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| Detecting a discernible awakening in the spirits of my children, I hesitated to break the spell. At that moment, quite conincidentally, a group seemed to enter on all sides breaking our circle around the lady. Just as she began to turn to them she noticed a look from my eldest daughter, a question not yet formed, a resolution not yet gelled, a present and future not quite merged. The Rabbit Lady took a card from her pocket and slipped it into my daughter's hand. With heartfelt thanks we left. The spell lingered as my daughter asked me to keep the card, which I put directly into my pocket without a glance. Trees were slowly dancing with the wind while the sun dove in and out of the branches and leaves as we strolled once again across the park. Then at once the stomachs began to growl, first one, then another and so on down the line until we all tumbled back into the car. The magic of the Rabbit Lady seemed forgotten as hunger took its place. I wondered just how long magic lasted anyway; was is just until one gets hungry? Later that evening as the children settled for bed, I read the Sunday paper making out a list for the next week. Suddenly out of the night came a high-pitched scream from outside my front door. I instantaneously pictured Fat, our cat, with a bird in his mouth, bringing me home his sacrifice. Throwing open the door and shouting to let the bird out, I heard a thump at my feet and saw the slight physique of a tiny baby bunny at my feet. A jarring sensation shook me as I picked up the little forest creature, the image of the Rabbit Lady flashing before me. The bunny was unharmed. I looked at Fat telling him how incredible his timing was. The children had been asking for a rabbit ever since Nurse Irene had gotten hers. My eldest asked her father to build a cage two months ago in the expectation of a new pet. (I almost wished he had.) Where were we going to keep a bunny that would protect it from the cats? Necessity being the mother of invention, and boxes being too shallow or too small, I settled for the freezer. My son had inadvertently defrosted it two weeks ago when he flipped the circuit breaker in the panel box. We wondered if the rabbit would survive. My eldest daughter retrieved the card from my pocket and called the Rabbit Lady. After a twenty minute conversation, and no guarantees, we hoped for the best and promised the Rabbit Lady we would be in touch. We lined the freezer with hay and newspaper and put lots of lettuce and rabbit food in a dish along the side of a saucer of water. The next morning, bunny was alive, and had eaten! He was calm and we were exuberant and hopeful. |
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