"Muldoone, wake up!! We have a new assignment, we are to go and check on the three lost ferrets who arrived here a few days ago. Awww Nanna, tome back watter, it be too early to gets up." To Muldoone's surprise, something grabs his hammy and gives it a good shake and he then hears the booming voice of Nanna. "Muldoone, you get your tiny-hinny out of that hammy right now, you have a job to do!! But Nanna, Mully tries to object, I wants to sweep a while wonger. Me and da guys were up wate wast night doing a fwannel nightgown raide on da girls. Come back watter." Next thing Mully knows, he is being dragged out of his hammy by one of his ears and as far as Muldoone is concerned, ya just don't drag a guy ferret out of his hammy by an ear. "Otay, otay Nanna, I be up!!" Standing in front of Muldoone is Nanna and she is nose-to-nose with him, her eyes blazing. "Young man, you have about 90 seconds to brush your teeth, comb your face, and make yourself presentable. NOW MARCH!! Muldoone staggers off in the direction of his "making presentable" area and muttering to himself. "Sur sounds wike Nanna gots up on da wong side of da hammy dis mornin. "I HEARD THAT MULDOONE" Nanna yells back to him. Muldoone reappears a few minutes later and stands at attention for Nanna's inspection. "Muldoone, did you even try to comb your hair" she asks. "Yes Nanna, I twies but I gots dat hammy-head hair dat always wooks dis way, I twies Nanna, weally I did. Well she sighs, it will have to do for today, we are late already and grabbing Muldoon by the paw, they are off. "Where we be going Nanna, Muldoone asks. We are going to go visit the three new ones, Sunny-ferret has them with her, she is the head-ferret for the special arrivals at the Bridge and the Boss told her to consult with you on this case although I don't know why Nanna trails off. The two ferrets reach Sunny-ferret's bungalow and Muldoone is astounded at the beauty of it and the overwhelming sense of peace he felt. The outer walls were a beautiful pale blue that blended into shades of pink, from there into peach, and from there a delicate shade of green that went on to become blue again. Fairy dust seemed to glisten everywhere in the air outside the bungalow but as Muldoone tried to catch some of it he found his paw empty upon inspection. "Stop that Muldoone, Nanna scolds him, we are here for a very important assignment not to try to gather fairy dust." Sunny-ferret then appears at the doorway and offers her nose to Nanna in a friendly greeting. "I understand you have come to check on our little trio she says with such warmth and peace. Yes we have Sunny and the Boss also wanted my assistant Muldoone to come along and help although I don't know what help he could be Nanna says under her breath except to introduce them to mischief. Muldoone pulls himself up straight and tall and hopes the nice lady ferret Sunny didn't hear the last part. "Mornin Miz Sunny-fewet, I beMuldoone and pweased to meets you. Addressing Nanna, Sunny goes on to report how the three are doing. "Nanna, it is just so sad about these three, they are not eating, they don't seem to want to play, they just huddle under a blanket and sob, I don't know what to do to help them. I have gotten special cases before but never any as sad as these three. They don't even have a name, can you imagine that Sunny-ferret states with disgust. Just then Muldoone has an idea, "cans we tome in Miz Sunny and sees da tree fewets? Oh yes of course Muldoone, please come in, I hope you brought some ideas with you." Inside Sunny-ferret's bungalow Muldoone found it to be just as beautiful and warm as the outside. There were hammies everywhere in every size, shape,and color a ferret could imagine. There were socks galore just waiting to be drug off to a hidey-hole. Tubes lined the walls with left turns, right turns and straight-aheads. There were treat dispensers that all a ferret had to do was walk up to it and as if by magic a treat would pop out for them. "Miss Sunny-fewet, did be a vewy nice pwace, I would wike to wive hereto which Sunny-ferret chuckled, sorry Muldoone, this is for special cases that arrive at the Bridge and are having trouble adjusting." Sunny-ferret walked over to a hammy and gently tapped on it, "wee-ones we have visitors who have come to see you she tells them. Is it someone who has tome to takes us home, the older of the three asks. No wee-one Sunny-ferret tells him softly but our visitors have come to try to help. We don't wants no help the tiny little girl ferret sobs, we just wants to go home. Pwease Miz Sunny-fewet the little girl continues, tells our hooman-beans dat we pwomise to be gud all da time, we make sur to gets all our poops insideda box. No more stealing our hooman-beans' stuff, pwease Miz Sunny, tells our hooman dat so maybe dey wove us 'gain and maybe we goes home. Gathering the little girl in her paws Sunny-ferret herself begins to silently cry, big tears glistening on her beautiful fur. Wee-one, don't you think I would do that if I could Sunny-ferret begins to try to explain to the little girl ferret. I am very sorry to have to tell you this but you don't have a home on earth any longer, you home is here with us, we will love you and protect you, no one will ever hurt you again. You will have plenty to eat and drink...... But I no care 'bout dat the little girl sobs, I wants to go home, I wants my familee, maybe if we pwomise to be gud fewets dey will wove us again and wet us tome home. Muldoone looks over to Nanna, his young tender heart in his throat, thinking back to his own home and his hooman-beans and how much he was loved, Mully's eyes began to tear up. "Guys I be weally sorry da hooman-beans do dis to you. The two younger ferrets try to get even closer to the senior ferret as if he could somehow shield the two of them from the hurt as reality wa s beginning to sink in. The older of the three ferrets seemed to have something in particular on his mind. "Mr. Muldoone, what is it wike to habe a name? We don't habe a name and was neber giben a name. Mully thinks for a minute and then gets a big smile on his face. "We can fix dat for you can't we Nanna Muldoone says with a twinkle in his eye. "What would you wike to be called he asks the older ferret. I not know, answers the oldest fuzzy, I once hear da name Webster and wiked it. Alrighty den, if you wikes Webster, den your name be Webster" and for the first time the large male seemed to find the strength within himself to stand up straight and tall. "And what name would you wike Muldoone asks the small male, did you ebber hears a name you wiked? The young male thought for a bit and then gestured for Muldoone to move closer to him and he begins the whisper a name informing Muldoone he wants to be called Buddy, he said he wants to have lots of friends. Little Buddy looked into the loving face of Nanna and then offered a shy gentle smile at Sunny-ferret. The little girl ferret was still being held and rocked by Nanna. She was obviously very frightened and sad. Nanna, Muldoone asks, any nameda wee-one ask for or wants to be called?" Nanna listens close to the fuzzbutt she is holding in her paws. She then dries the wee-one's tears on her apron and the little girl begins to speak; "I once hear 'bout a widdle gurl wion and her name be Elsa, tan I be called Elsa? Not Elsa da wion, butElsa da fewet. Then Elsa da fewet you shall be Muldoone tells her. She accepts one last encouraging hug from Nanna and climbs down to take her place next to newly-named Webster and Buddy. As Sunny-ferret begins to speak, once again Muldoone sees the tears glistening in her fur. "Muldoone, thank you so much for what you have done for these three wee-ones, we now have names for them, something they have never had before and with a pure and loving heart, you were able to give that to them. Awww shucks Miz. Sunny-fewet, it be no big deal Muldoone answers her while blushing a bit. But it was Muldoone, you have only known them for a very short time and you gave them something their hoomans either couldn't or wouldn't, this tells me what a kind heart you have" and Sunny-ferret steps forward to give Muldoone a gentle kiss on one of his chubby little furry cheeks. Sunny-ferret speaks to the trio once again and explains to them that they will remain with her for a while longer and eventually become part of the "Merry Mayhem Crew." "But Miz Sunny-fewet Muldoone begins to object, how tans I show dem 'round Wainbow Bridge and all da fun tings we habe here if you keeps dem here wif you? There will be plenty of time for that Muldoone but for now they have hurting hearts and their little souls need love and nourishment. What kinds of fun tings be here Muldoone little Buddy ferret asks with excitement in his voice. We gots da Otter Swide, Wessle-Mania, da Fruit Bar, Chicken Gwavy Pond, da Soc Steal Course, Dirt Mountain and wots more Muldoone chatters on and on. Webster and Buddy, do you wike gurl fewets, we gots wots of dem here. Just wast night I be up wate wif some of my buddies stealing fwannel nightgowns from da gurls and it be wots of fun, you will habe to joins in next time. Da gurls here hab fwannel nightgowns" Webster and Buddy ask their eyes getting big and round, we haben't touched fwannel for a wong time. MULDOONE, Nanna shrieks at him, you don't be telling them things like that, there are more important things to be thinking about. But Nanna Mully tries to object but thinks better of it when he sees those glaring eyes of Nanna's. "Muldoone, Webster starts to speak once again, pwomise to tome back and sees us again? You betcha" Mully assures Webster and drawing close enough for the young fert to hear him he whispers "and no matter what dat Nanna say, nothing bes more 'portant dan a nighttime fwannel nightgown raid on da gurls. I HEARD THAT MULDOONE Nanna hisses at him. Turning back to Elsa the tiny little girl ferret Nanna asks her "will that be okay with you wee-one, to stay here for a while longer with Miz Sunny-ferret . Oh yes mam Elsa smiles shyly at Sunny-ferret. I wikes it here a wot and wast night, Miz Sunny-fewet tells me she will show me how to make 'Tone brownies whateber dey be. Nanna glanced over to the boys Webster and Buddy and wanted to check with them again to make sure they are okay staying a few more days with Sandy-ferret and to her dismay, she sees them both over in a corner hanging on every word Muldoone is telling them. As she approaches the small huddle, she hears something about "maybe you guys could helps me finds dat awarm cwock ofNanna's so she not gets me out of my hammy so earwy in da mornins." I HEARD THAT MULDOONE" she hisses at him. Grabbing Muldoone by the scruff and pulling him from the bungalow he calls out a good-bye to his new-found friends. "Teenage ferret males, Nanna grumbles to no one in particular. What did I ever do to make the Boss so angry and punish me by making me try to keep this one out of trouble? I know I won't be getting that promotion, the raise I was promised much less a bigger hammy." [Posted in FML issue 4586]