Hi! This is silly but I just had to write about it.
 
I just got a new game for the Playstation 2 in which a ferret saves the
day.
 
The game's called Harvest Moon and it's by Natsume.  It's a farming sim,
in other words-like SimCity but you grow food and raise livestock (I know,
I know, it sounds boring, but for some reason I really like all the games
in the series.) Basically the point of the game is that you're a boy who
takes over his dead grandfathers farm to try to save it from becoming a
resort.  There are all sorts of little things you can do in it, like
flirt with girls and win the trust of stray dogs and of course-farm, but
ultimately the goal of the game is to find some way to keep the developers
away.
 
So how do you go about this?  (This is where the ferret comes in.) Well
one day these little forest sprites show up at your door and say this huge
scary white creature has been trying to eat them.  You promise to help
them out and go with them to find the creature.  While your hiding behind
some reeds this CUTE little gray and white ferret pops out from behind
some bushes!  AH!  it was just so cute!  It sniffs around like all our
fuzzies do and then stands up on its hind legs and hops away.  The
sprites are yelling at you to catch it right when this girl walks up to
you  She's asks you what your doing- when you tell her she gets mad at
you.  She basically says 'shame on you for trying to catch Snowball!
(Which turns out to be the ferrets' name.)  He's an endangered species
and needs our help!  So leave him alone!' The sprites say they're sorry
for being rash and then get an idea.  If you can get a picture or proof
of an endangered species the area can't be developed because the habitat
has to be protected.  But the girl is worried.  If you take a picture of
Snowball poachers might come and besides she feels like they'd be
exploiting Snowball for something they wanted and that would be selfish.
So now you have to befriend the girl so you can convince her that this is
the right thing for Snowball along with being the right thing for everyone
in the village and farm.  I was finally able to and she showed up at my
farmhouse with a camera.  So we went and got a picture of Snowball the
ferret and saved the day.  It was just so cute!
 
There are other ways to win the game but your actions choose which one
it's going to be.  I guess since I befriended the girl who loved Snowball
I got that ending.  It was great seeing a ferret in a videogame and
especially since it was the hero ;)
 
Well, take care everyone!  And the best of health and holiday wishes to
you and your fuzzies.
[Posted in FML issue 3635]