(following is the story I first created in 2004, and by now it should be a neat little classic, at least among all of us. There are old and new pictures of The Santa Ferret at the web site link at the bottom of this message. For first-timers please print it out and enjoy reading this one to the kids and grandkids. :) Little Secret, The Santa Ferret, By Susie Lee Oh, sure, everyone knows Santa's obvious animal friends, the reindeer, and all their names and most of their magickal attributes, but did you ever know about Santa's best little Ferret friend? Well, maybe not before now, because little Secret has been, well, Santa's special little Secret! A little white ferret who likes to snuggle up under the beard (fluffs it out nicely, too! :) or curl warmly under his hat, or even blend in with that wooly white collar and "Secret"-ly watch out for Santa's back while he's unpacking you-know-what for good children on you-know-when! Little Secret is a magickal ferret, of course, and has been with Santa since the very "beginning", bequeathed to the Jolly Old Elf by a grateful farmwife from centuries and centuries ago. Secret's special magick is in helping Santa get into houses with no chimneys by squeezing flatter than flat under the tightest door (much flatter than not-as-magickal ferrets who so dearly love to try to squeeze under any doors they can fit. ) and leaping with a magickally merry extra-high ferret-bounce to touch his little nose to any lock so that it will open for Santa and then close and re-lock safely afterwards. (Aha! say all the city-folks, Now we know how Santa gets into umpteen-gazillion apartments! He had a special Secret, all along!) . Ah, but how did we ferret out Santa's Little Secret? All our ferrets did it...knowing a magick ferret when they sense one, nearly every ferret tail in the shelter went merrily a-wagging with excitement and joy until Little Secret swiftly touched a friendly nose in greeting to every one. Then , as quick as a ferret, Little Secret raced back to Santa and in a blink was back up to blend around his white wooly collar, with a little tail-wag farewell of his own to wave back. So take good care of all your ferret friends...they know a Little Secret! (See pictures of Santa and Little Secret here... http://www.angelfire.com/theforce/ferret_rescuer/index.html there's an extra-large picture of Santa with Little Secret and a Rainbow Bridge Blue Angel on Santa's shoulder for all those who have passed On up into Heaven.) With Love to All, from Susie Lee [Posted in FML 6895]