Muldoone's alarm clock went off alerting him that it was time to get himself out of his hammy and go meet a new arrival at the Bridge, a male sable by the name of Little John was due to arrive. Mully climbed out of his hammy and went to his "making self presentable" area. As with most mornings Muldoone lost another battle with his hammy-head-hair. Wonder what da Boss be waiting on, I done asksis Him 'bout fixing my hammy-head-hair but He not fix it yet. Muldoone found his ball cap which was not easy, considering everything he had stashed at his place, his belongings were forever getting lost in all the clutter. Giving his cap one final adjustment, out the door he went in the direction of the Bridge. Arriving at the Bridge, Muldoone didn't have to wait long until he felt the first tingles in his whiskers and the music in the air had begun to change. He had grown familiar with the sweet sadness of the song that accompanied each arrival yet on this day the song was somehow different. The Ferret Promise Song danced on the air with such a sad finality, it sang of unfilled promises, it told of a loss and a longing felt deeply in the heart and soul of a human back on earth. With his eyes closed and letting his thoughts travel back to earth and to the wonderful time he spent with his familee, he felt himself getting lost in the sweet sad song. At the moment each ferret passed, the Creator gently took them in His thundering velvet right hand and whispered to their hearts "I knew you before you were a ferret, I knew you while you were on earth, and now you have returned to Me, rest now wee-one, you are home, come and start your new journey that begins at the Bridge." The flash of light subsided and then Mully heard the unmistakable sounds of ferrety feets coming across the time-worn planks of the Bridge; the Moonbeam Molly Express having delivered another ferret whose time on earth had been cut short. A sable ferret stopped at the end of the Bridge and looked around. He then noticed a dark sable ferret wearing something on his head with fur sticking out from underneath it; silly-looking fur going in all directions, and the sable ferret asked, "Who you be?" "Hello, I be Mr. Muldoone, officialist Wainbow Bwidge Gweeter" he informed the newcomer. "But how did I gets here, I was wiff my mom and I be feeling tired and I went to sleep, so how I gets here?" This was one part of the job Mully didn't like, having to tell a ferret their march of time on earth was over and here at the Bridge they would remain until they were reunited with their beloved familees they had to leave behind. Some ferrets accepted it, some were happy to no longer be sick, some ferrets who didn't have a very good life on earth would finally have a familee of their own choosing made up of Rainbow Bridge ferrets, and then some ferrets got really upset and depressed; for those cases, there was a very special ferret lady they went to stay with until they could make the adjustment. Bending down to be at eye-level with the newcomer Muldoone explained to him that he had been sick and this was where sick ferrets came to that couldn't get better. "Ok, I be here so now fixes me and den I go back" Little John told Muldoone. "I be sworry John, I no can dooes dat, here be were you stays till yur hooman-bean cwosses and den you be wiff her 'gain" Mully told him. Little John looked down at the ground for a long time and Muldoone thought he saw a tear roll down the newcomer's furry little cheek. "How wong I bees here afore my mom come to gets me?" Little John wanted to know. "I bees happy wiff her. I not bees happy where I usta live, I not hads a gud life dere but I has a happy life wiff my mom" he explained to Muldoone. "I not knows how long you be here Wittle John. But life at da Bwidge is gud, you no wonger sick, no tummy aches, ebery fewet dat comes here can sees, dey all have fur, no fewet be old or sick. At da Bwidge we got wots of neat tings to do; we gots da Otter Swide, Wessle-Mania, da Fruit Bar, Chicken Gwavy Pond, da Soc Steal Course, Dirt Mountain and wots more" Muldoone chattered on and on to Little John. "I will shows you 'round and you meets odder fewets but first I gots a message for you from yur mom, she say she will miss you forebber and she loved you bunches and bunches." Little John got very quiet and Muldoone saw more tears running down his chubby cheeks. "My mom say dat 'bout me Misser Muldoone?" the sable ferret asked. "I be happy wiff my mom and I hope dat she wove me, acause I wove her a wot." "Kid from da pwayer your mom send to da Boss 'bout you, it sound wike she loved you whole big bunches" Muldoone told him. "I can shows you later how to peek in on your mom when she be sleeping and you can sends her whisker kisses and ferrety hugs." ~~Muldoone~~ Caring for your ferrets at the Rainbow Bridge. [Posted in FML issue 5047]