Hi all dis is SaraFerret, Note to Mommy Florence, I greeted Toby as he
came across de bridge.  Howevers Mommy has been sick and unable to
translate and put my messages to fml or whatever.  So please forgives
her as she does lotsa good works.
 
Ok back to last Monday.  I was frolicking in de park where dere are
swings and stuff.  And running after two kits who were bound and
determined to have me drop in my tracks.  All of a sudden announcement
from de speaker, Ms SaraFerret, you have duty today--you know you are
sposed to be at de bridge for dat.  Send Isabel to Mully and let him take
care of her.  So I grabs Selena and Isabel is sent off to Mullys digs.
Selena and I stop by de litterbox for a quick pit stop-as it looks tacky
just to do it on de grass.  I pops Serena in my backpack and we are off.
Wowsie dat little kit is putting on some pounds in few minutes.  Serena
giggles and tells me that she has some rocks in dere.  Serena, remove de
rocks from de backpack and we will get dem on de way back.  One by one I
feel the pressure ease as stones are dumped from de backpack.  Sigh!!
 
I gets to de bridge and check de note.  Toby is a short bodied boy.
OOPS here comes his buds, Paco and Ferris from their den.  Dey inform
me dat dey have everyting set up for Toby.  Now isnt that nice I says.
 
They spot him first.  Hiya Toby, hiya bud.  Whatever is de matter wit
dat boy--he is trying to walk backward.  Oops I checks de note again--
his mommy apparently (dictionary) told him when she dropped him off at
de vets dat she was soming back to take him back home with her, but she
didnt.  Awww--poor little guy, No wonder.
 
I asks de two guys if dey would mind looking after Serena for a few and
she hops out of de backpack and holds onto dere hands.  Such a good
little kit.  Hey Toby, you gotta turn around and walk forward or you
will fall off.  Okay, now I will just hop over dere and aim him in our
direction.  I tip-toe over dere so as not to frighten him.
 
Hey Toby, and he jumps about four feet in de air.  OOPS I guesses I
should have made a lot of noise when I came over here.  I did catch him
on de way down tho.  He looks at me kinda shaking and he says, are you
Ms SaraFerret?
 
Yes, I says.  Why did you scare me?  I didnt mean to.  But I did catch
you.  I notice he has a crammed-full secret backpack--we will talk about
that when we get back over de bridge.
 
And why are walking on tippy-toes?  He says hes always walked dat way
like de song says-tippy-toe thru de tulipsy.
 
Well why are you walking backward.  Big tears come to his eyes.  I tell
him wait a minute-lets get across de bridge and we will talk.  Since he
was shivering and anxious from being scared half out of his skin, I had
to shove his skin back on him and get him together and then I picked him
up--hey lugging that kit around has made me Wonder GirlFerret.
 
We gots to de entrance and I lets him down and I re-reads de note --
oops that explains it.  He says Mommy was sposed to pick me up from de
vet--why did she lie to me.
 
Toby, I says, she didnt lie, she didnt know dat you had to come to de
bridge.
 
But why did I have to come here and not have Mommy with me.  He was
sobbing so hard and his buds were justs hugging him.
 
Den dey Boss appeared and leaned down and said to him, Toby do you know
who I am-- He looked at de Boss and he says I tinks from de way Mommy
used to talk dat You must be de Boss.  Why did I have to come here and
why did Mommy lie to me about coming to get me.
 
Toby, De Boss says, your body wasnt well and you had to pass over de
bridge; your mommy did pick you up and carried your body home and buried
it in de backyard.  One day she will come to join you here.  Until dat
time, you must stay here with your buds and de Bridge-greeters and all
de other musteys here at our new home.  And den de Boss did something He
seldom does--He picked up Toby and cradled him in His enormous arms and
hugs him.  Toby quit crying and den de Boss gave him an extra big hug and
put him down beside me.
 
He said I must be off to do things around here.  Remember what I said,
Toby.  I had big tears in my eyes.  Dat was so beautiful.  I dont tink
a ferret has ever been greeted in quite de same way.  Wait till I tell
his Mommy whats happened.  She will be amazed,
 
Den we all relaxed and Serena asks Toby what he has in his backpack.
 
He says you know about dis?  Sure all of us musteys have one.  I spoke up
and tells him dat only musteys who are the beloved creatures of de Boss
are allowed to bring something from earth to here.  So he drags out a
fuzzy cow and lots and lots of pairs of crinkly tube socks and I asked
him where he got dem--He says well I knew I was gonna go to vet so I
loaded up my pack wit all de socks in daddy's drawer.  Note to
SaraFerret-tell Ms Florence where her husband's socks are.  Den he says
well I am tired now and I guesses I am gonna go wit my buds and go to
sleep.  Not yet Mr Toby.  Dont you want your wings?  WINGS!!!!!!
 
I gets WINGS!!!!!!  Sure do, after checking my ears to make sure I can
still hear after he screamed in dem--boys gets so excited.  So we goes
over to Kit and Kaboodle and pick out some gorgeous wings and we put dem
on him and put his new halo on him.  Oh he was quite de ferret angel and
other littlegirl ferrets came around and said shyly Hi toby, Hi toby.
He blushes too and de girls giggle and run away.  Then since he was all
ready, the boys and I went to his new house dat said Party FOR TOBY in
big letters across de house.  And he just whooped and hollared in
happiness.
 
Wowsie dis is really somting.  Us older ferrets stood around and enjoyed
their youthful cheers and playing.  They sure are sweet Jimmy Backfootie
says/ Yes dey are, while I held Serena close to me.  And so ended another
welcoming at de Rainbow Bridge
 
Dooks, hugs, loves
Ms SaraFerret
[Posted in FML issue 5177]