It has been a little over a month since Chloe arrived.  She was a pretty
little girl and she carried a bell-ball she brought from the Hoomin
world which was given to her by her mom, Greta.  I remember her well -
one of the first things she did after I welcomed her to the Bridge was to
drop her bell-ball, bite my tail, pick it up again, and then run off with
it and hide behind a tree!  Gracious, my tail bone hurt for a week!  It
seemed she didn't want anything to do with any of the fuzzies that were
here at the Bridge, even though most all of them tried to welcome her
and make her feel at home.  We did our best, but it always seemed like
something was troubling her, and she ran off, bell-ball in her mouth, as
soon as I or any other fuzzy tried to approach her.
 
I knew that she had a brother and sister here at the Bridge, Ziggy and
Moon, but I could never bring them together because Chloe would always
hide from me.  She wouldn't even let me show her to her own hidey-hole,
so she spent her time living in the forest hiding from all the other
fuzzies.  I was at a loss as to what to do with her.  The Bridge was
supposed to be a fun place for fuzzies to be together while they waited
to rejoin their hoomins, but not for Chloe.
 
The one thing Chloe cared about most was her bell-ball.  She carried it
in her mouth almost all the time, except when she ate or drank.  She
drank water from the stream that run under the Bridge.  We had to leave
food near the edge of the forest so she would have something to eat, and
even then, she would hide behind a rock or a tree when she saw any of us.
This would not do; I knew there was definitely something wrong, so I
decided to talk to the Boss to see if there was anything he could do.
 
The Boss told me that the first part of Chloe's life was not so good.
Dogs trounced on her and gave her fleas, and in general, her original
owners ignored her.  She didn't trust anyone or anything, furry or
hoomin, and she bit anybody who got in her way.  Ah, I thought to myself,
that would explain my sore tail.  As far as Chloe was concerned, she was
alone in the world.  It is such a shame than any living being ever has
to feel that way, but it was the way Chloe felt.
 
That was, until she met Greta.  Greta rescued her from the dogs, the
fleas, and the indifference of her previous hoomins.  Greta was kind and
gentle, and took care of her in a way that Chloe had never known before.
Greta even gave Chloe one of her first toys - her bell-ball, and Chloe
carried it around with her everywhere.  At first, Chloe wouldn't even
trust Greta, but it wasn't too long before she gave Greta her first
fuzzy kiss.  Chloe had finally found one hoomin she could trust, and
she followed her everywhere.  Greta called her "my little shadow."
 
The Boss sighed after he told me Chloe's story, and then he was quiet for
a long time, just thinking.  I could see in his eyes that he was starting
to have an idea...
 
Whenever Chloe would sleep was one of the few times that she didn't carry
her bell-ball around with her, but even then, it would always be close
by.  One night while Chloe was sleeping, she heard the faint sound of the
bell inside her bell-ball.  She woke up quickly to see where it was, but
it was nowhere in sight!  In a panic, she started to search for it.  As
she was searching, the Boss whispered softly in her ear...
 
"Your bell-ball is in that rabbit hole over there, little one.  Follow
the sound of the bell."
 
Chloe did not know who the voice was, but she was lost without her
bell-ball.  She decided that if it meant finding her bell-ball, she must
check the rabbit hole.  Down she went in to the hole, deeper and deeper,
following the sound of the bell...
 
Back in the Hoomin world, Greta was dreaming, and in her dream she heard
the faint sound of a bell.  It was a familiar sound, but she couldn't
place it.  She felt compelled to get out of bed and follow the sound
of it.  The sound seemed to be coming from her back yard near the rock
garden.  Greta went into the back yard and there in the middle of the
rock garden was Chloe, her bell-ball in her mouth!
 
Greta couldn't believe her eyes!  She was so happy to see Chloe again
(even if it was just a dream) that she scooped Chloe up and held her up
against her face.  Chloe dropped her bell-ball and gave Greta an endless
amount of kisses, and even lapped up a salty tear or two.  But even as
Greta held Chloe, she sensed something was not quite right.  She asked
Chloe if she had met up with Ziggy and Moon up at the Bridge.  Chloe
cocked her head a bit, as if she didn't quite understand what Greta was
saying.  Greta looked closely into Chloe's eyes, and suddenly it came to
Greta what the problem might be.
 
"My little one, you don't have to be afraid at the Bridge.  Everyone
there loves you and cares for you.  There's no need for you to be afraid
ever again.  Sandee is up there waiting for you right now; she cares
about you very much and wants to help you find Ziggy and Moon.  Don't
worry, little one, it's alright to leave me.  I won't forget to find you
when it's time.  I'll just follow the sound of your bell-ball, just like
I did now.  Just remember that I love you, my little shadow."
 
Greta held Chloe against her face for quite awhile, then out of the blue
it came to her; her nose wasn't sniffling, and her eyes weren't burning,
yet she had Chloe right next to her face.  She could breathe just like
normal.  It was as if her allergy to fuzzies had completely disappeared.
Maybe, just maybe...
 
And then her dream was over.  Greta found herself back in bed, the
sound of Chloe's bell-ball still echoing in her head.  The dream was so
strange and wonderful that it filled her with emotion, but even so, for
the first time in over a month, Greta was able to sleep in peace...
 
It was morning, and I went over to where Chloe was sleeping.  She had her
bell-ball clutched in her front paws.  Gently, I rubbed her ears to wake
her.  Chloe awoke, but for the first time since arriving at the Bridge,
she didn't try to bite or run away.  This is a very good thing, I thought
to myself - I was too tired to chase her, and my tail was still a bit
sore!  As she awakened, Chloe excitedly told me all about the rabbit
hole, and the rock garden, and her mom, and her bell-ball.  None of
it made much sense to me, the way she ran everything all together so
quickly, but I could tell she was happy.  I figured the Boss must have
had a hand in it.  He always finds a way.
 
I explained to Chloe all about the Bridge, now that she would stay still,
and then I took her to her new hidey-hole - no more sleeping in the
forest!  Next, I took her to find Ziggy and Moon, and they we so excited
to see her that they showed her everything there was to see.  Chloe met
many new fuzzies over time, and remembering Greta's words (and with Ziggy
and Moon's help), she learned how to trust in things.  This little girl,
this little tail-biter - she was going to be just fine.
 
Sandee
[Posted in FML issue 5156]