Muldoone was awakened out of a sound sleep by the loud blast of a
foghorn.  Everyone knew there was no fog at the Rainbow Bridge, but when
the foghorn sounded it mean something important was taking place.  Mully
jumped out of his hammy, ran to his "necessary corner" searching until
he found his ballcap and not bothering to take the time to fight with
his hammy-head-hair, knowing the result would be the same, he smacked
his cap on and out the door he went.

Arriving at the center of the Rainbow Bridge Village, Muldoone was
anxious to find out what was going on.  There he found Nanna, Mz
SunnyFerret, SodaFerret, and many of the others he knew so well.
Clearing her throat Nanna began to speak; "We have two ferrets arriving
this morning and they were both special ferrets back on earth.  They had
never really met but they were kindred spirits; they passed within 24
hours of one another and we are here to greet them this morning" Nanna
explained.  "Lets make our way to the Bridge to greet them" Nanna called
out, "they will be arriving here very soon".

All the ferrets began walking in a single file making their way to the
gates of the Rainbow Bridge.  It was a somber little march of ferrets
going to greet the newcomers with Muldoone and Nanna leading the way.
A ferret arriving at the Rainbow Bridge could be both a happy and a sad
occasion.  For many ferrets arriving at the Bridge, it was an end to
pain they were enduring back on earth and it was oftentimes a joyous
occasion, they were reunited with their friends who had passed before
them.  Ferrets sometimes arrived at the Bridge angry they had to leave
their loved ones behind, others arrived scared and lonely, not knowing
what to expect when they got there, maybe never having heard of the
Rainbow Bridge and what a wondrous place it was.

Arriving at the Bridge, Nanna began barking out orders to everyone
exactly where to stand and what to do as if most of them needed to be
told but that was just how Nanna was; she insisted everything be perfect.

The ferret gathering all took their places; Muldoone, Nanna, Bailey,
Freckles, Dude, Libby, and NellieFerret all joined paws forming a perfect
circle of love.  The group of ferrets closed their eyes and concentrated
on the two ferrets making their way to the Bridge.  In the hearts of the
group, they were sending their love for little Maggie and Munch being
transported by MoonBeam Molly, the magical unicorn who brought the
ferrets to the Rainbow Bridge after they had passed.  The group of
ferrets were not only helping to light the way for the two ferrets but
also they were sending prayers of love for Maggie's mom and Munch's dad
who had loved them both very very much.

The lights over the Bridge began to dance and swirl; colors more
beautiful than ever seen on earth now painted the sky.  The colors
blended and then changed again; shades of pink gave way to peach and
yellows then changed to a soft green that blended into a delicate blue
that gave itself over to shades of lavender.  A fine soft fairy dusting
began to swirl all around Muldoone, Nanna, and the others.

In the center of the circle stood a tall and handsome sable ferret named
Soda.  With both an expression of pain and a perfect expression of love
on his face, he closed his eyes and began to sing.  SodaFerret sang a
song of love to the two ferrets making their way to the Bridge.  His
voice was deep and rich, every note sang perfectly, every word wrapped
in love for the two who were coming.  The Ferret Promise Song now filled
the air with its bittersweet refrain.  The melody of love told the story
of hope and promise and also of sorrow and loss all tied together in the
cycle of life.  The song explained pain fading away, of limbs being
made strong again, and eyes once more bright and seeing, it told of the
sorrow of passing and the joy waiting in the Promise.  As Soda sang the
sad sweet song, he had tears rolling down his furry cheeks.  The song he
sang was also a song of love for the humans whose hearts had been
shattered by the loss of Maggie and Munch.

Arriving at the Rainbow Bridge, MoonBeam Molly lowered herself to the
ground so her tiny passengers could climb down.  Maggie was first to
disembark and then calling back to her friend, "Come on Munchie, we
bees here."

The two little ferrets joined paws and then began making their way across
the Rainbow Bridge.  Off in the distance the new arrivals could see a
group of ferrets standing at the other end of the Bridge.  The wooden
timbers of the Rainbow Bridge were worn smooth from time and from the
many ferrets that had made the crossing, having left behind a world as
they knew it and coming to the Rainbow Bridge to wait to be reunited
with their humans.  Maggie and Munch both took a deep breath and then
slowly began to make their way across the Bridge to the group at the
other side waiting to greet them.

As Maggie and Munch stepped off the end of the Rainbow Bridge, Muldoone
offered his nose to the newcomers in a friendly greeting.  "I be Misser
Muldoone, officialist Wainbow Bwidge Gweeter and wees be here to welcomes
yous."

"Hello Maggie and Munch, my name is Nanna and we have come to welcome you
to the Rainbow Bridge."

Munch and Maggie were still holding paws as they were both looking all
around.  Maggie had the most striking color of eyes Muldoone had ever
seen, her eyes were the color of emerald green and they were big and
round, drinking in all the beautiful sights before her.

Munch seemed a bit more cautious about things and she was hanging back.
Nanna gently approached her and asked "Munch, do you know where you are?"

"Yes I tink so" Munch said to Nanna.  "My dad tells me 'bout dis pwace
and he say I comes here someday but I not sure I wants to bees here.
But, my belly not hurts anymores so I be gwad of dat."

"How about you Maggie" Nanna asked the little ferret, "do you know where
you are?"

"Oh yes, I knos where I bees, my mom tells me bout dis pwace.  She say I
will feels gud when I gets here and I will has all my fur back" Maggie
told Nanna .

Muldoone had been eyeing Maggie ever since she stepped off the Bridge, he
was not only mesmerized by the color of her eyes but also by a little
bald patch on the top of her head.  Normally when ferrets arrived if
they had been bald due to adrenal disease, they had all their fur back,
ferrets with legs that didn't work right; their limbs worked perfectly
and ferrets like Maggie who had been blind, they could see with perfect
sight so he couldn't help but wonder why she had a bald patch on the top
of her head.  Approaching Maggie, Muldoone had to ask her about the bald
spot on the top of her head.  "Maggzies, why da Boss not gives you back
all yur fur" Mully asked her, "why he not fixes da bald spot on yur
head?"

Turning to face Muldoone, Maggie presented him with a sweet gentle smile.
"Misser Muldoone, dat be my kisspot" she told him rubbing a velvety paw
over the bald spot.  "I tells da Boss I no wants it fixed, dat be where
my mommy kiss ded all da furs off my head."

SodaFerret approached the two newcomers introducing himself to them.
"Munch and Maggie, dere be anyting you wants to sees or do first?" he
asked them.

"Misser SodaFewet, I not ever sees my mommy's face and now wiff my new
eyes I wants to sees her, pwease, can you teaches me how to go and visit
her so I can sees her?" Maggie asked SodaFerret.

"What about you Munch?" SodaFerret asked the new arrival, "anyting you
wants to sees or dooes first?"

Munch was silent for a long time before she spoke.  "I wants to sees my
dad too pwease.  I knos he be sads bout me coming here.  I twied to not
comes, I twied hard to stay but I falls asweep and den I wakes up here
wiff Maggie."

With tears in his eyes SodaFerret assured both ferrets he would take them
to the rainbow and show them how to climb the color rings so they could
go back and visit their families they were missing.  Stepping in-between
the smaller ferrets, SodaFerret took a tiny paw in each of his bigger
paws and began to lead them to the rainbow.  He would teach them how to
go and visit their families but the one thing Soda felt the most
bittersweet about, he and Maggie had shared the same mom, Soda having
only been with his new family for a very short time but he had been
lucky enough to see his mom and dad.  Maggie had never seen her mom and
dad but she had many stories to tell SodaFerret about how good her life
had been.  The two ferrets would spend many hours together talking and
sharing memories, but best of all, looking forward to the day they would
be reunited with the mom and dad they both loved so much.

Reaching the rainbow, SodaFerret helped Maggie and Munch to climb up to
the top and once reaching the top, he showed them how to concentrate
very hard until they could see their families.  Maggie got so excited
when she first caught a glimpse of her family, she had never seen their
faces but she remembered her mom's long hair she loved to nestle in.
Munch had tears in her eyes when she first caught a glimpse of her dad.
"Daddy, pwease no cwy, I bees sworry I hads to comes here.  I feel better
now daddy, my bwelly not hurts.  I woves you daddy, and I waits for you."

~~Muldoone~~
Caring for your ferrets at the Rainbow Bridge.
http://mrmuldoone.bravehost.com/index.html

[Posted in FML 5389]