I had lived in my neighborhood for awhile when new people moved in next door.
A little girl, shy and mostly withdrawn, would come out to play sometimes with her funny looking rabbit.
Every day, I would watch them play from a distance.
I felt myself drawn towards them and one day I introduced myself. The rabbit stood behind the little girl as I said my pleasantries. The little girl explained that she had had the rabbit since he was just a baby.
As I watched them play, the little girl didn’t seem to know or care that the rabbit was following her. Every time she picked the rabbit up to cuddle him, he would smile a big smile and let out a loud giggle.
As time went on, I tried to get close to the rabbit when the little girl wasn’t paying attention to him. At first, he was reluctant to have anything to do with me. After awhile, he got used to my voice and I got used to the funny sounds he made as he hopped through the grass.
Hop, hop the rabbit went — through the bushes and trees inspecting each one as if he had never seen one before.
But the rabbit never lost sight of the little girl while exploring.
His curiosity made mine even stronger as I always wondered what he would be exploring next.
Soon the rabbit and I were spending time together in the garden. He would smell the flowers and then I would smell the flowers. It was different exploring things with the rabbit than when I explored them by myself.
Hop, hop the rabbit went.
Now he was checking to see if I was keeping up with him. I was.
Such enjoyment he showed in such simple things.
The only thing lacking was the little girls’ attention. She would hardly ever pick him up and cuddle him and he so wanted that to be so.
One could see the pleading in his eyes. But the little girl did not notice. Or, if she did, she just didn’t feel like doing anything about it.
One day, the little girl said that they were moving. I felt sad and wondered what playmate I might now have if the rabbit went away. I had none at home until the rabbit came along.
The days dragged on with me not knowing when the rabbit would move away.
During this time, the little girl started spending more time with the rabbit. She seemed to want him close by now. He seemed happier and his hops were bigger and his giggles louder.
I see less of the rabbit now but remember everything I learned of flowers and trees and bushes.
The day finally came when the rabbit and the little girl were to move away. She held the rabbit in her arms as they waved goodbye. I felt sad and happy at the same time.
Now the rabbit had what he had been looking for — the love of the little girl.
I later learned that the rabbit lived to a ripe old age.
The End.
Can’t remember when I wrote this story but it was quite awhile back as the paper is worn and it was in a Spanish Bible I had on my bookshelf that I haven’t looked at in years.
Hope you enjoy it.
