# The Ballad of Hester



## Thlayli (Oct 16, 2009)

DAY 1

Ithad beenpouring outside all day. Noflashes or loud booms this time.Justtheconstanthiss of water hitting roof. Once or twice one of the blue shirthumans wouldopen the door and walk outside, bringingback thefunny rain smells with them. Me and the others were doing what we always did, lazing about, nibbling on some pellets, and sleeping.

I like the rainy days; it usually means that less humans come in and pick me up. They always leave a strange smell on my fur that takes forever to lick and clean off. 

It started out being a very normal, and fairly enjoyable day. I woke up late,ate a little, chased Marlin around for a bit, then we layed downat our favorite spot next to the glass. I was in the middle of a pretty good nap when they came in. Two of the humans, a long hair and a short hair. They both smelled strongly of rain, grass, and some strange and scary scent that made me think of sharp teeth and deadly claws.

The long hair was carrying a box, and followedthe short hair as he walked straight over us. We all stiffened up and prepaired for the normal routine of touching, petting, and grabbing. The long hair startedstroking the young ones,but the short hair went straight forMarlin. He stiffened and prepaired to kick, but the human was too fast and quickly flipped him onhis back in his arms. Marlin went limp,the humans started grunting back and forth to each other.

After a moment Marlin was plopped back down next to me. I was just going to sniff his head when suddenly I felt something strong press against my sides and belly. I panicked and started kicking, but before I knew it I was on my back and something deep inside me wastelling me to go limp.The human touched and pressed on my belly and around my tail. I heard them grunting to each other, but it seemed distant and unimportant. 

The short hair put me back down next to Marlin, I joined him in shrinking down and trying to seem boring so thatI would not be picked up again. One of the blue shirts came out and started grunting with the short hair. They both walked away; the long hair continued to stroke the young ones, Marlin and I stayed low for the moment.

After a while the short hair returned, grunted to the long hair, and reached down and started stroking my back. I pressed myself against the floor, but his hands still got under me. I tried to kick, but he had me pressed up against his body. I gave a frightened look to Marlin, I dont think he saw me, he was still pressed against the floor trying to look boring.

The short hair dropped me into the box and then everything went dark. My eyes didnt work anymore, but my nose did, and I could feel the box moving back and forth.I could hardly hear anything over the sound of my heart pounding in my chest, but I did hear the jingle of the door, the hissing sound, and the unmistakable smell of rain. It all seemed to be happening so quick, and it all seems so fuzzy now. I remember a constant roaring sound louder than the rain, and I was periodically pushed back and forth in the box by something which seemed like the world turning.

The next thing that wasnt fuzzy was the smell. When the humans walked into the store they had a funny smell that scared me. Well this was nothing compared to the house. From the moment they lifted me out of the box my nose was attacked by the strange and threatening scent. It made me imagine fangs and prickly claws and shadows shifting in and out behind me.

The short hair took me into a room and put me high up into a cage with wood shavings on the floor and a dish with pellets. The cage door closed with a clang and the light went out of the room as the human left. I stayed still where he put me. shadows danced just behind my vision, and every noise seemed like something leaping at me. 

My breathing gradually became normal again and my heartbeat slowed back down. My eyes adjusted to the dark, I couldnt see anything dangerous. I was just starting to relax a little when suddenly a loud scuffling noise erupted from below me. I shrunk down and listened...nothing.

Then, "Psssst...hey." I didnt reply, just listened. "Hey, are you OK up there?"

"Ummm...where are you?" I replied into the darkness.

"I'm in the cage below you...my name's Peebody, what's yours?"

"I...I'm Hester...where are we, and what is that frightening smell?"

"Oh that'sprobably the cats. There's quite a few of them. They'll leave you alone, except for one. Toff, the young one,she'skinda annoying. She sometimes bats atme with her paw, or bitesmy fur, but I think she's just trying to play."

I spent a little while talking to Peebody. He told me that we would only be in the cages while it rained, once it stopped the humans would bring us outside. He also said that it wasnt a bad place to live. He liked it alot better than his last home. 

I missed Marlin and the other rabbits in the store. 

It took me a long time to fall asleep that night. I kept seeing things that werent there. But eventually my eyes closed and I drifted off into dreams of claws, sharp teeth, and scary things.

To be continued in day 2...


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## DeniseJP (Oct 16, 2009)

I cannot wait to read more...

Denise


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## RexLovables (Oct 16, 2009)

Ohhh so good


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## Thlayli (Oct 16, 2009)

DAY 2

I woke up when the sun peeked through the window, casting light on the small room I was in. Human things littered the floor, and the walls were covered in bright colors. The rain must have run itself out last night, and the birds were making the best of the sunny morning. The assaulting cat smell seemed less strong this morning, i suppose I was just starting to get used to it. I was high up near the ceiling. My cage was on Peebody's cage, and Peebody cage was on a Huge wooden box about half as high as the humans.

I got a drink of water and tried the pellets, they both tasted strange and unfamiliar.The soft rustling of Peebody came from below again.

"Are you awake yet Peebody?"

"Hmmumm...no...go back to sleep."

I settled back into the comfortable spot that I had formed last night. There wasnt really anything better for me to do than go to sleep.

A bit later that morning the long hair human came into the room and started pulling colorful human covers out of the wooden box underneath us. She made alot of noise, banging things around. After putting on some of the human covers she left. It was quiet for a few hours after that.

The short hair human came in later that morning. I heard Peebody rustling and moving around as short hair opened his cage. He started grunting again, but it was different than last night, this was softer and more mellow. He reached up and opened my cage door. His hands smoothed down the fur on my back and head, it felt nice. He picked me up and held me close to his chest again, grunting soothing sounds. Then he put me into Peebody's cage.

Peebody was a bit bigger than me. His ears layed down by his head like mine, and his fur was white with tan splotches. I could tell he was quite a bit older than me. His brown eyesstared back at me with a friendly curiosity. I hopped over and we smelled each other. He smelled strongly of outside; grass, dirt, and trees. He tried mounting me, but I played hard to get; and he chased me around his cage for a few minutes untill we were both out of breath. He flopped down next to me and we rested together.

After a little while the short hair picked me up and put me back into my cage. He filled both our dishes withfresh pellets and then left. I spent the rest of the day lazing around, taking in the new smells, and thinking about Marlin and the other rabbits I missed.

To be continued in day 3...


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## Wabbitdad12 (Oct 16, 2009)

This is great!


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## Thlayli (Oct 17, 2009)

DAY 3 Part 1

The day started exactly the same as the day before had. I woke up when the sun shined through the window. Peebody was still asleep, so I just snoozed until Long Hair came in and started making a bunch of noise again. I hopped to the edge of the cage and peered out. She was putting on new human covers, throwing her old ones on the floor. She looked up and saw me staring at her. The grunting noises she made were soft and soothing as she poked her fingers through the cage bars and stroked my forehead. It was quiet again after she left. 

I was bored and beginning to get restless; at least in the store I could run and play with Marlin and the other rabbits. 

âPeebody.â I said, breaking the rooms suppressing silence. No reply came. âPeebody!â

âHuh...what...whatâs wrong?â

âIâm bored, is this all that we are ever going to do?â

...........

âPeebody!!â I thumped the floor of my cage hard.

âHuh!...what!?â

âYou said that after the rain stopped we would get to go outside.â

âYâ¦yeahâ¦he should be taking us out any time now. I was surprised when he didnât yesterday; but we will probably gooooout,â he yawned loudly, âtoday.â 

He shuffled around a little bit, then the room went quiet again.

âPeebody?â

âYeah?â

âWhatâs it like outside?â

â...youâve never been outside?â

âNo...I just smelled it when someone would open the door to the store, and I smelled it on people when they picked me up.â I replied, feeling really young and inexperienced.

âOh...well...outside is great! There are more smells than you could ever sniff; and you can eat and chew on so many different things; a lot of them donât taste very good, but some of them do...like dandelions. Oh! Those are great! And you can dig in the dirt, and run around, and play...or sleep...you can do whatever you want.â

âIt sounds great. I hope we get to go soon.â

My restlessness calmed down a little more with each word that Peebody spoke. Outside really did sound great. Especially digging, I couldnât wait to try that!

âYeah itâs a lot better than these cages. My run is so much bigger too. I can actually run around in it. And I have an underground burrow that Mic built for me; itâs kinda...â

âWhoâs Mic?â

âMic?...heâs the guy who brought you here. The humans probably call him something different, but I call him Mic; and the girl I call Pen.â

âOh ok.â

I had never thought of giving them names before, but it made sense. That way you could tell them apart better when you were talking about them.

âAnyways...My burrow got flooded with water when it started raining. I was asleep and when I woke up the water was up to my tail. I had to sit out in the rain for a while before Mic came out and got me. He dried me off a bit, then put me in here. Then later that night you came.â 

Peebody and I talked for the rest of the morning. I kept asking him new questions about outside, and he kept answering them, and over-answering them; going off onto completely different subjects. It was the first time that I really felt comfortable since I left the store.


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Later that day we both heard the humans rummaging around in the house, and occasionally making some noises outside the window. Eventually Mic came into the room and started making soft grunting sounds as he took both of our water bottles and food dishes, then left. He returned a moment later and took Peebody. Now I was left in the room alone. Was Peebody going outside? Didnât I get to go too? I thumped the floor hard with frustration.

My question was answered a moment later when Mic returned and opened my cage door. I didnât resist or kick this time, and he scooped me up and held me close to his chest as he walked out of the room. He took me through a few more rooms and to a door with glass panels through which I could see lots of light, green, and trees. The moment he opened the door an avalanche of new and exciting smells came crashing down on me. Some I recognized, like grass and the smell of recent rain; but hundreds, no, thousands of others were strange and exhilarating.

He walked across an expanse of green grass to a pair of wire cages bigger than I had ever seen. They had no top, and the bottom was the grass, but they were big enough to run around and play in. He set me down in one and I immediately began to hop around and sniff as many things as I could. My food dish and water bottle were both there, but there was also a big cardboard box, and a soft roll of white stuff, as well as I pile of long pulled-up grass. 

I hopped to the end of the cage and saw Peebody sitting in his eating the long grass. He saw me and hopped over. Only a single panel of wire was separating our two cages. He poked his nose through the wire and I sniffed it.

âSo is that your run? Whereâs the burrow?â

His cage also had a cardboard box and a roll of the soft white stuff, but I couldnât see a hole anywhere in the grass.

âNo this is new; he must have just put it up. My normal run is over there.â He turned and looked at another stretch of wire fence about thirty hops away.

âYou canât see it good from here, but it is a lot bigger than these cages.â

âBigger! These cages are huge! They are the biggest Iâve ever been in.â

âHehe, yeah well, you just wait till we get to go into my run. Youâll see how great it is. And I can share my burrow with you too; itâs big enough for both of us. Until then...these cages are ok...alot better than the ones inside.â

He went back to chewing on the long grass, so I busied myself with hopping around and smelling as many things as I could. Peebody was right, there were far too many things to smell in a lifetime, but I did my best; and eventually I layed down and started to nibble on the long grass, satisfied.

To be continued with day 3 part 2...


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## DeniseJP (Oct 17, 2009)

Reading this blog suddenly took me back to my favorite book - the Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (I hope I remembered right). Hester's experiences and Peebody's descriptions remind me of Martha's brother describing an English springtime to Mary, who grew up in India...

I love this blog - hope you are feeling up to more writing, Hester!

Denise


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## Thlayli (Oct 17, 2009)

Always!


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## Wabbitdad12 (Oct 17, 2009)

Next installment Hester? when?ullhair:


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## kirbyultra (Oct 17, 2009)

This is a very cool blog  
BTW, Watership Down is my favorite book... I read it earlier this year and it's got a special place in my heart. 
Good ol Bigwig


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## Thlayli (Oct 17, 2009)

It has to be one of my favorite books too. And Bigwig was my favorite of the bunch.

"My Chief Rabbit has told me to defend this run and until he says otherwise I shall stay here."


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## Thlayli (Oct 17, 2009)

DAY 3 Part 2

I woke up with a start. All was still, and the sky was on its way to being dark. Everything around seemed as it had when I went to sleep, but something didnât feel right. I hopped over to the edge of my cage and saw Peebody sleeping.

âPeebody!â I hissed into the silence. He didnât stir.

âPeebody!â A little louder, but still no more than a whisper. 

For whatever reason I could not call to him any louder; I mustnât, my instincts were screaming at me to keep quiet and still. My heart rate increased with each passing second, and soon it was pounding in my chest so hard that I was amazed it didnât wake Peebody. My eyes darted back and forth over the yard, the only things that I dared to move. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It was quiet, only a faint breeze rippled the leaves and not a bird or animal stirred. The sun setting behind the treetops cast a ghostly shadow over the yard and pained the sky a bloody red.

Suddenly a sharp sound came from behind me. I flipped around to see...nothing; an empty expanse of grass and a tree in the distance. Then, something grabbed a patch of fur on my back. I yelped, jumped up into the air and kicked as hard as I could behind me. Whatever it was released me and I bolted to the empty box on the other side of my cage. Once inside I flipped around and saw, sitting just outside the wire, a young tabby cat, eyes closed and licking one paw.

I stared at her, petrified. She put down her paw and looked up at me, revealing sharp green eyes with black slits. She grinned, showing two long pointed fangs; then turned and walked away as if nothing here had interested her in the first place. I sat in the box, trembling, unable to stop my eyes from darting back and forth over the yard. I could not bring myself to sleep that night, every time I closed my eyes I would see eyes different from my own; sharp green, with black slits, a hunterâs eyes.

To be continued with day 4


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## Thlayli (Oct 17, 2009)

Dawnâs First Thought

The moon came and went, and soon the sun would be rising, and I sat, huddled in a corner of my box. My throat was dry and my stomach rumbled, but I did not want to move. I hadnât seen the cat since my encounter with her the previous night; but she did not need to be near to frighten me. She left something inside of me; a cold, overwhelming fear that made me realize one thing. I was trapped; like a mouse under her paw, free for her to antagonize any time she wished. I had to get out. There were better things out there. I wanted to run and dig and smell everything there was to smell. I wanted to go to far away places, where the grass is always green; where it never rains and the wind never blows; not stay cooped up here and be a play toy for some sadistic cat...I had to escape!

To be continued in day 4...


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## RexLovables (Oct 17, 2009)

These stories are GREAT!
you should make this blog into a book somehow 
i am so into it!!!


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## Thlayli (Oct 17, 2009)

DAY 4 Part 1

Peebody woke up late in the morning, as usual. I heard him hopping around his cage and nibbling on some long grass. 

âYou awake yet Hester? Usually youâre the one who wakes me up, not the other way around.â

........

âHester?â

........

I didnât feel like talking to him at the moment; the memory of last night, and him just sleeping through it all was still fresh on my mind. Who sleeps that hard anyway? He didnât persist, and soon went back to nibbling on the long grass.

Mic came out later that morning and started moving long pieces of wood around the yard. He pulled up some more long grass, split it in half and pushed half of it into Peebodyâs cage, who immediately and with delight started munching on it like he hadnât eaten in days.

âOh, itâs always best when itâs fresh picked!â

Then Mic turned to my cage but instead of pushing the grass in, he just stood there. I could only see the bottom of his legs from outside my box, but I knew that if I could see his eyes they would be staring straight at me. He opened my cage door and stepped inside. After putting the long grass down on my food dish he reached his hands into box and lifted me out. I kicked and squirmed, but he held me tight against his chest and stroked my head. 

Gradually I calmed down and began to relax a little in his arms. I didnât want to be outside of the box! It was my safe place; if the cat was going to get me in there, it would have to be from the front, and she would not walk away unscathed this time. He put me down on the grass, and I immediately went for the box, but he stopped me. He held out a hand in front of me and I could go no further. I sat upright on my hind legs and surveyed the yard. No sign of the cat. His hand firmly outstretched in front of the box, I turned and went to get a drink from my water bottle.

I was being cautious, and after every couple of licks I would twist my head around back and forth to make sure she was not sneaking up on me. She was nowhere to be seen, and now that my thirst had been slaked, the rumbling pain in my stomach was all the more insistent. I hopped slowly over to the long grass and started to take a few nibbles. 

I heard a soft pattering noise behind me, my head shot around to see what had made it; and there she was, sauntering lazily over the grass towards me. I thumped hard on the ground and bolted, under Micâs still outstretched hand, and into the safely of the box. After a moment she came walking around the side of my cage and up to Mic. She meowed and rubbed against his hand and he picked her up.

I sat, pressed against the ground, my back legs wound up like a spring, ready to kick or run. Mic stood up with the cat in his arms and walked over to the house. This was my chance! My cage door was wide open. My whole body tensed up as I prepared to bolt, but then I remembered something that Peebody had said to me the first night I came. I asked him what the scary smell was, and he told me that is was the cats...plural. So there could be another one, crouching just out of my site, ready to pounce on me the moment I came out. I shuddered and shrank down even lower, feeling utterly helpless. 

Mic opened the door to the house, dropped the cat inside, and closed it again. When he walked back over to my cage he knelt down and started making soft and comforting grunts as he reached in and stroked my back. He stood up and moved my food dish and some long grass to the entrance of the box, closed the cage door and went back to the house. Filled with gratitude for him, I inched forward and grabbed a piece of long grass and began to nibble.

To be continued in day 4 part 2...


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## Thlayli (Oct 18, 2009)

DAY 4 Part 2

After what happened earlier that day, I knew that when Mic was around I didnât have anything to fear from the cats. So, when he came out later that day, I took it as an opportunity to stretch my legs a little. Peebody was sprawled out on the grass sleeping. I had given up my aggravation toward him a while ago; it wasnât his fault he slept like a rock.

âDo you do anything other than sleep and eat?â I sneered at him with a grin.

âYep, I make rabbit raisins.â He opened his eyes and let out a long drawn-out yawn. âBesides, what else is there to do in these cages? Iâm just waiting till Mic puts me back in my run, then I can run around and play.â

âYeah well, Iâm bored. In the store, when we would get bored we would tell each other stories.â

âWhat kind of stories?â He sat up with a new look of interest.

âOh...well...stories of anything. Some we heard from our mothers when we were kits, or sometimes we just made them up on the spot.â

âOk, that sounds fine to me. Tell me a story then.â

â Ok..well...ummmm...Ok, this is one that my mom would tell me when I was a kit. It starts out in a really big...â

Just then Mic came walking up. He opened my cage door and picked me up. Making soft noises, he stroked my head and ears for a few moments; then dropped me down into Peebodyâs cage. He hopped over to me and we smelled each other over. He tried mounting me again, but I was in the mood to play, so I let him chase me around the cage for a while. Mic sat down in a chair nearby and watched us run around the cage. Eventually Peebody tired, and I sat down next to him.

âSee, thatâs what happens when all you do is sleep and eat; you canât keep up.â

âThat isnât all I do, your forgetting the raisins again.â

âOh! Iâm sorry, youâre right, you get a lot of exercise making raisins all day!â

We both laughed and he leaned over and licked my nose.

âPeebody?â

âYeah?â

âWhen you said âcatsâ the other night, how many were you talking about?â

âI dunno, I think thereâs like four or five of them, but maybe more; the grey oneâs spots keep changing every time I see her.â

âAnd you said that Toff was the only one to worry about? Which one is she?â I already knew the answer before it came out of his mouth.

âSheâs the tabby with the bright green eyes.â

âSo if I got loose in the yard, sheâs the only one that would chase me?â

âWhy do you want to know?â He sat up and looked at me inquisitively.

âWell,â I looked down at my front paws, âI think Iâm going to try to escape from here. I want to see other places and...â

âEscape!? Why? Donât you like it here?â 

I looked up at him; his face had a hurt expression.

âNo!...I like it here; itâs just...â

Before I could finish he had gotten up and hopped to the other end of the cage. He laid down with his back to me. I started to hop over to him, but Mic came over, opened the cage door and picked me up. He took me over to his chair and set me down in his lap, stroking my back while making soothing sounds; but I did not want to be calmed this time. Toff was in the house where Mic left her, and it was now or never to escape. 

I edged over to the end of his lap. Slowly tensing my legs so that he would not feel, I prepared to bolt into a thicket of tall grass and shrubs just on the other side of the grass clearing; but just as I started to jump, I saw out of the corner of my eye, Peebody. He was sitting at the edge of his cage staring at me. My back legs did a sort of hiccup as my body tried to run for it and my mind tried to stop me at the same time. I landed flat on my belly at Micâs feet, and before I could regain my footing he had scooped me up again. He walked back over to my cage and plopped me down on the grass. Though I knew Peebody was staring at me, I couldnât bring myself to look back at him.

Mic walked around my cage and over to Peebodyâs. He opened the door and knelt down, holding out a hand for Peebody.

âYou wanna see an escape...watch this.â 

His voice held none of the warmth and friendliness that it usually had. He turned his back on me and hopped over to Micâs outstretched hand. He let Mic pet him for a while. I saw his back legs tense up...but he didnât bolt. He was waiting. After a few more moments Mic turned his head to look at something across the yard. Peebody seized his opportunity and darted past him. He headed straight for the stretch of fence that circled his run. It took Mic only a second to notice the escape attempt, and after another second he was hot on the rabbitâs tail; but Peebody was fast, and he reached his destination. He stopped at the edge of the fence and gazed in. 

Mic caught up to him quickly, but Peebody didnât try to run anymore. He let himself be caught and put back in his cage. With some not-so-soft-and-comforting grunts, Mic closed his cage door, and left to go back in the house. I turned to Peebody. He was still sitting in the spot where he was dropped.

âPeebody...I...Iâm sorry. I do like it here; and I do want to play with you in your run and see your burrow. I just...Iâm sorry...â

â...donât bother. Itâs destroyed.â His voice was cold and dry.

âWhatâs destroyed?â I hopped to the edge of my cage, as close to him as I could get.

âMy run, my burrow...all of it, destroyed.â

He turned and hopped to the far end of his cage and flopped down on the grass with his back to me. I knew that there was nothing else I could say; so I went back to my box, chewed some long grass and napped for the rest of the day.

To be continued with day 5...


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## Thlayli (Oct 18, 2009)

DAY 5 Part 1

I was gigantic. I could see over all the trees and even the houses. Peebody hopped up to me and asked why I was so big; didnât I like being small, didnât I like being the same size as him. I tried to tell him yes, that I wanted to be small again; but when I opened my mouth all that came out was a loud, shrill trumpeting sound. In my surprise I stumbled backwards and landed on Peebodyâs burrow. It caved in with a nasty crunch and all the dirt in the run was upset with the bulk of my enormous weight. Peebody looked at me with heartbroken eyes. I didnât want to make him sad; and all Iâve done since I got here was ruin his life.

I shot up onto my feet and thumped the ground hard. I was woken up by a loud and screechy trumpeting sound, just like the one I had made in my dream. I surveyed the yard, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Peebody was still lying where he had been the previous evening.

The sun had not risen yet, but a golden glow hung above the treetops, marking its pending arrival. I laid back down in my box and closed my eyes; but was awoken a moment later by another loud trumpeting noise. I bolted onto my feet again. This time I had a better idea where the noise had come from. I slowly crept out of my box and looked up. Standing on the wire top of my cage was the biggest bird I had ever seen. It was blood red in color, and probably a little bigger than Peebody. I watched it for a moment and, sure enough, it stretched out its neck and made the shrill trumpeting sound again.

I didnât know what to do. Every time it made the loud noise, out of instinct my body would tense up and prepare to bolt; but I didnât want to leave my box because I didnât know if it was dangerous or not. My annoyance grew as it made the loud noise again...and again. 

The annoyance overwhelmed my fear to the point that I would gladly fight the bird if I had to. I waited, and as soon as it stretched out its long red neck again, I dashed out of my box and kicked the wire fence below it as hard as I could. It was stopped in mid trumpet, and with a flurry of squawks and flaps, it was gone.

I couldnât fall back asleep after that. So I laid there watching the sun rise, thinking about how best to apologize to Peebody. 

To be continued with day 5 part 2...


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## Thlayli (Oct 19, 2009)

DAY 5 Part 2

The sky went from a hazy pink at dawn to a bright and clear blue at midday. A slight breeze ruffled the leaves and hummingbirds darted back and forth chasing each other. I laid at the edge of my box feeling guilty and worried. Peebody still had not gotten up. Was he really that upset? What if he didnât take my apology? I sat, pondering these things and nibbling on some long grass until Mic came out later that day.

He refilled my food dish and brought me some more long grass. When he went to go do the same to Peebodyâs cage Peebody still didnât move. Mic crawled over to him on his hands and knees. I let out a sigh of relief when Peebody lifted his head slightly. Mic pet him for a while, making comforting noises. After refilling his food dish and setting it near Peebodyâs head, he went back into the house.

â...Peebody?â

.......

âPeebody are you ok?...You havenât had anything to eat or drink since yesterday.â

........

Worry welled up in me to the bursting point. I was just about to kick the wire that divided our cages in an attempt to wake him up when...

âHester?â His voice sounded feeble and strained.

âYes?â 

â...Yesterday you were about to tell me a story...can you...â

âTell you the story? Yes. Of course I will!â

He slowly picked himself up and hopped over to the wire that divided us. He flopped back down on his side, this time facing me. I poked my nose through the wire and licked his nose a few times. 

âOk...It starts out...â

To be continued in day 5 The Story...


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## Thlayli (Oct 19, 2009)

Hesterâs Story

Once there was a giant run that held over a hundred rabbits. Almost all of the rabbits in the run were related somehow, so it was like one giant family. Well, in this family there were three sisters; Clover, Violet, and Dandelion. The three sisters were very close to each other; everywhere they went in the run it was always together. They even all three shared the same hutch. 

One day, when they were circling the run together, they cam upon a friend of theirs. They asked him how he was doing, and he told them, ânot good; not good at all.â

When asked why, he answered, âMy brother came of age to be taken by the farmer. So the farmer came and took him, skinned him, and cooked him for dinner.â

The three sisters were appalled. They knew that it would happen one day, but until now it was always something that only happened to older rabbits, not rabbits as old as them; for their friends brother was at the same age.

Right then and there, the three sisters decided that they would find a way to escape becoming dinner for the farmer. They thought about it long and hard, doing almost nothing else, but after three days of thinking none of them had come up with anything. Then, on the third night, the answer came to Clover in the form of a dream. She woke up her two sisters and told them that the answer to their searching laid buried at the far end of the run, under a mulberry tree. 

They all three left the hutch and went to the spot that Clover described; and there, under the leaves of the mulberry was buried a small carrot. They quickly dug up the carrot and carried it back to their hutch. Violet and Dandelion sat quietly as Clover told them that this was no ordinary carrot, it was a wishing carrot, one bite and you could wish for anything.

The carrot was only big enough for three bites, so they would all get one wish. Violet went first; she took a little nibble and said out loud, âI wish that I could escape this run.â And pop! She was suddenly just outside the run. She had only been out there a few seconds however when the farmers dog saw her. She could not run fast enough, and Dandelion and Clover watched in horror as the dog caught her and shook her until she was limp. 

Now, even more determined to get far away from this horrid place, Dandelion went next. She took a nibble and said, âI wish I were a long, long way from here.â And pop! She was gone. Clover never saw her again.

Last was Clover's turn. Determined not to fail like her sisters had, she thought about her wish long and hard. Then, when the sun was almost risen, she took the last nibble and said,âI wish that I didnât have anything to fear from the farmer.â And pop! She felt her ears drop from their normal position in the air and flop lifelessly on either side of her head. She didnât know how this was going to keep her safe from the farmer, but after the loss of her two sisters, she didnât care very much. 

Later that day the farmer came out to the run. He came upon Clover sitting in the grass and grabbed her. He felt and examined her ears for a long time; then, instead of skinning and cooking her, he put her in a special hutch inside his house. There he kept her warm and fed her much better food then she ever got in the run. He pet her every day, and often brought in male rabbits to mate with her. After a few years Clover died a happy rabbit. She had produced many offspring, all of which had ears just like hers. 

And thatâs how many rabbits today got their lop ears. 

To be continued in day 5 part 3...


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## Thlayli (Oct 19, 2009)

DAY 5 Part 3

It was nearly dark by the time I finished the story. Peebody hadnât moved. His eyes were closed and he was breathing quickly. I laid down against the wire, as close to him as I could get, licked his nose, and fell asleep.

Mic came out later that evening. He opened Peebodyâs cage and picked him up. I think he was as worried as I was. He laid Peebody on his back and checked his eyes, ears, mouth and around his tail. After poking around the grass in the cage a bit, he picked Peebody up and took him inside the house. I was alone again. 

I didnât go back to my box that night. I didnât want to leave the spot next to where he had been. So, lonely and trembling with worry, I closed my eyes and wished for a magic carrot to make Peebody better. 

To be continued in day 6...


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## kirbyultra (Oct 19, 2009)

Oh no. Is Peebody ok??


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## Thlayli (Oct 20, 2009)

DAY 6

Drops of dew clung to every blade of grass, and the morning sun shining through them made the yard shimmer and glean. Mic came out early to refill my water bottle and food dish. He also dragged the cardboard box out of my cage and threw it onto the lawn. I still sat hunched at the spot next to the fence, engrossed in feelings of guilt and regret. 

Was I the one who made Peebody sick? Was he even still alive? Whenever a rabbit would get sick at the store the blue shirts would come and take them away, and we would never see them again. The day dragged on with all these thoughts, and I began to think that I would go crazy if they didnât end soon.

I barely ate anything; barely even moved, and before I knew it the sun was setting again. Mic hadnât come out since that morning. After stretching my legs a little, and nibbling on some pellets to quiet my stomach, I laid back down in the spot by the fence and went back to sleep.

To be continued in day 7...


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