At bedtime (1am) I walked into the kitchen. He got up and ran over to me. Both eyes were open and clear. He was sleepy but alert. I treated his eyes . Before putting him to bed we played for a while. Everything seemed fine.

I was woken in the early morning by a high pitch "barking" sound. It was Zeus. He was backed into a corner of the cage. His fur was standing up as though he had been frightened by something. I talked to him and petted him for a while. He seemed to calm down. He had a bit more Fuzzy Soup. He did not fight as I put him back into his bed.

I went into the kitchen this morning to find Zeus laying on the floor in his cage. He seemed too weak to stand. He was able to crawl over to the door when I opened it. His poor little body was trembling as I stroked his fur. A short time later he started "barking" again. That dreaded phone call to the vet was in order.

This afternoon I was able to hold him as we said our last goodbye. It was painful for me to see him leave, but much less painful than seeing him suffer.

Just last night I sent a friend a photo of Zeus laying on a towel. I remember saying something about the towels symbolism being disturbing to me. The towel was striped with pastels of yellow, blue, red, green. In the photo Zeus was resting comfortably on a rainbow background.

Maybe I was being fatalistic, or maybe I had a premonition, but a few nights ago I held him and told him about The Rainbow Bridge. I told him that when his time came he should not be afraid. I told him about Skeeter, Sandee. I told him to look for our beloved Guardian Lady. I told him that if it was meant for him to go I would understand.

One day God went walking through the clearings at The Rainbow Bridge. He loved to stop and play with all of his creatures there. He suddenly stopped as he could hear crying. "Crying? he thought. No, not here. The animals had all they could need. They were healed from their wounds, plently of food and water. Lots of space to run and all the toys they could want. Still he could hear it.

God peeked behind a bush and could see a little ferret. There was no doubt that tears were in his eyes.
"Hello little one" he said. "I don't think I know you. What is your name?"
The little one looked up, tears still in his eyes.
"Name? I don't think I have a name. The place I was before, they just called me "the animal".

"Well, little ferret, why are you crying?" asked God.
The ferret replied, "All my friends keep leaving me. We all play together and then someone comes. My friends rush off to meet the humans and then leave me".
"I'm afraid that someday I will be all alone".

God held the ferret saying, "You will never be alone. The Rainbow Bridge is only a waiting place until the humans who loved you come to be reunited with you. Then you will all go to heaven together".

God could see the ferret pondering. Finally the ferret spoke,
"Love? What is love? I don't think I have ever had that".
God explained to the ferret about love and caring.
The ferret burst into tears. "I never had love! The people used to hit me. They always yelled at me. They would leave me locked in a cage and not play with me or feed me".

Feeling sadness welling in his heart, God looked at the little fuzzy face. "I will send you back child. I will send you to someone who will show you what love is. But, it will only be for a short while".

Day by day this continued. Finally he was all alone in the cage. All his playmates had been taken from him.
"I won't let anyone hurt me again" was all he said to himself. He wondered why god had sent him back here. He was supposed to find out about love. This was not love. These were the same kind of people who hurt him before.

Then the day came when he could no longer look out the cage. They had placed him in a different container away from those people. He wondered what would happen next. Other hands reached out to him, he bit them as well.

One day he saw movement. He heard a strange sound and looked up. Looking down at him was a man. He laughed when he saw the man had whiskers kinda like he did. And the man was smiling at him. He could hear the "dookadookadooka" sound coming from this mans lips. Those were the noises that he and his friends made when playing.

Other people were in the room. One said, "That's the problem child. The one I told you about. He has bitten everyone who comes near him".
The man looked at the ferret and said,
"Nah! No such thing as a bad ferret. He's just misunderstood".

Ferret saw the fuzzy faced man reach for him. He let the finger get closer and closer. Slowly ferret backed into the corner. As the man reached him he bit. Then the ferret realized something. He was being lifted up while still holding onto the man's finger.

Ferret was surprised. Rather than being yelled at, grabbed, or hit the man spoke calmly and petted him. He heard the man say "C'mon little one. no need to bite. I'm not gonna hurt you". Slowly the ferret released his grip. The man held him and stroked his fur. Talking to him the whole time. Ferret felt so relaxed and comfortable with THIS human.

A short time later ferret tried to bite the man again to see what would happen. As he grabbed the finger the man put him in the bin saying,
"No - no bite".
Ferret was amazed that the man was so gentle about it. The man grabbed him by the scruff and dragged him around the bin saying "I am the alpha". Ferret knew this to mean the man was the boss. He was just surprised that a HUMAN knew what this meant.

Ferret was happy that this man played with him and held him. It felt so wonderful. But then the man placed him back into the bin. He was saddened to hear the man say "I have to go now little one". The lid closed, and once again the ferret was alone.

"Love?" thought the ferret. "I don't think I'll ever know what that is".

He could hear talking. A woman said "We don't know what else we can do. We're hoping you can take him rather than a shelter. He hasn't bit you so, he MUST trust you".
Another voice said, "I already have quite a few, but he needs someone to give him some special attention".
The ferret KNEW that voice, it was the fuzzy-face man!!

The bin opened up. The ferret looked into the eyes of the fuzzy-faced man. The man smiled saying, "Come here little one, we're going home".
Home? thought the ferret. A real home or like the last I was in?
Ferret was scared to think he would be abused again. But he trusted this man. God had said he would send the ferret to someone to teach him of love. Was this the person? The ferret was scared, but took the chance and went into the cage the man brought.

When the cage opened the little ferret was happily surprised. He could see a big room with all kindsa toys in it. He liked to play with the toys when he was at The Bridge. He looked over in the corner and there was another cage. it was the biggest he ever saw. And there was food, water, and one of those hanging blankies he heard other ferrets talk about. He wasn't certain if this was the "Love" or the "Heaven" God told him about. But he knew he liked it.

The man brought some people over to meet the little ferret.
One of them, a little boy said, "I think you should name him "Zeus". I kinda like that name".
The fuzzy faced man picked him up. "Did'ya hear that?" the man said, "from now on your name is Zeus".
Zeus - the ferret liked that name.

Zeus loved to run and play around with the man. One time he could hear other ferrets - they sounded happy. Old fuzzy-face man must have sensed this. He reached down and picked Zeus up. While stroking his fur he said,
"Yes, you have brothers and sisters in the other room. It will be a while before you can meet them though.
"Wow! Playmates! I'll never be alone again" was all the Zeus could think.
He enjoyed being with this man.
One night when Zeus was tired from playing, he went to lay down. He saw this curious blankie on the floor. The man called it a towel. Zeus felt so peaceful laying on it. It was colored like a rainbow, and brought some pleasant memories of his time at The Bridge.

Zeus began feeling kinda sick. It was hard for him to open his eyes. The man brought him to someone to find what was wrong. Zeus really didn't care for the medicine he had to take. But the man was so gentle with him. And that special food the man gave him, that Fuzzy Soup as the guy called it, it was soooooooo good. And, even though he couldn't see the man, he could hear him. He would follow him around.
Zeus thought of it as just another ferret game.

One night the man held Zeus in his arms and stared talking about The Rainbow Bridge. Zeus wondered how a human could know about it. But he soon found out. The man talked of another ferret at The Bridge. He called her their "Little Fur-Angel", and "Their Guardian at the Bridge". He said her name was Lady. He had remembered Lady from when he was at The Bridge. He rememebered how she talked about the human she loved. He felt soooooo lucky to be with this man.

God nodded, and, with a tear in his eye said,
"So you've learned what love is?".
"Yes", proudly proclaimed Zeus, "I know how wonderful love feels !! I am so happy!".
Zeus felt God stroke his fur, but he felt a chill. With tears in his eyes God said,
"I sent you back to learn about love.
Now that you have found it, you must return".

Return? Go back to The Bridge? Why? Zeus could not understand,
"Why? I'm getting better! The man takes good care of me. Look, even my eyes are open again! Please don't make me go back!"
"It has to be" said God. "Some day you will understand. But now you know that you will never be alone. You will always be in this man's heart, and he in yours. You have found that there are others that shared his love. You can wait with them until the time comes. Then you will all go on as a family".

"The power of love is great, but not without loss. Without losing someone they love, humans tend to forget. Losing someone they love makes their heart open to more love, they share it more and give it more freely. This man's love for you was mutliplied by losing someone before. You have learned what love is, and he will learn a greater love".

Zeus tried to protest, he was so saddened to learn he had to leave again. He tried to cry but a funny noise came from within. He barked almost like a dog. It must have been loud though, cause he heard the man wake up and come into the room.
The man held him crying.
"Please, no . . . you were getting better.
God, please don't take him from me . . . "

The man fed Zeus some more Fuzzy Soup. He felt so warm cradled in the mans arms. Soon he was falling back asleep and the man put him back on the blankie.

Later that morning Zeus was feeling sicker than ever. The man was crying as the man lifted him from the blankie. Zeus looked into the mans tearful eyes. He tried to speak but but couldn't, he tried so hard to say
'Daddy, I love you'.
He was surprised to hear the man say, "I know little one. I love you too. Our time together was too short. But, it's time for you to leave".

Soon Zeus was on the table where they gave him the medicine the first time. The woman there, Zeus rememebered her being called a vet, was so gentle with him. He felt the warm of the mans hand stroking his fur. Slowly eveything past again. He could no longer hear the crying or feel the touch on his fur.

When Zeus awoke, he was again at The Rainbow Bridge. God now cradled him in his arms. He could see another ferret there smiling at him, tears in her eyes. It was Lady. Lady reached out and hugged him.
"You are now my brother, I will never leave you. We will be together until the others come to join us".
Zeus felt the love and warmth in her embrace. It reminded him so much of what he felt with daddy.

Zeus looked Lady in the eyes. He smiled at her saying,
"We have a wonderful daddy, don't we?"
Lady smiled, "Yes, we do - we have a wonderful daddy".
Zeus turned to God,
"Thank you for allowing me to learn about love".
With that Zeus and Lady ran off to begin a day of play, both knowing they would never be alone.