Muldoone's alarm clock went off alerting him that it was time to get
himself out of his hammy and go meet a new arrival at the Bridge, a
male sable by the name of Little John was due to arrive.
 
Mully climbed out of his hammy and went to his "making self presentable"
area.  As with most mornings Muldoone lost another battle with his
hammy-head-hair.  Wonder what da Boss be waiting on, I done asksis Him
'bout fixing my hammy-head-hair but He not fix it yet.  Muldoone found
his ball cap which was not easy, considering everything he had stashed at
his place, his belongings were forever getting lost in all the clutter.
Giving his cap one final adjustment, out the door he went in the
direction of the Bridge.
 
Arriving at the Bridge, Muldoone didn't have to wait long until he felt
the first tingles in his whiskers and the music in the air had begun to
change.  He had grown familiar with the sweet sadness of the song that
accompanied each arrival yet on this day the song was somehow different.
The Ferret Promise Song danced on the air with such a sad finality, it
sang of unfilled promises, it told of a loss and a longing felt deeply in
the heart and soul of a human back on earth.  With his eyes closed and
letting his thoughts travel back to earth and to the wonderful time he
spent with his familee, he felt himself getting lost in the sweet sad
song.  At the moment each ferret passed, the Creator gently took them in
His thundering velvet right hand and whispered to their hearts "I knew
you before you were a ferret, I knew you while you were on earth, and now
you have returned to Me, rest now wee-one, you are home, come and start
your new journey that begins at the Bridge."
 
The flash of light subsided and then Mully heard the unmistakable sounds
of ferrety feets coming across the time-worn planks of the Bridge; the
Moonbeam Molly Express having delivered another ferret whose time on
earth had been cut short.
 
A sable ferret stopped at the end of the Bridge and looked around.  He
then noticed a dark sable ferret wearing something on his head with fur
sticking out from underneath it; silly-looking fur going in all
directions, and the sable ferret asked, "Who you be?"
 
"Hello, I be Mr. Muldoone, officialist Wainbow Bwidge Gweeter" he
informed the newcomer.
 
"But how did I gets here, I was wiff my mom and I be feeling tired and I
went to sleep, so how I gets here?"
 
This was one part of the job Mully didn't like, having to tell a ferret
their march of time on earth was over and here at the Bridge they would
remain until they were reunited with their beloved familees they had to
leave behind.  Some ferrets accepted it, some were happy to no longer
be sick, some ferrets who didn't have a very good life on earth would
finally have a familee of their own choosing made up of Rainbow Bridge
ferrets, and then some ferrets got really upset and depressed; for those
cases, there was a very special ferret lady they went to stay with until
they could make the adjustment.
 
Bending down to be at eye-level with the newcomer Muldoone explained to
him that he had been sick and this was where sick ferrets came to that
couldn't get better.
 
"Ok, I be here so now fixes me and den I go back" Little John told
Muldoone.
 
"I be sworry John, I no can dooes dat, here be were you stays till yur
hooman-bean cwosses and den you be wiff her 'gain" Mully told him.
 
Little John looked down at the ground for a long time and Muldoone
thought he saw a tear roll down the newcomer's furry little cheek.
 
"How wong I bees here afore my mom come to gets me?" Little John wanted
to know.  "I bees happy wiff her.  I not bees happy where I usta live, I
not hads a gud life dere but I has a happy life wiff my mom" he explained
to Muldoone.
 
"I not knows how long you be here Wittle John.  But life at da Bwidge
is gud, you no wonger sick, no tummy aches, ebery fewet dat comes here
can sees, dey all have fur, no fewet be old or sick.  At da Bwidge we
got wots of neat tings to do; we gots da Otter Swide, Wessle-Mania, da
Fruit Bar, Chicken Gwavy Pond, da Soc Steal Course, Dirt Mountain and
wots more" Muldoone chattered on and on to Little John.  "I will shows
you 'round and you meets odder fewets but first I gots a message for
you from yur mom, she say she will miss you forebber and she loved you
bunches and bunches."
 
Little John got very quiet and Muldoone saw more tears running down his
chubby cheeks.  "My mom say dat 'bout me Misser Muldoone?" the sable
ferret asked.  "I be happy wiff my mom and I hope dat she wove me,
acause I wove her a wot."
 
"Kid from da pwayer your mom send to da Boss 'bout you, it sound wike
she loved you whole big bunches" Muldoone told him.  "I can shows you
later how to peek in on your mom when she be sleeping and you can sends
her whisker kisses and ferrety hugs."
 
~~Muldoone~~
Caring for your ferrets at the Rainbow Bridge.
[Posted in FML issue 5047]