PART 1
The Story Of The Easter Bunny
Once upon a time there was a little rabbit named Early. He lived with his mother, father, and three
brothers---Quicksilver, Clover, and Acorn---in a cozy rabbit hole at the top of a grassy hill.
Early had been given his name because he was born just before dawn one Sunday morning. He had been born too early, too. He was a runt, his mother said. One of his paws turned inward just a little, so that instead of hopping straight ahead, he zigzagged from side to side.
He was by far the slowest of his brothers. Quicksilver could run faster than the wind. Clover was strong and could pull carrots out of the ground quicker than a blink of an eye. Acorn, the oldest, was clever. He knew all sorts of useful things, such as where to find lettuce and how to tell which way the wind was blowing.
But Early was just Early. His brothers used to say that he should have been called Late. They said he was not much good at anything. He liked flowers and birds and butterflies. He was best at daydreaming.
As he sat and gazed up at the sky, Early would make up wonderful stories about flowers that danced and talked to each other, and the colors of the rainbow, and where the snowflakes came from.
"I don't know what I will do with you, Early," his father said. "You're a daydreamer." But his mother said Early would be just fine. He was a good-hearted little rabbit, and that was what mattered.
Early liked making up stories, and he liked listening to stories. His aunt Sophia was a famous storyteller. In the evening all the rabbits of the grassy hill used to gather around her. She would tell stories about faraway lands, strange animals, and magic happenings. Early loved all her stories, but his very favorite was the story of the Easter Bunny.
There really was an Easter Bunny. All the young rabbits had heard about him. He was the most famous rabbit of all. Every year on Easter Sunday he
traveled the world, bringing eggs to all the children.
Aunt Sophia had actually seen the Easter Bunny once when she was young. Early made her tell about it over and over again.
It had happened just after sunrise one Easter morning. Aunt Sophia had gone out very early, and she had seen him on the horizon. He had been just a flash of white on the hillside, for the Easter Bunny was the fastest rabbit in the world. But she had seen that he was carrying a basket filled with eggs that gleamed like jewels.
One night, when they were all gathered around, Aunt Sophia told the young rabbits something wonderful. When the Easter Bunny Grew old and tired, she said, he chose a new Easter Bunny from among the best of all the rabbits in the world.
Quicksilver, Clover, and Acorn lifted their heads proudly. They were surely among the best young rabbits in the world. But Early just looked at the ground. The best? He wasn't the best at anything.
Then Aunt Sophia asked all the young rabbits what they would like to be when they grew up. Quicksilver said he would like to be the fastest. Clover said he would like to be the strongest. Acorn said he wanted to be the cleverest rabbit in the world.
Aunt Sophia nodded.
She turned to Early and asked, "What about you?"
Early's ears turned pink. "I---I would like to be the Easter Bunny," he whispered shyly. He had not meant to say it---it had just popped out.
Everyone laughed. "You!" they cried. "Why, you're the slowest! You're the weakest! The Easter Bunny doesn't just sit on a hillside and look up at the sky. He's the fastest rabbit in the world! You could never be the Easter Bunny."
Early's ears turned an even brighter pink.
The season passed. Early grew, but not very much. Everyone agreed he was rather small for a rabbit who was almost grown up.
Now his brother Quicksilver was almost twice his size and could run across the grassy hill in a flash. Clover was almost three times his size---"as big as a cat." the other rabbits said admiringly. He could pull the largest carrots out of the ground with no trouble at all. As for Acorn, he was so clever that everyone on the hill asked his advice about all sorts of things---how to find the way home in a blizzard or escape from a hunter or a fox.
But people just laughed at Early.
"He's sweet-natured," everyone said, "but with a limp like that---" They shrugged. Early was not much good at anything.
In the mornings he could be seen sitting, watching everything.
In the springtime he looked at the first leaves that appeared on the trees and saw the tiny shoots of grass grow up out of the ground.
In the summer he smelled the heather and watched the sleepy dragonflies gather over the pond at the bottom of the hill.
In the fall he watched the birds fly south and the leaves change from green to red to gold.
He was often lonely, for the other rabbits seemed to be growing up and doing new things. But for Early, nothing changed.
This page last modified on: 05/29/2000 12:12 PM
