The Rabbit King

Riley Bauer

There would be a land where the grass is green, and the sky turns to pink as the sun goes to its rest. In this land would live a rabbit, but he would be unlike those of our land. His fur would be the purest of white, appearing like virgin snow as the seasons come to change. Upon his head would sit the key to his name, a beautiful golden crown with emeralds that would sparkle in the sunlight.

The Rabbit King would live in a burrow in the middle of the forest. He would not know where exactly he resides in the forest, but he assumed that it must be the center because he had not seen the end of the forest near his home. His burrow sat beside a tree with a small tunnel leading down to his home between the roots of the great plant. Every day the Rabbit King would wake in his home and take in the scent of the day. He would listen with his magnificent ears for rain, and if it had not come, he would climb out of his home and begin his day.

His day would begin with a patrol of the forest. There would be three spots he would decide he must check every day, his first spot being the home of the Mole. He would have hopped and hopped until he found the hole where his good friend the Mole would be sitting every morning. The Rabbit King would sit and ask, “How are you today my good friend?” in a voice so regal.

“I’m doing just fine and dandy!” would cheer the Mole. She would be amongst the older creatures in these woods, but she would be as jolly as ever. “And how are you, Rabbit King?” she would ask, her nose pointed to the sky.

The Rabbit King would always have the same response to this question. Each time he would cheer, “I am having a great day. I am seeing my friends!”

And with their exchange, he would go off to his second location. The second spot to patrol would be the home of the Squirrel family. When he would reach the tree with the hole in it, the tree to the north of the Mole, he would be greeted every day by the lovely face of Mrs. Squirrel. Mr. Squirrel would typically be up much earlier and would be off finding acorns and other snacks for his family. Mrs. Squirrel would smile and wave to the Rabbit King and wait for him to ask his question, “How are you today, my good friend?”

“I am doing just great today! My children are excited to explore today. We’re going to practice climbing trees! How is your day?” she would respond, her cheeks donning a smile that never wavered.

Her children would be peeking past her, all smiling at the Rabbit King and asking questions upon questions. “Can we wear your crown? Why is your fur so white? Aren’t you old? Why can’t you climb trees?”

But the Rabbit King would only smile and reply, “I am having a great day. I am seeing my friends!” and be off on his way. The final stop would be the pond, where he would meet his oldest friend. The Turtle would be as wise as anyone the Rabbit King had ever met, but he never smiled. No matter how much the sun would shine and how beautiful the day would be, he would not smile. He knew the Turtle before he had pronounced himself King and worn his crown, and he had not yet seen him smile.

The Rabbit King would hop and stroll merrily to the pond where the Turtle would be sitting on a fallen tree. The tree would be covered in moss and the flies and mosquitoes would buzz busily around it. The Rabbit King would sit and ask his daily question, “How are you today my good friend?”

But the Turtle would not immediately answer his question. He would turn his head, taking his sweet time before he would speak. “Why do you wear that crown, Rabbit? I have always wondered that. We are ruled by nobody, yet you wear a crown.”

The Rabbit King would tilt his head at the question, as if the answer was plain to see. “I do not wear it for you. I wear it for myself. If I want to believe I am as mighty as a king, I must feel like a king!”

But the Turtle would not accept that answer. “That is silly, Rabbit. You are not a king; you are simply a Rabbit, just like I am a Turtle. I sit here each day and do what Turtles do. We are not special, so why believe that we are?”

“We are all special, Turtle! You are the King of the Pond, just like the Mole is the Queen of her Burrow! Like Mr. Squirrel and Mrs. Squirrel are the King and Queen of the Tree! And their children the Princes and Princesses of the Tree!”

But still, the Turtle would not accept his answer. “I am no king and I have no reason to think I am. Why must you see me every day? Can you not tell that I am resting?”

The Rabbit King pouted and sat up straight. “I visit you every day because we are all worthy of attention! I know you will not seek company, so I will give it to you because I know you truly want it. You say that you are not special, but I can see in your eyes that you enjoy seeing company every day. You love to hear my stories I tell of my friends, so I will come every day!”

The Turtle sighed and turned towards the pond, ready to leave the Rabbit King as he would every day. He would always end the conversations like this, as if he had hated every moment and wanted nothing more than his pond. But this time, before he took a step towards the water, he felt something atop his head. With a leathery foot, he reached up and removed the item from his head. “You cannot give me this!” he huffed, turning to the Rabbit King who would now be missing his crown.

The Rabbit King shook his head and took the crown from the Turtle, placing it once again onto his head. “Become a king, Turtle. I don thee the title of the Turtle King, king of the Pond.”

The newly acclaimed Turtle King huffed and shook his head before diving into the cool water of the pond, creating a ripple where he had disappeared. The Rabbit King watched the water for a moment until the ripples went away. When the ripples faded, he smiled and began his evening hop back towards his home. The day would be a success; he had seen his friends and knew that they were all doing what he knew they did. He could not see it, but beneath the water the Turtle King sat at the bottom of the water, holding the crown with a smile.