WORDS TO USE: reporter – enchiladas – rabbit – whisper – dandelion
They called him “The Rabbit Whisperer.”
Whenever Horace walked in the nearby park—or any park—rabbits suddenly came out of hiding. He had no explanation for this oddity. In truth, the phenomena had been happening ever since he was a kid, some seventy-six years ago.
He’d never minded. Rabbits were cute to him, anyway. They scrunched up their noses and wiggled them like crazy when they smelled something interesting. Like just now, as he sat on the park bench eating some fast food he’d picked up on his way here. He’d ordered tacos and a tamale. But the young kid at the counter had paid more attention to the cute girl behind Horace than to him.
So here he was, holding the empty wrapper of a slippery, gooey enchilada that had slid to the ground in front of him instead of a tamale. The scent had only taken seconds to draw at least a dozen rabbits from hiding places in the surrounding trees. Amazing little creatures.
He couldn’t help smiling as two of the bigger ones were nudging each other out of the way so they could attempt to get to the unusual object. As a former reporter for the Weekly Zoo News, he knew an enchilada was not part of their normal dietary foods. But the tubby gray one with one oddly half-bitten-off ear was determined. THIS treasure would be his!
Sir Tubby shifted his big butt sideways and his opponent tumbled a few feet away into a patch of dandelions.
With a disgusted look, the opponent glowered, raised his hackles to prepare for battle.
Until the prettiest pure white bunny Horace had ever seen hopped closer, ahead of the other curiously, but cautious rabbits. She blinked her eyes and twitched her nose at the opponent.
Mesmerized by her flirtation, he abandoned the battle and wiggled in her direction.
Certain he had won the treasure, Sir Tubby launched himself on the slimy enchilada. He took a victorious nibble. Then he leaped backward, his eyes wide in distaste, even horror. He shot Horace a look of admonishment for having teased him with something he’d thought would be beyond delicious.
Then he hopped furiously away, grumbling. Well, Horace doubted rabbits actually “grumbled,” but it sure sounded like it.
The rest of the rabbits disappeared almost as fast as they’d appeared. Leaving Horace to stare down at the mess left behind that he would clean up after he finished his lunch.
