Greetings for Silverado

The weather had been hot and humid at the bridge all week, and No. 421
was sitting in his lawn chair with a glass of iced ferretone tea. It
sure was hot.

Oliver, his currier came panting up the path waving a ticket in his
paw.

"Hey No. 421, we has work to do," Oliver said. "A little boy named
Silverado is crossing, and we has to find something for him to do.
The Receiving Angel said he would be lonesome cause he would miss his
Dad. Hey, whatcha drinking, can I have some, boy it sure is hot and I
could use a drink?"

"Sure, just be sure to fill up the ice cube tray again," No. 421 said.
"We might need it before we are done."

Oliver gulped down a glass of ferretone tea, put an ice cube in his
mouth and the two friends started up to the bridge. No. 421 had just
settled down when there was a tinkling in the meadow. A white light
began to shine down on the bridge, and a little ferret boy started
across. He stumbled for the first few steps, but was almost skipping
when he reached No.
421.

"Hello and welcome to the Rainbow Bridge," No. 421 said. "Your must be,
let me see that ticket, yes, you must be Silverado. This will be your
forever home till your Dad comes for you."

"Hi," Silverado said. "I really don't want to stay here, I would like
to go home to my dad and my plastic bed."

"I'm sorry son," No. 421 said. "You will have to stay here with the
other ferrets. I can promise you, that one day, you will be out playing
and you will catch a familiar scent. Then you will raise up your head
and follow your nose. Your dad will be here to claim you. You see this
ticket? After I get you settled, Oliver here will take it back to the
Receiving Angel. He keeps track of who belongs to who, and he will help
you find your dad when he comes."

Silverado thought about that for a minute. "Okay, I am feeling so much
better and if you can find me a plastic bed, I'll be happy to wait for
dad."

No. 421 sent Oliver to look around for a plastic pan.

"Go down to the nursery," No. 421 said. "I'll bet they have one there."

Oliver went down to the nursery and asked for one of the pans. "Mercy
me," said the Nanny. "Do you know how hard it is to get plastic up
here? I have to rely on Gentle Breeze to get angry and turn into a
tornado."

Oliver just stood there; he didn't know what to say.

"Oh well, if you really need it, here it is, wait a minute, let me dry
it," Nanny said. "There, tell your little man he can have it, and, oh,
if you see Gentle Breeze, tell her I need her help."

Oliver took the pan back to No. 421 and Silverado began to smile. He
dooked and dooked.

"Thank you," Oliver. "This will be just fine. Can I get a message to my
dad? I want him to know I'm fine now, and I have a pan to sleep in."

No.421 called Shooting Star and asked her to take a message back to
earth that Silverado was at the Bridge and doing fine.

Shooting Star was talking to the Boss about all the rain they had been
having and saying that all the clouds were dull and gray. Just then,
Silverado skipped by with his new pan under his paw. His face was
shining.

"Hey wait a minute," Shooting Star said. "I have an idea. Would you be
willing to help us out? Would you skip along the edge of the clouds
lining them? That way, you could look down on your dad, make everyone
on earth happy with the pretty clouds, and your dad will know just
where you are all the time."

Silverado thought about that for a minute. That would be a nice soft
place to sleep and wait.

"Sure, I'll do it," Silverado said. "I'm pretty much alone here."

"Good, then I'll tell your dad to watch for those special clouds that
shine," Shooting Star said.

She went to find Gentle Breeze and the two went off on their mission.

No.421 and Oliver went back down the path to No. 421's cabin.

"Hey No. 421, I don't have any ice at my mound, its awful hot, can I
stay with you tonight?"

"Of course," No. 421 said. Then he muttered to himself, I never knew
Oliver to have anything at his mound; he is here more that he is ever
home.

The two friends sat and sipped ice ferretone tea and No. 421 wrote
in his log book, Mission accomplished, greeted Silverado, he is a
wonderful ferret and will line clouds for us, message sent home and
all is well here tonight.

[Posted in FML 6414]