Hi, all- It was a pretty quiet week at the Bridge, and that's always a good thing. I did meet one little guy coming across the Bridge. His name was Ricky. It seems that Ricky had a Daddy that he loved very much, but Ricky wandered away from the home that he had with his Daddy. He didn't mean to get so far away, it was an accident. After a little while exploring new places (they smell so exciting!), Ricky just couldn't remember how to get home. Some Hoomins found him, but they didn't bring him home to his Daddy. Instead they brought him to a very sad place. It smelled of all kinds of sad animals. Afraid animals, some sick animals. Several different kinds, most much bigger than he was. Ricky hated it there. He likes it much better here. He was very, very happy to see the Bridge once those Hoomins did whatever they did to him. (He doesn't want to talk about that part. I understand. I hear a lot of stories about going to those places. Sometimes Hoomins are very hard to figure out. It's just easier to forgive them, and to let the Hoomins solve their own problems. ) Here is better. This is everybody's Forever forever home. We all belong here, we are all wanted here, and the Big Boss loves every one of us. We are never sick, or in pain here. If we are lucky enough to have had Hoomins in the World of the Living, we can even look forward to seeing them again some day. Every good thing is possible here. Good land to run in and play in, places to smell and explore. Toys and interesting things, fun things, like tubes to run in, and sofas to shred. There are antique chests full of millions of interesting things to see and to touch, to stash. Small treasures. Big treasures. There are rolls of toilet paper to shred, a million times a million wastebaskets to tip over, beverages to spill onto carpet, carpet to dig into, a million times a million houseplants to dig in, a pile of fur mice that would take an hour to climb, and oh, the food... There is good dirt for digging, soft hammies for sleeping. and wings, WINGS, to bring us across far distances...and oh, it is so good to fly... I told Ricky all of these things, and his Brothers in Fur from his Daddy's Business told him these things, and Ricky is a very, very, happy weasel right now. He will never be lost or afraid, ever again. And he will never, ever, be alone. Sandee [Posted in FML issue 4522]