Chapter 19 - On The Wings Of A Fairy
 
When Christofert returned to the prison with the keys, the fairy was
excited to see him.  She silently clapped her hands and did a little
dance.  She quickly took the keys and whispered to Christofert.
 
"Ok, I can unlock the doors.  You grab hold of my dress and hold on no
matter what.  We're off to Italy!"
 
Christofert climbed onto a trailing edge of the fairy's dress and grabbed
hold with all four of his paws.  She carefully unlocked the door to her
cell and tiptoed over to the main prison door.  She carefully unlocked
the door.  When she pushed the door open, a horrible alarm went off.  The
flashing lights and blaring claxon immediately woke up the two guards,
but it was too late.  She took two steps to build up speed, then she was
flying faster than any ferret or demon could run.  She was travelling
through the twisting tunnels so fast that the residents only felt a
breeze, but never saw what caused it.
 
Christofert just held on.  At first he was terrified.  He could see huge
rocks racing towards him, and at the last moment, the fairy would turn
and Christofert would swing away.  Soon though he relaxed just a little
bit and began to enjoy the ride.  He could feel the wind rushing through
his fur.  He opened his mouth and began to laugh.  He wiggled with
excitement, but was careful not to let go.
 
All too soon though, the fairy ride emerged from the caves.  They
traveled a short distance through some woods before the fairy came to a
halt just at the edge of a town.  Christofert saw that this was his home
town, so he let go of the dress.
 
"Thank you very much Miss Fairy.  That was the most exciting ride I've
ever taken.  I'm so glad to be home though.  I think I've had enough
adventuring for awhile."
 
"No!  Thank you Sir Ferret.  You have been very brave.  I'm sure that
the rest of your life will be filled with happiness."  She bent over and
kissed him, then disappeared back into the woods.
 
Christofert turned towards the town and began the final walk home.  He
was content.  He had had a great adventure, and now he was home.
 
EPILOGUE:
 
Christofert, warmly welcomed home by his family and friends, quickly
became the most popular storyteller among the ferret population in Italy.
He later met a cute ferret named Jill, with whom he raised a family of
several large litters.  Most of their kits were a traditional sable, but
some were born with silver coats, and some looked like their father, with
his white fur and red eyes.  They all had round earflaps.  All of them
were courageous and tough, and shared Christofert's aversion to baths.
His story became an inspiration for a new generation of ferrets, causing
one special young jill named Pouncette de Leon to start her own adventure
in the New World.  But that is another story....
 
            Bryan P. Coffey - Boston, MA
      Weasel Warriors - Albi, Esef, Merri, and Mint
        http://www.gis.net/~bpcoffey/furball.html
[Posted in FML issue 2835]