When the alarm clock went off this morning it almost startled me out of
bed!  Ai, I wish I didn't always have to get up at the crack of dawn, but
my work is so important up here at the Bridge.  I checked my list, and my
goodness -- no new arrivals!  That's always a good thing for two reasons;
first and most importantly, no fuzzy has been sick enough or been
suffering so much that they have had to leave their hoomins and brothers
and sisters and come here, and second... I got to sleep in!  While it
doesn't happen very often, it is a very good day when it does.  But it
just so happened that right on top of my new arrivals list the Boss had
left me a note:
 
"Please check on Fern girl this morning.  Donna, her hoomin, has been
thinking about her very much lately and would really appreciate it if
you would look her up and see how she's doing.  The Boss"
 
Ah, it seems that I was needed this morning after all.  I made some tea
and thought back a bit.  Slowly, it came to me and I remembered Fern's
arrival.
 
Fern was a very old fuzzy when she left for the Bridge, older than most.
She was over thirteen years old when she left the Hoomin world to come
here.  That is mighty old for a fuzzy, believe you me!  Not many fuzzies
are blessed with so much time in the Hoomin world.
 
It was a beautiful day when Grandmother Sweet Fern arrived here.  Of
course, it's always a beautiful day up here at the Bridge, but this day
seemed to be made to order for this grand old lady.  It just seemed that
the air was especially fresh and pure.  You could smell everything
without hardy even trying, and the sun shone perfectly through the trees
making everything look exceptionally crisp and clear.  One's senses just
seemed to be in tune to everything, and it made one feel so alive that
it was hard to put into words.
 
I remember arriving at the Bridge to find a beautiful chocolate girl
curled up and sleeping.  I touched my nose to hers and gently awakened
her.  She uncurled and started to stretch.  Without opening her eyes,
her nose began to go to work.  She sniffed and sniffed, smelling
everything -- the sweet scent of the lilacs, the subtle scent of the
water running under the Bridge, and even the pungent scent of the loam
and grass; I could tell by the emerging smile on her face that she
missed nothing as she deeply inhaled the beautiful scents of this place.
Back in the Hoomin world Fern could hardly see, if at all, and she had
to use her sense of smell so she would know her surroundings.  But here
at the Bridge her body was now perfect, and her sense of smell was just
a luxury.
 
Still, she had yet to open her eyes.  I smiled, realizing that Fern had
not awakened enough to know exactly where she was.  I called to her and
told her it was alright, that she could open her eyes now.  She opened
her eyes and slowly her once unseeing eyes began to focus.  In a quiet
excitement, she began to take in everything.  She could see the purple
of the lilacs, the reflection of the sun off the stream running under
the Bridge, the rich earthy color of the loam, and the deep green of the
grass.  It had been so long since Fern had seen colors that she found
herself in an indescribable state of bliss.  Wanting to take in more,
she started to rise.
 
No longer did she carry the weight of the Hoomin world, and her
once-crippled paws were now straight and strong.  But even so, it was
with uncertainty that Fern first stood on her front feet.  Any pain she
might have felt in trying to stand or walk had been left in the Hoomin
world, and soon she was on all fours.  My, my, my - the things a young
fuzzy takes for granted become so special to fuzzies who have lived long
enough to lose some of them.
 
Fern was in total awe of her own body.  She would close her eyes, and
then immediately open them, just to make sure that this wasn't all some
sort of dream.  I chuckled to myself as I watched her.  Only one thing
could make her any happier than what she was already, and I knew exactly
what to do ;)
 
"Fern, my dear sweet lady, I have a few fuzzies whom I would like you to
meet," I told her.
 
A few?  Who was I kidding?  Having lived such a long life, Fern had left
behind many fuzzy brothers and sisters, and she was going to get to meet
all of them!  It wasn't long, and she was nose to nose with all her
brothers and sisters - Scotty, Mis Shel, Tinkerbelle, Powder, Sinbad,
Nips, Stinky, Baby and Noodles, and even Possum (who had been made a
special assistant to the Boss).  Her now-perfect eyes were clouded with
tears of joy.  I don't remember seeing any happier fuzzies than Sweet
Grandmother Fern together with all her fuzzy brothers and sisters.
Everyone had waited so long for this day, and now it was here.  Fern told
them all the news about the fuzzies who were still in the Hoomin world,
and it made them happy to know that they had other brothers and sisters
they had yet to meet.
 
Ah, yes... I remembered that wonderful day.  I relished in the sweetness
of my memories of that day.  I finished my tea and went to visit Sweet
Grandmother Fern.  When I got there, I could barely get into the entrance
of her hidey-hole!  Possum was playing outside with all the kits, and
there was war-dancing galore!  I couldn't take a step without one of them
running between my legs and flipping my tail!  I made my way into the
hidey-hole, and all of Fern's brothers and sisters were there having tea.
Everyone was chatting and dooking so much that it was hard to hear one's
self think!
 
Grandmother Fern brought me a glass of tea and welcomed me to her
hidey-hole.  I gave her the message I had gotten from the Boss.  She
looked down at the ground, just a bit sad.  She told me that she had
been thinking of Donna, too.  As a matter of fact, she told me that she
had thought of her every day, and even though she had the company of her
brothers and sisters and all of Possum's kits, she still missed Donna
terribly.  Her eyes began to water, and I held her paw.  I reminded her
that she was a wise old fuzzy, and that she knew in good time (and
hopefully a very long time) that Donna would come to be with her.  Fern
nodded her head, and told me that she was in no hurry.  She told me that
she knew Donna still had other fuzzies in the Hoomin world that needed
her care, and even though she missed her so, she had everything up here
at the Bridge a fuzzy could ask for.  I nodded back at her, and took a
sip of my tea.
 
As I left Grandmother Fern's hidey-hole, there was a flash of fur as
one of the kit's were chased by another one.  They dooked and chattered
and ran in circles around each other.  There was no stopping these
youngsters, was there?  Even though they had come to the Bridge at such
a young age, they had each other.  I closed my eyes for a few moments,
and then opened them again.  Yes, certainly... we all had each other.
 
Sandee
[Posted in FML issue 5182]