Chapter 19 - On The Wings Of A Fairy When Christofert returned to the prison with the keys, the fairy was excited to see him. She silently clapped her hands and did a little dance. She quickly took the keys and whispered to Christofert. "Ok, I can unlock the doors. You grab hold of my dress and hold on no matter what. We're off to Italy!" Christofert climbed onto a trailing edge of the fairy's dress and grabbed hold with all four of his paws. She carefully unlocked the door to her cell and tiptoed over to the main prison door. She carefully unlocked the door. When she pushed the door open, a horrible alarm went off. The flashing lights and blaring claxon immediately woke up the two guards, but it was too late. She took two steps to build up speed, then she was flying faster than any ferret or demon could run. She was travelling through the twisting tunnels so fast that the residents only felt a breeze, but never saw what caused it. Christofert just held on. At first he was terrified. He could see huge rocks racing towards him, and at the last moment, the fairy would turn and Christofert would swing away. Soon though he relaxed just a little bit and began to enjoy the ride. He could feel the wind rushing through his fur. He opened his mouth and began to laugh. He wiggled with excitement, but was careful not to let go. All too soon though, the fairy ride emerged from the caves. They traveled a short distance through some woods before the fairy came to a halt just at the edge of a town. Christofert saw that this was his home town, so he let go of the dress. "Thank you very much Miss Fairy. That was the most exciting ride I've ever taken. I'm so glad to be home though. I think I've had enough adventuring for awhile." "No! Thank you Sir Ferret. You have been very brave. I'm sure that the rest of your life will be filled with happiness." She bent over and kissed him, then disappeared back into the woods. Christofert turned towards the town and began the final walk home. He was content. He had had a great adventure, and now he was home. EPILOGUE: Christofert, warmly welcomed home by his family and friends, quickly became the most popular storyteller among the ferret population in Italy. He later met a cute ferret named Jill, with whom he raised a family of several large litters. Most of their kits were a traditional sable, but some were born with silver coats, and some looked like their father, with his white fur and red eyes. They all had round earflaps. All of them were courageous and tough, and shared Christofert's aversion to baths. His story became an inspiration for a new generation of ferrets, causing one special young jill named Pouncette de Leon to start her own adventure in the New World. But that is another story.... Bryan P. Coffey - Boston, MA Weasel Warriors - Albi, Esef, Merri, and Mint http://www.gis.net/~bpcoffey/furball.html [Posted in FML issue 2835]