The Forgotten Wonderland

Chapter 2: Following the Rabbit

Soukaina:

I follow her into the forest,

"We can't stay for too long though because it will get dark soon."

In an annoying nagging voice Estelle mocked me again. She like exploring the forest, like the baboon that she is.
I focus on the trees, the way they move. The way the sunset shines through the leaves.
Just then I hear something, very faint, very far. It sounds like my name...
"Soukaina!" It's so faint it sounds like a distant whisper.

"Do you hear that?"

I ask Estelle, who's too busy exploring.

"Hear what?'

"My name...someone's calling me."

Estelle looks at me with a, "Are you kidding?" Look.

"You better not answer, what if it's a jinn."

She did have a point. We are in the woods, but I can't shake that strange feeling.

"Look..."

She points at something far in the field.

"It's a white bunny..."

She says softly.

"Actually it's a rabbit."

Estelle sides eyes me,

"Erm actually it's a rabbit."

She mocks me, in a nerdy tone.
We both try to walk closer to it. The rabbit stands on its hind legs, looking at us.

"Aaww.. it's so cutee!"

This is the first time I've seen such a white rabbit. Something does feel off about it.
Estelle lowers to the floor and tries to call it over. I swear she thinks she's Fluttershy from my little pony or something.
As the bunny comes closer it takes an interest in me, putting its paws on my jeans. I lean down "Hii.."
It sniffs my pocket and my pants.
Just as i look away to give Estelle a "I'm better than you" look. The rabbit reaches into my pocket and grabs my dirham. Running away with it.

"Little shit! My dirham!"

I chase after it as Estelle laughs her ass off. Before darting across the forest, the rabbit runs around in circles for a while.
I chase after it as Estelle follows me.
We run deeper into the forest, the woods get thicker and denser.

"Don't you think we're going in too far?!"

Estelle yells behind me.

"I ain't leaving till I get my Dirham!"

The rabbit jumps into a hole, big enough to fit a grown person.
We both stop in our tracks and look at the hole. It was dug into the roots of a big oak tree.
Estelle notices an owl staring at us. hooting softly.

"How desperate are you for that dirham?"

She questions me with her arms folded and eyebrows raised.

"Very."

I get on my knees and look for a way to carefully descend into the hole.

"Ooo I'm eating that rabbit the second I find it."

She giggles at my words.

"Imagine you get stuck."

I get up and look at her,

"Oh yeah? Since you wanna be Mrs. Comedian over there, how about you come help me."

She tied her curly hair up in a bun.

"And what do you want me to do?"

"You will go in the hole, you're much smaller than me..and shorter."

She gives me a look like "you serious?"

"I'm not going in there. You know I'm claustrophobic...plus it's YOUR dirham, not mine."

Oooo I just want to choke her sometimes. Although she's right, but I don't want to go in there.

"Just get on your knees and check it out..."

I smile slyly, knowing what I'm gonna do to her.

"Finee"

she kneels down in front of it.

"Just don't molest me.."

her last words caught me so off guard I let out a laugh that almost echoed through the forest.
She looks at me with a blank expression.

"Great, now if a serial killer WAS after us, we'd be dead.."

"Ugh just hurry up and go in already!"

I pushed her softly, with a quick scream that exited her lips, it was as if the hole opened up and swallowed her whole. I take a few steps back and look in fear.

"What the fuck...nah that's on you.."

Just as I was going to run away, a hand reaches out from the hole, grabs my ankle, and drags me down in with it.

"OOOO YOU BABOON."

I scream at her.