RABBIT’ EYES

RABBIT’ EYES

^© Michael Franz Whitby

Chapter One:

It was business as usual for a long working day

Did not matter what a long day it was…

…at twilight, got longer!

Everything changed last evening

When his favorite wild rabbit from across the field

A conservation protected area filled with wild life diversities

This runs opposite his front door and garage

Became the scene of her departure from current existence…

…she got killed!

Direction of her head indicates she was heading to the backyard

A trip she had made countless times

”It was he!

The human that lives there

A short time after he parked inside his garage

We were about to cross the street

Mother did what she had always done

Went ahead as father protected us from behind

Always checking and rechecking before we ever entered onto the roadway…

…when the accident occurred

In that blink of an eye

We all returned to the field and observed

We all saw and wondered why?

He came out like something told him to and saw the body just lying there

Lifeless!

Blood still fresh that filled her ears

That was mother!”

: Words said to the gathering by Small Fry

Small Fry; being the younger of the two surviving bunnies

”Sorry for your lost!”

The other creatures that made themselves available for the mourning process

Stayed close and only listened

Father rabbit and his two offsprings

Watching from the shade of the bushes

They saw home owner bent down

Pick up their loved one…

…her small limp body by her hind legs

Ever so gently

And placed her in a hole he dugged out with his garden shovel

Pointing with curved down ears to a small mount on the earth’s surface

”That is where she lays”

: The dialogue continued by Small Fry

”After he buried her he returned to his garage

With a shovel in hand

After digging a hole approximately…

…placing her soft furry coat back to the elements

Inside the flower laced hole

On top of the soil he had placed some leaves, off her favorite flowering hedge plant

Before he covered her body with the soil previously removed…

…he bent down and said a prayer”

All this took place about 6:00 pm in the evening …

…a Monday in July

Some two hours later

The owner stood by his kitchen’ window

Interactions that has be repeated countless times with the outside surroundings

In fact it was one of those evening settings

When the first visual connection took place

She within her favorite bush

How the vision was made is still unclear

Camouflaged!

For a moment did not work

So the introduction took place…

…for ten years that same family resided there

Which she was apart of, for the last two

First time seen she was just a wee little…

…parentless!

So the telepathic invitation to join their human family was accepted

Small Fry said: “Mother told of the many visits

Assuring us, that yard was quite safe

Now before your eyes

There are only two small bunnies with our adult father

Standing here close to mother in this same location…

…but mother is gone!

Have been coming there for the past months

Would not have seen him because he had been traveling

And the rest of family members were out of the country

Emergency!

So he had just returned

Coming out for some reason, to see her, our mother at the foot of his driveway…

…dead!”

Chapter Two:

They called her Summer Dessert

Because she out ran a hungry coyote on the first day of summer

All creatures witnessing thought she was just dessert

But when she out maneuvered and escaped

The name stuck…

…short time thereafter the same coyote cornered and ate both her parents

But before her mother demised…

…encouraged in the calling of her by that name

After her parent passing, all rabbit dwellers and others called her…

…Summer Dessert!

So it was in her hiding process, ended up in the back yard of this home owner

She shortly realized she would be safe there

So the visitation increased to daily rituals

Short trips to the conservation land

With most of her time in home owner’s back yard

Summer Dessert was a beauty to behold

She had a black nose, with four completely white legs plus tail

Undercarriage being black

Her ears and back were brown…

…similar as not yet, then and now been seen on any of the others

Those which have passed through the back yard

On those short visits…

…unlike Summer Dessert!

She had full'time residency which consisting of ninety percent of her time being there

Other ten percent in the conservation fields

Chapter Three:

But within said tragedy

It brought facial expression in a joyous manner to his face

When he saw them

The adult male rabbit was recognized with such vividness

Because of his right eye

When looking unto him

Face-to face, since that location was completely black

A stranger could not tell if he had an eye there or not

Now some two hours after the burial of Summer Dessert

As owner looked outside into his back yard

That pleasant smile remained on his face…

…Black Eye!

The companion to Summer Dessert

The one she spent most evenings with on his well maintain lawn

Made his presence known…

…looking straight towards the window

Human to rabbit eye contact made and became one at that moment…

…youngsters were strangers to home owner eyes

Eating safely as their parents did in all their past visitations

It was at that moment of full eyed contact

Exact moment when it dawned onto home owner

Wondered if Black Eye had any idea what happened to Summer Dessert

Who had always been slightly smaller

The adult rabbit stretched out fully

Not as before, at least not in front of home owner eyes

Like he felt at home and totally safe

While the offspring continued to eat

Then for the first time Black Eye telepathically communicated with the home owner

Informing him of the event which lead to Summer Dessert death

Told him of the car colour

And that he had seen it before along said street

Always speeding…

…that driver must live within the community

Chapter Four:

Twenty four hours later

The seeking of information on a particular car went viral in the district

For one that resided within the neighbourhood…

…reading the request information bulletin

The heart sunk deep with shame and sorrowful intentions

With self pity as topping:

”They were coming across the street

All of them

What happened, before turning the steering wheel from direction of their travel

Things just occurred so fast

It was too late

One of the bigger ones seem to jump higher

As if it was saving the others…

…one of the front tires took its life

It was too late to stop because it could not survive the impact

After all, it was just a rabbit…

…so I came home and parked the car and went about my business”

This conversation took place six blocks away in the same district

To oneself, that one, being the driver!

Three days later

A witness that saw the accident and the burial

Rang the door bell of the owner’s house

Standing behind said witness, was the driver

Being brought back to the scene of the accident

In private conversation before the meeting with home owner

To the driver, the witness asked:

”Did you ever wonder what happened to the body as you walked onto this driveway?”

Driver responded: “No!”

”Well”… said the witness…

…”the owner buried that small animal which had a family

The least you could do

Go by the field to that location where the soil of the earth rises and remains bare

And make your peace

After your meeting with this home owner”

The driver without hesitation said he would

In the meeting the driver repeated what was said to himself

Conversation that occurred in the presence of this own inner thoughts

But this time it was projected into the atmosphere

With an added apology

All in front of home owner and witness

The meeting ended

The driver again without hesitation walked over into the field

To the spot that the ground raised

Bowed his head and said:

”Sorry!

Speeding and not paying attention to the surroundings

A life was taken, your life

In the future, focus will remain mine to be more mindful

I’m so sorry!”

As the driver walked away ever so slowly

The witness along with home owner...

...stood by the veranda and watched the driver slowly depart

They spoke for a brief time then the witness left

Home owner went inside his home and closed the door behind him

Small Fry said: “At which time we carefully once again cross to our second home…

…returning to the view towards the kitchen

On that well maintained grass all three of us in his back yard

Father is finally at peace knowing mother is at peaceful rest”

Small Fry continued for the gathering to hear:

”We will continue to go over there

Because the realization has now been embedded

Some of their actions…

…the humans!

Can cause them grieve and sorrow

They can be gentle and offer refuge, like our home owner

Filled with love and coexistenceness’

As witnessed within his actions, our most trusted

That property across the street shall remain our second home!”

All this from the perspective of a young rabbit

Told to the home owner, property where rabbit’s family resides almost every evening

Communication all through the human dreams…

…but from ‘Small Fry’ - narrator rabbit’ eyes!

The End

…reversing forward, future is history!

Writtenments…

…sixty-five of one thousand