Once upon a time, in the Before time . . . a little spirit of the 4 legged kind called her loved ones together. She said to them, "this is my plan: I wish to be a Ferret. Ferrets are happy creatures. They bounce, they run, they play, they bring laughter and happiness to the world. Ferrets know true joy and know to share it. That would seem to be a good life and one with purpose. It will be mine and I will serve in this way. But for the first half of my life, I wish to know the emptiness of neglect so that in the second half of my life when I come to know love I will recognize it for what it is. I wish for my life to be difficult, to know pain and illness for through these challenges we become stronger, more perfect beings. I wish to know the confines of bars and cages, then to learn the joy of open air and sunlight. I wish to live in darkness so that I may hear, see and taste the goodness of the world. But I do not wish to endure these things alone" and she looked around at her loved ones gathered there. They all knew her road would be harder than most but the rewards would be greater and admired her for her wisdom and courage. Then she looked to the girl spirit, one of the two legged variety, whom she had summoned to her gathering. "Of you I have a special request. When it is time, I wish to die in a place where the grass is green and streams sing gentle songs and the trees whisper. Where the earth is clean, the flowers sweet and the air pure, that I may feel once again as one with the Creator. I wish you to teach me of these things, for they will become the essence of my personality and being. Then I wish you to return me Home, my journey completed." The girl hung her head in sadness for she loved all things wrought by the Creator deeply. "You ask much of me little soul, and I fear I will not be able to do as you ask. I fear the pain and guilt would be too much and would haunt me for all of my days upon the Earth, yet I do not wish to deny you your chosen path." The little soul, who had already acquired the form of a ferret, stepped into the girl's lap and looked up into her eyes. "Then we will make a bargain you and I." She once again looked about the circle of loved ones around her and made this promise: "I will bring to you my brothers and sisters of the four legged kind. I will bring to the chosen day a sister of your kind. They will share the pain you will feel and in doing so, ease that burden." A tear welled in the eye of the girl for it was not her nature to stand in the way of another's chosen fate, yet she knew that this would break her mortal heart. She feared her strength would fail her on the chosen day. Once again the little spirit looked into her eyes and seeing the pain there offered more. "Still I see this is too great a burden for you, so I offer you this: Return me to a place you and I will choose now, and I will go alone, thus freeing you from this difficult task." The girl's eyes widened in horror. "Surely you know if I abandon you it would be worse! Do you not see that this would torment me through the rest of my mortal existence? Never knowing what had become of you would be an unhealing wound. This I can not do." The littler soul looked into her eyes again and this time with greater compassion. "I will bring sisters and brothers of both kinds to share your pain and so lessen it. I will choose when and go alone as I see now I must. Any other way is asking too much. But I will leave for you a sign, proof that I have returned Home as is my Plan. In that way you will be spared a little. And afterwards I will stay with you until the grief has eased, the guilt is gone and you can once more remember there was a Plan, my plan, a plan of my own choosing." The girl looked up, one tear still upon her cheek. "It is still much you ask of me. This will bring pain to others as well as me. But you are dear to me and I see you are determined in this and it is, after all, your Plan. I do not do this gladly, but for you I will suffer it." And with the agreement made, a bargain struck, the lights of their two souls blended and brightened, each giving to the other.
Once upon a time . . . In the spring when every thing is green and sweet and the streams sing gentle songs and the trees whisper, a little blind ferret named Soda tread the last part of her journey alone and saw her plan fulfilled. She kept her bargain with the girl. She returned home but left the promised sign, the empty shell of her mortal body, to prove she had found her way. As promised her brothers and sisters where there to ease the pain, and also as promised so was the girl's sister. Plan fulfilled, bargain kept, she's Home.
We love you Soda.
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