The morning sun was just beginning to kiss the sky a peachy hue when Bonnie was awoken by a commotion outside the hutch. Groggily, she left her bed of hay to see what all the fuss was about. Other rabbits scurried past her on both sides excitedly.
"Look sharp! I think someone is about to Ascend!" announced Gregor the Giant. The rabbits watched through the chickenwire expectantly.
"Oh, I hope it's me!" Mrs. Margaret exclaimed. "I've gained plenty of weight and have been waiting so patiently!" she crossed her arms.
In the distance, a small Being was approaching. It wasn't the usual Being who brought them food, and it wasn't the usual Being who Ascended the rabbits either. Still, they waited eagerly.
The Being reached the entrance of the pen, opened the gate, and walked inside. The rabbits gathered around the its feet, looking up with pleading eyes. The Being scanned the group of anxious rabbits, as if looking for one in particular. When the Being's eyes landed on Bonnie, she felt a sudden chill run down her back.
"I think you've just been chosen," whispered Gregor.
The other rabbits watched as the Being moved toward Bonnie. She sat completely still as it crouched down and gave her head a gentle pat. Bonnie closed her eyes and held her breath. Before she knew it, she was Ascending. She could feel the Being's cold hands wrap around her body, lifting her from the ground. Some of rabbits cheered; others cursed Bonnie out of envy. As the Being held Bonnie tightly to its chest, she heard Gregor call out from below, "Congratulations, Bonnie! You have Ascended!" She could hardly believe it.
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The Being began walking toward the back of the small house. Bonnie had never seen the world from this high up before. It was both amazing and terrifying. Once the Being reached the back of the house, Bonnie saw what looked like a miniature house, surrounded in a fence of chickenwire, similar to the Land of the Protected, but much smaller. The Being opened the gate of the pen and placed Bonnie inside, petting her ears gently. Then the Being turned and left out of sight.
Bonnie, still in a state of shock, explored her new living arrangements. So this is Ascension, she thought to herself. She was completely alone in the new pen. Like the Land of the Protected, there was a small trough of food, a bottle of water attached to the pen, and a hutch filled with fresh hay. This is quite nice, she thought. All of the Ascended rabbits get their own pens? That's quite generous. She looked up. Unlike the Land of the Protected, this pen had a roof. "I guess I won't be needing Dingy anymore," she chuckled smugly as she settled in to her new home.
***
Bonnie grew to love Ascension. Every day she was greeted by the small Being with fresh food, water, and hay. She never had to share her resources with anyone, and she no longer had to feel ashamed of her unusually large appetite. Sometimes, the Being would just sit and pet Bonnie on the head for a while. It was lovely. She understood now why Gregor spoke so highly of Ascension. It's a shame he's never gotten to experience it himself, she thought.
Living alone did get lonely sometimes, though. She felt terrible for how she had treated Molly when she had last seen her. She wished now, more than anything, to see her again. Then, one evening while Bonnie was munching on some hay in her hutch, the universe granted her wish.
"Hello?" Bonnie heard a small voice call out. She stopped munching and peered outside. Molly had burrowed her way into Bonnie's pen.
"Molly?" Bonnie asked in surprise.
"Bonnie!" cried Molly.
"I was just thinking of you! What are you doing here? How did you find me?" asked Bonnie.
"I heard that you had Ascended somewhere in this general direction, so I just kept digging around until I caught on to your scent!" she replied, patting her nose.
Bonnie smiled. "I'm so sorry for how I treated you the last time we were together. I was just very upset."
"It's okay, I understand," said Molly. "So, this is Ascension, eh? How is it?"
"Pretty nice," Bonnie started. "The small Being provides me with everything I need, and it's nice not having to share with anyone."
Molly sat silently for a moment. "Is this really what you wanted?" she said finally.
"What do you mean?" asked Bonnie.
"I mean," Molly shifted uncomfortably, "back at the burrows, you would talk about how much you hated being stuck in one place, and now, here you are--stuck in a different place."
Bonnie frowned. "I'm not stuck anywhere," she replied defensively. "I can leave whenever I choose."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
"Okay," said Molly, crossing her arms, "then leave right now!"
"Well, I don't want to leave," said Bonnie, "I have everything I could ever want right here."
Molly sighed. "Face it, Bonnie, you're trapped here in the same situation you've always been in. And what about the other rabbits? Do you really think they all get the same treatment as you?"
Bonnie scrunched up her face. "If they are lucky enough to Ascend, yes," she said.
"Oh, enough with the 'Ascension' nonsense," Molly said. "Do you really think that every single rabbit that has ever 'Ascended' gets a nice fancy hutch of their own with a personal Being waiting on them, hand and foot?"
Bonnie started to regret wishing for Molly's presence. "You're just jealous," she argued. "You're jealous that you're alone and always have been. You wish you were a rabbit so that you could have a chance at Ascending."
"No way," Molly scoffed. "I'd take my freedom to dig and explore as I please over your glorified cage of 'eternal safety' any day."
"Fine," said Bonnie.
"Fine," replied Molly as she turned to leave. She paused for a moment before saying, "I just hope you're as happy as you claim to be. Goodbye, Bonnie."
Bonnie watched solemnly as her best friend disappeared into the earth.
