After leaving the grove, the girl came across a rabbit near the frozen pond.
"Good morning," said the girl.
"Good morning," said the rabbit.
(vis. 23: rabbit and the girl)
"Who are you?" asked the girl as she looked at the rabbit, "You have a lovely appearance for a creature like you."
"I am a rabbit,"
"Oh! What a beautiful name for someone like you."
"That's why everybody wanted me!" the rabbit ranted.
"Isn't that supposed to be a good thing?" the girl asked the rabbit out of curiosity, "To be wanted by everyone around you?"
"Oh please, don't get me started." sighed the rabbit, "the last time I saw someone of your own kind, I was almost deprived of my life!"
The girl was surprised by what she had to hear, intrigued by what the rabbit had said.
"My own kind?"
"Yes! Hunters alike that similarly resembles you, walking on two legs."
"Oh, that is interesting!" the girl replied in awe, as she had realized she was not the only person of her kind on the planet.
"I believe it's not, and the same is true for larger creatures; living a life being hunted is never appealing to me." the rabbit had responded with distrust before fleeing behind a tree.
"Don't be afraid, I'm not one of them!" the girl had assured the rabbit.
"By just captivating me with words, you will not persuade me to believe you." the rabbit had warned the girl.
"Then what must I do to convince you that I'm not?"
"You cannot convince me otherwise," the rabbit had said, "Everyone wants me for certain reasons and intentions that I could not understand, and I must not fall into the same trap again."
"Perhaps the world has been mean to you?" the girl sat down by the snowy trail as the rabbit continued to hide behind the tree.
"Perhaps, yes..." the rabbit sighed.
The two fell silent as they looked at each other, with the rabbit peeking from behind the tree.
"But, if I may ask, have you seen somebody resembling myself in terms of what you have mentioned?" the girl had requested the rabbit one final time, timidly since she was afraid of it.
"Men?" the rabbit remarked, "I hadn't seen one, and the last time I saw one was from what I had described to you; sadly, no one knows where to find them."
"Is that so... goodbye then, farewell." said the girl.
"Goodbye," said the rabbit.
YOU ARE READING
Under the Moonlight
Short StoryWould you believe me if I said I met a girl in the mountains years ago? As if anyone would! I find it difficult when folks refuse to believe the extraordinary, usually because they are too accustomed to the mundane. But, in any case, I don't seek to...
