It was another fun-filled day at the Rainbow Bridge; all the ferrets
playing and having fun, hanging out with their buddies, going to the
'Tone streams for laps of 'Tone, wrestling, napping, then waking up
and starting all over again.
 
Muldoone heard several raps on the door of his hut and he called out to
whoever was there, "comes back watter, I be sweeping."
 
The door to Muldoone's hut opened and his friend Flash hurried in.
"Mully, you gots to get up, Nanna be wooking for you" Flash told him.
 
"Why Nanna be wooking for me Fwash, we not dooes any fwannel nightiegown
waids for a wong tine, we tooks all da nightiegowns back as she say we
hads to.  What Nanna say she wants wiff me?"  Mully asked his buddy
Flash.
 
"I not knos Mully, she sends me to finds you and she say comes to da
Bwidge."
 
"She say for me to comes to da Bwidge now?" Muldoone asked his friend.
"Nuffin be goings on today, no fewets be coming."
 
I not kno Mully, she sends me to find you and you knos how Nanna be,
you betterist comes to da Bwidge now" Flash told him.
 
Mully climbed out of his hammy and made his way to his "necessary
corner".  Struggling to get his cap on and corral as much of his
hammy-head-hair as possible, out the door he went on his way to the
Bridge to find out what Nanna wanted.
 
Arriving at the Bridge, Muldoone found Nanna there and several other
ferrets.  "Nanna I not dooes whateber someone tells you I did, honest,
we takes all da nightiegowns back just as you says for us to dooes"
Mully told his boss.
 
"Muldoone, this is not about any flannel nightgown raid, we have two
ferrets due to arrive and you we are here to greet them" Nanna explained
to her junior greeter.
 
"Tooes fewet be comin to da Bwidge NOW?" Muldoone asked.
 
"Yes Muldoone, two ferret are due to arrive any minute and I summoned
you to be here to greet them.  These two ferrets had a very bad timeof it
until they found their last home.  They are a brother and sister who was
found living outside in cold weather.  They were rescued by a kind lady
named Barb and she gave them a very loving home.  Cookie and Bubba found
a new and wonderful life where they were loved and cherished, they shared
a home with dogs, cats, their loving ferret mom Barb, and loving little
girl named Lexi who adored the two ferrets" Nanna explained to Muldoone.
 
"Why dey be coming here Nanna, what happenens to dem?" Mully asked his
boss.
 
"Cookie was first to pass, she had had a lifetime of neglect and
mistreatment until she arrived at her forever home.  She was loved and
cared for but all that she had been through prior, it finally caught up
to her.  After Cookie die Bubba tried to go on but in the end he missed
her too much.  And now we are here today to honor these two ferrets and
welcome them to the Rainbow Bridge" Nanna explained.
 
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.
 
Muldoone, Nanna, Bailey, Freckles, Dude, and Libby all joined paws
forming a 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 of ferrets, they were sending their love for Cookie
and Bubba helping to light the way for the two to come but also they were
sending prayers of love for the human ferret mom who made the last months
of Cookie and Bubba's life happy.  At long last these two ferrets knew
what it is was to be loved and cherished.
 
In the center of the circle stood SodaFerret, tall and handsome as he
began to sing the song of love to the two who were on their way.  His
voice was deep and rich, every note sang perfectly, every word wrapped in
love for the ferrets 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, it told of the sorrow of passing
and the joy waiting in the Promise.  As Soda sang the sad sweet song, he
also sang a song of love for the human whose heart had been broke by the
passing of Cookie and Bubba.  Soda offered his love to the human who was
hurting; tears falling inside the broken heart.
 
As the words of love reached the two ferrets letting them know it was
okay to let go and come to the Bridge.  The melody now filled the hearts
of Cookie and Bubba and they no longer feared letting go.  Thoughts were
centered on those they cared for and would miss.  A whispered prayer was
sent to their human ferret mom Barb, "We loves you mommy but it be time
for us to goes, we pwomise to waits for you.  Tanks for loving us, tanks
for showing us what it be to be loved afore our time be over."
 
The flash of light subsided and Mully along with the rest of the group
could hear the unmistakable sound of ferrety feets making their way
across the time-worn planks of the Rainbow Bridge.
 
The newcomers crossed the Bridge cautiously, Cookie holding tightly to
Bubba's paw.  Both ferrets seemed a bit confused and were eying the other
ferrets standing at the other end of the Bridge.  The two saw a large
silver and white ferret wearing a bright yellow apron.  The also saw a
very funny looking ferret wearing a baseball cap with the wildest looking
fur sticking out from under it going in all directions and standing off a
bit were a small group of ferrets, all with gentle smiles on their furry
little faces
 
Just as Cookie and Bubba stepped off the end of the Rainbow Bridge,
Muldoone stepped out offering his nose to the newcomers in a friendly
greeting.  "I be Misser Muldoone, officialist Wainbow Bwidge Gweeter and
wees all be here to welcomes you.
 
"Hello Cookie and Bubba" Nanna told the new arrivals, "my name is Nanna
and I have come to welcome you to the Rainbow Bridge" and gesturing to
the small group of ferrets, Nanna introduced each one to Cookie and
Bubba.  "There is nothing to be afraid of" Nanna told the two ferrets,
"your journey is at an end, you are home."
 
For a long time both ferrets just stared at all the new sights before
them.  Nanna and Muldoone were both wondering if they had heard and
understood.
 
Finally both Cookie and Bubba turned to face Muldoone and Nanna.  "We
not wants to comes here but I guesses it be our time" Bubba explained
to them.  We hads a gud life with our hooman bean on earf and we be
missin her."
 
"How do you feel?" Nanna asked them both
 
"I feels gud, I not hurts, I feels wike I feels when I bees a kit" Bubba
explained.
 
"And I feels gud too" Cookie offered, "you has any tennisie balls here?"
she wanted to know.  "Tennisie balls bees my faworite ting to steals from
da dogs.  You gots doggies here I can steals tennisie balls from?"
 
Nanna laughed and immediately held out her arms to Cookie for a hug.
"Yes Cookie there are dogs here, they live at the WOOF-WOOF Village but
you might want to get to know the dogs there a bit better before you go
stealing their tennis balls" Nanna told her laughing.
 
"What kinds of tings you wikes to do Bubba?" Mully asked him.  "We gots
all kinds of fun stuff here, we gots da Otter Swide, Wessle-Mania, da
Fruit Bar, da Chicken Gwavy Pond, 'Tone Stweams, da Soc Steal Course,
Dirt Mountain and wots more" Muldoone chattered on and on.
 
Bubba stood for a long time saying nothing, he had a tear to sneak out
and slide down his little furry cheek.  "Mz Nanna" he asked, is dere any
hoomans here dat would wikes to holds and pets a fuzzy wike me?"
 
Gently taking Bubba in her arms Nanna began to explain to him "Bubba we
have angels all over the place here that would be more than happy to sit
and hold a wonderful little ferret just like you.  In fact, if you look
on the trees growing everywhere you will see a twinkly button on them
near the ground.  All you have to do is push that button with your nose
and wait a moment or two and a beautiful angel will come and sit and hold
you for as long as you would like."
 
"Weally Mz Nanna?" both Bubba and Cookie asked.  Woulds da angel wook and
smells wike our hooman mom?"
 
"When the angel is holding you, all you have to do is close your eyes
tight and think of your human mom and it will be just like she is holding
you" Nanna told the pair of new arrivals.
 
"Dat would be the bestust" they both exclaimed.  "We hads a gud mom and
we misses her."
 
Next Soda stepped forward to introduce himself to Cookie and Bubba.
"Hello, my name be Soda.  After you settles in I shows you how you to
cwimb the wings on da wainbow soos you can peeks in on your mom and den
I teaches you how to sneaks back and visit yur mom when she be sweeping,
you can gives her whiskery kisses and she tink she be dweamin but it be
weal, we all dooes it, we sneaks back and peeks in on our familee."
 
"I wud wike dat a wot" Bubba told Soda, I misses my mom alweady.
 
"Come on Cookie and Bubba" Muldoone sang out, "wets go to da fwuitbar for
some bweakfast and den I shows you da west of da Wainbow Bwidge."
 
"Bubba" Muldoone began while lowering his voice, "you wikes gurl fewet
fwannal nightiegowns?"
 
"MULDOONE I heard that!" Nanna hissed at him.
 
~~Muldoone~~
Caring for your ferrets at the Rainbow Bridge.
http://mrmuldoone.bravehost.com/index.html
[Posted in FML issue 5201]