And Owl (tangent story from a children's tale)

And Owl sat down to make fresh tear tea. With pot on lap Owl thought of many sad thoughts, each making him tearful and the drops rolled down his sad cheeks into the kettle. He thought of half-eaten cookies, wilted flowers, unmade popcorn. Within minutes, he kettle was half, but his tears stopped. Why, thought Owl. Why can't I cry anymore? He jostled the kettle and realized there was enough to make tea, but still -- sad as it was, Owl couldn't cry any more.

The howling cold wind beat against the windows, shutters clanking back and forth. Owl was glad to be inside. The wind growled and howled, smoke from the fireplace oven toyed with coming into the house. The once-pleasant fire now hummed and cowerd. "Go away wind", Owl chided. The wind did not obey.

"Go away wind, you're scaring me." Still the wind did not subside. Fierce was the wind, rain coming with it in sheets. Thunder strikes, lighning flashes; a scary storm indeed. The candle beside Owl flutters, shaking itself. Owl's chair was no longer comfortable. He drews the blanket up around his chin.

Bam ... bam bam bam! The door quivered at the hinges, something was attacking the door.

Bam bam bam bam bam ... creak. The door was now slightly opened.

Whoosh! The wind belched open the door, then drew it closed again. In that instant, Owl saw something that brought him fear; no, terror. He wanted to jump behind the chair. He wanted to shout, "go away", but he was too frightened.

bam bam ba -- the door opened again, something stepped in ... the candle went out. Owl screeched, for that's what owls do. Only this screech meant, "Get out! Get out now!"

Clump, clump, clump ... wet footsteps. Owl dared to peek. In the flashes of lightning and the now weak fire he saw a figure at the door. It "hmpht" then pushed close the door. The door latched closed.

Owl tried to sit still, but he was quaking so much that the chair was alive with fright. Before Owl could speak -- for he wanted to scream again, the thing; the figure spoke.

"Owl? Owl? Are you home?"

Shocked, Owl knew this voice, still he had trouble speaking. He managed a peep and a squirk, but nothing else. The figure walked wetly over to the fire which found it's courage again. The wind was even less angry now. Sizzling from the drops of water hissed from the bricks. The figure turned to the chair, clearly seeing a shaking and scared Owl.

"Owl", dismay in his voice, "why didn't you open the door? Didn't you hear me?"

"I did" murmured Owl, humbled by the figures accounting. "I just ... I", but then words escaped him.

"Why, you're shaking Owl. Are you that cold? I think it feels nice in here", Ferret cheerfully spoke.

At last Owl found some bit of luck and said something he liked, "I, uh. Hello Ferret. Nice to see you." After saying it, he felt foolish, but it soothed him enough that he stopped shaking. The small room now looked smaller with his friend there, but somehow -- it was warmer. A smile crept across his wet face. He then realized that he had been crying and his kettle was overfilled. Owl, feeling stupid again stood and shook Ferret's hand.

Ferret grabbed his hand and pulled Owl over for a hug. "You fool. What have you been doing? I see and feel your kettle. It doesn't feel hot and I don't (sniff, sniff) smell tea. Mind if I sit down?"

Breaking the hug, "Yes, yes Ferret, sit down. I'm sorry that I didn't", his shame mocking him, "open the door. You see, I wasn't ... the storm ... you, see?"

Ferret didn't, but he let it go. "Now then, what's you say he put the kettle on the fire, eh?" Ferret did just that and the gales of wind and storm struck again, but Ferret seemed deaf to it all, ignoring even the loudest crack of thunder. Owl, was not so brave and flutterred his eyes with each crack of thunder. Lightning wasn't fun for him either. He hated the whole bit of it.

In a short while of silence between the two, the kettle spoke up, whistling heat. "I'll pour", Ferret chanted as he grabbed two cups and the hot kettle. The brave fire not only heated the water, but also krinkled up higher and lit up two friends' faces. Ferret sniffled, then sneezed into the fire -- pzzzt, "sneezes sizzle, then, right", Ferret joked with Owl.

"Oh, right. Ha ha", Owl surprised with the conversation and the comical sneeze. He happily took the cup of tea from Ferret. "Hmm ... smells good. I needed this!"

"You? I traveled through all of that. I'm the one who's cold", it sounded to brash after Ferret said it, so he continued, "but it's nice being insdie. Hey, Owl. (sip) What kind of tea is this? It tastes kinda, I don't know ... sad."

"Oh, that. It's not the tea. You see, I've been crying ..." Owl told Ferret about all of the silly things that made him cry, but then found that he could think of more, far more. Things he thought now were frightfully sad. He didn't want to mention them, but he stumbled away and started listing them.

Ferret, bemused by the start was sniffling again, not because of the cold, but rather because he too, now, was sad. "My, my. Have you been carrying all that with you all this time? I mean, man! That's so much for one person."

Owl stopped. He took a breath and the tears he had while talking with Ferret were finally gone. He was out of them, totally. Though sad-tasting, Owl could now enjoy his tear tea. Ferret quickly composed himself again, no longer sniffling and swigged his tea quickly. While neither paid attention, the storm had slunk away, for it was not longer the center of attention. With spatters on the windows, it threatened to return some day.

-----------not quite done, but------------

Sadness, shared with a friend, can lessen the load and a friend can help and find you, even when not called.