Then Big Bird felt sad again. His friend and leader was gone, and Big Bird finally understood that they would not longer be able to have fun times together. But he didn't understand why.
"Gordon, why does it have to be this way?" he asked angrily. "Things were just fine the way they were! Why did Ronald Reagan have to die?"
Gordon took a moment to find the words he needed.
"Big Bird, I really don't want to insult you by feeding you a bunch of clichés. I'm not going to tell you that it was for the best, or that Man was made to be mortal, because it isn't true. Man should be immortal; death is the most immeasurably tragic flaw of the human world. Now, you're going to have to choose what you believe. Personally, I like to think that President Reagan has moved on to another, better place."
Big Bird smiled. "You think he's up in Heaven with Mr. Hooper?"
"I do."
And that made Big Bird happy.
"I sure will miss you, Ronald Reagan," he said.