He was in his 4th warm season. that was a long time for a muskrat to live. He had lived his whole life on this marsh.  As a young muskrat, he swam and worked and played with the other muskrats.  When he reached his 2nd warm season he was full-grown muskrat. He was lucky to have made it to his 2nd warm season.  Many of the muskrats,   born the same year as he, didn't make it to their 2nd warm season. For life is perilous for a young muskrat. And there are all sorts of things that can cut a muskrats life short. Mink and otters are natural enemies of muskrats as are foxes and coyotes. And there is also the trap. For muskrat fur is worth money. So humans trap them that they might obtain their fur.
But he had been lucky and he was always very aware of what was going on around him. And at the first sign of danger, he would head for the water and quickly swim away.
But now he found himself in his 4th warm season. He was no longer a young muskrat.  his senses had deteriorated as senses do when one grows old.
His hearing was not as good as it use to be. And although his ability to smell still worked it was nowhere near as good as it was when he was young. But the sense that had suffered the most was his sight.  The old muskrat was blind. He could see shadows but that was all. With diminished senses and with his sight all but gone he became easy prey for any predator that came along. But life went on and all he could do was go about his muskrat life and hope for the best. And so he did.  Each day He went about his daily routine.  He spent his time each day keeping his den in good repair. And each day he would spend time sunning himself on a log.   But when he wasn't, sleeping or repairing his den or sunning himself, he spend most of his time involved with food, either gathering it or eating it.  And one of muskrats favorite foods was the grasses that grew on the shore near the pond. They would go and get a bunch of grass then carry it in their mouth back to the pond. There they would either eat it or add it to a feeding pile for later. So he would go nearly every day up on the shore to gather fresh grass for his meals.
And it was while he was gathering fresh grass, or more specifically, while he was carrying the grass back to the water that it happened.
Since he could no longer see he had no chance of seeing her. If she had remained silent he would have walked right by her and would have never known she was there.
But she didn't stay silent. He heard her soothing voice as she spoke to him. " hey old fella" she said, "You are looking pretty tired you poor old muskrat."

.When he first heard her voice and realized how close she was his heart began to beat faster. He was gripped with fear. He dropped the grass that he had gathered and headed as fast as an old muskrat could go back to the safety of the water. But the young girl never moved to hurt him and as he was heading toward the water he could hear her say, in her calm soothing voice. "it's an ok fella I not going to hurt you.'
The muskrat hoped that it was over and he would never have to deal with the young woman again.
But the very next day as he was again carrying a bundle of fresh grass back to the pond as he neared the water's edge. In the very same place as the day before he heard the girl's calm soothing voice again. "Hey, old fella.  Good to see you again. I hope you're doing well. "  this time he was less afraid. And kept his same pace up as he walked by her. As he entered the water he could hear her soft words again "I won't hurt you old man." Every day as he was coming back to the pond from gathering fresh grass she was there. Always talking in that soft reassuring voice. He had become used to her and no longer hurried by afraid she might hurt him. He would just amble past her at his old muskrat pace. 
Until one day,  as he approached the spot where the young girl always was, he could hear muffled sobbing. The young lady was softly crying.
He wondered why she was sad. And as he came by her feet he stopped.  Wondering where that soft soothing voice had gone to and why it had been replaced with tears. He looked in the direction of where he could hear the crying. All he could make out was a shadow that he knew had to be the young lady. As he stood there right at her feet he felt a pressure start at the top of his head and move down to his tail. He realized that the young lady was touching him that she was stroking his fur with her paw. For He had no idea of a hand. And he also realized it felt nice to an old muskrat. He sat there and let her pet him when he realized that she was no longer petting him but she had begun to scratch his ears. And that to the old muskrat was like heaven. The muskrat lingered for a few more minutes allowing the young lady to pet his fur and scratch his ears before he continued on his path to the water. And as he entered the water he again heard the calm soft voice through her tears saying "thank you for trusting me. Now you know I mean you no harm"
The days went by and each afternoon the young girl would be there. And each day he would stop and allow her to pet him and scratch his ears and he would enjoy the sound of her soft soothing voice. Some days the young girl would be crying. And he always wondered what made her so sad.  as time went on he would lay there longer and longer enjoying having his fur stroked and his ears scratched. And she began to talk to him. She told him that her mother, who she had been very close to, had suddenly passed away. And how sad that made her. The old muskrat realized that that was why the Yong girl had been crying.  The old muskrat felt bad for her for he knew what it was to lose a mother. So each day she would pet him and scratch his ears and pour her grief out to him.
Then one day as he laid there with his eyes closed just enjoying being petted and having his ears scratched he felt her paw wrap around him. His first reaction was the desire to wiggle free or bite her. But he had come to trust her and decided he would trust her now.. slowly she lifted him off the ground and then cradled him in her right arm. Still talking softly and assuring him that she would never hurt him. Then the most wonderful thing happened. She began to scratch his belly.  Oh, how good it felt. Far better than her petting him.  even far better than having his ears scratched. And he thought there was nothing that could feel better than getting his ears scratched. But he was wrong. Way wrong. For noting compared to being cradled in the young girl's arm as she talked to him in that soft voice and s scratched his belly.
And as the warm season wore on this became their daily routine. She would hold him cradled in her right arm and scratch his belly with her left hand and talk softly to him
She would tell him about her grief and all her fears.  she would relate memories of the time she had spent with her mother.  She would share her dreams with him  And she would tell him how much she enjoyed holding him and him letting her pet him.
Then one day near the end of the warm season he woke up and just didn't feel good. It wasn't anything specific. It was just not feeling well. He was very tired and lethargic. He had no appetite. But when he knew the girl would be where she always was he swam to the shore climbed out of the water and was soon picked up and cradled in the young lady's arm. It felt as good as it always did but he had trouble staying awake. She would talk to him in that calm. Soft voice and he would find himself going in and out of sleep. And each time he would sleep he would dream the same dream. He dreamed of a huge marsh. With lots of other muskrats. There was delicious food everywhere you looked and there were no predators or traps to kill muskrats. And each time he would fall asleep the dream became more real and lasted longer. Until he fell asleep and never woke from the wonderful dream. The dream had become his reality.
The young girl realized that Ondatra, for that was the name she had given the old muskrat, had not moved or woke for some time. She gently shook him saying "wake up Odnatra. Please wake up."  But it was to no avail. For Odnatra had passed on. the old muskrat had died at the end of his fourth warm season.
The young girl laid Odnatra's body in the bushes out of sight and walked home to get a shovel. She would bury his body on the shore of the marsh he had lived his whole life on.
The young lady lived through many more warm seasons. But she never forgot Odnatra the old muskrat. And how without his knowledge he had helped her work through the grief of her mother's passing. And how she had so enjoyed the fact that a wild animal had trusted her so completely.
The young lady was no longer young. She was in her 81st warm season. She had lost her husband 10 years ago and had lost her only child, a son, to the war. She had outlived all of her friends. She was now old and her senses were failing. To hear she had to wear a hearing aid
And even with glasses, it was hard to see. If the light was bright enough she could still manage to read large print books. She was old and alone.  but just as the old muskrat had done so many warm seasons ago the old lady went through her daily routine
  She would wake up and eat her breakfast. Work in her garden for a while. Eat lunch then she would set in her chair and read for a while. She would watch a little tv eat her dinner and by 8:00 she was back in bed.
But one day she woke up and she didn't feel well. It was nothing she could put her finger on she just didn't feel right. But she went about her daily routine. she ate her breakfast. Worked in her garden for a while. Came in and ate a small lunch. Then settled into her chair to read for a bit. She was so very tired and as she read she kept going in and out of sleep. And each time she would sleep she would dream the same dream. She would dream she was standing in the sunlight on the shore of a beautiful marsh and the marsh was full of muskrats. All happily swimming around. And her husband was there and her son and all her friends that had passed before her. And her beloved mother was there too And each time she would sleep the dream became more and more real. Until she closed her eyes for the last time and now the dream was her reality. And as she stood there on the shore of the marsh surrounded by all the people she had loved. She saw a muskrat swimming toward her. it climbed out of the water.  waddled over to her and laid down by her feet, obviously wanting her to pick him up. She leaned over and picked the muskrat up cradled him in her right arm and began to scratch his belly. He squirmed down further into her arms once again enjoying getting his belly scratched and in that young girl's soft and soothing voice she said. "Ondatra. It is so wonderful to see you again."  And she would swear that she saw him smile In response.