Dear Mythril,
 
It's been over 2 months now since you suddenly crossed the rainbow bridge
due to a heart attack.  An autopsy revealed that you were born with a
defective heart and nobody could do anything to prevent this heart attack.
 
My heart kept shouting that you were not ready for it and should come back.
You had just turned 2 years old; we were supposed to be together at least
4 or 5 more years.  How many times I have regreted sending your treasures
(squeekey toys and my wallet) to the rainbow bridge with you. I thought you
would have come back if I had kept them.  When I woke up to take care of
Swamp in the middle of night, I made soft squeeky sounds hoping that a white
bouncy ghost would visit me.  Every morning when I finished taking shower,
I whispered "Myth, come on and get fresh bath water" hoping that your pink
nose would appear from the bottom of shower curtains (of course, I didn't
have to call you; you were pretty quick to recognize the sound of the shower
stopping).  There were many nigts I tried to hear your continuous low, soft
giggling voice.
 
Mythril, it is time for me to stop grieving you.  As you probably know,
Swamp also went over the rainbow bridge last week.  I now understand that
you went there first so that Swamp could see a friendly, familiar face when
he got there.  If you still haven't seen him, look for that sweet mellow
guy -- he should be trotting around swaying his big round body and making
friends.  He should not be crawling as you remember him.  And please tell
him that we will remember him as a wonderful ambassador ferret.
 
Mythril, I miss you for your intelligence - you were the one who taught us
how to ferret-proof the kitchen.  You were the one who proved that ferrets
could outsmart two human beings in the baby-gate battle.  I miss you for
your sensitiveness for other ferrets - you gently put your whole weight
against Sneaker instead of just starting wresting.  I guess you sensed from
her bare skin that she was suffering from adrenal disease.  You were always
the first one to lick and cuddle Swamp when he had seisures.  I miss you
for your friendliness - everywhere you went, you were so popular with
children.  Numerous times kids just held you in their hands and refused to
let you go; you did not struggle, you stayed quiet in their hands and gave
them your nose kisses.
 
I will not grieve you any more.  But I will remember you with tons of sweet
memories.  Thank you for sharing your short but very concentrated 2 years.
Bounce happily over the rainbow bridge.
 
Love,
ysb
 
Yuki and Mike Busch, Fort Collins, Colorado
and 3 wonderful fuzzies (Nuke Skyjacker, Sneaker and Socks)
and 3 bouncy furries over the rainbow bridge (Swamp and Mythril)
[log in to unmask]
 
ps  Following are posts I wrote about Mythril before her death
and never had the chance to send.
 
-----
Who's Stealing Whose?
 
Hi, everyone.  Please listen; I need your advice.  Yuki, my female human,
loves *my* wallet.  Almost every morning she steals *my* wallet from under
the couch and hides it in her black gym bag.  The worst thing is she
doesn't even understand courtesy; my mom used to tell me that when you use
someone's stuff you must return it where it was.  When Yuki comes back, she
just keeps *my* wallet as if she forgets that is mine.  So it is *I* who
has to unzip a side pocket of her bag, retrieve the wallet and put it where
it is supposed to be -- under the couch.  She just takes it for granted
that I put it back to the original place.
 
She doesn't thank me for my kindness in letting her use my wallet.  Not
only that, she even made me look like a criminal.  I once overheard her
saying to her husband that she had to use a silly excuse to a bus driver
like "Um, my ferret stole the wallet".  How rude!!  Plus, she is very
greedy.  When she took the wallet this morning she found only 2 dollars in
there.  Then she interrogated me to find out where I hid a 5-dollar bill.
She already stole 2 bills from me and she wanted one more, the only and
last one I have.
 
How can I teach her that she has no business with *my* wallet?  Any
advice is appreciated.
 
Mythril, Ft. Collins, Colorado
mythril@&&%%##.???.!!$$
 
---
gloat
 
Hi, everyone,
My 2-year-old silver female, Mythril, got her picture in the latest "Modern
Ferret Magazine" (August, 1995).  She is hugging a stuffed black footed
ferret.  I know I'm acting silly but I'm so happy!  Sorry to clutter the FML
with such gloating and I humbly apologize for my actions (bending my head so
low that nobody can see the I'm-a-proud-mom smile on my face).  :-)
 
ysb
[Posted in FML issue 1365]