The weather had turned very cold at the Bridge and No. 421 and Oliver
were huddled inside by their wood stove. No. 421 had an N'Bone Chowder
bubbling on the back burner and was reading a really good book.

There was a flutter of wings and Bluebird arrived and was tapping on
the windowpane.

"Let me in" she chirped. Oliver jumped up and opened the door. "Boy it
sure is cold out here," Bluebird said. I thought I would freeze before
you got to the door."  And with that, she just flew in the open door;
right by Oliver and on to the little perch No. 421 had made for her by
the fireplace.

She stretched her little wings out, and balancing on one foot, she held
the other one up to the heat. As soon as she was warm, she pulled a
ticket out of her wing pocket and handed it to Oliver.

"Take that to No. 421 please," she said. No. 421 looked at the ticket
and called Oliver over. Oliver was adding more wood to the wood box.

"Oliver," No. 421 said. "You better dress warmly and go see if you can
find Draco Co. This ferrets Mom would like Super Tonks, Toast and Draco
Co. to be at the Bridge when she arrives. I'll bank the fire and go up
to the Bridge."

"Do you know where Draco Co. lives," Oliver asked?

"I think he lives over by the cloud cliff but I'm not sure," No. 421
said. You better ask The Receiving Angel, he knows everything."

Oliver trotted of to the gate by the back "short cut" way and asked
The Receiving Angel if he knew where Draco Co. lived. "Not off hand,"
he replied. "Let me see, where did I see his name, oh yes, he is living
over by the cloud cliff with Toast near Super Tonks."

"Thanks," Oliver said. "You're the best."

The Receiving Angel just smiled. Oliver was a good currier and worked
hard to please.

Over near the Cloud Cliff, Draco Co. had just set the table; Toast and
Super Tonks were coming over for supper. He was almost finished when
there was a knock on the door. Thinking his company had arrived, Draco
Co. hurried to greet his friends. It was Oliver.

`Oh, hi Oliver," Draco said. "What brings you over here this afternoon?"
"Draco Co. I am here to ask you to round up Toast and Super Tonks and
the four of us will go to the Bridge to meet your friend Sandstorm
Icklebockien. Her Mom down on earth asked that you be at the Bridge
when she arrived."

"Sandstorm is here, I mean she is coming, when, where, do we have to
wait for the others?"

Super Tonks and Toast were walking up the path to Draco Co.'s house and
heard Oliver say their presence was requested at the Bridge.

"Who is coming now," Toast asked. "We're tired, do we have to go?"

"Sandstorm is coming," Oliver said. "But no, you don't HAVE to go."
"Sandstorm, our Sandstorm," said Toast. "You can bet we'll go. Come
on, race you to the Bridge."

And with that, the four ferrets ran up the path to the Bridge. Oliver
was in the lead and but stopped short when he saw the beautiful
champagne ferret that was sitting beside No. 421. Draco Co. Toast,
and Super Tonks nearly tripped over Oliver dooking all the way.

"Sandstorm, hey Sandstorm, that really you? You are looking prettier
than ever. Boy have we missed you. Tell us all about home and how
Mom is."

The three ferrets dooked and dooked and hugged each other. Sandstorm
told them she would fill them in on all the news when she was settled
in. No. 421 took Oliver by the paw and pulled him aside.

"Let them have some "family" time," he said. "She was sitting on the
Bridge steps when I arrived and I told her where she was and some
friends of hers were on the way. We just barely sat down when you
fellers showed up."

Sandstorm came over to No. 421 and thanked him for all he did. "You
made my journey a pleasant one. I arrived and there you were. You
waited with me for my friends and now I won't be alone anymore." That
said, she stood on her tiptoes and placed a light kiss on No. 421's
cheek.

"Draco Co. said he had an extra room in his mound so I'm going to be
living there," Sandstorm said. "Please come down for supper some
evening, I'd really like to get to know you and Oliver better."

With that, the four ferrets skipped off down the path and Oliver and
No. 421 left for their cabin.

Oliver was very quiet and finally No. 421 asked him what was the
matter.

Oliver looked at his friend and asked, "How come you get all the
kisses? All the pretty girls always kiss you."

No. 421 put his arm around Oliver's shoulders and told him it was
because he was the "fatherly" type.

The two friends were home and supper was still hot. Oliver set the
table and filled the bowls with chowder while No. 421 wrote in his
logbook; Mission Accomplished. Sandstorm is with family, and very
happy to see Toast, Draco Co. and Super Tonks again.

Oliver was all ready in bed thinking how he could become "fatherly".
He would go to the library tomorrow and get a fatherly book.

No. 421 was washing his hands and face, very careful to go all around
the kiss on his cheek. As he slipped into bed, he decided not to wash
that cheek all week.

[Posted in FML 7308]