Chapter 1:  'Twas the night before Christmas...
 
     'Twas the night before Christmas, and Mom and Dad were sleeping
upstairs in the big bed, while their five ferret girls were wide awake, and
looking for something to do on this big night.  Rosie, Maxie, Sammi, Miss
Wiggles, and Shiva were all huddled around the Christmas tree, with the
reflections of many different colors of lights dancing in their eyes.  There
were five, tiny, empty stockings lined the wall over the fireplace, each
bearing the name of each of the girls.
     "Woah,"  Sammi stated.  "I've never been to Christmas before!"
     "That's because you are still just a baby,"  Wiggles replied.
     "Maxie and I haven't had a Christmas yet either,"  Rosie added.  "We
were only born in January you know!"
     "What do you think Santa is going to bring us?"  Shiva asked, jumping
up and down excitedly.
     "I hope he brings a ton of raisins!"  Maxie answered.
     "Yeah,"  Sammi said.  "And lots of toys and remote controls that I can
hide behind the stairs!"
     "I hope we don't get clothes!"  Rosie interjected, joining in with the
excitement.
     "Yeah,"  Shiva stated.  "Who needs clothes anyway?  We are supposed to
be in our birthday suits!  We're ferrets, not humans!"
     "Yeah, but they make sweaters for ferrets,"  Maxie proclaimed.
     "I'm not going to wear a sweater!  I already have a fur coat!"  Rosie
declared.
     "Oh my,"  Wiggles stated.  "We almost forgot to put out a glass of milk
and some cookies for Mr. Claus!"
     "I'll do it!"  Sammi said, running into the kitchen.
     "I'll help her," Maxie declared, following her baby sister.
     "Is Santa really a real person?"  Rosie asked.
     "I doubt it,"  Shiva answered.  "How could one guy possibly deliver
presents to a million homes in one night?"
     "He has magic reindeer and a sled that fly!"  Wiggles answered.  "Don't
you two know anything?"
     "I still won't believe it until I see it,"  Rosie said.
     "Hey,"  Maxie stated, as Sammi and her entered the living room,
carrying a big glass of cold milk in their arms.  "Let's watch some
television!  Sammi, where did you hide the remote?"
     "Here,"  Sammi declared as she found the remote behind the stairs, and
handed it to Maxie.
     "Woah!"  Maxie yelled as she turned on the TV and saw a news-reporter
with a picture of Santa Claus above her in a picture box.
     "Santa!"  Sammi shouted.
     "It's probably just a guy in a costume,"  Shiva declared.
     "No, listen!"  Maxie said.
     "What is that lady on TV saying?"  Rosie asked, as they all moved
closer to the TV to hear better.
     "A serious situation has arisen at the North Pole,"  The newswoman
provided on the screen.  "Santa's entire herd of reindeer has developed a
bad case of the flu, and this Christmas may be the first time in history
that he will be unable to deliver presents to homes all over the world.
More news on this later as the story develops..."
 
     (to be continued...)
[Posted in FML issue 1755]