Kodo blinked his eyes in confusion.  One minute, he'd been in the arms of a
hooman bean, who'd given him a shot.  He didn't like shots, but he'd behaved
himself, since mommie and daddie used to take him for shots too, and they
said that shots kept him well.
 
He'd gotten very cold, and very sleepy after that..  and he'd closed his
eyes for a brief moment.  Just enough to catch a short nap, so he'd have
energy to play when mommie and daddie came to get him, like they always did
after a Vet visit.
 
The next minute, he wasn't in the cage anymore.  He found himself standing
on a brightly lit path, with all sorts of interesting smells and places to
explore.  Up ahead, he could see a large, wide-open field and a whole bunch
of other creatures to play with!  Many were standing at the end of the long
path, and were calling him by name to come and play!
 
But Kodo didn't want to play.  He wanted to go back to his mommie and
daddie.  He turned his back on the path, and looked behind him.  He was
facing a grim black wall, that he *knew* mommie and daddie were on the other
side of.  Kodo was an industrious ferret, and immediately decided to dig his
way through the wall.  He bent to the task with all the single-mindedness
that a ferret could muster, and dug furiously at the wall that was between
him and his beloved family.
 
Some time later, Kodo stopped, and started crying.  He'd been digging for a
long time, and he'd not gotten anywhere.  He then felt a ferret nuzzle his
side gently.  Kodo turned, and saw a very large, and very beautiful ferret
looking at him sadly.
 
"Come, Kodo.  It's time you joined the others."
 
"But..  (sniffle) but I don' wanna!  I wanna play with mommie and daddie!"
 
"I know, little one..  believe me, I know.  But the bad humans took you away
from your Mommy and Daddy, and sent you out of their world.  Oh, sweetheart..
how I wish I could send you back!  But the bad humans won, despite a great
many good humans fighting for you.  And because the bad humans cast you out
of their world, you can't go back."
 
Kodo cried again, his little body shaking with the force of his sobs.
 
And the Elder Ferret cried too.  Truly, if there had been some way to send
Kodo back, he would have.  But there was none.  "Kodo, I can't send you
back.  But you will see them again someday.  That I promise you."
 
"(Sniffle) I..  I will?  When??"
 
The Elder Ferret shook his head slowly.  "Kodo..  it will be many years
before they come here to see you.  They must wait until it is their time to
leave the world.  Once they do, they will come here, and you will be
together again, never to be parted.  Come now.  Can't you feel the Love of
those that tried to help you and of your Mommy and Daddy?"
 
Kodo stopped crying for a moment, and then he *could* feel it.  For the Love
was the light which lit the path that would take him to where the other
creatures were.  He could almost feel his mommie and daddie with him.
 
The Elder Ferret nuzzled him again, and led him back to the Rainbow Bridge.
Kodo was enticed to explore, to play, and to have fun.  He still missed his
mommie and daddie, but he knew the Elder Ferret hadn't lied to him.  His
mommie and daddie would come for him someday.  But though he played and
explored and had fun during the day, every night he went and curled up into
a little ball right next to the wall to sleep, to await the arrival of his
mommie and daddie, and his beloved family.
 
 ---
 
My deepest sympathies to Kodo's family.  Though it is of little comfort now,
I humbly mention that Kodo is now beyond the reach of the Bad Humans, and is
playing at the Rainbow Bridge, awaiting you.  Just as your love showed him
the way to the Bridge, so shall his love of you help you through the times
to come.
 
With deepest sympathies,
 
Bryan Hall
[Posted in FML issue 1968]