I got an email request from a nice lady named Mandy.  She asked me to
check on her little buddy Bubba up here in the Rainbow Bridge community.

It didn't take me long to locate Bubba, I asked a few young ferts if they
knew him and they directed me to the Lesser Falls out past the Meadows.
As I traveled the path and got closer to the Lesser Falls I could hear a
lot of hootin and hollerin.  Somebody was having a grand time splashing
around!  I passed the ages old elm trees and came to the waters edge.

There, in the basin below the falls was a handsome, cream colored ferret,
splashing and rolling around in the cool crisp water.  Boy Oh Boy!!  Was
he havin some fun!!

I watched him for a bit, before he realized he wasn't alone at the falls.

He stood up in the water, looking at me quizzically and said "Who you
be??"

I replied, "Hi!  I am Musty Pete...you MUST be Bubba!"

"Yes I am!  That's me!  Bubba!" he hollered.

And he dove face first into the basin...splashing and rolling around,
having the best time!!

When Bubba noticed me still standing there watching him, he stopped again
for a moment and said, "Didja want somethin?"

I smiled at him and said, "Your Earth Mom Mandy asked me to come by and
check on you.  She said you'd been gone for a whole year and she was
missing you, wanted to be sure you are okay and having a good time up
here."

Bubba stopped splashing for a moment, thinking back about his Earthbound
Mom and his friends he had to leave behind.  There was his best girl,
Keyna and his best buddy Hoss D...plus his human Mom and Dad.  He really
missed them and he said to me, " How is my Mom?  Is she still sad that I
had to leave?"

I smiled, "Of course she is, she loved you very much.  But she wanted me
to tell you a few things...."

Bubba waded out of the water and shook his entire body, splashing me in
the process.

He sat on the ground by my feet, and rolled on his back to
lounge...."What 'things' did she want to say??" he asked.

"Well," I said "She wanted me to let you know she loves you...they all
do!  And everybody misses you, a lot.  She also said to tell you that
the new fuzzy Kain is NOT a replacement for you, because you are
irreplaceable and that Keyna-Bug misses you very very much, so does your
good buddy Hoss D.  But everyone back on Earth is fine, especially Hoss
who was sick for a while,he's better now, and they all miss you."

Bubba smiled, remembering his Mom Mandy and his special friends, he
always gets a little bit sad when he thinks of them, but he knows he will
see all of them again someday.  "Thank you Mister Pete, I think they all
know that I am okay...and that makes me very happy!"

With that, Bubba stood up and took a running dive back into the water.
KER-SPLASH!!  He rolled and snorked and splashed some more.... I watched
him for another few minutes and then I hollered,  Bye Bye Bubba!!  Save
some of that water for the fishies!!" Bubba laughed and waved back at
me and turned to take another dive into the crisp refreshing pool.
[Posted in FML issue 5268]