SPECIAL DELIVERY

A STORY OF THE RAINBOW BRIDGE

by Paul E. Jamison

 

More than anything else, the Rainbow Bridge is about love.

 

Not only the love that the furkids feel for the humans that they had to leave behind, but the love that they feel for each other. There isn’t an animal under the Bridge that wouldn’t do whatever it could to help another animal that was sad or hurting. Everyone is everyone’s friend.

 

John Reid, a ferret, thought about this and sighed. He figured that it was just as well that all the animals loved one another. Otherwise, he would be very tempted to make his little paw into a fist and give a certain beagle that he’d met the other day a poke in the nose.

 

Somewhere far above him, a voice asked, "Something the matter, John?"

 

He looked up at the white horse standing above him and smiled. "Oh, no, just missing times gone by."

 

John Reid guessed that, well, maybe he shouldn’t think about punching the beagle out. The dog had meant no harm. When he’d found out just what John’s duties were under the Bridge, he’d cheerfully babbled, "Really? An Elder, huh? And on the Committee?? Wow! That sounds neat! I’ll bet you meet a lot of interesting animals that way!"

 

Instead of taking a swing at him, John Reid had just smiled – at least he turned up the corners of his mouth, which was close enough – and said, "Yes, I do. A lot of very interesting animals. You’ll meet some interesting animals of your own around here soon. Who knows? If you stick around long enough, you’ll probably become an Elder yourself. And maybe – just maybe – someday you’ll serve on the Committee, too." He’d left the beagle absolutely ecstatic at the very possibility. Somehow John got some satisfaction out of that.

 

Oh, yes, serving on the Rainbow Bridge Inter-Species Coordinating Committee could be interesting. You did meet all kinds of different animals – almost every meeting saw a representative for a new species introduced. It amazed John how many different creatures that humans could give their love to. He remembered several weeks ago, when Petey was introduced at the regular Committee meeting, and was made official representative to the Committee for all domesticated penguins. The last John knew, the domesticated penguin population under the Bridge was still one. Petey hadn’t been saying much at recent meetings.

 

Another voice, a bit closer to the ground this time, piped up. "Are you feeling all right, Johnny? Maybe you need to go to the vet or something."

 

Hista was on the Inter-Species Committee as well, representing boa constrictors. Reptiles that were kept as pets underwent a transformation when they died and came to the Bridge. Back in the old life, reptiles didn’t feel much in the way of emotions, certainly nothing that approached love, no matter how much the humans cared for them. When they came to the Bridge, though, they suddenly found that they’ve been given the capacity to feel emotions that they hadn’t had before, and they usually weren’t sure what to do about it. Some of them liked the feelings so much that they tried to be everybody’s friend, and they usually ended up overdoing it; John figured it was something like overdosing on a drug. There wasn’t anything quite as overwhelming as a reptile that liked you very, very much; if Hista had arms, they’d probably be wrapped around someone else’s shoulders almost all the time.

 

Silver, a nice fellow who represented the horses on the Committee, said, patiently, "No, I don’t think John’s sick. Nobody can get sick under the Rainbow Bridge. I think that he’s just doing some thinking. Am I right, John?"

 

The ferret nodded. He knew what the problem was. There were times when John Reid wasn’t happy being an Elder; he missed being a plain old, fun-loving ferret.

 

He’d gotten into this particular mood while on the way to today’s Committee meeting. He’d happened to stroll by some other ferrets playing weaselball, and the urge to join them had proven too much – he could always make excuses about being late. But when he’d rushed into the game, the atmosphere had changed. All of a sudden, it was, "How do you do, Elder?" – "Is the game getting too rough, Elder?" – "However you want to play, Elder." They were respecting him, for crying out loud! Weaselball was no fun when you’re respected! He got out of it as gracefully as he could – and since when did a ferret concern himself with doing something gracefully? – and went on his way.

 

He thought back to the time when things had changed – when he had become an Elder. It had been a typical care-free day. He'd been walking with Sweetums, a lady ferret he knew, when they had come across a large, neatly-raked pile of leaves. John had wasted no time in jumping right into it.

 

Sweetums had hesitated before joining him. She'd asked, "Are you sure that we won’t get into trouble doing this? Somebody took a lot of time raking those leaves, and if we mess the pile up, all that work will go to waste. How are they gonna feel about that?"

 

John had smiled and answered, "Look – this is the Rainbow Bridge. Everything’s perfect here. That means that the trees don’t have to lose their leaves, and there isn’t any reason why anybody would have to rake those leaves into piles. Unless those piles of leaves have a purpose here. And I can’t think of any other purpose for a pile of leaves, except as something for us furfolks to have fun in." It was an excellent argument, and Sweetums had finally gone along with it. Soon they were both tunneling and jumping and scattering leaves in every direction and having a grand old time.

 

Then the Voice said, "John Reid?" and the fun stopped. Sweetums shrieked something like "OhnoIknewitWe’recaughtWe’reinbigtroubleforeverI’msorryI’msorryI’msorry!" and buried herself in the leaves. John had known that they weren’t in trouble – at least not for scattering leaves – so he'd stayed where he was. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t scared himself. He carefully replied, "Yes?"

 

The Voice went on. "The representative for ferrets on the Rainbow Bridge Inter-Species Coordinating Committee has been reunited with her beloved humans, and they have passed over the Bridge. The Committee now has a vacant spot for a ferret. Will you fill that spot?"

 

Of course he probably could have said No. But under the Rainbow Bridge, you tend to take voices from nowhere seriously. He'd said, "Uh – yes, I will."

 

The answer from nowhere was, "Good. The next meeting is two days away." And that was that. Carefree, playful John Reid was now an Elder under the Rainbow Bridge.

 

He’d tried to get back to playing in the leaves, but once he’d convinced Sweetums to come out of hiding, he'd found that it wasn’t the same anymore. She’d heard what the voice said, of course, and she’d treated him a little differently after that. There was that respect thing.

 

John was still convinced that he was right about the purpose of the piles of leaves, but it didn’t make much difference anyway. He hadn’t played in a pile of leaves since that day.

 

He liked being looked up to as somebody important under the Bridge. But the responsibilities of an Elder kept him from having fun. He missed playing weaselball, or snorkling in Cookie’s "forbidden" rice bin, or sliding in the Tunnels. Once in awhile it got him down.

 

It was while John Reid was thinking such gloomy thoughts that the cinnamon-colored ferret came up to him and the other Elders.

 

John didn’t recognize the other ferret, but this wasn’t surprising. As an Elder, he was used to meeting newcomers and strangers. He put his thoughts aside and said, "Hello there. Is there something we can do for you?"

 

The ferret smiled and replied, "Hello, my name is Tonto. And, yes, you can do something, but not for me. You know that litter of ferret orphans that Murphy and his friends are taking care of?"

 

"Yes, I do," John said. Murphy had brought the eight kits to the last Committee meeting – he’d called it a "field trip" – and it had been marvelous to see their little eyes, big with wonder at meeting all the different animals. "The last I’d heard, they were doing fine. Is there something wrong?"

 

"Oh, no. Just the opposite, in fact. A human has come to the Bridge today, and the other Elders think that he would make an excellent Daddy for the orphans. Somebody needs to transport those kits over to him, and the other Elders sent me to fetch you." Then Tonto’s smile turned odd. "They think that you would be perfect for the job."

 

This surprised John. "Me? I’m more than happy to do it, but why me and not someone else? I’d think that one of the larger dogs –"

 

"No, not to transport eight kits. A horse" – he looked up at Silver – "would be better suited to carry them. But you’d be in charge." Again the ferret smiled that odd smile. "Tell me – have you ever wondered how you got the name of John Reid?"

 

"Huh? – Well, it’s just something that my Mommy named me. I never thought too much about it; maybe it was after a relative or a friend of hers. Why? What’s that got to do with transporting those kits?"

 

Tonto replied, "Your Mommy was big on old-time radio, wasn’t she?"

 

Now John was completely confused. "Uh – yes, she was. She had a whole lot of old shows on tape, and she loved to listen to them." His voice got soft as he remembered. "I loved listening to them, too. That stuff was so exciting."

 

"Ever listen to any Westerns?"

 

"Yes! She had lots of those! They were fun!" Then John stopped and looked at the other ferret for a few seconds before he continued, "Do you mean to say that my name has something to do with radio Westerns?"

 

Tonto smiled and nodded. "One in particular. John Reid was the real name of one of the most famous radio heroes of all time. You probably know who he is. He was a cowboy known for wearing a mask."

 

"A mask –" John stopped, and his jaw dropped open. He knew now who the other ferret was talking about. He put a paw up to his face, and traced the outlines of his own mask. The mask that his Mommy had said was the prettiest one she’d ever seen on a sable ferret. "I was named after –? Wow."

 

Tonto was grinning from ear to ear now. "You betcha. He wore a mask; you have a mask. Yours looks a lot like his, by the way."

 

"But – but – why didn’t she ever tell me?"

 

"I can’t answer that one. Maybe she just never got around to it. Maybe she didn’t think that you would understand. Maybe it was just a private joke. You’ll have to ask her when you see her again.

 

"But now you know who John Reid was. And you have to agree that that makes this one interesting gathering here. After all, that cowboy rode a horse named Silver" – he smiled at the white horse, who gravely bowed his head – "And he had a faithful companion named Tonto."

 

The sable ferret looked up at the horse, and then at the other ferret. "You – and you – and me –" Then he frowned. "Is this some kind of joke?"

 

Tonto turned serious. "No, I don’t think this is a joke. I think that this means something important. Think about the cowboy you were named after. He was a good man – one of the best during hard times. He was a hero, because he fought for what he believed was right. And he had his own code of conduct, a code that he never broke. Any fuzzy would be proud to be named after such a noble human as that.

 

"I think that we three were brought together for a purpose – to do a right thing. Transporting those kits to meet a human isn’t very important in the scheme of things – except here, under the Rainbow Bridge, where we know that every little animal needs a human to love. Whoever helps those kids get adopted will certainly be a hero to them.

 

"John, I believe that you were chosen to be a hero."

 

The sable ferret didn’t answer. He was thinking. And he began to see how important this was, not only to the orphans, but to him. He thought about his melancholy mood earlier, and he realized that it really didn’t mean anything. He knew now that he had a purpose under the Rainbow Bridge.

 

John Reid didn’t change – physically. But something inside changed that day, and in a way, he grew.

 

Tonto asked, "Will you do this, John?"

 

Elder John replied, "Yes, gladly. Someone has to help those orphans." There was a deeper, firmer note in his voice now.

 

Tonto smiled. "I knew that you’d say that. That’s the way the cowboy was – and the way you are. I know where the kits and the human are, and I can guide you to them. Silver, will you help us?"

 

The white horse nodded his head. "Of course I will. I’m a good runner, and I can carry you and eight ferret kits without even trying."

 

Elder John quickly took charge. "Good. Tonto and I can both ride on your back. We’ll have to find a blanket to carry the kits in." He turned to the boa constrictor. "Hista, my friend, I don’t believe that we’ll be needing you on this journey. You'll be staying behind – Hista, are you all right?"

 

It took a moment to register with the snake that the Elder ferret was talking to him. "Huh? – Oh, sorry, John! I got carried away listening. No, I don’t mind staying here – a snake can’t be of much help to you. Wow, you’re named after a Western hero! That’s neat!"

 

Elder John smiled. "Thank you for understanding, friend. Now, to get ready to ride." He wandered around Silver, looking up at the broad back so far above him. How to get up there?

 

He stopped and studied the long, white tail. Grasping it in his paws, he said, "This looks promising. It will take some time, but I can probably climb up – YIKES!!" Silver had flicked his tail, and the ferret was sailing through the air.

 

Elder John landed on the horse’s back with a thump. After he’d gotten oriented, he crawled forward to get a grip on Silver’s mane, and said, "Warn a weasel next time, willya!?"

 

The horse replied, "Sorry. I’ll do that – heads up back there!" There was another thump, and Elder John saw that Tonto had joined him.

 

The cinnamon ferret crawled up to join the sable, and said, "Well, that was an interesting trip; I don't know how popular it will become – are we ready to head off, Kemosabe?"

 

"Yes, we are. Hista, we’ll talk with you later."

 

"Okay, John. You tell those kits good-bye for me. I enjoyed meeting them the other day." The kits had been fascinated with this strange, friendly creature with no legs.

 

"I’ll do that, friend. Okay, Silver, let’s –"

 

Tonto interrupted him. "Hold it. This isn’t just any ride. Let’s do this properly."

 

The other ferret thought for a moment and smiled. "You’re right. This is a special occasion. Do you want to do the honors?"

 

"Sounds fine to me." Tonto sat up straight, cleared his throat, and began to recite:

 

"Return with us now, to those thrilling days of Yesteryear.

 

"From out of the past in a cloud of dust comes the mighty horse Silver!

 

"THE LONE RANGER RIDES AGAIN!!!"

 

Elder ferret John Reid turned around and bellowed, "All right, Silver! Let’s go, big fellow! HI-YO, SILVER – AWAY!!"

 

The horse didn’t move.

 

He stood there and stared over his shoulder at the tiny creature on his back. He finally blurted out, "Man, I never knew ferrets could do baritone!"

 

Both ferrets abandoned all ceremony and shouted back, "Oh, shut up and get moving!!"

 

As the horse galloped away, Hista watched in awe. He had gotten a kick out of the whole thing. There was something missing, though…

 

Oh, yes. The music. The William Tell Overture. That would have made the whole thing perfect.

 

"Well, we could do with some music around here, anyway. Maybe something can be done about that." So he slithered away, with visions of the Rainbow Bridge Pops Orchestra dancing in his head, as he tried to hum some Rossini to himself: ssss-ss-ss-ssss-ss-ss-sssss-sssss-sssss.

 

Two hamsters walking along in a meadow:

 

"Now there’s something you don’t see every day, Chauncey!"

 

"What’s that, Edgar?"

 

"Two ferrets riding a horse!"

 

"Oh, I don’t know, Edgar – they don’t make saddles for ferrets!"

 

The orphan litter and their caretakers were having a picnic in a meadow a little ways away. At the moment, the meal was done, and Murphy was leaning against a tree and watching the others. Three of the orphans – they’d grown so fast in the last few weeks – were playing with Weezie, and four were sitting on the picnic blanket, gathered around Sammy and listening raptly as he told them a story. Sammy had turned out to be an excellent storyteller, and the little ones loved it. Murphy listened closely – truth to tell, he enjoyed Sammy's stories, too.

 

Ah. Sammy was telling Tinker’s story. The youngsters had heard it before, but it was a favorite of theirs. Sammy was most of the way through, and he was doing a decent imitation of van Helsing giving orders:

 

"Rainbow Bridge No-Longer-Need-Tinker’s-Wheelchairs Brigade – IN Posi-SHUN!!

 

"PAYBACK TIME!!!"

 

At this, the four kits laughed with glee and clapped their little paws together. That had to be their favorite part. Murphy smiled; it was a good story, and it brought back good memories. The banquet in Tinker’s honor had been a huge event under the Bridge, and Cookie had outdone himself on an excellent spread.

 

And though Tinker had gone over the Bridge, Tinker’s Brigade had stayed together, and were very active in Bridge functions. They’d even made Murphy an Honorary Brigade Member; he was proud of that.

 

Melvin, the eighth kit of the orphaned litter, was taking a rest from playing, and he lay next to Murphy now, watching the others. He seemed worried about something. Finally he turned and asked, "Unca Murphy, is there something wrong with Aunt Weezie?"

 

Murphy replied, "I don’t think so, Mel – why do you ask?"

 

"Well, I noticed today that sometimes she looks awful sad. Is she unhappy about something?"

 

Murphy looked over at Weezie. She didn’t seem sad right at the moment. Each of the three kits had decided to drag her off to some hiding place that they most likely hadn’t picked out yet. All three kits were now trying to pull her in three different directions, with the result that she wasn’t moving an inch. Weezie had a very solemn look on her face, which meant that she was trying hard not to burst out laughing.

 

But Murphy knew what Melvin meant. For much of the day, Weezie had seemed a bit down. She knew what was being planned, and she probably figured that it was going to happen any time now. But Murphy hadn’t wanted to tell the kits; he wanted it to be a surprise. So he decided to tell a little white lie. He reached over to stroke the little one’s head and said, "Don’t worry about her, Mel. She’s fine; she just has a lot on her mind, is all. She’s probably been thinking about the other orphans that will come to the Bridge, and how we’ll have to care for them, too –"

 

That’s when he heard something in the distance. He looked around, which caused Melvin to look, too. The little kit said, "Hey! Somebody’s coming!"

 

Everyone looked around. Sammy had just finished his story, and ordinarily his mention of "Count-the-Critters" would have led to a game with the orphans of "Count-the-Litter", but everybody forgot that now.

 

The excited little kits were all talking at once. "Who is it?" – "Ooh, it’s a horse!" – "Ohh, he’s pretty!" – "Look, there are two ferrets on his back!"

 

Silver trotted up and stopped, and Elder John said, "Hello, Murphy – Weezie, Sammy. Hello, children. I hope you’re all doing well. I think you’ve all met Silver at the Inter-Species Committee meeting. This fellow riding with me is Tonto."

 

Murphy replied, "Hello, John, Silver. Pleased to meet you, Tonto. I’m glad to see you here. Looks like a very good way of getting around you’ve got there."

 

Elder John nodded. "I don’t think that we could have gotten here faster." He looked at the kits. "Children, my friends and I are here on very important business. Has Murphy said anything to you yet?"

 

The eight kits shook their heads no, and Murphy spoke up, "Well, kids, we’ve got a surprise for you. If things work out, you might be adopted today.

 

"You see, a very special human came to the Bridge this morning. He loves little animals very much, and he’d done a lot to help them while he was still alive. But the thing is, he never let himself adopt a furkid before, and there’s no one here to go with him across the Bridge. The Elders think that he needs the chance to adopt some orphans while he’s here.

 

"This human should be a Daddy, and the Elders think that you’re the right furkids for the job."

 

The kits were stunned; this had certainly been a surprise, all right. Finally Melvin whispered, "Adopted? Us?" He looked over at Weezie. When he and the others had first come to the Bridge, they had been only four days old. Weezie had had the chance to hold him that first day, and they’d quickly become very close. He turned again to Murphy and said, "But what if we don’t want to be adopted? What if we want to stay here? I don’t wanna leave my friends! If I go over the Bridge, I won’t see them ever again!"

 

A little girl named Punkin, piped up, "That ain’t so! Heaven wouldn’t be Heaven if we couldn’t visit all the other critters there that we love! We’ll see our friends again someday!" She turned and asked, "Isn’t that so, Unca Sammy?"

 

Sammy smiled at the little girl that was his favorite of the litter. "Well, Punky, that makes a lot of sense. Someone once told me that it’s probably true" – he looked at Murphy – "And, do you know? I believe him." He bent down and hugged Punkin. "I’ll believe that we’ll see each other again someday."

 

Weezie, with a tear rolling down her cheek, came over and said to Melvin, "Besides, this is a big thing for you kits – you’ve got a chance at being adopted. Friends here at the Bridge are special, but to be loved by a human – that’s something wonderful. I miss my Mommy very much, and I would jump at the chance of getting a Daddy."

 

Murphy went on, "Besides, it’s not like you’ll be crossing the Bridge right away. There’s always a celebration for an adoption. You’ll still be here with us for a little while. And there will be a banquet – think of the great food Cookie will come up with for that!"

 

Melvin grinned at him and said, "‘My compliments to the Chef!’"

 

Then the little kit became thoughtful, and looked at Weezie. He gave her a hug and said, "I love you, Aunt Weezie. And I love you, too, Unca Sammy – Unca Murphy. I'd miss you guys if I left. But I do so much want to be adopted by a human." He placed a paw on Punkin's shoulder. "And I want to be with my brothers and sisters. Where they go, I go."

 

Then Melvin smiled. "I wanna be adopted. So let's go!"

 

Now all the orphans were excited over the idea of adoption. They were all anxious to get to the human as soon as they could. Weezie asked, "Okay, how are you going to carry them?"

 

Elder John got down from the horse's back and said, "We can use your blanket for that. Silver can carry you in it. Let's get you ready."

 

The kits gathered in the center of the blanket, and the others picked up the corners and gathered them together over the children's heads. As the little ones settled down, Elder John said, "Okay, are you youngsters going to be comfortable?"

 

Punkin looked up and replied, "Yeah, this will be fine. Say, mister, how come your voice is so deep?"

 

The Elder smiled. "Well, that's just part of who I am." They gathered the corners together, and John said, "All right, Silver, can you grab hold of this blanket? Right here would be good, I think."

 

"Sure thing." The horse leaned down and grasped the blanket in his teeth, just above the kits. The blanket made a great makeshift carrysack.

 

Murphy asked, "Think you can handle that load?" The horse just looked at him, and Murphy smiled. "Right, I shouldn't have to ask. Sorry." Silver raised the bundle in the air.

 

Murphy called up, "Now you kids be careful and don’t fall out!"

 

Melvin poked his head through a gap in the blanket and looked down. And he looked down some more. He finally replied, "No problems on that, Unca Murphy! We’re a long way up!" He stuck his head back in and said, "I want a seat in the middle!"

 

Elder John grasped Silver's tail and was tossed up on the horse's back; this time he was prepared and landed with a little more grace. He settled himself and said, "All right, we’re ready. Let’s be on our way! Come on, big fellow!"

 

The white horse, with the two ferrets on his back and the precious cargo in his teeth, galloped away. The three ferrets watched them until they disappeared. Nobody said anything, but they all thought about the little orphans that they had cared for in the past few weeks. The little ones that had now moved on. The three friends brushed their tears away and began gathering up the picnic supplies.

 

Somewhere, a human had come to the Rainbow Bridge. But there had been no reunion; no pets were waiting for him. There were only two ferrets with him, Elders Penfold and Lady Belphebe.

 

The human said, "I don’t understand. It’s good to finally know that there is a special place for pets to wait for their humans. But why am I here? In all my life, I never had any pets!"

 

Lady Belphebe replied, "No, you’ve never had a furry family of your own. But that doesn’t mean that you don’t love animals. From what I understand, you did a lot for them, even if you weren’t a Daddy. You donated a lot of the money you earned to no-kill animal shelters. You pet-sat for your friends when they were on vacation. When some misguided humans in your town tried to pass some silly no-pet law, you did a lot: passed out leaflets and petitions, marched and organized protests, testified before the City Council – even got into a shouting match with the unhappy man behind the proposed law. The work you did helped to get that dumb law struck down.

 

"And we know about the work you did for the local ferret rescue shelter. Those hammocks and sleepy-sacks that you made in your spare time were obviously works of love."

 

Elder Penfold spoke up at this. "Yes, that stuff looked neat! You should have brought some with you! We can always use some extra hammocks and sleepsacks around here! Especially those with the funky patterns –"

 

"Penfold…"

 

"Yes, Lady Belphebe?"

 

"…Shush!"

 

"Yes, Lady Belphebe."

 

She went on, "You’ve done a lot for little furry creatures, because you love animals very much. A human like you is very welcome here under the Rainbow Bridge." She looked around. "It’s a shame that there aren’t any furkids here to meet you."

 

"I know." The human sighed. "But I never had any confidence in myself owning pets of my own. When I was a kid, I went through toys like they were going out of style. I don’t think I had one for more than a few weeks before I broke it or lost it outside. I guess that I figured that, with a terrible track record like that with toys, I would be even worse with a pet. A pet is a major responsibility, and I never felt that I was good enough to accept that."

 

Lady Belphebe replied, softly, "And yet you loved little animals. You had tons of fun playing with kittens, ferrets, puppies, even your neighbor’s Great Dane. And whenever a friend’s furkid had to say good-bye and come here, you were there to comfort them, and you cried with them. And whenever you sat and visited your friends, you always ended up with a furkid sleeping in your lap. The animals could figure you out, you see. They knew that you love them. And they loved you right back."

 

The human said nothing to this for a time. Then he shook his head and replied, "Yes. It’s true. I loved all of them." He smiled. "Even my cousin’s albino kit that drew blood the first time we met.

 

"There’s something special about the love that a pet feels for a human. It’s so simple, and so complete. I could feel that with my friends’ furkids. But I kept that love away, because I didn’t think that I was worth it."

 

Penfold said, "You felt that others could take better care of the animals. Because you love the animals so much, you denied that love for yourself. That’s quite a sacrifice to make."

 

The human sadly said, "Yes. I know. I missed out on so much. And now it’s too late for me."

 

Lady Belphebe smiled. "Well, now, maybe it’s too late – and maybe it’s not. Maybe that’s why you’re here." She looked off in the distance and said, "Why, look at that – a horse! And it’s coming this way! Goodness me, whyever would a horse be coming here? And it’s carrying a bundle! Could there possibly be something in it for you?"

 

The human looked around, and was surprised to see that two ferrets were riding on the horse’s back. He couldn’t tell what the bundle was from its shape. Had he been closer, he would have heard a giggle, followed by a loud Shhhh!, come from inside. As the horse rode up, the bundle was completely quiet.

 

The sable ferret on the horse’s back said, "Hello, sir. We have something here for you. Hopefully it meets with your approval." The horse gently set the bundle on the ground in front of the man.

 

The blanket fell open, and inside were eight little furry faces. And eight voices, as one, said, "HI! WILL YOU BE OUR DADDY?"

 

The human's jaw dropped open, and he sat back on the ground. He never said a word. He just broke into a big grin and held his hands open.

 

Immediately eight little bodies were swarming over him, each little kit trying to give him as many kisses as possible. He laughed and cried and kept giving every one of them hugs and kisses, over and over. He looked into eight pairs of little eyes, and he knew that he loved them all.

 

Silver said, "I’d take that as a Yes."

 

Elder John Reid smiled and watched the new Daddy and his furkids playing and loving one another. There were formalities to go through, but this looked to be a successful adoption. Behind him, Tonto said, "What are you thinking about, John?"

 

The sable ferret replied, "About how good a team we make. About how we did something important today, and about how good that makes me feel. I know now what it feels like to be a hero."

 

He looked over his shoulder and grinned. "And I just have to say that this has been the most fun that I’ve had in a long time."

 

Tonto smiled back. "That’s good to hear – Kemosabe."

 

Elder John looked down at Lady Belphebe and Penfold, and said, "Our work here is done. We must be on our way. All, right, Silver – let’s go, big fellow!" And the horse galloped away.

 

Lady Belphebe said, "You know, John really makes a fine Elder. He just needed some way of figuring that out. This little adventure was just the thing for him."

 

Penfold didn’t reply. He just watched Elder John Reid and Tonto as they rode off into the distance on the back of a mighty horse named Silver. Then he grinned and said, "I’ve gotta say it! Somebody's gotta say it! You know that it’s gotta be said!"

 

"What do you mean? Say what – Oh!" Lady Belphebe looked at her friend and shook her head. She smiled and said, "All right, go ahead and say it. Get it out of your system."

 

Penfold drew himself up and asked, "Who was that masked man?"

 

Some distance away, on a small hill, a white horse, with two ferrets on its back, raised up on its hind legs and pawed at the air. And a clear voice could just be heard, shouting, "HI-YO, SILVER!!"

 

THE END

 

Copyright © 1999 Paul E. Jamison