The Bronze Rabbit

~~~I don't know where this is going yet. I have decided to write a children's story for my young nieces for their Christmas Gift. I'm hoping to make it a coloring book. Then send along a C.D. reading the story in my own voice. I've come some way, and now have pictures to copy into rude drawings. It's not as easy as going to Walmart...I know they will appreciate it...I just hope I can meet their expectations in fantasy and joy. This is the unfinished piece. I must get it done by the end of November. Any and ALL comments are accepted.

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The Bronze Rabbit

The Bronze Rabbit lived in a beautiful herb garden close to Birmingham Alabama in a small village called Homewood. It whiled about its days talking to the butterflies and smelling the huge Rosemary bush that grew next to it. The Basil and the Thyme were always bickering and the Oregano couldn’t decide when to bloom. It made Bronze Rabbit chuckle, when no one was around.

Even with all of these enjoyable surroundings, the Bronze Rabbit was a little bit lonely. The Butterflies were lovely and whispered secrets in its over large ears. Bronze Rabbit always knew how to keep a good secret. But he wanted someone to play puzzles with. Bronze Rabbit sighed when evening fell. Butterflies and Rosemary did not know how to play puzzles.
He often thought how lovely it would be to have little girls to play puzzles with. He imagined how they would sit in the herb garden and say, "Here is a piece. Oh it fits! It fits!" But little girls did not come to him to play puzzles.

One evening, just as the sun was setting in the garden, Bronze Rabbit noticed a rustling in the Oregano. He could see, just out of the corner of his little bronze eye, a small glowing figure wrestling its way from under the leaves.

"Ptooy! Ptooy!" she said, "You stupid plant. Haven’t you figured out how to bloom yet? I’ve left you all of the instructions. You just need to figure it out!"

With that, she flexed the most beautifully colored wings and rose an inch or two above the ground. Bronze Rabbit had never seen such a creature. She was human form, but tiny - no bigger than a little girl’s pinky. She radiated color. With one flap of her tiny wings she was pink, then purple, next blue and then green. Next she was red, then orange and yellow. She fluttered and sputtered as she lifted off the ground.

She was not very well mannered, and even seemed a tad ill tempered.

"Hello," said the Bronze Rabbit, "you must be new around here."
"I’ve been here for ages!" she replied.
"Do you play puzzles?" asked Bronze Rabbit.
"Puzzles? Puzzles! I don’t play puzzles!" she replied. "What is a puzzle?"

"A puzzle is a picture that is cut into pieces and shaken up in a box. Then you put all the pieces together again to make the picture." Bronze Rabbit could be very patient when explaining things.

"I’ve never heard of such a thing!" The fairy exclaimed as she fluttered and turn bright purple.

"I wish I had someone to play puzzles with."

If Bronze Rabbit’s ears could flop they would have. He so badly wanted the company.

"Nobody ever listens to me, but..." The fairy fluttered closer to Bronze Rabbit and turned a lovely shade of rose. "...I think I can help you. The Oregano won’t listen to me, nor the Thyme. The herbs here in the garden that have listened to me have been very successful."

"Oh! Fairy! I will listen to you! I promise!" Replied the Bronze Rabbit.

The Fairy lifted herself to the Bronze Rabbits left ear and started to whisper. Bronze Rabbits find it very difficult to smile, but he did.


Chapter 2

The next day was very bright and sunny. Bronze Rabbit would have yawned, but it made his face hurt when he did. Then the "plan" crossed his mind and he smiled - even though it took a while for his face to see the effect.

It was Sunday. Fairy told him about three little girls that loved to come to the herb garden on Sundays. She told him that she had heard them whispering about puzzles, and she had a plan. All Bronze Rabbit had to do was let the sun work its wonders on the Oregano and the Rosemary and Thyme. The scent of the flowers would draw the little girls to the herb garden and to him.

Bronze Rabbit was patient, as always, as the morning sun rose higher and higher.
He could not see Fairy, but he could hear her rustling among the herbs. He could imagine her climbing up under them and giving them a good rattle with her tiny hands to release the scents. He even heard her grumbling under her breath at the Oregano. "You stupid plant," she growled, "do not be difficult with me!" The Oregano sighed and slumped, much to her displeasure.

Speaking out of the corner of his mouth he half whispered, "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."

Rosemary chuckled.