at him and he braced himself for
the comments he knew that would be coming about his hammy-head-hair.  It
was a frequent thing with the new arrivals, they not only got his name
wrong but they had a word or two about his unruly fur.
 
"Da name be Mr. Muldoone" Mully told Socks, and pronouncing the name slow
and distinct for him, "the name is Mull-doone."
 
"Ok sur, whateber you says chief, but dis guy be needin some help" Socks
told Muldoone.  "We gets dis guy some helps and den maybe we gets you
some help wiff yur cwazzy hairs."
 
Turning bright red and blushing, there it was, comments about his
untamable hammy-head-hair.  When was the Boss going to do something
about his hair Mully wondered.
 
"Nuffin be wrong wiff my hair kid, dis be da way it be so watches it
wiff da commyients" Muldoone told Socks sternly.
 
Gently going over to the other ferret, Muldoone touched him on the
shoulder and told him, "it be okay, you can opens your eyes, you be at
da Wainbow Bwidge, nuffin here to be afwaids of, you be safe."
 
The frightened ferret opened his eyes a tiny bit and then shut them
again.  "I not sees afore and it be scary to sees so much all at once"
he told Muldoone .
 
"Hey Poc" Socks began, "I not hears afore I gots here but now I can
hears.  It be a wittle stwange at first but I be gwad I can hears but
wishes dey turns it down some, tings be kind of loud."
 
"Paco, we has bwind fewets who come here and dey be 'cited bout seeing,
dey sees all da tings they not sees only feels when dey bees on earf.  It
be okay, opens your eyes and wook awound.  Seeing whens you gets here,
dat be a gift from da Boss, ebery fewet who comes here can hears and
sees, dey can walk wiff no hurts.  Come on, twy it" Muldoone told Paco.
 
Cautiously and just a tiny bit at a time Paco began to open his eyes and
as if it was too much for him, he would squinch his eyes closed again.
This went on for several minutes until he finally had both eyes open
and looking around, taking in all the sights of his new world.  Finally
Paco's eyes came to rest on Muldoone and Mully's hammy-head-hair.  Paco
stared intently at it for several minutes and then he raised one paw and
felt of his own hair.  With a puzzled lo ok on his face he turned to
Socks and asked if he could feel his hair.  Obviously Paco was not used
to seeing things and still trusted how things felt over his new gift of
sight and really didn't know what to make of Muldoone and his hammy-head
hair.
 
Finally Paco spoke and admitted he was frightened by all he saw, he
didn't quite know how to take in everything; all the shapes of different
things, all the colors but what he seemed to be most puzzled about was
Muldoone.  "Misser Muldoone, Paco began, I not unnerstands what I be
seeings, but I wikes your hat a wot."
 
Heaving a sigh of relief, it appeared the newly sighted ferret was not
going to comment about his hair and Mully was glad, he had to endure
that with almost every newcomer, the stares and the comments.
 
"Misser Muldoone, my mom say I have a brudder Weasle and sisturs Skylar
and Oreo here and I would wike to sees em" Socks told Muldoone.
 
"You betcha" Muldoone told Socks, we goes and finds dem.  Guys, "we gots
da Otter Swide, Wessle-Mania, da Fruit Bar, Chicken Gwavy Pond, da Soc
Steal Course, Dirt Mountain and wots more Muldoone chatters on and on
informing the two new comers of life at the Bridge.
 
Bounding over to the three ferrets came Clancy.  "Misser Muldoone, cans
I come too, huh, can I , huh can I pwease?  I helps you shows dese guys
'round da Bwidge."
 
"Sur Quancy, come on, you cans come too" Muldoone told him.
 
Darting ahead of the other three ferrets Clancy was pointing out things
to see, great spots to explore later once they were settled in and
promising to sha re some of his secret explore spots.
 
Noticing all the hyper activity of the much younger ferret Clancy, Socks
couldn't help but wonder who was this kid so obviously buzzing on raisin
fuel and wondering if he could get some of the same.
 
~~Muldoone~~
Caring for your ferrets at the Rainbow Bridge.
[Posted in FML issue 5068]