“Let’s go get him a cookie.” Emily took the small stuffed bunny by the hand and went quietly into the kitchen. She knelt down in front of the cabinet, she slip the child safety lock down and opened it.
She reached into the box and pulled out three cookies. The first cookie she quickly ate and the second cookie she slip into her pocket. The third she held up to her stuffed bunny mouth and kept it there just long enough for the small bunny to eat it. Then she ate that cookie too.
She could hear her mother in the dining room talking. She shut the cabinet and walked into the adjacent room to join her mother.
“Really Linda, you have no idea how expensive some of these dresses are the girls want for prom. It will probably be worse by the time Emily is in High school.”
“Mommy look," Emily held the stuffed rabbit up to her mother.
“Yes Emily I see Mr. Bunny, Carol and I are talking.”
Emily giggle “that’s not Mr. Bunny, he’s much bigger.”
“Why don’t you just rent the dresses, I thought that’s what most people did.”
“It was Jamie's first prom, the dress she wanted was for sale, not for rent. She told her dad that she would want the dress forever.”
“Mr. Bunny only comes at night. He's really funny, we’re friends.”
“Did she ever wear it again?”
“Of course not, it just hangs in the closet. When Jamie was a sophomore, her dad recommended wearing the same dress. You would think he had asked her to eat out of the garbage. A $500 dress worn once and then stuffed in the back of her closet.”
“First it’s mom it is my very first prom so I need a special dress, now its mom it’s my very last prom so I need a special dress. Luckily we managed to convince her to rent the last 2 years, we should have known it wasn’t going to last. Renting these dresses is not cheap either. It’s going to be worse when Emily is in High school. “
Emily went over and held the bunny out to her mother’s friend. “Carol look it.”
“What do you got there, Is that Mr. Bunny.” Carol asked.
“No, Mr. Bunny is much bigger, we’re all friends.”
“What is she talking about?” Carol looked at Linda.
Last week we went to get her picture taken with the Easter bunny. We got her that little rabbit and she hasn’t stopped talking about it since.
"Emily honey, me and Carol are talking, why don’t you take Mr. Bunny and go play."
"So who is Jamie going to prom with? I remember you weren’t too fond of her boyfriend".
"No that’s been done for a while…"
That night Emily was lying in bed snuggled up to her stuffed bunny. She was wide awake although she was starting to get a bit sleepy. She heard a small tap at her window, like small individual pellets of hail unevenly spaced. After a few more taps at the window she stood up in her bed and looked out the window.
There was Mr. Bunny standing in the street just like Emily had told her mother. This time Mr. Bunny had a basket with him. He waved at Emily. Emily smiled and waved back just like the nights before. Mr Bunny motioned for Emily to join him. Emily looked away from the window, glancing at her bedroom door. She then looked back at the bunny. Again Mr. Bunny motioned for her to join him.
Emily crawled down from her bed and walked out her bedroom door. She walked past her parents’ room and tip toed down the stairs. At the front door Emily reached up and slip her finger inside the child proof lock on the knob. She slowly twisted the knob and pulled the door open.
Looking out the door Emily saw Mr. Bunny standing at the end of the side walk. The large bunny held out his hand, she approached and clasped the furry hand.
The two walked down the street and around the corner. Parked next to the curve was a beat up red Honda sedan. Mr. Bunny opened the passenger door and guided Emily inside. Emily looked around the car, taco bell wrappers lay scatter around the floor and it smelled.
Mr. Bunny then got into the driver seat and he and Emily drove off down the quiet sleeping street.
