[Moderator's note: It's been on the FML before, but now and then it's
cute to bring up again... BIG]
 
Hello all!
 
A friend sent this story, and I just had to share.
 
A man was riding his horse down a road, his ferret riding on his shoulder.
The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he
was dead.
 
He remembered dying, and that his horse and ferret had been dead for years.
He wondered where the road was leading them.
 
After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of
the road.  It looked like fine marble.  At the top of a long hill, it was
broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.
 
When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that
looked like mother of pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked
like pure gold.  He nudged the horse toward the gate, and as he got closer,
he saw a man at a desk to one side.  When he was close enough, he called
out, "Excuse me, where are we?"
 
"This is heaven, sir," the man answered.
 
"Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.
 
"Of course, sir.  Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right
up." The man gestured, and the gate began to open.
 
"Can my friends," gesturing downward towards his horse and ferret, "come
in, too?" the traveler asked.
 
"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept animals."
 
The man thought a moment and then turned his horse back toward the road and
continued the way he had been going.
 
After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a
dirt road which led through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been
closed.  There was no fence.  As he approached the gate, he saw a man
inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.  "Excuse me!" he called
to the reader.  "Do you have any water?"
 
"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there." The man pointed to a place that
couldn't be seen from outside the gate.  "Come on in."
 
"How about my friends here?" the traveler asked.
 
"There should be a bowl and a bucket by the pump." They went through the
gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl
and a bucket beside it.  The traveler filled the bowl and took a long drink
himself, then gave some to the ferret while he filled the bucket for his
horse.  When they all were satisfied, he led his horse back toward the man
who was standing by the tree waiting for them, the ferret peering around
with curiosity.
 
"What do you call this place?" the traveler asked.
 
"This is heaven," was the answer.
 
"Well, that's confusing," the traveler said.  "The man down the road said
that was heaven, too."
 
"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates?  Nope.
That's hell."
 
"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"
 
"No.  I can see how you might think so, but we're just happy that they
screen out the folks who'll leave their best friends behind."
 
Happy ferreting!
Gina Hart/Sage Ferrets
http://www.geocities.com/sageferrets
[Posted in FML issue 3082]