It’s Tuesday, and that means #BlogBattle time!!  Wasn’t sure that I could get anything together this week, the prompt has been bouncing around my head all week, this is what I came up with.

#BlogBattle is a weekly short story challenge using a single word for inspiration.  Hosted by Rachael Ritchey.

Don’t Feed the Animals

My teen-age daughter was just finishing up the dishes, when she says, “Mom, Mom!! Look at the cute bunny in the yard!!” Squealing like she was seven.

“Oh…he is cute.” I say, since I share her affection for cute, furry things.

“Can I feed him some lettuce?” she asks heading towards the fridge.

“Sure, go ahead.” I say appreciating her compassion.

The next morning I’m in the kitchen getting my much needed morning cup of coffee, like I do every morning.  While sipping my warm elixir, I start opening the blinds on the windows to let the sun shine in.  But this morning, I almost drop my precious brew.  I cannot believe my eyes.  Am I still sleeping?  No, can’t be, my coffee is nearly gone. I call for my daughter to help make sense of what I am seeing.  “Evie!!  Come down here please.” Trying not to sound frantic.

“What is it mom?” she casually says, as she continues to look at her phone.

Barely a whisper I say, “Look”

I point out the window, my mouth open wide.  There are rabbits, all over the yard.  They are in my garden, all over the grass, on the swing, sitting on the edge of the bird bath, and even some laying as if they are relaxing on the patio furniture.  It is literally wall to wall rabbit fur.  Some are eating grass, some are chasing each other, it’s a quiet chaos since rabbits don’t make noise, but nonetheless it is sheer madness.  There are so many, they are on top of each other.

Evie hardly containing her excitement says, “Mom!!  Look at ‘em!!  Look at ‘em!!  Where did they all come from?”

“I have no idea, I have never seen anything like this.  We have to do something.”

“First I have to get a picture of this!!  No one is going to believe it.” she heads for the door.

“You’re going out there?” I say hoping she will change her mind.

“Yes, of course.  They’re rabbits, MOM…not rabid squirrels.” She replies in her what-could-possibly-go-wrong voice.

She walks out the back door, and walks into the yard.  A path is cleared miraculously as if she were Moses parting the Red Sea.  But as she slowly moves, the most amazing thing happens, the rabbits are looking up at her, and have calmed down.  The only thing moving are their little noses.  Well…and the two in the back of the yard still grappling with each other, oblivious to the other rabbits around them until it seems the one rabbit next to them gives them a nudge to knock it off, and they immediately also stand at attention.  This is insane.

“Mom, are you seeing this?” She says, as I can hear her from the open window.

Then two rabbits make their way through the sea of fur and approach her.  She slightly bends resting her hands on her knees, and looks down at them intently and begins nodding her head saying, ‘Yes.  Ok.  Sure, I understand.  I’ll see what I can do.”

The two rabbits that approached her seem very animated, their noses furiously twitching, sometimes raising up on their hind legs, and then back down, Their tiny heads moving back and forth as if they are talking to each other, and to my daughter.  Which I know is not possible.

My daughter comes back in the house and says, “Mom, you won’t believe this, but they were talking to me.”

“Evie.  If those rabbits were talking to you, then I’m the Queen of England.” Playing along with her little charade.

“Well, with all due respect your Highness, I have to help them.” She says flatly.

Not abiding by her snarkiness, I reprimand, “Evie!!”  But I see the honest, pleading look in her eyes, and know that she is serious.  I’m starting to think there was something else in my coffee this morning.

“Ok, ok.  Do what you have to do, as long as they don’t stay here…” under my breath I say, “and none of them die.” I shudder at the thought.

“Thanks mom!!” She hugs me before she heads out the door.

The next evening, everything is back to normal, all the rabbits found a new home, Evie is finishing up the dishes.  She looks out the window and says, “Mom, Mom!!  Look at the cute little Gopher in the yard!!”

“EEE – VIE!!”  Is all I can say as I leave the room, carrying my glass of wine.

The events depicted in this story are fictitious.  Any similarity to any person/animal living or dead is merely coincidental…and a little embellished.  There may or may not have been five rabbits in our yard after we fed one the other day…just sayin’. 😉

© 2015 Carrie Ann