COOKIE

A STORY OF THE RAINBOW BRIDGE

by Paul E. Jamison

 

Weezie reached up and took the white apron down from the hook, and passed her head through the loop. She wrapped the strings around her waist and brought the ends around in front; her paws couldn’t handle the task of tying them in back, but she didn’t know of any animal under the Rainbow Bridge with paws that could.

 

It was early in the morning; kitchen work wasn’t really supposed to start for another hour. But in the two weeks since she’d started working for Cookie, Weezie had gotten into the routine of coming in as early as possible and staying as late as possible. The little ferret always found some extra work to do: sweeping the floors, cleaning the dishes, polishing the pans and silverware. Weezie preferred it that way; she wanted to keep herself busy.

 

With the apron strings tied around her waist, the kit got down her paper "Would-you-like-fries-with-that?" cap and put it on her head. Then she was ready to go into the kitchen and start the day.

 

When she walked out of the pantry this morning, however, she got a surprise. Someone else was already here and hard at work. Standing over the stove and stirring some sort of broth was Lucky Pierre, Cookie’s Chief Assistant. He looked over at the little ferret and smiled.

 

"Weezie! I’m glad you’re here! I could use some help – hand me that vitamin supplement, will you? No, the blue container, not the red one – but I could use some of that as well, now that I think of it. Bring me both!" Weezie carried the two bottles over to Pierre, and the French poodle measured out some powder from each one and stirred it into the broth.

 

Weezie could tell something was up. Ordinarily Pierre was a very cheerful sort who always took the time to chat with Cookie’s new apprentice. He liked to joke that he had gotten his second-in-command position by mistake ("Somebody must have thought that a French poodle would make a great cook because the French are great with food, aren’t they? Well, French poodles aren’t French – they originated in Germany, so what kind of a cook do you think I would make?"). But today was different. Pierre seemed distracted as he worked on the broth and told Weezie what utensils or ingredients that he needed. The kit caught some of his urgency and ran around and fetched things as quickly as she could.

 

Soon Pierre seemed to have everything that he needed, for the moment, and Weezie asked, "Pierre, what’s going on? What is that stuff you’re working on? Why is it so important?"

 

Pierre sipped the broth, contemplated the taste for a second or two, and stirred in a little more of a liquid ingredient. He brought out another spoonful and held it out to Weezie. "Here", he said, "tell me what you think." Weezie sipped.

 

"Well – it tastes fine, but it seems awful rich to me. I can see a little of it going a long way. What is it?"

 

Pierre slowly stirred the broth. "It’s Cookie’s special baby formula. Yes, it is rich. It’s high-fat content, and full of vitamins and supplements that babies need." The poodle looked solemnly at his helper. "Weezie, we got in some orphans last night. An entire litter’s worth. They’re ferret kids."

 

Weezie looked at Pierre and looked at the large potfull of formula. Now she understood what the urgency was all about; she’d not yet had personal experience with the younger orphans at the Bridge, but Cookie had talked to her about it. The new arrivals must not have been weaned from their Mother’s milk before they came here; they were going to need Cookie’s formula, and they were going to need plenty of it.

 

Weezie asked, "Where are they now? Have they had anything to eat at all? And where’s Cookie?"

 

"They’re in the nursery on Kodo’s Hill, and, yes, they have some formula already; Cookie always keeps a small emergency supply on hand in cases like this. But he likes to make up a fresh batch when he needs a lot for a whole litter, especially when they’re going to be on it for a while; you know how fussy he is about stuff like that.

 

"And right now, he’s out trying to arrange some transportation from among the larger animals." Pierre pointed at the pot of formula. "We’ll have to take all this over to Kodo’s Hill, and a big dog could carry a lot. Cookie ought to be back any time – ah, there he is now." Cookie came in, and Weezie could see that he was angry.

 

Cookie was a purebred Persian cat, with his face permanently set into what looked like a scowl. He was the kind of cat that looked like it was named something silly (like Wilberforce Foo Foo Out of Hortense Luvvums) and hated it. Weezie knew that he wasn’t quite like that. Wilberforce Foo Foo Out of Hortense Luvvums was his real name (and his Mother’s), and he did find it embarrassing from time to time, but, as he told Weezie once, he’d learned to live with it; it helped that everybody called him "Cookie" now.

 

Weezie had found Cookie easy to work for, his built-in scowl notwithstanding. He took his job as Chief Cook in this area of the Rainbow Bridge seriously, and he demanded the best from those who worked for him, but he was forgiving of mistakes and he was quick to praise. After two weeks though, Weezie still thought he looked silly in that floppy chef’s hat.

 

But now he looked very upset. Cookie glared at Weezie and Pierre and snarled, "Four days! FOUR DAYS!! Those babies are only four days old!! Some – some human did this to them! They’re only newborns, for crying out loud! How dare they do this? HOW DARE THEY!?"

 

Weezie was stunned. She’d known that some furkids came to the Bridge young, but this – Pierre held up his paws and tried to soothe Cookie. "Calm down, boss, calm down. You know how some humans are. Not all of them are near as wonderful as our Mommies and Daddies. But you know that they’ll get what they deserve when the time comes.

 

"And ranting and raving isn’t going to help those babies. They’re going to need all the care that we can give them, so let’s concentrate on that for now." He gestured at the pot simmering on the stove. "I just finished mixing the formula; see what you think."

 

Cookie tasted the formula, and, after a very long two seconds, nodded his head and said, "Very good. I think that this will do nicely. Of course, it’s not what I'd expect from a French cook, but it’s fine."

 

Pierre sighed. "Boss, we’ve been over this. French poodles are not French – they’re German! We only got the name because of the way our hair is trimmed. We were bred as hunting dogs, and our hair was cut this way to protect our joints in cold water, and –"

 

Cookie waved him to silence. "Whatever. Now I want you two to start putting the formula in the jugs. I’ve asked around for some big dogs to help us relay the jugs and some feeding bottles over to Kodo’s Hill."

 

"I guess that’s what I’m here for!" Everyone turned to the front door, and saw a smiling Afghan with rich, red hair. The big dog continued, "Howdy there, my name is Meriwether Lewis, and I heard that you needed volunteers, so –". He stopped abruptly and stared at Cookie. He spoke softly, "Wilby?"

 

Cookie looked closely at the Afghan and said, "Louie?"

 

"Wilby!" The dog rushed forward and grabbed the Chef in his front legs and hugged him close and spun him around in the air, all the while whooping with glee. Cookie made some weak protests and waved his paws around, but soon he stopped and placed his front legs around the Afghans’ neck and gently hugged back.

 

Louie held the cat out at leg’s length and smiled at him, and said, "Wilby, I’ve been looking for you all over since I came to the Bridge two days ago! I’ve been asking around for Wilberforce Foo Foo, and nobody knew who I was talking about! I never thought that you’d be going around under a different name! It’s great to see you again, fur-brother! I’ve missed you a lot!" He sat Cookie down and looked at him adoringly. "The hat suits you, by the way."

 

The cat straightened out the hat that suited him and replied, "I’m glad to see you, too, Meriwether. I can see why you had trouble finding me; everybody knows me as Cookie." He looked up at the Afghan. "You might keep that in mind, Meriwether."

 

The Afghan grinned and wagged his tail; Weezie made a quick grab and saved a mixing bowl from being knocked to the floor. "I take your point. It’ll take some getting used to, but Cookie it is."

 

Cookie reached over and gave the dog another hug, and shook his head. "You’ve been here at the Rainbow Bridge for two days, and I hadn’t even known about it! Aw, man, I’ve let myself get too busy lately to keep up with the family back in the Other World. Louie, I’m terribly sorry that I wasn’t around to greet you when you came to the Bridge."

 

"Aw, don’t worry about it. There was no harm done. You seem to have gotten yourself a position of responsibility around here, so I can understand." Louie then got more serious. "That reminds me – you called for some volunteers to help with a crisis. What can I do?"

 

Immediately Cookie was all business. "We’ve got to transport some baby formula to a nursery. Some newborn ferret kits crossed over to the Bridge last night, and they need food. Think you can carry a load of stuff on your back?"

 

The elegant-looking dog didn’t hesitate. "As much as I can, brother. I’m your dog for the job."

 

Cookie nodded, "I should know that I can count on you – brother. You won’t be carrying all that much. It doesn’t have to go all in one load. I figure that we’ll have some other volunteers along soon to help with the rest. Pierre, Weez’, you two have enough of those jugs filled for one trip? Good, let’s get you fitted up, Lou."

 

Weezie went in the pantry and came back with a special harness just Lewis’ size. He soon had it on, and the others filled the pockets with full jugs and empty feeding bottles – special ones for newborns, with extra-tiny nipples to fit extra-tiny mouths. The Afghan looked like he could handle the load just fine. Once the loading was done, Cookie said, "Weezie, I want you to go with him; he’ll need someone to show him where Kodo’s Hill is, and they might need help there to arrange all this. Climb on his back and hang on to the harness, and you’ll be okay."

 

The idea of clinging to the back of this huge creature while it ran as fast as it could across the countryside was kind of scary to the little kit, but she wasn’t about to argue with her boss. She managed to climb up, with the help of Pierre and Cookie, and grabbed hold of the harness as tight as she could. And they were on their way.

 

The Afghan could run fast, and it was scary, with the ground rushing past and the wind whipping at her whiskers, but Weezie found that she could handle it. She couldn’t talk to Louie without shouting, but she could get his attention and point the way for him. Soon they approached Kodo’s Hill.

 

Weezie had not yet been to Kodo’s Hill. It was a peaceful place, with several pine trees surrounding a small clearing. As the Afghan slowed down and they approached, they could hear some squeaking noises coming from under the trees.

 

There were eight newborns, tiny, helpless little creatures lightly covered with grey fur. Their eyes and ears were tightly shut, as they would be for some weeks to come, and the only way that they knew how to communicate with a world that they couldn’t see or hear was to vocalize. So several of them, those that weren’t suckling on a bottle or snuggled down to sleep, were squawking at the top of their lungs, and they could be remarkably loud about it.

 

There were five grown animals caring for the babies, feeding, cleaning or just cuddling them. A blanket had been spread out on the ground, cushioned by pine needles, and three of the babies slept together in a cozy little pile, with a Lhasa Apso watching over them. A handsome sable ferret, who was gently wiping the mouth of a baby with a freshly-filled tummy, looked up at Weezie and Lewis and smiled. He said, "Well, well, here comes the Cavalry to our rescue! Or at least the Cavalry’s chuck-wagon, which was just as important but didn’t have the PR. Hi, there, folks, my name is Murphy!"

 

Weezie climbed down from the Afghan’s back, and replied, "Hi, my name’s Weezie, and this is Lewis. We’ve got the first batch of Cookie’s formula. We’ll be going back for more, and hopefully there will be some other volunteers to help."

 

"Excellent! There was enough of the emergency rations to feed these kids, but there’s not much left now." He grinned. "They liked the stuff, but wait till they taste it fresh! I figure that when they're old enough to talk, their first words will be, ‘My, how delicious this stuff is! My compliments to the chef!’"

 

Murphy looked around and said, "I think that we’ve got things set up here quite nicely." He asked a Dark-Eyed White nearby, "How about it, Sammy? That kid giving you any problems?"

 

The other ferret cradled one of the babies in his arms and was gently rocking back and forth. He didn’t look up as he answered, "No… no, Murph, he’s doing fine. He’s full and napping right now." Sammy seemed entranced by the little one he was holding. He went on in a softer voice, "I hadn’t realized how transparent their skin is. You can see the milk in their tummies!"

 

He looked up at the others and said, "It’s … marvelous."

 

Murphy’s smile got softer, and he said, "So it is, pal, so it is." He turned to Weezie and Lewis. "Well, we need to get those supplies squared away. Now I know how I want to set these up, so I figured that I’d do it myself. Weezie, will you do me a favor and hold this little guy while I do that? He’s pretty mellow right now, so you’ll be fine. Okay by you?"

 

This took Weezie so by surprise that her eyes went wide and for a second she couldn’t answer. Then she stammered out, "Uh – yeah! Sure!" and almost before she knew it, Murphy had passed the baby into her arms.

 

She stood there and stared at the little one. The newborn squeaked a couple of times during the transfer, but once Weezie was holding him, he snuggled in her arms and quieted down again.

 

He was so very tiny, and he seemed so fragile. His skin was pale, with only a little fur, and, yes, she could see a pale blob underneath the surface that had to be a full tummy. Weezie thought about what it must be like for him right now. Everything was dark and quiet, and all that he knew about the world around him came from what he could touch and taste and smell. It had been that way for Weezie only a short while ago, but now she couldn’t remember what it was like. She thought it might be lonely, but how would he know what loneliness was – or wasn’t?

 

She shifted him around slightly – it didn’t seem to disturb him – and brought up her front paw and gently stroked his head. He was so soft, too. He made a little squeak of contentment.

 

Weezie stood there, looking down at the baby, and thought about how wonderful it was to hold this little guy. And then she remembered Cookie, angry and shouting "Four days! FOUR DAYS!!" And she remembered the arc of the Rainbow Bridge above their heads.

 

As she looked down at the baby that she was holding, a small drop of salty water fell on his little cheek. He woke just enough to poke his tongue out to try and lick away the teardrop.

 

Weezie held the tiny body close to her chest and cried.

 

The transport runs took the rest of the morning. A friend of Murphy’s, a Rottweiler named Ollie, also delivered formula. Cookie prepared light meals for the caregivers, and Weezie and Louie delivered them, as well. Just before Noon, everything was set up to Murphy’s satisfaction. As the little ferret and the Afghan were getting ready to leave, Murphy thanked them a lot and said, "Now you don’t have to come back here only on business! Feel free to drop by and visit any time! I’m sure that these kids would love the company!" He winked at Weezie and said, "You know, I think that one youngster likes you. I'd want to keep tabs on him if I were you!" And with that, Weezie and Louie went on their way.

 

Back at the kitchen, they were met by Cookie and Pierre. Cookie rubbed his front paws together, and said "Well, that little operation came off real fine! Smooth as clockwork! And just in time for lunch, too! Weezie, while you were busy with the delivery, I dragooned a Springer spaniel into setting the tables."

 

Weezie climbed down from Louie and asked, "Are you sure that he did a good enough job, boss? You know how fussy the pot-bellied pigs can be about a neat table. Maybe I better go see…"

 

Cookie replied, "Relax, relax. He did a fine job. And if the pigs complain, we’ll deal with it. But you can do something for me. I want you to go over to the belltower and ring the dinnerbell."

 

Weezie gave him a chipper "Yes, sir!" and ran off to the nearby open-air tower.

 

Cookie turned to Louie, who smiled and wagged his tail. The Persian reached up and gave his old fur-brother a light hug and said, "Thanks for your help, Lou. You know, it is very good to see you again."

 

"You, too, Wil– excuse me, Cookie! I’m really glad to see you doing something important here. I never knew that you can cook! How’d you get this gig, anyway?"

 

"I came up through the ranks. Not long after I got here, I started helping around the Kitchen, and I found that I liked the work. I stuck with it, folks moved on above me – they'd cross the Bridge with their humans – and I got promoted. And here I am! I’m good at what I do, I enjoy doing it, and there are times when it’s very rewarding, like today with the new arrivals. I can tell you this –" He stopped and frowned. "Is it just me, or shouldn’t there be a bell ringing right now?"

 

He turned and shouted, "Weezie! What’s taking you so long with that bell – oh."

 

Weezie had gotten a good running start before leaping on the bellrope. She was dangling in the air now, her front legs clutching the rope above her head and her hind legs clearing the ground by almost a foot. If ferrets could blush, her face would have been bright red with embarrassment. She said, "Uh – I guess I’m too light for this."

 

Cookie shook his head and looked at Pierre. "I wonder if French chefs have these problems."

 

Pierre hung his head, pinched his nostrils with his front paw and said, very distinctly, "Cookie, I’ve told you and told you and told you: My breed is not French, it’s German! How many times…" He gave up.

 

Cookie ignored all this and turned to the Afghan. "Louie, do you think that you could ring the bell? You seem to be the strongest around here right at the moment."

 

"Sure thing, Wilby!" As Cookie groaned, the dog ran over to the belltower. He quickly grabbed hold of the rope a couple of feet above the dangling ferret and pulled on it as hard as he could.

 

Weezie landed on the ground with a little plop and watched as the rope came down and made a pile in her lap, while above her the dinnerbell rang loud and clear. For some reason the pile of rope fascinated her, and when it began getting smaller, it fascinated her even more. When it was almost gone, it occurred to her that, well, maybe it might be a good idea to let goooooOOOO!!

 

Weezie shot upward, desperately clutching at the rope. Before she knew it, she had stopped rising and was several feet above the ground. She’d never experienced anything like this in her life, and she discovered that it was quite interesting up there. She looked around and said, to no one in particular, "Oh, wow, I can see all the way to Kodo’s Hill from here!" She was beginning to think that a ride like this might be really cool, when she started down again.

 

By the time it had occurred to her to wonder what it would be like when she reached the bottom, she reached it. There was a loud THUMP! And this time she let go of the rope.

 

Cookie and Pierre ran up to the belltower. They found Weezie flat on her back, with her legs stretched out in different directions. Her paper cap, which had lagged behind on the trip down, was now covering her face. Louie stood there, staring at her, and babbled, "Oh, no – What have I done? – Weezie, I’m so sorry! – Please tell me you’re all right!" When he got no response he pleaded, "Weezie, speak to me!"

 

From underneath the paper cap came a small voice. "Why should I speak to you? I passed you twice just now, and you never said a word to me!"

 

Louie whooshed out a big sigh and went limp. Cookie bent over the little ferret and gently asked, "Weezie, are you all right?"

 

The small voice, a little stronger now, continued, "My Mommy has an older ferret named Joshua Norton II. He liked me a lot, and he was like my older brother. He taught me a lot about being a ferret. Especially that thing called speedbumping – you know, where we just stretch out on the floor for no good reason? Only he called it pancaking."

 

Weezie sat up and pulled her cap from her face. "When I meet him again, I’m going to tell him what pancaking is really like!"

 

Pierre and Cookie helped the little ferret stand up. Cookie looked her over and said, "You’re fine – just shaken up a little. You’ll be okay with a hot meal and some rest. Now, go off and have some lunch, and I’ll check on you later." He then turned to Louie and said, "And you – do you think that you could keep working that bell?"

 

The dog replied "Huh? – Oh, sure, sure!" He pulled on the rope some more, and the bell started ringing again. Weezie placed her cap back on her head, crookedly, and managed to walk away without staggering too much. The loud peals of the dinnerbell drowned out her voice as she muttered to herself, "‘A special place where beloved pets go’, they said. ‘Everybody’s happy and healthy again’, they said…"

 

After lunch, Cookie found Weezie in the back of the kitchen. She was sweeping the floor and doing a thorough job of it. Cookie sighed; so much for resting. He said, "Weez’, I think you can lay off with the cleaning up for now. It looks fine."

 

The little ferret stopped pushing the broom around, but she stood there and didn’t let go of it. She smiled at Cookie and replied, "Well… I want to make sure it’s clean. You can’t see some of the worst dirt. Maybe I ought to keep going –"

 

"No." Cookie said. "I’m sure it’s clean. Do you know why I’m sure? Because you swept it yesterday morning. And yesterday afternoon. And I wouldn’t be surprised if you sneaked in here last night to sweep it a third time. You’ve swept this floor so much in the last two weeks that I can see my reflection in this part over here, and that’s concrete!"

 

The Persian looked around the kitchen. "The main reason that you don’t spend all day sweeping the floors, as far as I can see, is because you spend the rest of the time scrubbing the dishes!" He picked up a copper pot and squinted at it. "These utensils are so shiny now that Pierre and I have to wear sunglasses to use them. Weezie, you’re very good about cleaning, but don’t you think that you’re doing too much?"

 

Weezie got very quiet. She looked down at the broom she was holding. She said, "No, I don’t. I’m not sure that I’m doing enough." She looked at Cookie. "I need to do as much cleaning and washing and good work as I can. I think that I have to do all this to make up for things."

 

Cookie cocked his head to one side and asked, "What things?"

 

"Bad things I did before when I was – back there. I made a lot of trouble for my Mommy. I was a naughty ferret."

 

"What did you do?"

 

"I stole Mommy’s things. Things like paper towels, car keys. The thing that turned the TV on. And I pooped where I wasn’t supposed to, and I scattered litter on the floor. I’d get into the food, and I dug up Mommy’s plants."

 

The ferret managed to keep from sniffling. "And I was terrible about escaping outside. I did it once, and Mommy managed to find me. The second time, though – she didn’t. I came here four days later because of that.

 

"That’s what I mean. I was a bad fur-kid to my Mommy. I know that she was angry with me for it, and now I feel real bad about all that." Weezie looked at Cookie and went on. "I want to make up for all that. I want to be a good ferret now and do nothing but good things. That way, when Mommy comes here, I won’t be the bad girl that she remembers, and she’ll be happy to see me!

 

"Then she’ll take me with her to Heaven."

 

Cookie shook his head. "For crying out loud, is that why you’re busting your behind like this? You’re punishing yourself because you think you were bad?" Weezie nodded, and Cookie sighed. "You know, that has to be the silliest thing I’ve heard of in my entire life!

 

"Weezie, you’re a ferret! Ferrets do that sort of stuff all the time! It’s hard-wired in, or something. There’s nothing right or wrong or good or bad about it – it just is!

 

"Look, the Rainbow Bridge is not the place to go looking for punishment of any sort, and a fur-person is certainly wasting his time here trying to punish himself. If you had anything that you needed to be punished for – well, I don’t think that you would have come to the Bridge; you would have ended up someplace else entirely different."

 

Weezie didn’t look as if she really believed him. Cookie went on. "I’ve known a lot of ferrets that have come through to the Bridge, and just about all of them were as mischievous here as they were back in their old lives. Thieves, tricksters, con artists – and happy as clams about it. And do you think that they're punished for it? Certainly not! And you know what? I’m certain that this place is set up to encourage them!

 

"I figured that would give you a jolt – your eyes look like they’re about to pop out of your head! But I’m serious. You weasels are among the greatest rascals to ever be loved by a human, and it would be a crime against Nature to expect you to change, once you come to the Bridge. So you’re given every opportunity to make mischief. But not openly – this place is sneaky about it.

 

"Let me give you some examples – right here in the kitchen. Now, this bin over here – the one we keep snacks in? The warning sign seems clear enough, doesn’t it?"

 

The sign said FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS ONLY! KEEP OUT! Weezie read it and nodded. "Uh-huh. That’s to keep thieves away. But it doesn’t work too well, Cookie! I come in almost every morning and find that someone’s been in and taken some stuff! Maybe we need a lock on it or something!"

 

Cookie replied, "No, I don’t think so. It’s a good thought, but I don’t really want to keep furfolks out. What the sign should say is FREE SNACKS – TAKE AS MANY AS YOU WANT. – You’re doing that thing with your eyes again, Weezie. You see, there’s nothing wrong with someone coming along and taking some snacks from this bin. But the sign is there for the ferrets’ benefit. To you carpet sharks, food is even more special if you’re not supposed to have it; some ferret insisted to me that stolen food tastes better. Do you remember what that was like, Weezie?"

 

Weezie did. She had loved to steal morsels of food from her Mommy’s plate.

 

Cookie went to another bin, this time a much larger one. "And here’s the Rice Bin. It’s got a KEEP OUT sign, too. There’s a lot of rice in here, but have you ever wondered why we need so much rice? I mean, how many animals here under the Bridge really eat rice?"

 

Weezie thought about dogs, and cats, and ferrets, and mice. Rodents would eat the rice, but were there enough of them here to justify that much of it? Cookie nodded and said, "Right – so why such a big bin full of stuff we don’t need? Well, if you lift up the lid you’ll see – Oops! Sorry to bother you, sir!"

 

An albino ferret poked his head out of the rice bin and smiled. "Oh, that’s OK. It’s almost time for me to meet some friends of mine." He shook some rice out of his fur and climbed out of the bin. Then he leaned close and whispered to Cookie, – loud enough for just about anybody to hear – "Don’t tell anybody, but we’ve come across one humongous pile of leaves a couple of valleys over. Somebody went to a lot of trouble to rake up all those leaves." The ferret grinned. "And we’re gonna scatter ‘em all over the map!"

 

Cookie whispered back, "I won’t tell a soul; it’ll just be our little secret." Once the albino left, he said to Weezie, "See, that rice isn’t for eating – it’s for snorkeling in. And of course, it says that you’re not supposed to get in there – which makes it all the more enjoyable.

 

"And that pile of leaves he mentioned – I’d bet it was put there just for somebody to come along and scatter. This is Paradise – why would there be dead leaves on the ground, and why would anybody need to rake them up?

 

"Weezie, you weasels are special. You get into a lot of mischief, but it’s not because you’re being bad – it’s because you guys are having fun. A happy ferret is as happy as any animal can get." Cookie shook his head. "There are times when I envy you slinkies. I wish I could enjoy everything as much as you guys do."

 

The little ferret thought about this for a minute and said, "That makes a lot of sense, Cookie. I remember that it was fun to do all that stuff. But I don’t know – I still feel guilty. I know that Mommy got angry at me for doing stuff I wasn’t supposed to; she yelled at me sometimes. What if she's still mad at me when I see her again?"

 

"Well, maybe it’ll help if we see how things are back there right now." Cookie reached up for a shallow copper pan hanging on the wall. He took it over to the sink and ran some water in it. As he carried the pan over to the table, he said, "Now this is a very special pan. We don’t use it for cooking; it’s for something else. Come here and look into it."

 

Weezie leaned over and looked into the water. She expected it to be sloshing around, after the pan had been set down, but the surface was smooth as glass. She began to see a picture in the water, and she gasped when she realized what it was. Cookie asked her, "I take it that you know that place?"

 

"Yes! Yes, I do! That’s my Mommy’s living room! It’s real pretty, with a white carpet and plants and – oh! Oh, my! Somebody’s dug out all the plants, and there’s dirt all over Mommy’s nice carpet!

 

"There’s my big brother Joshua! He dug that stuff out! Look at his dirty nose! And he knocked over some water, too, and he’s tracked mud all over the floor! It’s a mess! Ooooh, he’s gonna be in trouble when Mommy sees it!"

 

Then, the door opened and a human lady walked into the room. Weezie saw her and whispered, "Mommy?"

 

The human stopped and stared at the mess. She said, "My plants… my carpet!" But she didn’t say it very loud; she didn’t seem very angry. Joshua hopped over to her, and did a war-dance at her feet; whatever he was feeling, it wasn’t guilt.

 

The human bent down and gently picked up the ferret. She sat down and held him in her arms as she began talking to him.

 

"This is the type of thing that Weezie would do. For an instant there I wondered if she was back. It hasn’t even been three weeks since she escaped, has it, Josh? It seems like it’s been forever." She sighed. "I wish that she were still here, Joshua. All the mischief that she could get into – I never realized how much I could miss it."

 

The human bent her head down, and tears began running down her cheeks. Joshua reached up and gave his Mommy a fuzzy kiss. She smiled at him and scratched his ears. When she started to speak again, it was to someone else.

 

"Oh, Weezie, I’m so sorry! If I’d been more careful, you wouldn’t have run away and you’d still be here! I love you so much. Why did you have to be taken from us? Weezie, where are you?"

 

"Mommy? Mommy! I’m right here! Can’t you hear me? It wasn’t your fault that I ran away – it was mine! I’m sorry! Please don’t cry, Mommy! I love you, too! I wish I was there with you! Mommy? MOMMY!!" And the tears came, and Weezie couldn’t say any more.

 

Cookie bent down and held the little ferret close to him as she cried. The sour-faced Persian made soothing noises and rocked Weezie until she had cried herself out. When she was done, he dried her eyes with the corner of his apron and said, "I’m sorry if that upset you, little one, but I think it was important for you. You’ve been separated from the ones that you love, and you’re grieving. You have to learn to accept that grief – we all do here at the Bridge. Believe me, it’s never easy. There – feeling better?’

 

Weezie said, "She loves me. She still loves me! After all the stuff I did!" Then she nodded and said, "Yes, I am. Thank you. Seeing Mommy again did help."

 

It was then that Weezie realized something about Cookie. He really could smile, but he didn’t use his permanent-scowl mouth to do it. Cookie smiled with his eyes, and right now it was a warm smile indeed. He nodded and said, "Good; I’m glad. I'll be willing to bet that when your Mommy comes to the Bridge, she'll be so happy to see you that she'll forget about all the mischief that you got into.

 

"You know, Weezie, you’ve been a very good helper these past two weeks. I really do appreciate how clean you’ve kept this place. And you were a lot of help this morning with the newborns; Murphy sent word that he thought that you did a great job." Cookie tapped her chest. "You’re just a little tyke, but you’ve got a big heart.

 

"But you should learn to enjoy yourself here. This place is a lot of fun, and the whole point of it is for us critters to be happy. You should be happy, too.

 

"So – what do you think you want to do now?"

 

Weezie looked at the copper pan, but it was only a copper pan again, and the water in it was only water. She replied, "Well – I guess that I don't have anything to make up for, do I? I’m glad that I could help around here, though." She took off her paper cap. "But I think I want to take off now and go have some fun. I have a lot of catching up to do."

 

Cookie nodded and said, "Well, if I were you, I wouldn’t waste any more time. I’d get right down to it."

 

Weezie looked down at her paper cap; it fit so well, and she thought that it looked good on her. She said, "I’d better hang these things in the pantry, huh?"

 

"Certainly. And I want you to know that they’ll always be back there for you. When the time is right – and you’ll know when it is – you can come back here, and there will be a job for you. And if you decide not to come back to work – well, that’s the way things are meant to be."

 

"I’ll just have to see. I enjoy working here. Right now, I think I want to go over to Kodo’s Hill and help Murphy and the rest with the babies."

 

"Now that is a good idea. I think that they have enough volunteers now, but an extra set of paws can’t hurt. I think those newborns will really need help when they get a little older, and that’s when you can do them the most good."

 

"How come?"

 

"Because someone is going to have to teach them how to play."

 

So Weezie went into the pantry. She untied the strings around her waist and took off her apron and hung it on the hook; then she hung the cap over the apron. She took the time to straighten out the apron and cap so that they hung neatly, and she stepped back and looked at them. She had always liked how clean and white the apron always was.

 

As she went back to the kitchen, Pierre came in through the front door and said, "Say, did I see an albino ferret come through here a few minutes ago? Did he need something?"

 

Cookie replied, "Just some rice."

 

"Ah, I see. – Hey, Weezie, you’re out of uniform! What’s going on?"

 

Weezie came up to him, but she said nothing. She just looked up at her friend. Finally she replied, "Pierre – I’m not going to be working here anymore. I’ve had a great time working here, and I’ve learned a lot. But I think it’s time that I moved on. I hope you understand."

 

Pierre looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. Then he looked at Cookie, who nodded, and at the copper pan, which was still on the table. Finally the poodle nodded and said, "Yes, Weezie, I understand quite well. It is time." He knelt down and Weezie wrapped her front legs around his neck, and they hugged for a long time and said nothing.

 

Finally Pierre smiled at her and said, "You’ve been a lot of help around here, kid. Especially when we needed it the most. We’re gonna miss you."

 

"I’ll miss you, too, Pierre." Weezie turned to Cookie, and they held each other for an even longer time. Cookie's eyes smiled, and the little ferret could see tears glistening in them. The Persian asked, "Where will you be going now – over to Kodo’s Hill, I suppose?"

 

"Well, I’ll head over there later. I was thinking right now of following that albino – he might need some help with that pile of leaves!"

 

Cookie’s eyes now grinned from ear to ear. "That sounds like an excellent idea! Tricky stuff, leaves!"

 

Pierre said, "Now you’re always welcome to come back and visit! We’d love to see you once in awhile!"

 

"Oh, I will! You’ll see me around! I might want to check on the rice!" she replied. Then she stood up and looked at her two best friends under the Rainbow Bridge, and she sighed. "Well – I’d better get going."

 

The little ferret backed away toward the door and found how hard it always was to say, "Well – goodbye – thank you for everything."

 

"Bye, kid," said Pierre. "Good-bye, Weezie," said Cookie. And Weezie turned and headed for the door.

 

Halfway there, she stopped. She was right beside the raisin bin. It had the usual KEEP OUT! sign on it. She read the sign and looked back at Pierre and Cookie. It seemed like Cookie was waiting for something.

 

Weezie walked over and opened the lid to the bin. She reached in and scooped out the biggest pawful of raisins that she could manage, and she was able to stuff it all into her mouth. Her cheeks pooched out an incredible amount when she turned to her friends again. And when she smiled at them, it distorted her face in ways that no biologist would have thought possible.

 

The two cooks roared with laughter and waved at her. As she waved back, it occurred to her that she’d never heard Cookie laugh before. She realized that it was one of the most precious gifts that he could have given her. Munching on raisins, she turned and headed for the door.

 

Behind her, Cookie wasted no time in getting back to business. She heard him say, "Well, it’s not too early to be planning for supper. I was figuring on trying something new – smoked sausages. You can help me with that, I think. A German cook ought to know about sausages."

 

Pierre let out a howl and snarled, "Cookie, I’m telling you one last time!! Poodles are FRENCH, not GERMAN!!!"

 

As Weezie walked out the door, Cookie said mildly, "Okay, whatever you say."

 

Weezie shut the door behind her – but not completely. She left it open just a crack and leaned forward to listen. It shouldn’t take too long…

 

It didn't. She heard Pierre say, "Hey, wait a minute!" Then she closed the door quietly and went on her way.

 

THE END

 

Copyright © 1999 Paul E. Jamison