Slinkmeister here -
 
With a heart heavy with brain-numbing grief, I wish to announce that the
Terrorist Triumvirate is now the Terrorist Two.
 
Nala the Hob Buster crossed The Rainbow Bridge between 2-3 a.m., November
23, 1997.  The Boss was with her the whole time and althoogh Nala didn't die
in her arms, it was only because she'd been gasping and wheezing for breath
earlier and TB was afraid that holding her might make her breathing even
harder.  She was lying on her sleepsack with TB's sweater on top of her and
for a long time she was definitely breathing.  But then when TB removed the
sweater, Nala's ribcage was motionless and when TB lifted her body and her
head just FLOPPED forward with no control whatsoever, that's when TB
KNEW...although she was in denial about it for awhile afterwards, thinking
that maybe she was just sleeping really deeply and would come out of it the
next morning, but she actually knew she was giving herself a snowjob.  I was
on her shoulder in spirit the entire time and I knew Nala was aching to
leave - she hadn't peed all day and she was listless and fought everytime
she was forcefed and she kept begging me to tell The Boss, but I just
couldn't....I couldn't extinguish that last bit of hope TB had, as
impossible as I knew it was.  But she managed to communicate with Cami, the
German Shepherd who's partnered with Michelle, the granddaughter of the
elderly lady TB takes care of, and at one point Cami walked over to TB and
just soberly looked into her eyes for a short period of time - and TB had
the strange feeling that Cami was trying to tell her that it was time for
Nala to go...Cami had been extremely attentive to Nala the whole weekend and
couldn't have been more caring.  But TB dismissed the "message" as whimsical
on her part - NOT!  Or maybe she just didn't want to hear it.....but by the
time Nala died, all but the last vestige of her spirit had crossed over The
Bridge...only the faintest of life was still powering her body...
 
Now she's happy, healthy and pounding the poop out of every hapless hob she
finds at The Bridge.....(I'm a TeleFerret - having psychic powers out the
wazoo can be handy at times.) Spags and I will miss her greatly - she
taught both of us SOOO much about enjoying life and now Spags and I are
closer than brothers.
 
Thank you, EVERYONE, for all the love and support you've sent TB over the
past week.  The response has been absolutely amazing and each and every one
of your messages has individually been a tremendous comfort to her.  The
ferret community is unbelievable in its love and loyalty for each other....
 
To let you know how TB's handling it, the following items are a letter sent
to her by Nala and her response (written through vision-blurring tears)...
 
A Mourning Moondancer
A JoylessBouncer
 
        The Terrorist Two
 
Slinky The  Moondancer:      "Dogs and cats, no doubt, are cool..."
Spahetti the JoyBouncer:     "But s/he who loves ferts is no one's fool..."
Slinky and Spaghetti:           "So face it, humans - FERRETS RULE!"
 
 
Here's the letter that stunned TB...and one she tried to reread this morning
on her way to work and had to put away because bawling at one's desk is not
considered professional.....
 
>From: Karen Daigneault <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Monday, November 24, 1997 2:03 AM
>
>Hi Mommy,
>
>I'm fine...first off, I just have to tell you that.  I'm fine Mommy....It
>doesn't hurt to breathe anymore!  MOMMY!  It doesn't hurt to breathe!!!!
>And this place is so beautful....I've met two new friends that are real,
>real close to me.  Morrow says she hasn't been here that long, so she knows
>how much I miss you..but Colours?  Colours is Morrow's sister and Colours
>has been here for awhile.  I wish so bad you could meet them, Mommy...
>Morrow was right there waiting for me when I stepped over that beautiful,
>beautiful bridge.  She told me she knew me!  And I was so very, very sad,
>Mommy, because you were crying!  You were crying and so upset, and I know,
>I just know it's because of me, and worrying about me, and I wanted to go
>sooooo bad, but you were crying and I couldn't just leave you that way!
>So, I waited awhile.  And last night it got kinda bad for me.  It didn't
>hurt so much as just wanted to sleep soooo badly.  But not like our night
>night sleep, it was more like a different kind of sleep.  A ve ry peaceful
>sleep.  But I knew if I did, then I wouldn't get to see YOU anymore!
>
>You know, Mommy, you keep saying that Kymmie was my "real" mom.  I love
>Kymmie!  She was so very good to me!  But, never, ever, ever have I felt
>the love that came from you!  I knew when we first got together that we
>were supposed to be.  And I felt you were my mommy forever, but just didn't
>get to "meet" you yet.  But I did, I FINALlY FILLED that small hole in my
>heart that I always had when I got to finally be with YOU!  You took such
>good care of me..your love alone!  Your laughter!
>
>Mommy, I tried to tell you before.  God was calling me to the Rainbow
>Bridge.  I haven't been her long enough to know why, but I will.  Colours
>told me so.  Colours knows a whole lot and she's teaching me and Morrow.
>I'm talking through Morrow, through Samantha.  I tried Slinky, but Slinky
>is way too upset right now cause he feels your pain.  It 's real hard on
>him....Morrow talks to Samantha and Samantha just knows how....so, soon!
>Well, soon you'll be able to hear me like Aunt Karen hears Colours and
>Morrow......
>
>Please Mommy, just know that I love you!  Please don't cry over me too
>awful much because I really am fine!  I feel sooo much better.  I'm dooking
>and laughing and wardancing again!  We'll be together soon enough, Mommy,
>so the best thing you can do for ME is to take care of YOURSELF!  And take
>care of Slink and take care of Spags!  They need you an awful lot right now
>because of ME!
>
>Thank you, Mommy, for all you did for me!  I love you!
>--------
>Nala
 
And here's TB's response.....It's a good thing she wasn't handwriting it or
the paper would've been drenched... I'm just surprised the keyboard didn't
short circuit.
 
>From: Laurie Murchie <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>
>My Darling little Hob Buster, my beloved Princess Faeriefoot (a nickname I
>didn't use very often, but nonetheless was/is still yours) -
>
>How can I express the love, the joy you brought to my life in your short
>time here...You were chocolate lightning, the first out of the cage to get
>into mischief, madness and mayhem, the first to open cabinet doors, the
>first to nip ankles (Were you proud of yourself when you made Debbie squeal
>that first time?)...and the first to give kisses.  You never begrudged
>Slinky or Spaghetti the affection I gave them that took away from my time
>with you and, although it always bothered me that I seemed to love each of
>them more than I did you, now I know that I didn't....it's just that
>Slink's my Sanity - he provided the brakes that stopped my slide downhill -
>and Spags had to have extra attention and reassurance because of everything
>he'd been through.  I needed Slinky and Spaggy needed me.  And you, my
>Love, didn't need ANYBODY....you were so self-reliant, self-supporting and
>happy to just to be alive that, although I loved you dearly, I felt guilty
>because I never felt - up until recently - as bonded with you as I did with
>the guys...and it wasn't because you didn't deserve it because you did.
>So, when you got sick, I felt that perhaps The Lord was punishing me for
>not loving you more...but that was my guilt speaking, no actual sense of
>Celestial intervention.  But you were sweet, swift and Breathtakingly
>Beautiful - hell on paws and an angel at heart.  I knew and greatly
>appreciated all your amazing qualities - I never took you for granted as I
>don't take Slink or Spagspag for granted, either.  I just felt that I was
>shortchanging you because, although you were far from neglected, I felt
>that I paid more attention to the guys than you.  Please forgive me,
>Sweetheart - I know now that I loved you FAR more than I realized and it
>hurt like hell to see your dear little body gasping and wheezing for air in
>your last hours yesterday...and there wasn't a whole lot I could do about
>it other than to make you comfortable and pray.  After you crossed The
>Bridge, I just held you in my arms, tears rolling down my cheeks, softly
>apologizing over and over and over again....blaming myself for your
>departure...maybe I'd forcefed you too much, it'd created a blockage and
>that's why you couldn't breath.  Maybe, had I been able to get you to the
>emergency room....maybe, maybe, maybe....maybe's are a double-edge
>sword....cold comfort.  It wasn't until your Aunt Karen explained to me
>later that your kidneys had failed that I finally understood that your
>demise was NOT due to anything I'd done...and even when your body was cold
>and stiff today, I still held you for awhile and kissed you several times
>before finally saying good-bye...
>
>Oh, Sweetie, I wish I could bring you back, every hellraising ounce of
>you...I miss you terribly and tears are rolling down my face as I'm typing
>this...all part of the grieving process, I know, and sooner or later I will
>adopt another needy ferret or two because of the love and joy you gave me
>during your short time here.  Spags has bonded intensely with Slink - they
>sleep, snuggled around each other, and play together and he's a happy
>little dude, even when he's off on his own, exploring and following in your
>mischief-making pawprints.  But that's all due to you being the sunshine
>that drove the storms and dreariness out of his life......Without your
>incredible life-giving love, Spags would have probably died from depression
>by this time......and you gave Slinky the playmate of his dreams - who
>needed a mere human - me - when you were around to wrestle with?  And you
>gave back as good as you got....sometimes even better.  The first time he
>met you, Slinky was determined to put you in your place so he slammed into
>you....and moments later was fleeing for his life...You were definitely a
>Liberated Woman.
>
>Thank you SOOO much for being a part of my life, my little
>NalaButt.....There's a BIG hole in my heart for the physical you although I
>know the spiritual you will always be there....and sooner or later I'll be
>at The Rainbow Bridge to pick you up...(and protect my ankles)...
>
>I love you, Nala.
>
>Your Mommy,
>
>The Boss
>(sometimes known as Laurie)
>
>**sob**
 
(And thank YOU, Samantha, for relaying her message to me...When I finally
meet you, you'll get an extra special hug and kiss from me...as will your
mom who probably knew about this and kept your secret... Love YOU BOTH...)
[Posted in FML issue 2135]