Anybody who knows fuzzies knows that they never have any problem sleeping. Most everyone at the Bridge knows that the number two favorite thing for a fuzzy to do is sleep, number one being playing or war-dancing, and number three being eating some kind of food or treat . But sleeping is right up there at number two. But for some reason, unbeknownst to any of us up here, some of the fuzzies were having trouble sleeping. I had been getting up before the sun myself, usually making myself a cup of tea and watching the stars fade into the sunrise. Maybe we were all just having too much fun... no matter. The Boss gave me a note that we would be having a visitor from the dog Bridge today. Even though the sun was barely starting to come up, I decided to take my tea and head for the Bridge to welcome our visitor. When I got the Bridge I was met by a very handsome golden retriever named Shaemus. Shaemus was a giant of a dog, but when you looked into his eyes you could see the gentleness of his soul. I smiled at him and he offered me his paw. I asked him why he wanted to come to the fuzzy Bridge and he promptly told me that he was looking for fuzzies who had been friends of his in the Hoomin world; Murphy, Gracie-Lou, and Butters, to be precise. Ah, I told Shaemus that I knew right where they were, and that we could go there right away so he that he could meet up with his old friends. When we got there, Murphy, Gracie-Lou, and Butters were all playing a game of tag, and Gracie-Lou was "it." None of them noticed Shaemus right away, however, and Gracie-Lou ended up running smack dab into Shaemus' tree-like front leg trying to get away from Murphy. Gracie-Lou fell on her backside and looked up, wondering what it was that she hit... then a big smile stretched across her face the entire width of her mask! It was then that all three of them noticed Shaemus standing there watching them. Gracie-Lou was so excited to see Shaemus that she ran around to each leg and gave it a big hug! She was soon joined by Butters and Murphy, and pretty soon Shaemus' legs were covered in fuzzy leg warmers. Shaemus reached down with his gigantic nose and let each one of the fuzzies put their noses against his. It was pretty easy to see that Shaemus was very happy to be reunited with his fuzzy family by the size of his huge dog smile. Shaemus joined them in their game of tag. As big as Shaemus was, he managed to be very careful and not step on any of his friends as they all ran around. And when Shaemus was tagged "it," he made sure not to run too fast so that they could catch him ;) They played for quite a long time, then went to the creek to get a drink - three little noses and tongues, and one big nose and tongue all lined up against the creek, thirstily slurping away. They were all pretty worn out. Murphy started to yawn, and then Butters and Gracie-Lou couldn't help but yawn as well. They were all tired, as one might imagine. Even Shaemus had tired-looking eyes, and pretty soon he laid down and curled up and started to drift off, as dogs often do. And just to be with their old friend, Murphy, Butters, and Gracie-Lou pushed their way into Shaemus' soft bell fur and curled up next to him. It was just like old times for all of them, and pretty soon they were all fast asleep... I looked over at them, my cup of tea cooling in my paw. Hmmm... this looked very cozy. I went over to Shaemus and the three fuzzies and made a little spot for myself on Shaemus' belly. He was a big dog and there was plenty of room. I made myself comfortable and found myself starting to fall asleep almost immediately. Reluctantly, I got up and found myself yawning like a kit. Shaemus made the most comfortable bed I'd ever slept in. His belly was nice and warm and his fur was as soft as down. I had an idea, but I needed to talk to the Boss first. I left the four or them to go tell the Boss my idea... Shaemus became a regular visitor to the fuzzy Bridge, all with the Boss' blessing. Whenever any of our fuzzies was having trouble sleeping, we would call Shaemus for a visit. Any fuzzy having problems sleeping would soon find that they could sleep like a kit when they were tucked into Shaemus' belly fur. Shaemus just loved it here at the fuzzy Bridge - he could snooze in the sun, and play with both his old and new friends, and just enjoy himself. And I have to tell you, I've taken a snooze on his soft belly, myself. And I've got to say, I've not been waking up with the stars to make my tea, lately... Sandee [Posted in FML issue 5213]