Early morning at the Bridge has Muldoone doing his favorite thing; still
snoozing in his hammy.  Nanna gives the edge of his hammy a tug and she
is met with a resounding LOUD SNORE.  She tugs a little harder and hears
a LOUDER snore.  Giving the hammy a quick yank and yelling "GOOD MORNING
MULDOONE" brings about a result.  Muldoone leaps out of his hammy and
lands on the floor with a resounding THUD and looks up to see Nanna
standing there smiling.  "Oh good you are up" she says in a cheerie
voice.
 
"Nanna, dooes you habs to dooes dat?"  Mully asks her with exasperation
in his voice.
 
"Muldoone you have a new greeting and a trip to take care of today and
the Boss has assigned you a new responsibility so you need to get moving"
Nanna tells him.
 
Stumbling off in the direction of his making self presentable area,
Muldoone returns and stands before Nanna for inspection.  Nanna eyes
him up and down and her gaze then returns and becomes fixed on his
hammy-head-hair.
 
"Muldoone, the hair, did you even try"?  Nanna asks him.
 
"Yes Nanna, I twies but"..
 
"No need to try to explain Muldoone, I have heard it all before.  We've
got to do something about your hammy-head-hair.  You could scare someone
with fur like that!!  Do you know what a Yack is"?  Nanna asks her young
assistant.
 
"Uh, dat be someone who talks a wot?" Muldoone replies.
 
"No Muldoone, a Yack is an animal that resembles a moving haystack and
frankly that is what your hair looks like this morning.  How in the name
of Foamy Fried do you get your hair in such a tangled mess"?  Nanna asks
him.
 
"I not knows Nanna, I asks da Boss to fixes it but he not fixes it" Mully
tells her.  "Maybes I shabes my head" Mully mutters.
 
"M U L D O O N E!!  Adrenal ferrets loose their fur and get bald but
rarely if ever do they loose hair only on their heads, I don't think the
Rainbow Bridge is ready for a cue-ball ferret!!  Come with me" Nanna
tells him, we have lots to do in preparation for your greeting of Lily."
 
Following Nanna up one path and down another has Mully wondering where
she was taking him.  Arriving at an area of the Rainbow Bridge Village
Muldoone was not at all familiar with, he was growing more curious by
the minute.  Nanna, what we be dooings here at NoFolks and what dis habes
to do wif the next gweeting I be doins?"
 
At the NoFolks Village, ferrets had arrived without familee back on
earth, ferrets had come to the Rainbow Bridge having their lives cut
short by abuse, abandonment, or no human to love or having been loved
by.  Here the ferrets had a familee of their own making.
 
"Muldoone, Nanna begins to explain to him, your newest assignment has
multiple parts to it.  I realize you have never done such a complicated
greeting and that is why I am here, to help you, and to make sure it is
carried out exactly."
 
"Nanna, I fought Wily had familee dat woved her, you means she hab no
familee?" Mully asks his boss.
 
"Oh yes she had familee Muldoone, she has a familee that loves her very
much and miss her.  NoFolks Village is only part of your new assignment"
Nanna tells him.  Muldoone you have some things you must do: First you
must locate Lily's friend Switch that arrived here just recently and you
are also to locate Sabrina their other friend Sabrina.  Next you are to
pay a visit to a hedgehog named France and let her know you will be
watching over both Switch and Lily.  Even though the hedgehog known as
Frances claimed she did not like ferrets, I suspect she is saddened both
Switch and Lily have passed to the Rainbow Bridge."
 
Muldoone's eyes big and round at the mention of a hedgehog.  "Nanna you
'spect me to go and bisit a hedginhug?!" Nanna asks his boss.
 
"HEDGE-HOG Muldoone not hedginhug" Nanna tells him, they are called
hedgehogs.
 
"But Nanna, you ebber sees one of dem tings?  Mully wanted to know.
Dey be wike a nastees-tempers cactus Pete wif TEEF!!  Pwease Nanna,
I no wants to go bisit dat ting."
 
"Muldoone, I know this is a bit unusual and was pretty surprised when the
Boss gave me the up-down of this assignment but this is exactly how He
wants it and you are to visit and assure the other ferret living there
known as Ping is He you will be watching over his Miss Lily and Switch
although he never actually met Switch."
 
Out of the corner of his eye Mully caught sight of a ferret doing the
ferret war dance like he had never seen a ferret do before.  Who is
this guy and what kind of raisins had he been eating Mully wondered.
Excitedly the little ferret came running over to Nanna and Muldoone.
"Nanna, dids you tells Misser Muldoone bout me, huh, did ya Nanna, did
ya, well did ya tells him?"
 
Laughing Nanna tells the young fuzzy, "no Clancy, I haven't had a chance
to tell Muldoone about you but if you be patient I will get him filled in
on everything."
 
"Next, Nanna continues, this little boy ferret called Clancy, he will be
your assistant on this assignment." Gesturing for Clancy to come back
over Nanna makes the introductions.  Muldoone, this is Clancy and Clancy
this is Muldoone.  "Oh Misser Muldoone, I so gwads to meets you at wast.
I tink you be da neaterest fewet and I wants to gwows up to be a gweeter
just wike you" the little panda ferret tells him.
 
"Nanna why you tinks I needs a 'sistant Mully wants to know, I not
needs 'sistant and I not wants to go and sees a hedginhug!!"
 
"Listen to me young man Nanna tells Muldoone getting nose-to-nose with
him, you will carry out this assignment as I have outlined it to you and
you will carry it out to the letter."
 
By this point Muldoone knew it was useless to argue with the older not to
mention L A R G E R ferret, he may as well give in and save himself a lot
of trouble in the long run.  "Okays Nanna," Muldoone reluctantly agrees.
 
"How dooes I gets dere"?  Muldoone wanted to know.
 
"MoonBeam Molly will be taking you Nanna tells him, you and Clancy will
ride over on her.  She has been fed her special hay with the molasses in
it to give her flying powers and she is ready.  Oh and one more thing you
will be taking with you; Muldoone do you remember the tractor Sabrina and
Switch got stuck on the Rainbow Bridge, the one the Boss shrunk down to a
ferrety-sized tractor?  You will be taking it along as well.  Poor Lily,
she worked so hard trying to teach Ping to drive and the Boss has decided
to send along the smaller tractor so Ping can take it for a spin around
the driveway."
 
Off in the distance Mully heard the nickering of MoonBeam Molly letting
him know she was excited to be off with their big adventure.
 
Checking first with Clancy, "are you ready to go?" Nanna asks him.  Oh
yes Mz Nanna Clancy told her I bees weady."
 
"How about you Muldoone, Nanna asks him, are you ready?"
 
"I bees weady Nanna" although anyone could tell Mully was not happy about
the situation by the glares he was shooting in Clancy's direction.
 
"Okay, off you be, both of you" Nanna tells them.
 
MoonBeam Molly gracefully lowered herself to the ground to allow Muldoone
and Clancy to climb aboard.  Muldoone noticed someone had already loaded
the ferrety tractor in a special backpack the unicorn was wearing.  With
the sound of a thousand thunder bolts and the flash of a bright light,
MoonBeam Molly, Muldoone, and Clancy were earthbound.
 
Arriving at the place Lily, Switch, and Sabrina had called home, Muldoone
noticed everything to be dark and quiet.  MoonBeam Molly touched down
with a perfect 4-hoof landing.  Bowing low to the ground once more to
allow her passengers to get off she told the two ferrets they would have
to find their way into the house from there, the Boss didn't like for
unicorns to go into people's homes.
 
Once inside, Muldoone and Clancy took a moment to survey their new
surroundings.  "Kwancy you dooes 'xactly wike I tells you to dooes
Muldoone tells him, I gots no times to answers bunches of stoopid
quessions."
 
"But Misser Muldoone, hows I 'poose to wearn anyting ifins you not wet
me askis quessions" Clancy asked him.
 
"Dat be your firstis stoopid quession Kwancy and makes it your wast"
Muldoone informs him.
 
Muldoone decides first they will locate the ferret known as Ping is He
and have some fun on the tractor.  Muldoone moves over close to Ping's
area and clears his throat and coughs a few times.
 
"What be wong Misser Muldoone, you gots a furball hangs up in your froat"
Clancy asks him.
 
"Dere you goes wif dem stoopid quessions 'gain Kwancy" Mully told him.
 
Poking his hear out to see who had dared to invade his territory, Ping
calls out to the invaders.  "Halts, who bees out dere?!  Tells me or I
pelts you wif waisins."
 
"Ping, you not knows me but my name be Mr. Muldoone, officialist Wainbow
Bwidge Gweeter and I comes to sees you" Mully tell him.
 
"You bees frum dat pwace Ping wants to know, dids you comes to takes me
back wif you?"
 
"No, I be sent here to tells you dat I be taking care of your friend Lily
and we hab a surprise for you Mully tells him, come on out and sees what
we bwings."
 
Glancing around to see where Clancy was, Muldoone could hear bits of
conversation between Clancy and an unidentified voice.  Clancy had
caught sight of France the hedgehog and he was VERY interesting in her.
 
"Thief," says France, " I doo not like your kind, thief.  Youuu are too
long, too much neck, you smell like socksss..You 'ave no culture, and I
should bite youu ....but come 'ere, closer, so we cannn talk without zee
shouuutin'..."
 
"Kwancy, you comes back ober here Muldoone hissed at him, stay 'way from
dat ting, hedginhugs be mean."
 
After finally convincing Ping that Mully had not come to take him back
to the Bridge although he was missing Lily terribly, his eyes light up
at the thought of taking the tractor for a spin.  "Misser Muldoone, Wily
be twying to teaches me how to dwive da twactor when she weft for da
Bwidge."
 
"Yes I know Muldoone tells him, but we brings a fewety-size twactor for
yous so come on, outside ons da dwiveway!"
 
Outside parked on the driveway Ping could not believe his eyes, it looked
just like the tractor he and Lily had been driving but this was a much
small one, this was a ferrety-size tractor!!
 
"Ping, hops on and take it for a spin ifins you wants to" Muldoone told
him.
 
Ping jumps in and looking around to see exactly where all the controls
were located, he was amazed at how identical this tractor was to the one
he and Lily had spent so much time on.
 
"Come on Ping, fire 'er up" Muldoone yells at him over the cranking sound
of the engine.  Finally the heart of the greasy metal-soul beast clangs
to life.
 
Ping can't believe what was happening, a shrunk-down version of this
wonderful machine and he was going to get to drive it, all night if he
wanted to!!  Ping takes a couple of laps around the driveway and then he
pulls to a stop.  Hopping down from the ferrety-size tractor, he runs
over to the big hooman-size tractor, scrambles up one of the big black
tires, swings over into the seat and pops open one of the tool boxes
attached to the fender.  Rummaging around in the tool box and making
quite a bit of racket Muldoone wonders what the heck this silly weasel
is looking for.  Fiddling with a couple of things and putting one on his
head and the other around his neck, down he hops and runs back over to
the ferrety-size tractor.  With the full moon out Mully can see exactly
what Ping went to get from the big tractor; he was wearing an aviator's
helment complete with goggles and a white silk scarf around his neck.
Back on the tractor he jumped and off he roared with his beautiful white
scarf blowing behind him in the breeze.
 
Hearing some ferret giggling in the distance, Muldoone heard a female
ferret voice say "see I tells you dat he bees handsome" and Mully feels
himself blush a bright red.  Hearing a squeal from the girl ferrets,
Muldoone braces himself for impact from the three coming straight at him.
 
Try as he might to step out of their way, they were too quick for him
and Muldoone found himself stretched out horizontal on the driveway with
birdies flying around his head.  It had not been HIM they thought to be
so handsome, it was Ping the girls were gushing over.
 
"Gives us a wide Ping he heard a voice calling out, yeah called out
another.  From the third voice he heard "Hee-heee!"
 
Muldoone could not believe what he was hearing and seeing.  He recognized
one of the girl ferrets as Switch and the other as Sabrina but he did not
know the third girl ferret.  She just kept grinning and going "hee-heee,
hee-heee, hee-heee!"
 
"WILY" Muldoone heard Ping call out, Wily, you back, you weally comes
back to me??!!"
 
"Jussin for t'night Lily told Ping, we gots special purrmissions for a
twactor wide."
 
The tractor was stopped on the driveway and ferrets were reunited in the
night.  Dis be a furst fors me Muldoone thinks to himself...
 
Muldoone lost count of the laps around the driveway and about that time
he realized Clancy must have still be in the house.  OhMyGosh was all
Mully could think and say, OhMyGosh, OhMyGosh.
 
Racing back inside the house the hedgehog could be overheard to say
"Barbarian you 'aff no culture, and I 'ate youuu very much, I 'ate all
you theif ferrets.
 
Just then Muldoone saw Clancy trying to climb the see-through wall
separating the area belong to France from the area the four ferrets now
occupied.  "Kwancy no, comes down frum dere."
 
Once again the hedgehog could be heard to say "Barbarian you 'aff no
culture, and I 'ate youuu very much, I 'ate all you theif ferrets."
 
"Oh noose, I no can wook said the ferret Switch and she covered her eyes
with her delicate paws.
 
"Me neidder" said Lily covering her eyes.
 
"I cans yelled Sabrina, dis I wanna sees!!"
 
The ferrets heard the unmistakable sound of a thud and then high-pierced
screaming coming from the direction of the hedgehog's area.  When
Muldoone reached the front of the enclosure he could see Clancy holding
on for dear life but also trying to turn loose.  He was up on the
creature's back and from the way she was bucking, the scene looked like
some kind of a crazy hedgehog rodeo only he was riding her backwards.
 
A noise at a window got their attention and when the four ferrets looked,
it was MoonBeam Molly.  She squinted her eyes tight and blinked a couple
of times and in an instant Clancy was off the bucking hedgehog, landing
on the floor with a thud and was yelling and howling something about
stickeries in his bum.
 
MoonBeam Molly used her horn to gently tap on the window and sent a
silent message that it was time for them to return home.
 
Ping's eyes filled with tears at the thought of Lily having to leave
again just when she had arrived.  Ping walked over to Lily and took her
small paw in his bigger one and then he hugged her close for several
minutes not saying anything, words were not necessary, words of love
were loud and clear between the two ferrets.  They had not been together
long but there was a definite love between the two fuzzy hearts.  Ping
knew he had someone special waiting for him at the Rainbow Bridge, he
had his Mz Lily watching over him and she would wait.
 
~~Muldoone~~
Caring for your ferrets at Rainbow Bridge.
[Posted in FML issue 4866]