| The Blind Leading The Blind The hipity hop, hipity hop of the little bunny as he made his way around the meadow. The bunny stops and nibbles on the tender clover stems and leaves as his nose wrinkles like a puppet. He nibbles and hops and nibbles and hops all the while at least one ear high in the air listening for brother coyote or brother fox lest one of them should want him for dinner. If he did hear even the slightest sound out of the ordinary he would run as fast as his legs could go in the opposite direction and hope he wouldn�t stumble and fall and be someone�s juicy dinner. He hopped along and all of a sudden he stumbled and fell. Shaking his head he heard a small voice say: I�m sorry. I was trying to get out of your way. The bunny said: that�s ok. It wasn�t your fault. You see I�m blind and I didn�t see you. The small voice said: no I don�t see. The bunny rabbit said I told you I am blind. Blind as a bat, ever how blind that is cause I�ve been blind since birth. Now do you see? The small voice said: no I still don�t see. This infuriated the bunny because he thought the small voice was making a joke of his inability to see. Then the small voice said: I mean� I am blind to. I can�t see either. I�ve also been blind since birth. I don�t even know what I am. Really!!!!!! Said the bunny. I don�t either. Perhaps if I touch and feel you I can tell you what you are said the bunny. The small voice agreed. The bunny ran his paw over the wee voice and said: I feel a long long skinny body with little scales and no legs and a rattle on one end. I think you must be a snake. The small voice said: oh, I am so glad to know what I am. Thank you so much. Now may I touch and feel you and maybe I can tell you what you are? The bunny said I don�t know about that. I heard snakes eat things and I might be something you like to eat. The snake said: very well then. You describe yourself to me then and I will see if I know what you are. The bunny said: all right. I have soft fur, I have short front feet, I have long long back feet is why I hop, and I have a nose when I eat it wrinkles like a puppet and long long ears. I also have a tail like a cotton ball. The snake started thinking out loud. Hmmm, a cotton ball tail, long back legs, and long long ears, and your nose wrinkles like a puppet huh. Yep said the bunny. That�s exactly right. Hmmm, ok said the snake. You must be a rabbit then. Perhaps a bunny rabbit. The bunny was so thrilled he ran to the snake, threw his arms around his neck, at least he thought it was his neck. Because all of the snake was his neck. It was all the same around, it was just a head, a neck and a tail. The snake coiled back his head high, opened his mouth and the long white fangs glistened. He said: awwhhh. Shucks bunny. It was nothing. Thank you for telling me what I was. Well said the bunny: am I one of the things you eat? The snake said: no bunny. I eat little hard shelled things I find in the grass and on the ground, when I can find them he said sadly. The bunny said: oh, I�m so sorry you can�t find food like I can. I just eat the little things growing in the meadow here. The snake said: ohhh, I wish I were that lucky. I scare most of mine away I think. The bunny said: yes you may do that. Too bad you don�t have any ears then you could hear them. The snake said: oh but I don�t need to hear them. I feel things walk and move through my belly on the ground. everything that moves makes a vibration I can feel. That is why I was moving out of your way. I heard you coming through the vibrations you made hopping along. The only thing I can�t feel are the birds flying in the air and some of them would have me for lunch. Oh said the bunny. I think I understand now. I feel some things when the ground shakes but not like you can. The bunny said: can�t you smell them with your nose? The snake said: I can�t smell with my nose but I can almost smell with my tongue. The bunny surprised said: With your tongue, you must be kidding me. The snake said: no bunny, I�m not kidding. I sense things with my tongue. But mostly it is temperature like heat and things. I can tell right where you are now by the heat from your body. Oh said the bunny. Then why can�t you find food like that? The snake said: the little hard things with all the skinny legs are cold blooded like I am. They have no body heat to detect. Oh, that is so sad snake. I wish I could help you. The snake said: yes. That would be nice of you if you could. You can come eat with me the bunny said. I can hear the wings of birds also and warn you if one comes near so we can hide. Some of them would also like me for lunch so I have to listen for them anyway. That is kind of you bunny. I don�t have anything to lose so I think I will join you. Ok, it�s a deal then. Off the two went around the meadow. The snake soon found that sharing eating space with bunny he got more to eat. The bunny stirred up the hard shelled skinny legged creatures and many came right toward snake and some even tried crawling over him. Snake figured out if he made a half circle the food would be trapped until he could eat them. Late afternoon and snakes belly was full and so was bunnies. Snake said: bunny. I must go now. I have to go find a rock or cave to hide in. my blood is already cold and when the sun goes down I can hardly move. Bunny said: Snake I must go also. I can feed at night but it is far too dangerous without my sight. Many things could grab and eat me after dark that don�t come out in daylight as much. Would you like to come home with me snake? Snake said: I don�t know where you live and can I fit in your house? Bunny said: of course snake. I have lots of room. I made a deep hole and tunnel underground where I�m safe. Snake said: cool bunny. I�d like that. I sometimes live in small holes in the ground but I have trouble finding them again. Ok, follow me said the bunny. Off they went across the meadow. The bunny arrived at the entrance to his burrow and said: ok snake. Here we are, just follow me. Down they went until they reached a large cavern like room. There was plenty of room for both of them here. This was perfect and snake told bunny so. Snake said: thank you bunny. This is very nice. Bunny said: no problem snake. You�re my friend and you�re welcome to stay as long as you want. Snake smiled and lay down in a circle. Bunny felt the skin on snake growing colder in the burrow so he hopped over in the middle of the coils and went fast asleep keeping snake warm with his body. Snake slept warm and comfortable for the first time in his life and the two lived happily ever after in the burrow and you could see rabbit eating away in the meadow during the day and you knew somewhere in the grass snake was catching bugs and sometimes even a frog close by. Vision Quest � 2002 T Lovett |