Getting back to the Bridge Mully knew he had another new arrival to
greet; a ruby-eyed white by the name of Hunter was due to arrive.
 
The breeze began to blow and on that breeze carried the words of the
Welcoming Song.  The sweet song told of pain fading away and eyes once
more bright, it sang of life at the Bridge, of the days of companionship,
the bonds never to be broken.  The words of the song went on to speak of
the soft stroke of hands on fur, of lounging on laps, of the soft loving
words of a human voice, of love yet to come, of an eternity of tomorrows,
all filled with love of the immutable bonds to earth below.  It told of
joyful reunions of a love never-ending and it spoke of the Creator's
Great Promise.
 
The bright light flashed and after it subsided Muldoone heard the
unmistakable sound of ferrety feets coming across the planks of the
Bridge.
 
Muldoone couldn't help but think how unfair it all was.  Hunter had been
at a shelter with his cage mate Pepper.  The two of them had been adopted
by a family but had been returned to the shelter because of Pepper's
nippy ways.  Then they were again adopted by a family and Hunter had
known a short measure of happiness.
 
Mully steps forward to greet the new arrival.  "Welcomes to da Wainbow
Bwidge, I be Mr. Muldoone, officialist Bwidge Gweeter."  Muldoone leans
forward offering his nose to the gentlemanly ferret known as Hunter.
 
"Mr. Muldoone" begins Hunter "I not wants to come here.  I hab a familee,
I habs a good mamma, and I woved her.  Why do I habs to comes here now?"
 
Muldoone felt Hunter's sorrow so intensely and so powerfully he felt it
would break his own heart.  The love and longing in Hunter's heart could
be clearly heard and it tore at Mully's heart, a tear trickled down his
little chubby ferret cheek.
 
This was the part of Muldoone's job he had the hardest time with.  Mully
had never ever known feelings of abandonment, yes he had experienced
periods of sadness such as when he left the safety of his birth mother
and was taken to begin his life with his hooman-beans.  He missed his
mother and his siblings terribly but he had the bestest mom a ferret
could hope to have and it didn't take him long to transfer that mom
love to his hooman-bean mom.
 
"Hunntur" began Muldoone I be sworry dat you not wants to comes here, I
be da same when I comes.  I missted my mom for a wong time buts I knows
dat I sees her again when she cwosses.  I can takes you and shows you
how to go bisit your mom and gibes her whiskery-kisses."
 
Just then Muldoone looked up to see Mz SunnyFerret approaching.  Somehow
when there was a new arrival having a difficult time Mz SunnyFerret
always came to take them home with her.  Muldoone had been to Mz
SunnyFerret's bungalow and he himself would have like to stay there
for a while, it was so warm and cozy, it had every single thing a fuzzy
could possibly want.  Mz SunnyFerret's bungalow was magical.
 
Mz SunnyFerret gently approached the newcomer Hunter and introduced
herself and offered her nose in greeting.  "Hunter" she began I
understand you don't want to be here and you miss your mom."
 
"Yes mam" Hunter told Mz SunnyFerret.  I be happy wif my hoomans and I
not habe 'nuff time tooes bees happy wif dem" he trailed off.
 
"Wee-one in time you will understand as will your humans as will all
humans.  Humans understand the Great Promise as given by the Creator but
they don't understand it as we do.  To the humans when the life of a
fuzzy has come to an end they see it as final but we know differently.
The Creator would never close a door and lock it, the door may close but
He will leave a window open as well." The Creator gave us the wonderful
gift of the Rainbow Bridge joining our world to the human world and even
though this means our days in the sun is over, it gives us a way to go
back and peek in on our humans.  And when the time comes for our humans
to cross they will cross the Rainbow Bridge and at that time we are
reunited with our families.
 
"Hunter" she continued you have left the scent of your love in the hearts
of your humans just as you tucked the scent of your humans deep in your
heart.  Just as the Creator promised us love is eternal, your familee
will never forget you and you will never forget them.  Time has no
meaning for us here.  Think of the Rainbow Bridge as a place of rest.
When we arrive here first of all we are renewed in body and spirit.  The
old are young again, the ill are restored to health.  Here we walk under
the sun, eat good food, have endless days of play, and we wait.  We wait
for that wonderful day when our humans come and when you human comes to
gently take you in their arms and carry you away to their world, you
will never be separate from them ever again."
 
"Come with me wee-one" SunnyFerret tells Hunter and holds out her arms to
him "come and let me take you home to rest and when you are ready we will
go and find the Crew."
[Posted in FML issue 4823]