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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Ferret Was Legendary

In a life that has been dotted with pets, the ferret seems to stand out.  Now I'm a little more conventional, at least in the pet department.  One dog, currently snoring on the couch.

But back to the purpose of this post and really, it's not the ferret.  But if you give me time I'll get there.  First off, the ferret has been gone for quite a few years.  He lived a good life before going off to ferret heaven.  So when he became the topic of conversation when a good friend came to town and I went for coffee with her and her daughter it was rather a surprise.  Especially when my friend's daughter told me that the ferret was legendary.  That made me stop.  This young lady had never met the ferret but she'd heard stories of his exploits - legendary stories.

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Now I have to admit that Scooter (yes, he was not blessed with an original name) had some unique qualities.  One, he loved red licorice - absolutely manic for it, two he loved sleeping beneath the cushions of a hide-a-bed we had at the time.  When company would come he would emerge, sneak up on them and nip their ankles.  Then he'd dance backwards and chatter in a manner that couldn't be anything but ferret laughter.  No one forgot Scooter. 

But what makes something legendary?  And specifically what makes a story legendary?

We all know those stories.  The ones we will never forget.  Sometimes one author is blessed with every book they write and sometimes it's just one particular story.  I find of all the legendary stories that stick with me, many were ones read in my childhood; L.M. Montgomery's Jane of Lantern Hill, Johanna Spyri's Heidi, Jack London's The Call of the Wild - just to name a few.  Most recently I was impressed with Stieg Larsson's Millenium Trilogy.  They're stories I won't forget.  Of course there's others - Stephen King's The Stand, almost anything LaVryle Spencer wrote, Ken Follett's Fall of Giants.  I could go on but my feet are going numb - yes I'm still sitting on my feet in front of my tiny retro coffee table that now functions as slash office.  But I digress - legendary stories - they all have the ability to draw you into a world that you will remember long after you turn the last page.  They're stories whose bindings once became worn with wear and who now I often load onto my kindle so I can reread them without ruining my paper copy.  Yes - another reason I'm glad the e-book exists.

Have you read anything legendary recently?

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com
 

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