Dolce's Story Chair: Caught

Welcome to the Story Chair

Dad: The renovations to the story chair took a lot out of me and mom. But wouldn't you know it, just as we finished a small tiny voice called out to me. It said: I has a story. I has a tale of abandonment, love, and redemption.
Dolce: That is so lame.
Dad: That was mean, Dolce. So what should I say to introduce this story?
Dolce: That's easy... Lost, Beloved, Found. To our furriend, Wintergreen...
Dad: You win, Dolce. To our newest furriend, Wintergreen; an Angels of the Rainbow Bridge Story: Caught...



Angels of the Rainbow Bridge: Caught

In a human lap, in a relatively unknown place, a small little kitten snuggled down into the only human lap it had ever known. It closed it`s eyes and laid down with the fullest belly it ever had. A small sigh escaped its little mouth, and with the only sounds to mark it`s passing being the tick of a large clock on a wall and the soft sob of its human rescuer, the little stray kitten slipped peacefully away.

Two Angels appeared in the room and hovered over the still form of the kitten and the human that lovingly cradled its furry body. Antonius was as shocked to see Elbereth as she was to see him. Given their diverging chosen true purposes, they had never met at a scene such as this.

"Elbereth." Antonius was startled to see his beloved angelic sister. "What calls you to the passing of a Lost One?"
Elbereth looked at her angelic brother puzzledly.
"Dearest Antonius." Elbereth replied. "I am here for the passing of a Beloved One."
"I have followed this tiny soul." Antonius explained. "For the last two weeks, I have watched and waited to bring him home and release him from his abandoned existence amongst the humans."

"This human soul." Elbereth pointed to the human woman that sobbed quietly as she held the kitten so that she would not wake her household. "Has claimed this kitten as a Beloved One. I felt the pull to Earth only minutes ago. The Bond has been made."

"I can still see her, Elbereth" Antonius stated. "She is a Lost one; forsaken by humans."
"Her name is..." Elbereth paused as she had trouble sensing the name-bond between the human and the kitten. "Her name is Wintergreen. They also call her Winnie. She is not a Lost One; she is Beloved."

"It is most strange that we were both called to this kitten's passing." Antonius replied. "But I would never deny a creature the eternal love of a human. Please take Wintergreen to the Rainbow Bridge and let her wait for her newfound human companion."

Elbereth nodded her head to her brother, and then she outstretched her hand towards the human.
"I bind thee to thy friend..." Elbereth repeated the vow that she had spoken at every passing of a Beloved Pet.

The void appearred next to the human's heart, but no energy would transfer to the still kitten in her lap. Elbereth sighed and released her binding on the human.

"I am sorry, Antonius." Elbereth said sadly, "The kitten is indeed a Lost one; for the binding would not hold."

"It is I that is truly sorry." Antonius replied as he prepared to release the Lost One's soul from Earth and take it back to Heaven. "She deserved to be loved and to give love in return."

Antonius pulled two feathers from his wings and prepared to bind them onto the still kitten.
As he laid them onto the kitten's body, the two feathers turned grey and disappearred in a puff of faint dust.

"Since I saw your Bonding fail." Antonius stepped away from the human and the kitten. "I would have thought this frail creature was a Lost One; but it repels the angelic wings I would give it to ascend to Heaven."

In what seemed in Angelic terms to be forever, but to a human only a couple of heartbeats; Elbereth decided to try something different. She pulled two feathers from her wings and placed them on the kitten's body. They did not turn ashen and blow away as dust. She pulled a thread from the hem of her robe and she bound the wings, as Antonius always did, to the still form.

"Bear with me brother, my singing voice is not as practised as yours." Elbereth tried to remember the words of Antonius's song as he took each Lost One home.

As she sang the joyous words of love and peace, the two angelic feathers merged with the little kitten frame. As she finished, she noticed that the kitten's spirit has not separated from its earthly husk.

"What did I do wrong?" Elbereth asked Antonius, who wiped a tear from his cheek.
"Nothing." Antonius smiled. "It was perfect. You have tried my gift, let me try yours."

Antonius held out his held towards the human female.

"I bind thee to this creature." Antonius repeated Elbereth's vow, "I take this as a promise of your love and devotion for this creature. I take it it not so that you shall remember her, but so that she remembers you as she waits in a Meadow under the loving gaze of God."

A small blue orb formed out of the void that Elbereth had started to form over the human's heart. It floated to Antonius's hand; much to his and Elbereth's surprise. He held it over the kitten's body. It crackled and sparked and the lifeless angelic wings turned from white to a rainbowish hue that danced happily in the light.

The kitten's spirit separated from it's earthly body. It shone with the faint blue light of a Beloved One, but it bore the wings of a Lost One.

"What do we do know?" Elbereth asked.

"We take her home." Antonius replied with smile as he bent down to pick up the kitten.

Antonius gasped as he hand passed right through the tiny angelic kitten. Elbereth tried and her hands also passed right through the kitten's body.

"It took us both to free her, but now neither of us can take her home to heaven." Elbereth stood dumbfounded.

"You cannot take her home." Another angelic voice sounded from behind the two Angels. This one was was younger and softer.
Antonius and Elbereth turned and saw their Seraphim cousin, Cirrin, standing behind them. He had grown bigger since he had been tasked as a Guardian Angel. His wings were larger and stronger, although still smaller than Elbereth's and Antonius's wings.

"This is now up to me." Cirrin stepped forward. "I have tried to keep this one safe. I even thought that pushing it out in front of that car might give it a fighting chance for a longer life."

He placed one hand on the kitten's body and the other on it's newly freed angelic spirit.

"Wintergreen." Cirrin said softly and sadly. "I am your Guardian Angel. I am here to protect you. And when all else fails, I am to take you Home."

With that, there was a bright flash of light.

Antonius, Elbereth and Cirrin, holding Wintergreen in his arms, suddenly stood at the meadowside edge of the Rainbow Bridge.

Antonius knew what he was supposed to do. He took Wintergreen from Cirrin and for the first time in his entire existence, he walked onto the Rainbow Bridge. As he expected, his sister, Dulcinea, met him at the halfway point.

"This creature cannot cross yet." Dulcinea said."It's Beloved Human has not yet arrived to cross to Heaven with her."

"Dulcinea," Antonius replied. "I have one more burden for you to bear. This kitten is both a Lost One and a Beloved One. Like you, she is caught between the Rainbow Bridge and Heaven. Will you take care of Winnie until her human comes for her?"

Dulcinea reached out her arms and took Winnie into her grasp.

"We shall both wait here." Dulcinea said with a wide smile as she petted a softly purring kitten whose wings fluttered happily. "I will hold this little one as a special trust between me and her human."
　
　
There are rumours from Those Who Have Gone Before that there is a tiny kitten that runs and plays on the Rainbow Bridge and greets every human and their friends as they cross into Heaven and that she sleeps lovingly nestled in the embrace of an Angel, as she waits patiently for her own Beloved Human.





The End

Thanks for snuggling with us, come back soon.

Dolce's Story Chair: Renovations are complete

Dad: When I started telling stories here at Dolce's Story Chair, I envisioned a large chair that of all us could sit and enjoy some stories that I had thought up. I used to put a really bad picture of a red chair on the blog to signify that this was a Story Chair moment...

I'm sorry. It was pretty lame.

Then my furry inspirations decided to help me out...

Welcome to the Story Chair

Dad: This is a place to tell stories! See the long puffy pillow! See the comfortable blankets for laying on! See the two kitty belly's that cry out for cuddling!




THE STORY GOES HERE...







The ending credits just like a big fancy movie...
Thanks for snuggling with us, come back soon.

Dad: So what do you think?

Dolce`s Story Chaiir: A Bridge to be Crossed

Dad: I promise to complete "Jingle and The Wishbringer" but stuff happened and I want to tell another story.
Dolce: I brought catnip cookies.
Baci: I has the leafy greens.
Bella and Chloe: We have the Niptinis and Meowgaritas for the adult cats on the left arm of the Story Chair.
Dad: I don't think my stories are that bad...
Bella: They're not. We are serving singles for now...
Chloe: If the plot line drags too much, we may jump to doubles.
Dad: Girls are so mean...
Baci: Just tell the story. I can see that Magoo has already arrived and is sitting next the feathers. Oooh! Fevvvvers!
Dad (nodding to Magoo): Before Baci attacks the feathers, here is A Bridge to be Crossed...



Summer is supposed to be at time of growth; a time when all things apon the Earth are trying thrive. It is a time when flowers bloom and birds fill their nests and the air is filled with scent of potential that has not yet been fufilled. This current summer had a potential that no one in the McCoy family was anticipating or yearning for it fufill; their beloved matriarch of eighty-two years was slowly slipping from this earth and reaching for the next.

Around the beloved mother, grandmother and great grandmother stood three generations. Each was called to bear witness to passing of a beloved member of their family.

Off in the corner hovered two angelic beings; one was darkly robed and had wings that glistened with the colours of the night, the other was simply robed with wings of purest white.

"Are you ready, dearest sister" the darkly winged being asked his companion.
"Yes." The other angel replied as she pulled a small glowing ball of energy from beneath her robes.

The dark robed angel hovered over the bed of the elderly human. He pressed his fingertips onto her forehead. The woman's eyes widened as she beheld something that she could not share with her family. The angel and the elderly woman smiled at each other and they both waited patiently.

"Now me know, beloved of God." the dark robed angel softly spoke, "I am the Angel of Death. I have come to release you of all your earthly burdens. I come not to destroy but to give everlasting peace. Will you accept my gift?"

The elderly woman gave a faint gasp and then her body laid peacefully still.

The Angel of Death looked to his companion and nodded.

The other Angel held out the glowing orb of energy and placed in onto the elderly woman's chest.

"By your vow." the Angel sang. "I bind thee to your promise."

The orb crackled and flashed. A small piece broke off and hovered in the air over the woman's body. The remaining portion elongated until it covered the elderly woman's entire body. A final electic snap separated the woman's physical from her spiritual being.

There before the two Angels stood an human female. She was now longer cowed by the ravages of time of her earthly existence.

"What happened? the woman asked.

"It was your time." the dark robed Angel replied. "I no longer have claim apon you. What you must do next is up to my sister, Elbereth."

The Angel of Death bowed to his sister and then he disappeared into the ether. The woman looked at the other Angel.

"Are you to decide my fate?" the woman asked.

"Oh No!" Elbereth replied, "You decided your own fate. I am here to remind you of a promise you made. Actually a promise you made several times over the course of your life here on Earth."

Elbereth pulled the small remaining orb from the air and placed it in the bewildered woman's hands.

"This is yours." Elbereth stated. "You will need it to call your friends."

"My friends?" the woman asked incredulously.

"Yes." Elbereth replied, "Each time one of God's creatures that you took into to your heart passed from the Earth, I visited you. Each time, I took a small piece of you spirit and gave it to them. It caused that ache you felt as you watched each one slip from the Earth. I told each of your beloved ones that what I took was not so that you remembered them but so that they would remember you. Now that you have also passed, it is time for you to call your beloved ones back to you. Will you follow me?"

The woman was stunned at the small orb that hoverd over her trembling palms. She could not find any words. She nodded affirmatively. Elbereth smiled and placed her hand on the woman's shoulder.

In a heartbeat, they both stood at the edge of a vast meadow. As far as the human eye could see, there were animals running and playing amongst the multitude of flowers.

"Cast your orb onto the ground." Elbereth instructed.

The woman looked warily at the ground then to the small orb in her hands and then back to ground. She could sense all of the spirits of her beloved pets as she held the orb. Her relunctance to toss that feeling onto the ground was noticable.

"Remember." Elbereth said, "I took this from you not so that you would remember your friends but so that they would remember you. Cast it onto the ground! Let them know you are here!"

The woman did not cast the orb onto the ground; it more or less rolled off her paralyzed fingertips and dropped to the ground.

As it hit, the orb dissipated into a faint blue wave that rolled across the vast meadow of the Rainbow Bridge. Every creature stirred as the wave washed over them; but unless they were bound to this human, they went back to their playing and cavorting amongst the flowers and the grass.

Four creatures did not return to their playing. Their ears perked up and their noses twitched with excitement. The first to respond was a small little beagle who was missing one ear and had a scar apon his right foreleg. He suddenly bayed at the smell that blasted into his nose. The two cats that were regarding the new sensation with a stern dignified resolve suddenly remembered days of snuggling and catnip treats and chicken pieces. A long flopped eared bunny sniffed at the air and thought of leafy greens and playing on a large well kept lawn.

The woman felt the presence of her beloved friend and she ran across the meadow to meet them. The beagle jumped and yapped happily at her. The cats rubbed and entwined themselves around her legs. The bunny sat and patienty waited for her to pick him up and cuddle him as she had done so many years ago.

Elbereth smiled and she gave the bunny in the woman's arms a loving scratch behind the ears.

"Beloved friend." Elbereth smiled to the woman as an angelic tear slid down her cheek. "The Bridge is open to you. Cross with your friends and be content forever."

"Thank you." the woman cried as she and her companions stepped onto the first shimmering stones of the Rainbow Bridge.

"My thanks to you." Elbereth replied, "It always warms my heart to see a human cross with their beloveds."

As she watched the woman cross the Rainbow Bridge with her beloved pets, Elbereth felt a large furry body rub against her robe. She looked down at smiled at the large grey cat that was butting his head against her leg and purring feverishly.

"Yes, Magoo." Elbereth smiled, "We can go and listen to a story."

Dolce's Story Chair: A Bridge to Be Crossed

Dolce: Dad!Dad!Dad!
Baci: Dad!Dad!Dad!
Dad: Dolce!Baci! Please take it easy!
Dolce: We asked Mom where you were and she said that you were at the Story Chair and we should let her sleep.
Dad: Well you found me.
Baci: Are you going to tell a story.
Dad: I have one in mind, Magoo`s visit reminded me of someone I have forgotten.
Dolce: Who is that. A fearsome heroic cat who rights all wrongs.
Dad: No, Dolce.
Baci: How about a young male cat who makes all the ladies swoon.
Dolce: Why would Dad write about Scout.
Baci: I meant me.
Dolce: Oh, a fantasy story.
Baci: Dad!!!
Dad: Baci, Dolce is just teasing you. Right Dolce.
Dolce: Yeah. Sure. Scout is 5 years old now. That is a mature male cat... Yeeroowww!
Dad: You are both fixed.
Dolce: I know. I`m fixed here in this place and Scout is fixed in his place. And we can`t unfix ourselves to meet someplace like Los Vegas.
Baci: I don`t think that Fixed means that.
Dad: I`m changing the subject. A furriend just lost a Bean that very special to them.
Baci: They don`t know where their bean is. That`s very careless.
Dolce: Dad means that they went to the Rainbow Bridge.
Dad: You are sort of right, Dolce. When we beans leave this earth we don`t go to the Bridge, we stop and pick up all the furriends who left before us and then we go to Heaven.
Baci: You`re not going to do that for us are you, Dad.
Dad: I made a promise so that I could talk to Magoo one more time. So, no. You will wait for your mom.
Baci: But you`re my Bean. You and I will cross the Bridge together.
Dad: No, my beloved. Your heart belongs to my heart; my wife. Now come here and sit on the Story Chair. See those those feathers on the far right corner. Those are Magoo`s message to us. As we sit here and tell stories, all of our furriends who are still at the Bridge can come and sit and listen and laugh and cry with us here at the Story Chair.
Dolce: Can we play and laugh and wrestle with them.
Dad: My first thought, Dolce, is no for they are no longer part of this world. But...
Dolce: What is but. It usually means something nasty from Baci that can clear a room.
Baci: Dad!
Dad: Sorry Baci, Dolce`s right. Back to what we were discussing...whatever is possible is up to whoever comes to the Story Chair. If they want to play and cavort with their furriends, that is up to them. This is a place I have created in my mind where I have decided that furriends can come and visit and where miracles are as common as a honked horn during rush hour traffic and wishes are simply difficult action plans, and the Impossible is the to-do list for R&D.
Baci: Okay. Where are we going, Dad.
Dad: We are going to find a Bean who is at the beginning of the last great adventure...
Dolce: Do we know this Bean.
Dad: Of course! It is all of us, sooner or later...




P.S. This is dedicated to my grandma, Margaret. The first crazy cat lady I ever knew. And the one who taught me how to make chocolate brownies and whose dinner bun recipe I still use twenty years later.

We has a sad

A furriend of ours had to rush off to the Rainbow Bridge yesterday.

Ceili

Her purrson blogged at Vancouver's Yeowtown. for a while. I know she hadn't posted in a while, but she is hurting very furry much. Please let her know she and Ceili are in your purrayers.

A faint voice at Dolce's Story Chair

Dad: I thought the Story Chair was bad before but this is so much worse. It is my fault I know, I couldn't find the right path for my story. And then...

Dad: And then my most beloved boy became an angel...


Dad: I loved this story. It was what I loved doing... Make you laugh, make you tense with expectation, make you cry, but always make you believe that in the end all would work out. But it didn't work out that way... Magoo was supposed to have the sniffles, a cough, a small chest congestion...instead we watched as he slipped away after the Vet's needle did it's humanitarian work. My beloved Magoo. I miss you.


One lonely night as I sat at the base of Dolce' Story Chair locked into to deep bout of melancoly, the air began to swirl and twist and fold upon itself until I no longer believed that I was at the ragged story chair that I had envisioned for my furriends in the Catblogosphere.













Magoo: I know this place. It's Dolce's Story Chair. It's been a while since I've been here.
Elbereth: Of course you do, Beloved one. This was the place your human created in his mind to bring you and all your furriends together. He wanted to bring joy to all those who would hear his words.
Magoo: I was in meadow playing with all my furriends just waiting for him and my mom to show up.
Elbereth: We cannot let you rest, Beloved Magoo. We have a request for you to make...
Your human visits the Story Chair he created in your sisfurs name from time to time but he does not call his furriends to hear his words nor does he share the joy that God has given his voice.
Magoo: What can I do?
Elbereth: Talk to your human one last time. Tell him to continue his stories for they give not only hope to him but to others as well.





Magoo: Dad...
Dad: Magoo?
Magoo: I have but a short time...
Elbereth: Cease, Magoo. Your human cannot hear your words until the Price is paid...

I looked at Magoo's shimmering form and at the glowing Angelic body before me..,

Magoo: The price I pay is that I shall not...

Dad(interrupting): The price I pay is that I shall not cross with any of my beloved ones. They shall all cross the Rainbow Bridge with my one and only beloved, my wife. None shall wait in the meadow of the Rainbow Bridge for me. From the breath I take at this moment to the breath that ends my life on this Earth, all creatures I love or have loved or will love shall cross the bridge without me.

Elbereth: The price is paid. Do you understand the covenant you have made?
Dad: I will pass from the Earth without anyone to accompany me. Even if I pass before my own earth-bound angel,my Wife.
Elbereth: Yes that is your pledge...

Dad: Magoo... We miss you so much.
Magoo: I miss you so much too. I have so many furriends here that it hurts. We talk about our humans and how much fun and love we had back in our old lives on Earth.
Dad: Have you shared the names of the humans that helped your dad along the way?
Magoo: The Angels know all the names of the humans that do what they can.
Dad: What do I do now?
Magoo: Remain true.
Dad: Pardon me, but what the hell does that mean?
Magoo: I was at the campsite at the fire when you retold the story of Jingles...
Dad: Please don't go.
Magoo: Dad, you are the Storyteller. I have spoken your name across the vast Rainbow Bridge Meadow. I will see you across the Rainbow Bridge.
Dad: Good bye, Magoo.
Magoo: Continue the stories, Storyteller...The magic in this chair can still bring us back to sit and listen and laugh. Even though we cannot touch you and let you know... Look to the corner of the Story Chair.. There are two Angelic feathers. All who have Come Before can fnd this place now...
Dad: There is a condition isn't there?
Elbereth: There always is; only when there are stories told and your loved ones are present, can your furriends cross the thresold between Heaven and Earth.
Dad: My furriends?
Elbereh: The Storyteller is wise. You told me that all cats you love or have loved or will love are covered by your vow. Your heart is vast. I have watched you cry tears over animals that you have never held or cuddled or even known. All creatures are bound by the stories their kind tells; from the Wolf that cries to the half-shapened moon to the frogs that croak at each sunset. Each talks of hope, contentment and love. Not much difference from that to a blog broadcast across the Internet...


Dad: I will be back...

My father gave me a mental kick

I talked to my dad tonight. I tried so hard not to get emotional like he had taught me as all men should be. Then he played the out all men have.. "Well, your mother..."

Listen and know this to be a truth, if your father ever says "Well, your mother...", he is trying to express something that is a repressed maleism. I have never told him this, but my father is my protractor, my straight edge, my compass. With him, I have been able to plot every path through my life. Not all have been happy or prosperous, but I have always ended up on the right side of right.

He told me tonight that my mom said that my story in "We are the Kitties, And We Writed You This Book." might be the guidance I and my family needs.

Damn him for being right. Here is the story that reminded me why Magoo was in my life and why I am a better person for knowing him.



Of Memory and Loss

Before I went to sleep, I decided that the next morning I would go and get a pet. I was not sure if it would be a dog or cat or bird or something else. All I knew was that I needed, no, wanted to share my life with another creature that would accept my friendship and affection.

As I slept, I fell into a deep dream.

There before me sat the most beautiful creature, neither male nor female. To either side of this wonderous creature, there were two indentical waterfalls with deep clear pools at their base. From each waterfall, the most crystal blue water cascaded down. I was entranced. Never before had I seen seen such beauty, such serentity.

Wordlessly, the creature motioned for me to come towards the pools at the base of the waterfalls. I noticed that at each pool, there was a small silver cup attached to a fine silver chain.
"Dip thy finger into the pool and taste." the creature said as it gestured to the pool to its left.

I did as instructed. As the clear cool liquid touched my tongue, my stomach clenched with pain and my heart pounded fiercely within my chest. A hollowness rang throughout my being that I feared I would never recover from.

"This is the Pool of Loss." the creature said and then it motioned to the other pool of water. "Dip thy finger into the pool and taste."

Warily, I drew my forefinger through the water of the other pool of water. As my finger touched my tongue, a joy so deep and pure touched my soul. A wave of happiness and wonder drowned the pangs of sorrow and loss the first pool had caused.

"This is the Pool of Memory." the creature said. "If you take one of God's creatures into your heart, you must be prepared to drink from both pools. Do you accept this as your covenant, your bond with one of God's creatures?"

Silently I nodded yes.

"Then drink from each pool." The creature instructed as it motioned towards the silver cups at the sides of the pools."For now they will bear no taste, but in time you will discover how much you have partaken of each."

The very next day, I went and found a kitten at a local pound. It was the smallest one of the litter and it was the one who seemed to need me the most.

I watched it grow and play and I revelled in the smallest joy it brought to me. But then without warning, it was taken from me in a way most sudden and cruel.

Once again I felt the pangs I had felt in my dream when I tasted the waters of the Pool of Loss. Only this time, I thought the pain would never leave. Then, I remembered the taste of the waters from the Pool of Memory. Slowly the pain of Loss began to subside, and was replaced with the joy of Memory.

Now I realized that I had drank more from the Pool of Loss than the Pool of Memory in my dream. But now I knew that the Pool of Memory brought more than enough comfort to offset the pain the Pool of Loss could cause.

I now bear the knowledge that each time I open my heart to one of God's creatures, I drink from the Pool of Memory and the Pool of Loss. How much I partake depends on each creature and that, in the end, the power of Memory is so much more powerful than the power of Loss.

How we are doing

Before he left us, Magoo gave a final MREOW. The Vet said that it was special. He gave his last breath as his heart stopped to say goodbye to us.

How are we doing?

This song says it all.

Everytime we see his picture we cry...

Heaven has a new Angel

At 8:08pm Mountain Daylight Time, Magoo Smith peacefully passed away while his Mom, Dad and Grandma placed kisses upon his furry head.

Magoo Smith 1996-2010

I was here.
I mattered.
I was loved.
I am eternal.

Magoo is feeling poorly

Magoo is not feeling very well. He collapsed as Grandma was getting his breakfast ready. He has to go see Dr.Nick. We are very worried.

Update: 5:20pm
This morning at 10:00am, my wife and I went to the Vet and met up with Grandma. Magoo was already in the incubator getting oxygen when we arrived. He was clearly in distress. His gums had turned blue which meant he wasn't able to take in enough oxygen on his own. The Vet said that she could not tell whether the problem was with his lungs or with his heart. But the most worrisome thing was that his heartbeat was so faint she could not hear it through her stethoscope. We had two choices: release him to the Bridge then and there or try to stabilize him. We choose to try and stabilize him.

We took him to the Emergency Vet Clinic. They also tried to hear his heart but his breathing was so labored it wasn't possible. They sedated him in hopes that once he relaxed they might be able to figure out what is going wrong. When we left him, he was receiving oxygen in a special cage as his heart and lungs are not doing what they are supposed to.

I made the mistake once before thinking that Smudge was ready to leave for the Bridge. I don't want to do the same thing again, but I am very scared that Magoo will not be with us very much longer. My wife is devastated as Magoo is her baby.

I am a coward as I am praying for Magoo to make the hardest decision ever for us.

Dolce's Story Chair - Jingles and the Wishbringer (Part 4)

Dolce: Dad.
Dad: Yes, Dolce.
Dolce: Do you have something to say to my furriends.
Dad: Merry Christmas? Happy Holidays?
Dolce: No! You promised a story. A full story no interruptions this year!
Dad: Dolce. Do you know what life is?
Dolce: Of course I do. What is it for Beans?
Dad: Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.
Dolce: Oh.
Dad: I am sorry. I didn't give your story the attention it deserved.
Dolce: You should be.
Baci: Chicken! Chicken! Chicken! Chicken! Chicken! and Ham!
Dad: Was that Baci?
Dolce: Just ignore him. Please. Just Ignore him.
Dad: The reason your story has been delayed, paused, stopped, interrupted is that sometimes your bean's brain writes more than a simple blog can contain. This years story grew a bit larger than intended. So I had to sit back and refocus the story. The story I would tell you and Baci as you curled up beside me next to our fireplace with your mom and grandma baking gingerbread in the kitchen.
Baci: Is there chicken in Gingerbread?
Dolce: No, stoopid brother. Otherwise it would be called Chickenbread.
Baci: Ooohmm! Chickenbread!
Dolce: Baci! You're drooling again on the Story Chair.
Dad: Before Dolce and Baci start arguing again, let me start the much delayed four chapter of ...


Jingles and the Wishbringer

Sammy, Tinker and Myrrh rode for many days on Sangilak's warm furry back. Myrrh even found herself falling asleep curled into a tight little ball in Sammy's lap. Tinker rode for the most part, but he also ran along Sangilak's side. He ran until his shorter legs could no longer keep up with the lanky Husky and then he jumped back up onto Sangilak's back and curled up next to his sister, Myrrh. Sammy sat upright and took in the sights and sounds of the forest and meadows they passsed through.
Sammy found the scenery quite beautiful. Although he was getting a little homesick for his warm fire and freshly baked cookies and hot chocolate from the Workshop cafeteria. He shifted his weight on Sangilak's back as he felt a twinge grow in his lower legs. Sammy looked down at Sangilak's back. There was something different about Sangilak.
"Are you doing okay, Sangilak?" Sammy asked as he shuffled his weight around.
"I feel fine." Sangilak replied. "I have not had this good of a run in a long time. Why do you ask?"
"It feels different back here." Sammy stated as he tried to move his tail bone off of the Husky's spine. "Are you getting taller and thinner?"
"I don't think so." Sangilak mused. "But I have never ran this long this far before."
Sammy nodded quietly and he went back to admiring the scenery and gently petting the two cats curled up asleep in his lap.
The strange foursome headed south for another week and a bit. The days had grown darker and darker a little bit at a time.
"I hope that Jingles is okay." Tinker said as he scampered next to Sangilak.
"I w..." Myrhh started to speak, but quickly caught herself. "I hope that everyone at the North Pole is okay too."
Sangilak turned his head to look at Myrrh. His brow furrowed slightly.
"They will be okay." Sammy stated. "As long as Jingles keeps the TiDE from going out, the North Pole will be on a different time than the rest of us."
"What about Christmas?" Tinker asked. "What if we don't find the problem by then?"
"We have until Christmas Eve. We can slow time or speed it up but we cannot go backwards. It is the same technology that permits Santa to visit all the children who believe in one night." Sammy said. "Once the TiDE is allowed to go out, the North Pole will race to match up with us. To them it will be as if nothing happened. Santa will get on his sleigh and will make his rounds like he does every year."
"That all sounds very complex." Sangilak said.
Tinker looked up at Sangilak. The great Husky's voice sounded a bit deeper and had more of an edge than it had when they first met. Tinker noticed that Sangilak was also looking more like the wolves that had nearly captured them in the forest. Tinker hopped up onto Sangilak's back.
"Sammy." Tinker tried to whisper so that Myrrh and Sangilak could not hear him. "I think Sangilak is changing."
"Yes, he is." Sammy whispered back. "I don't know how. I didn't hear Myrrh make a wish and when I asked her she said she has not made a wish."
"Should we be worried?" Tinker asked.
"I don't know." Sammy replied. "No matter what his exterior, Sangilak's heart is true. He has done nothing to deserve our fear."
"Okay." Tinker replied as he hopped back down to run in the light snow.
Neither Tinker nor Sammy noticed the penetrating stare Sangilak gave each of them.

Soon the foursome found themselves at the edge of a large human city at the dawn of the darkest day of the year. Sangilak stopped a good distance from the edge of the city.
"This is as far as I can take you." Sangilak stated. "I cannot go into the city with you."
"Why not?" Tinker asked as he leapt off of the Husky's back, "We can cover so much more distance with you."
"Although I was once a trusted friend of humans. " Sangilak replied, "I will no longer be welcome within their midst as a free creature."
"Why not?" Myrrh asked as she dropped to the ground and sat beside Sammy and Tinker.
"Because of you." Sangilak stated as he turned his great blue eyes firmly on Myrrh. "I never told you how I found you in the woods. While I was wandering in the Forest after being abandoned, I felt a voice calling me. I then caught your scent on the Great Northern Wind. It was like a brilliant blue ribbon floating through the trees. You called me, Myrrh. The Wishbringer called and I answered."
"No I didn't." Myrrh stammered as she shuffled her gaze from Tinker to Sammy and back again. "I promised them I wouldn't."
"Are you sure?" Sammy asked. "Back in the forest, when we were all cold and tired, you didn't make a little wish?"
"I'm sorry." Myrrh said softly. "I didn't say it out loud, but I did wish that we didn't have to walk anymore."
Sammy frowned slightly.
"I think that you not only brought our friend Sangilak to our rescue." Sammy mused, "But I think you also brought the wolves. One way or another, that night in the forest, we weren't going to have to walk anymore."
"I'm sorry." Myrrh started to sob.
"Don't cry, Myrrh." Sangilak nudged the cat with his great nose. "Once I found out that you are the Wishbringer, I have been making a wish everyday."
"What wish would that be, Sangilak?" Tinker asked.
"I have long been part of two worlds, but never belonging to either." Sangilak replied sadly. "Abandoned by humans, untrusted by wolves. My wish was to belong to one or the other. I thought that by taking you to the human world, I could once again live and be loved amongst humans."
"But instead, You're becoming a wolf." Tinker finished Sangilak's thought. "I thought you were looking more and more wilder."
"I made a wish." Sangilak said, "And the Wishbringer answered. I must go now. You only have a short way to travel to reach the human city."
"We would have never made it this far without you, Sangilak." Sammy said.
"If you hadn't come along." Myrrh purred and rubbed her body against Sangilak's long right foreleg. "We would still be far far away."
"You have granted me my heart's desire, Wishbringer." Sangilak lifted his head and he sang out his first true wolf cry. Sangilak lowered his head gave Myrrh a playful nudge and then gave her right cheek a big slobery lick. "I have named you to the Winds, Wishbringer. You and your friends. None who listen to the Wind will harm you. Ever. That is my gift to you."
"Take care, Sangilak." Sammy said sadly.
"You too, my Friends." Sangilak replied.
"One more thing, the scent of something terrible floats on the winds from over there." Sangilak motioned to a group of human houses. "It blows with the colour of danger and of Shadow. Maybe that is the source of your misery."

Sammy, Myrrh and Tinker watched as Sangilak trotted away from them. Sangilak paused at a small break in the tree line. The three companions sat and listened to Sangilak's mournful wolf song as their departing friend tried out his new found voice. A soft stillness deadened the winter air. Then, in the distance another mournful cry answered Sangilak's question.
"Friends!" Sangilak had cried out. "I bear news!"
"Come friend!" the far off voices had replied. "Tell us your tidings!"
"The Wishbringer has come." Sangilak replied joyfully to the newly risen full moon.

"Angels, We have heard on High." Sammy hummed as he wiped a tear from his cheek.
"What is that?" Myrrh asked.
"Just another thing humans got wrong." Sammy smiled as he coaxed his two furry friends onwards.

Sammy, Tinker and Myrrh headed to the collection of houses that Sangilak had pointed out before his departure. It was a small cul-de-sac of ten houses. Nine of which were brightly decorated. One of the ten had a sparse string of white christmas lights upon its rain gutters. This was a house that was trying to be in the holiday spirit, but Sammy could sense that there was no hope or happiness behind the yellow glow of the house's decoration.

Sammy pursed his lips thoughtfully. Sangilak had steered them to the the right house. This is where he, Tinker and the Wishbringer needed to be.






To be continued....

Dolce Story Chair - Jingles and the Wishbringer (Part 3)

Dad: Dolce, Where are you?
Dolce: I'm here.
Dad: Why are you so tired today?
Dolce: Scout didn't transport home until he absolutely had to.
Dad: Were you up past your bed time?
Dolce: Just a little bit.Scout's brother Shaggy has a request; he can sit on your lap while you tell the story tonight?
Dad: As long as he knows that whoever is on my lap has the responsibility of turning the pages of the story for me.
Dolce: Shaggy is pretty smart; he can do that no problem.
Dad: When then, I guess I have a page turner for tonight's chapter. So let's all get comfortable and remember that we left off with Sammy, Tinker and Myrrh leaving the North Pole to find out what was happening in the human world...


Jingles and The Wishbringer


Sammy, Tinker and Myrrh walked steadily south. They only stopped for a few short hours at a time to grab a short nap in a quickly dug snow den. Tinker and Myrrh pressed their bodies against Sammy's to help keep him warm. Overhead the Aurora Borealis danced and flickered even during the day.

After trekking for many days, Sammy suddenly held up his mitted hand and brought the little group to a stop. He looked around and then he fished a strange pair of glasses from his backpack. The glasses had what appearred to be several snowflakes stacked on top of each for lenses. Sammy placed the glasses on his head and then adjusted the snowflake lenses on each side.
"What is it, Sammy?" Tinker asked.
"We are at the Last Marker." Sammy said as he pointed to something off to the group's right side. "We are now officially outside of the North Pole. The only way we can get back is if Jingles sends someone for us."
Tinker and Myrrh were suddenly frightened. They had not been in the human world since they were rescued from that cardboard box on Christmas Eve a year ago.
"Well all we have now is our wits, some North Pole engineering and Myrrh's gift." Sammy stated confidently. "if anyone can find out what is going wrong, it's us three."

Once again the three travellers began marching south and soon they began to see sporatic signs of human activity, but no towns or cities could yet be seen.

During their trek through a thick pine forest, Tinker suddenly bounded up to Sammy's side.
"Sammy." Tinker said in a low voice."I think there is something behind us."
"I know." Sammy replied. "It has been following us for the last couple of hours. I think it caught our scent as we crossed that last frozen river."
"Is it dangerous?" Tinker asked as he nervously looked backwards.
"I don't know." Sammy said. "It seems to be fairly large by cat and Elf standards and it is gaining on us."

Sammy and Tinker tried to get Myrrh to hurry up but she was having trouble moving through the deep snow. Whatever was behind the three friends was making great gains on them. Sammy thought he caught a glimpse of a furry dark body several times. He was somewhat worried that whatever it was it might mistake an Elf and two cats for a midday meal. He pulled a Snowstar Sparkler from his pack; it would not hurt the creature behind them, but hopefully it would scare it off if necessary.
"My paws are getting cold." Myrrh complained. "And this snow is sticking to my fur."
"Just a little farther, Myrrh." Sammy coaxed her on. "Then we will find some shelter for the night. I might even be able to get a little fire going to warm us all up."
"Oh."Myrrh sighed. "I would love a fire. I wi..."
"Myrrh!" Tinker shouted. "You can't say those words here in the human world. We don't know what might happen."
"But I'm getting cold." Myrrh snapped back.
"I'm sorry, Myrrh." Sammy apologized. "We will find a place where we can settle in for the night."
"Is it safe?" Tinker whispered to Sammy.

"I don't know." Sammy said softly, "But if we don't get your sister into shelter soon, she is going to make a wish. I have no idea what would happen afterwards. What if she wishes for warmth and then her wish melts all the snow?"
"We need to find her shelter right away." Tinker agreed.

They increased their pace over Myrrh's objections. Sammy kept reassuring her that there was shelter just up ahead just to keep her putting one paw in front of the other. Sammy and Tinker were so focussed on keeping Myrrh distracted that they failed to notice the dark shadowy forms that had stealthfully crept up and were now tracking the three friends on either side.
Sammy, Tinker and Myrrh came into a small clearing that had tall pines trees all around. The air was still and seemed to be a little warmer. Sammy stopped and looked around.
"I think that we should be able to stop here and get a small fire going." Sammy said as he laid his pack down on the snow covered ground.
"That's sounds good." Tinker said, "I'm getting a little cold, too."
"A fire would be wonderful." Myrrh said excitedly.

"I'm afraid we can't let you do that." A deep menacing growl sounded from the edge of the clearing. "You see my friends and I do not like fire."
Sammy's hand slipped into his pocket and he tightly gripped the Snowstar Sparkler as he watched four large wolves step from the cover of the trees.
"I have not seen your kind before." The largest wolf snarled as he slowly circled around Sammy, Tinker and Myrrh. "No matter. I am sure you will taste just fine."
"I want the fancy dressed one." Another wolf sneered as it crept closer to Sammy.
"You will wait your turn!" The largest wolf turned and viciously snapped at the other wolf who retreated quickly with a loud whimper.

The four wolves slowly moved towards Sammy, Tinker and Myrrh with their sharp pointy teeth bared and deep ferocious snarls emanating from their throats.
"I think if there was ever time for a wish it is now, Myrrh." Sammy said as he pulled the Snowstar Sparkler from his pocket.
"I can't." Myrrh cowered next to Tinker who was puffed up and hissing. "I'm too scared."
"Then get ready to climb a tree." Sammy said as he pulled the tinsel plug on the sparkler.
The sparkler in his hand began to pulse with a brilliant blue light. It grew brighter and brighter until it was painful to the eyes. The wolves pulled back slightly. The sound of something popping and crackling started to come from the heart of the sparkler. The wolves pulled back even farther, but there was still no clear path to one of the tall trees to provide safety from the hungry wolves.

Without warning, another large furry form bounded into the clearing and plowed fearlessly into the side of the largest wolf. The wolf was bowled over onto it side and it snapped helplessly at the new arrival, a large Husky with a thick white ruff and balck and silver sides. Sammy noticed that the Husky had the worn and tattered remanants of a harness around it's neck and on its side. It was the biggest Husky Sammy had ever seen. If not not for the harness, he would have mistaken it for another wolf.
"Whatever you were going to do, I suggest you do it?" the Husky barked.
Sammy tossed the sparkler into the air where it exploded with hundreds or brilliant blue and silver snowlflakes. The wolves yipped and whined and scattered from the clearing.
"Thank you." Sammy said.
"You had better climb on." the Husky said urgently. "These wolves will quickly recover their courage."
Sammy climbed up and was followed swiftly by Myrrh and Tinker.
"What is your name, friend?" Tinker asked and he sat in front of Sammy with Myrrh pressed tightly against him.
"Once I was called Sangilak." the Husky replied.
"Strongest of All." Sammy translated from the northern human tongue.
"Yes. That is what they called me." the Husky said. "Now hang on, I'm not known for my smooth gait."
"What are you known for, Sangilak?" Myrrh asked.
"I can run faster and farther than the Great Northern Wind blows." Sangilak said as he he bolted for the cover of the trees just as the four wolves overcame their shock and fear of Sammy's sparkler.

Through the trees, Sangilak ran with Sammy, Tinker and Myrrh on his back. Sammy held tightly to the old harness and Tinker and Myrrh held tightly on to him. The four wolves were in hot pursuit. They could hear their barking and snarling right behind them. Sammy even thought he could feel their hot breath on the back of his neck.

Sangilak had been well named and he lived up to his boast. He ran as though the Great Northern wind had lifted his mighty paws from the snow. Soon the wolves' cries began to fall away. Thanks to their new friend, they were safe. Sangilak ran true to his word, and he did not stop until they were safe.

"What brings you three here?" Sangilak asked as he slowed to a gentle walk. "It is obvious that you are not creatures of the woods."
"You two are housecats if my nose remembers correctly." Sangilak said to Tinker and Myrrh. His nose twitched as he sniffed the air about Sammy. "Your scent I don't remember. I do not hink I have come across your kind before."
"He's an Elf." Myrrh said as she balaned herself on Sangilak's broad shoulders."Elf?" Sagnilak repeated. "I have not heard that word before. But you smell friendly enough. Once again, i ask what brings you three here?"

Sammy told Sangilak about what was happening at the North Pole and what he and the two cats were searching for.

"Well, if you want to find a source of misery and hopelessness." Sangilka sighed, "Then it is humans you are looking for. There is a large human city a ways south of here. I will take you."
"Thank you, Sangilak." Sammy said.
"Don't thank me too soon." Sangilak laughed. "Especially after you have been riding my back for several days."

Sangilak found his strength again and he resumed his long striding pace southwards to the human city.

To be continued...

Dolce's Story Chair - Jingles and the Wishbringer (Part 2)

Dolce: Dad, our furriends are arriving! Time to start the second part of the story!
Dad: I'm coming, Dolce.
Dolce: What's taking you so long?
Dad: Maybe, if you helped around the house.
Dolce: I do help out. You bring my mousies from under the sofa, and I puts them right back.
Dad: That's not the help I was thinking of.
Dolce: If you think I am going anywhere near the Sucky Monster, you are on kitty crack.
Dad: Dolce.
Dolce: Yes, Dad?
Dad: Let's start the story...
Dolce: Okay, I am going over there to cuddle with Scout.
Dad: Okay, You do that. Now let me see where were we... That's right... Jingles had just been given a cryptic message. So here it tonight's chapter of...

Jingles and The Wishbringer - Part 2

Jingles and Tinker strolled along Marizpan Lane. Jingles was clearly upset. His tail twitched from side to side and he jumped at every unexpected noise. Tinker looked at his adopted brother and worried that Jingles was hiding something bad from him and his sisters. Jingles had been this way for nearly three weeks.
"Is there something wrong, Jingles." Tinker asked.
"No," Jingles replied quickly. He paused and then continued. "Yes. The Elfish Builder's Guild has noted some very peculiar failings in some of the buildings at the edge of the town."
"What do you mean peculiar?" Tinker sounded out the strange new word.
"A bunny hatch freshly built suddenly collapsed." Jingles stated. "And then a Sled Shop crumbled to the ground."
"Was anyone hurt?" Tinker asked.
"Luckily not." Jingles sighed, "But Mrs. Hopsalot and her fifteen children were just outside in their winter garden when it happened. It was far too close of a call for Santa."
"Why are we going there?" Tinker asked. "Wouldn't the Guild be the best ones to figure out want went wrong?"
"They are already there." Jingles turned his head and looked at the younger black kitten. "They are stumped. There is no sign of rot or weakness in either of the structures. They asked for the North Pole's resident engineering genius to come take a look."
"Genius?" Tinker blushed. "I'm flattered."
"Don't get too goofy."Jingles countered, "Or I'll tell your sisters, Myrrh and Cookie."
"Don't please." Tinker begged, "They will tease me mercilessly."
"Yup." Jingles agreed, "That's what sisters do."
Jingles and Tinker spent the rest of the day and all of the next with the Elfish Builders Guild going over the Sled Shop and Mrs. Hopsalot's hutch. Tinker talked a long time with the Elves. He sniffed the wood and the bricks and he paced about each site. Tinker and the Elfs were unable to fathom why the two buildings had collapsed. Both of the structures had simply ceased to hold together and had fallen apart where they stood. Tinker and the Elfs would have spent more time at the two sites, but then word came that another building had also suddenly collapsed.
In the four weeks that passed since the first collapse, eight more structures at the North Pole mysteriously fell to the ground. Soon, everyone at the North Pole was very worried. Rumours began to prop up in the Hot Chocolates Houses and Cookie Shacks around town. Some elfs were whispering that the Magic of Christmas was starting to falter. Santa himself was beginning to get worried.
Jingles, Sammy and Tinker were busy working on Santa's sleigh when Myrrh and Cookie entered the shop. They were each carrying a small basket of breakfast cookies, one basket was for Sammy and the other for Jingles and Tinker. Sammy fetched five mugs from his work bench and poured each of them a draft of Hot Chocolate. As they sat on Santa's sleigh and munched on the cookies and sipped their hot chocolate, Sammy looked at the cats and smiled.
"You four are quite the crew." Sammy Sleighmaster smiled. "It's like you have been here forever."
"I love it here." Cookie sighed. "All the wonderful smells and food."
"I like all the stuff to play with and fix." Tinker said over a mouthful of cookie.
"I wish that every cat could be as happy as we are here." Myrrh stated.
The hackles on the back of Jingles' next stood up and he dropped his cookie onto the floor of the sleigh. He did not know why but something told him to send Cookie away. Something terrible was about to happen.
"Cookie." Jingles said forcefully. "I need you to go and find out from Santa the pattern of the building collapses in Old Town."
"Wouldn't Tinker understand that better than me?" Cookie asked with a scrunch of her nose.
"Please, Cookie." Jingles pleaded. "Just do it."
Cookie shrugged her shoulders and then she bounded off the sleigh and headed to Santa's office to do what Jingles had asked. Jingles watched as Cookie disappearred out of the mechanical shop.
"Sammy." Jingles turned to the Elf in charge of keeping Santa's sleigh running. "Maybe the problem is with the Time Displacement Engine."
Sammy smiled and nodded to Tinker.
"Jingles." Sammy said. "I see you have reading up on your Licorice String Theory. Now if you could just grasp Einstein's Sugar Snowflake Theorems."
"I w..." Myrrh started to speak.
"Myrrh, please hold that thought." Jingles held his paw up to interrupt Myrrh.
"Sammy, maybe you should cycle it a bit." Jingles said as he gave Tinker a wink. "That should work right, Tinker?"
"Uhhh." Tinker stammered, as what Jingles was saying made no sense. "Sure, Give the TiDE a cycle."
"Okay." Sammy said as he turned a small sugar cookie shaped dial on the Time Displacement Engine. "Get ready we are going to freeze things for a second."
As soon as the dial turned, Jingles, Tinker, Myrrh and Sammy dropped out the time stream of the North Pole and returned to the same time as the human world. There was a slight whirr as the countdown clock started to run.
"Sorry to interrupt you, Myrrh." Jingles said. "What were you going to say?"
"I wish we could fix this." Myrrh said with a slightly petulant pout.
Jingles let out a faint gasp. Sammy and Tinker felt something in the air change. They could no longer hear the whirr of the TiDE's countdown clock.
"Shades of Evergreen." Sammy exclaimed, "What just happened?"
Jingles told Sammy, Tinker, and Myrhh about Elbereth's visit two months ago and about the message she gave him.
"I believe that you are the Wishbringer." Jingles said solemnly to Myrrh. "I knew it as soon as I heard you say 'I wish'."
"But why did you send Cookie away." Tinker asked.
"Whenever Myrhh and her were around together, I felt like something terrible was going to happen." Jingles said, "That is why I have been so..."
"Grumpy" Tinker added.
"Yes, Grumpy, the last few weeks." Jingles admitted. "Elbererth's message has been in the back of my mind everyday since. Then today when Myrrh said that she wished that all cats could be as happy as we are here, it became clear to me. Myrrh`s wishes have no power at the North Pole, because the North Pole is one gigantic wish full of hope and joy. It`s like a single rain drop in an ocean. But in the human world..."
"Her wishes would be like a rainstorm in the middle of a drought.`Sammy stated.
"Hope and Joy have faded somewhere in the human world enough to cause the problems here at the North Pole." Jingles said. "You three have to go and find out what is wrong and then fix it. Can you do that?"
"Why can't you come with us?" Tinker asked.
"Because someone has to stay and watch the TiDE." Sammy realized, "The TiDe will keep the North Pole safe, until we get back. But if it resets with no one here, then the others will have no way to get back to the North Pole."
"I will stay here."Jingles nodded."You three need to get provisions and then head south to the human world. Find the source of the lost hope and joy. Once you find it, turn on an emergency beacon. Once I see the signal here on the sleigh, I will reset the TiDE and I will come get you. Snowdrift should be able to make the trip alone."
"Sammy and Tinker, you need to watch over Myrrh." Jingles continued,"Some unscrupulous human might try and take advantage of her power. Myrrh, let no one know what you can do. I have a feeling that the magic will find you without you trying to find it."
Sammy, Myrrh and Tinker climbed down from the sleigh and began scurry about Sammy's workshop to find provisions and clothing for the long trek south. Soon they were ready to go. They stood in front of the open service bay of Santa's sleigh and stared at Jingles.
"Go, I will be here when you get back." Jingles commanded, and as he watched his adopted family start to walk out of the workshop, he called out. "Just remember, I can't do this forever."
"Jingles!" Tinker called back to his brother over his shoulder. "Me fix!"

Dolce's Story Chair - Jingles and The Wishbringer (Part 1)

Dad: Dolce, you and Baci did an amazing job of cleaning up the Story Chair. You would never have known I had ignored it. I'm sorry, Dolce and Baci and all our furriends.
Dolce: Just don't let it happen again. Do you know how we had to clean this? Trust me vacuum cleaners are not a Cat's best furriend?
Baci: We had to lick it clean!
Dolce: Baci! Shut Up! No one is going to want come over now.
Baci: But it's really clean. Cleaner than a human could ever get it.
Dolce: Baci, Please be quiet. Did you get the supplies?
Dad: yes. One ACME Company brand Hot Catmilk Dispenser with Catnip Foam Generator and One ACME Catnip Cookie Processor 2000. By the way where did you find this company?
Dolce: Saturday Cartoons. The Coyote seems to highly recommend it. You will have to stock the veggies and greens manually for our non-feline furriends. Suprisingly, ACME does not produce anything for Vegetarians.
Dad: Can I start telling the story?
Dolce: Yes, but wait. I need to warn our furriends that it starts a little sad and just a little bit dark.
Dad: Do you want to tell the story?
Dolce: Nope.
Dad: Then don't say it is sad and dark. There is some foreshadowing.
Baci: That sounds sad and dark, Dad.
Dad: Baci.
Baci: Yes,Dad.
Dad: Stick a catnip cookie in it.
Baci : Then you shoulda put a catnip cookie in it. Woo Ooo Ooo. Woo Ooo Ooo Ooo. All the single kitties.
Dolce: What is he doing with his paw?
Dad: I do not know. Anyways... To all our furriends, welcome to the first part of this year's story:



Jingles and The Wishbringer


Next to a wrought-iron stove with a gently crackling fire burning within stood a wicker cat bed with a thick plush red pillow. On top of the plush red pillow in the wicker cat bed, there was a fluffy young cat, with brown fur and dark chocolate points and pure white paws, sound asleep. Curled up nice and tight to the fluffy young cat were three smaller bodies all fast asleep, a orange striped cat with her head peacefully laying on Jingles' gently rising and falling chest; a white-mitted brown and black tabby with her head resting on her sister, Myrrh's orange striped tummy; and a fuzzy black cat stretched out along Jingles' back. It was late morning at the North Pole and no one had thought to wake the Santa's only feline citizens.

Jingles opened one eye and looked about Santa's office. The jolly old man was nowhere to be seen. Jingles might have worried about this but it was getting closer to Christmas and he knew that Santa had so much to do and to get ready for. From the corner of his eye, he saw a flicker of bright white.

He extricated himself from the limbs and paws of his adopted family and gave a great big stretch as he tried to coax some energy into his normally lazy limbs. Jingles looked towards Santa's desk that stood in the center of the room. There next to the desk stood the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

"Elbereth." Jingles whispered as his heart remembered the creature that stood before him.

"Hello, Beloved One" Elbereth smiled. "I bring you tidings."

"But Santa is not here." Jingles replied as he slinked out from under the pile of gently purring and sleeping cats.

"I have already brought Santa his scroll." Elbereth said. "I have left yours on the table. Do not delay in opening it, Jingles."

"The scroll bears no fear for me anymore." Jingles said. "Without touching it, I know of one name that it bears. I know that you took her to play and run at the Rainbow Bridge. Maybe one eon, when all this is gone, I will see her again; maybe at the Meadow or across the bridge. Tell my mom, Amaretti, that I love her and that I have missed her everyday since we parted."

"You are a Beloved amongst all Beloved Ones. I will gladly bear your message to your mother." Elbereth said with a faint smile. "But that is not why I have come to you alone. I come bearing a message from another."

Elbereth pulled a single black feather from beneath her cloak. The air chilled about the feather, and it began to sparkle with tiny fine ice crystals. Jingles' gasped at the sight of the lone black feather.

"Shadow." Jingles hissed as he instinctively moved to protect his family.

"No, not Death." Elbereth reassured the suddenly agitated cat. "A Prophecy from one who has seen Death."

Elbereth crushed the feather in her hands and she cast the fine powder towards the ground. A dark cloud swirled and floated to the floor of Santa's office.

"I am sorry." Elbereth said softly and then she disappearred.

The dust of the crushed feather fell to the floor in a peculiar pattern. Jingles read the words the dust formed on Santa's office floor.

"When Hope is Lost
And Joy not Found,
To Pay the Cost,
A Wishbringer is Bound."

As he mouthed the last word of the strange verse written in crushed angel feather, Jingles felt a terrible load fall apon his soul. An unexpected breeze gathered within Santa's office and scattered the message across the timbered floor. This message was for Jingles alone.


To Be Continued...

Dolce Story Chair starts tomorrow night.

To all our furriends,

The Story Chair has been all cleaned up and now looks brand new. The buffet tables are set up and ready for the treats our Dad has made (purchased) for our visitors. It looks all Christmassy.

We have fluffed all the pillows and freshened all the fuzzy blankets so there is plenty of room for all on the Story Chair.

So pop by and scope out a comfy spot for tomorrow.

Til then, Merry Christmas

Dolce, Baci, Magoo, Bella, Smudge and Chloe

The Story Chair is in a sorry state

Dolce: Dad has not kept this place clean. There's catnip crumbs all over the place and the catmilk has grown a nasty green fuzz. This is just gross!
Baci: Dolce! Dolce! Dolce!
Dolce: Yes, doofus?
baci: Dad said no more name calling.
Dolce: But that is your name. I checked on your adoption papers and that is your real name.
Baci: No, it isn't.
Dolce: Yes it is. You can go and check. I'll wait.
Baci: I'll check later. Dad said that we need to make sure the Story Chair is still usable. It's been so long since we've used it.
Dolce: It needs some serious cleaning. There is stuff everywhere.
Baci: Ewww! It's really dusty!
Dolce: I know. Humans are so messy.
Baci: But we has to get it cleaned up. Dad has a Chrissymouse Story for us. We gets to go and visit Jingles and Tinker and Cookie and Myrrh and Sammy and Taylor and Santa.
Docle: Baci, breathe. I know. I was helping Dad with the cat action sequences. Sometimes he doesn't get it. Luckily, he has me for quality control and editing.
Baci: So when does the story start?
Dolce: We have until this weekend to get the Story Chair cleaned up. Dad is going to start the story early this year so that none of our furriends miss it. But we need to warn them that it will be over six nights so they have to come back and visit often.
Baci: Will Dad keep the catnip cookies and warm catmilk going so that all of our furriends can visit and enjoy whenever they want.
Dolce: Of course, but first we have to get that weird green thing off the cookie plate.
Baci (nomming and crunching): It's a catnip cookie from last year. Surprisingly still tasty.
Dolce: Ewww!
Dolce: Furriends who have not been here for a while, please come back. Our Chrissymouse Story begins this Sunday...

Dolce's Story Chair: Jingles and The Wishbringer

Happy Purrthday, Dolce!

It does not seem possible that our little Dolce is not so little anymore.

It was shortly after we adopted her from a local rescue society that I started this blog.


4 years later...

She is still a troublemaker as she runs through the house leaping and jumping on and over anything in her path.

She is still my little girl who still likes to be held and cuddled and told that all her mousies are safely hidden under the couch where she placed them.

Here are her purrthday gifts...


Happy Purrthday, Dolce!

Baci Waits Patiently...

Baci::Logs into the blog:: Nope. Don't see anything. It's like elebenty furrty! ::hangs his head and logs out::

::Time Passes::

Baci::Logs into the blog: What! Still nofing? I fink Dad wents to work and he didn't write nofing in the blog.::hangs his head and logs out::

::Time Passes::

Baci::Logs into the blog::Let's see if Dad has gotten off his butt. Crappity Crap Crap! He's posted nofing! Absolutely nofing! I gives him until my afternoon nap to post somefing very important. If he doesn't, something is going to meet a toothy or poopy death.::hangs his head and logs out::

::Time Passes::

Baci::Logs into the blog::Oh no, he didn`t! There`s nofing on the blog about my Purrthday! My very important 3rd Purrthday! This demands retribution! If I let`s him get away with this, then other peoples might think it`s okay to not post purrthday wishes. This is not acceptable. The question before is do I poop in the shoes and then pee in them or pee then poop. Decisions, decisions, decisions. ::holds his head high as he goes in search of dad`s good leather shoes::

Dolce's Story Chair: Cast Two Stones

Cast Two Stones
A Story of the Angels of the Rainbow Bridge


Phineus and Persphone played amongst the multitude of animals in the vast meadow of the Rainbow Bridge. Kittens fought over bundles of discarded Angel feathers while puppies chased balls of tightly bound meadow grass. As the two Seraphim played and laughed with the all the creatures, they were asked many times by the creatures would now roamed amongst the vast meadow; Why were they there?
Neither Phineus nor Persphone could answer why each creature had found its way to the Rainbow Bridge. The only answer they could give was that because they were loved and the humans that loved them had asked for them to wait until they could be together once again. The creatures accepted this for a time, but as the years grew and the residents began to notice that some animals seemed to remain longer at the Rainbow Bridge than others. Several of the long-term residents asked the Angels, that came to visit and play, why they remained at the bridge longer than others.
"This is what I know,dear friends." Phineus explanied to the throng of puppies, kittens,foals,cats, dogs, horses and an immense swirl of feathered friends. "By love, you are brought here. For love, you wait on this vast meadow. With love, you will cross into Heaven with your beloved friend."
"Do they not know how lonely we are without them?" An ancient ginger cat named Norton asked.
"Do you know how lonely they are without you?" Persephone asked the ginger cat. "Do you know how many times they have looked to their doorway, hoping you will magically appear? Do you know how keenly they listen to every rustle or movement of air, hoping to hear a hint of your passing?"
"I did not know." replied a German Shepherd named Sarge. "We forget that they lost us just as we lost them."
"Beloved friend." Phineus wrapped his arms about Sarge's great neck."It is the blessing of this connection that made the meadow of the Rainbow Bridge possible."
"Be at peace, beloved friends." Persephone said. "Your human friends are always with you. Although you may not hear their prayers for you, we do, and we are truly humbled by the strength of their love."
As the throng of animals slowly dispersed and were distracted by the many wonders of the Rainbow Bridge, Phineus and Persphone were troubled by the doubts that the animals had shared. As Angels, they shared none of these troubling emotions. They knew of two Angels who had shared these human-like feelings, Malachi and Dulcinea; and the results had been heartbreaking for the Angelic host. Phineus and Persephone noticed that two cats had remained behind.
"Oreo" Phineus bowed his head to a older black and white cat that had the the outline of a heart on his forelegs when he sat just right.
"Ubee." Phineus smiled to a fluffy tabby kitten who sat next to Oreo.
"What can we do for you two?" Persephone asked.
"We was loved." Ubee stated as he looked at Oreo and then to the two seraphim.
"What Ubee is trying to say is that we were loved." Oreo reaffirmed.
"We know that beloved ones, that is why you are here." Persephone smiled.
"No, that's not it." Oreo said. "Our humans do not need to be told how much we loved them. At least, I hope not. I would think that a headbutt every night for eleven years would have been a bit of a clue."
"We help tell the next human how much they be loved." Ubee said.
"How will you do that?" Persphone asked.
"We don't know. " Ubee replied. "We finked you help us find out."
"Ubee." Persephone picked up the little tabby kitten. "I don't know but I have a friend who might know how to help."
"Oreo." Phineus held out his arms. "Do you want to help us?"
"Of Course." Oreo replied and he jumped up into Phineus's arms.

The two Seraphim flew far from the Rainbow Bridge with the two cats held tightly in their arms. Phineus with Oreo clutched tightly to his chest had a much easier time than Persephone who struggled with a very squirmy and excited little kitten.

They followed the great swirling creek that flowed under the Rainbow Bridge to its source; the long lost cherubim, Malachi.

The Seraphim landed and placed their companions at the base of the small outcropping of stone where Malachi now sat. Phineus and Persephone froze in their tracks as they beheld the sight of one of their own; trapped in the misery that only humans can create.

Malachi sat on his stone seat and forever wept the tears that human indifference towards God's creatures had caused.

"Malachi." Phineus tentatively approached his long lost brother. "We need your guidance."

Malachi remained motionless and unresponsive on his stone perch.

The four companions stood and stared at the still weeping form of Malachi. The answers that they hoped to find did not seem to be forthcoming. Ubee looked at the his three companions and then at Malachi's still form.

Ubee trotted over to the the stone ledge where Malachi sat. He tried to scale the stone to get to Malachi's side but his tiny little kitten arms could not find any purchase or foothold in the cold hard stone. As Ubee strained to climb up, two stones dislodged from Malachi's prominence and fell to the heavenly firmament at Phineus and Persephone's feet.

"This is what you seek." Malachi suddenly spoke.

Phineus and Persephone each picked up one of the stones.

"Give each new creature at the Rainbow Bridge a piece of stone, and have them cast one into each of the two pools." Malachi said slowly and sadly. "Phineus, my beloved brother. Since you brought Oreo, who bears a lifetime of love and happiness, your stones will be cast into the Pool of Memory. Each creature will now forever add their own strength of memory to its power. Persephone, my beloved sister. Your young charge, Ubee, was taken young, but was loved very fiercely for his tender short life. Your stones shall be cast into the Pool of Loss, where they shall remind all that time is but a fleeting moment to those whose heart is open to God's miracles."

Phineus and Persephone bowed to their brother Malachi, and then picked up Oreo and Ubee and flew them back to the Rainbow Bridge. They did not stop at the Bridge but proceeded well past it until they reached the end of the creek that flowed beneath the Rainbow Bridge. There they found the Pool of Memory and of Loss and the heavenly creature that guided any human who came to partake.

"Malachi sent us." Persephone approached the heavenly being and the two pools of water.
"This is I know to be honest and true of purpose." The creature responded, and then motioned to Persephone. "Give your stone to the little one. He must cast it into the pool."

Persephone handed Ubee her stone. He pushed it to the edge of the pool as best his little paws could muster. The stone tumbled over the edge and fractured the pristine glass-like surface of the pool.Although Ubee's life on Earth had been short and sorrowful, it had been full of love; the kind of love that can bear any amount of loss. The creature tensed as the stone broke the surface of the water. Persephone looked at her hand and saw that her stone was once again held within her palm.

"Give your stone to the one marked by love." The creature asked Phineus. "He must cast it into the pool."

Phineus gave his stone to Oreo who carefully let it slide into the pristine water. Oreo's life had not been short nor had it been excessively long but it had been full of many loving memories nonetheless. The creature smiled at both of the cats.

"Thank you for your gift to humans who might come this way." the creature glowed. "These pools were formed by sacrifice and desolation, but now with your gift they shall be refreshed with love and hope."

The creature looked at Phineus and Persephone.

"Go release your brother from his exile." the creature said. "His love for these creatures has given them the power to help humans without his own suffering. The three of you will now be given the True Purpose of providing two stones to each creature who enters the meadow of the Rainbow Bridge. They will bring their stones here and cast them into the pools. In doing so they will share their own sense of memory and loss with any human who chooses to enter into God's covenant. The pain of loss and the joy of memory the humans feel when they come here in their dreams will be that of every creature who has ever been blessed by them. The humans are no longer the burden of a single heart-broken cherabim. These feelings are now the collective love and sorrow of every creature who calls the Rainbow Bridge their temporary home."
"Did we help? Ubee asked Persephone who wept into his fur.
"Yes, Ubee" Phineus smiled as he placed a kiss on Oreo's forehead . "You and Oreo both helped. More than you may ever realize."

Happy Purrthday, Smudge!

Happy Purrthday, Smudge!

Today, you are elebenty years old. You don't look a day over eight.


Love,

Dolce, Bella, Chloe, Magoo and Baci

Grandma, Mom, and Dad