Wings

Once upon a time in a meadow lush with fragrant flowers and soft green grasses, there lived a small troop of rabbits who roamed the meadow eating the sweet greenery day after day, and week after week. They would run and jump to their hearts content, playing with the jeweled butterflies and splashing about in the tiny little stream that bubbled merrily through the middle of the field, living quite contently and oblivious to the harsh realities of life outside their perfect world. The rabbits were of all different colors, each just as beautiful and as soft as the one before. There were rabbits with coats so black you would have sworn that some divine being melted obsidian onto them when they were born; white rabbits which were as white as a newly fallen snow; chestnut colored ones so rich in color one could have easily mistaken them for chocolate bunnies in an Easter basket; and the golden coated ones put the daffodils to shame with their glowing fur. Among all these beautiful rabbits there was one who stood out more than the rest. Her coat was golden with three big splotches of hazelnut on her back, right hind leg, and left eye. While her unique coat set her apart from her family and friends, the one thing that truly separated her from them were her dreams. For you see, she believed with all her heart that she could fly.

She would spend hours each day on a tiny little hill that overlooked the meadow, watching her kin below her frolic in the grasses, quite content with being bound to the ground. Then she would turn her eyes to the sky and watch as the glimmering butterflies danced in the wind and she would gaze at the carefree sparrows as they raced the clouds and sang to the sun. After a while, she would close her eyes, head still pointed towards the sapphire sky, and dream. She would dream until her head ached and her neck grew stiff, but it was worth every ounce of pain she felt because with her eyes closed and head pointed towards the Heavens, she could feel her spirit soaring along with the birds. The winds would kiss her cheeks as she daydreamed and a gentle, joyful smile would spread across her face. Like all dreams, they could not last forever and so when called back to reality by her parents or siblings, the happy smile would fade to one of longing and hope.

“ Song!” Her younger sisters would cry, “ Why do you keep looking up at the sky?”
She would sigh softly, breaking her lovely dream to answer them.

“ How else can I fly?” she would answer. At this, six pairs of baby eyes would open wide and begin to sparkle with delight.

“ You can fly?” They would ask with a whispered amazement in their voices.

“ Of course I can.” She would reply as she turned her head to the Heavens once more, only to be mocked by one of her older brothers who did not believe her.

“ No you can’t you liar.” He would laugh and the sparkle in her little sister’s eyes would fade.

She would simply reply, “ Yes, I can.” And return to her imagination.

Her brother would scoff, “ Rabbits can’t fly, stupid.”

By this time, her Mother usually found them and nipped her brother on the ear for being so disrespectful. She would chase him away and nuzzle the little ones with her nose, comforting them with the affirmation that their older sister could indeed fly. With that, their smiles would return and they would all go scurrying back to the meadow, leaping as high as they could so that they could pretend to soar like their sister.

Her mother would sigh softly, smiling at her daughter and licking her head as she continued to fantasize.

“ I really can fly, Mother.” She would say and her mother would chuckle, a gentle motherly pride beaming in her eyes as she cuddled her baby.

“ Of course you can.”


Their came a day were a clever fox with burning red fur from his snout to his tail prowled the edge of the forest, which hugged the outskirts of the field, discovered the glorious meadow. For months he had tried to steal one of the little ones for his meal, but every time he came within grabbing distance, their mothers would sense the danger and the entire troop would dive into their burrows, leaving the fox annoyed and hungry. So he watched and he waited, looking for the opportune moment to present itself. After carefully observing the main group of rabbits, he just happened to look up to the hill and see Song, who was far from any burrow or any help. A sly smile crept across his lips as he backed away into the forest and made his way around to his target on the other side of the meadow. Once he reached the hill, he dove behind a bush that straddled the meadow and forest. For a long time, he just hid in the bush, barely breathing so as to not alert the little rabbit to his presence until he was ready to strike. He had been carefully calculating how to catch the tiny morsel without her sprinting away to safety, when Song unintentionally made his life much simpler. She sighed and opened her eyes for a moment; head still tilted upwards and let out a heavy sigh.

“ I wish I could truly fly…”

The fox almost laughed out loud out of joy for the gift of an easy meal. Revealing one’s most precious dreams can be a very dangerous thing. You never know whose ears will open, or who will use those sleeping treasures against you. Unfortunately, the worst possible ears were perked by her hopeful whispers. A new scheme, full of deceit and trickery bubbled and came to fruition in the fox’s mind as his mouth began to water and his nose began to twitch in anticipation. From behind the protective cover of the bush, he chuckled to himself and spoke in a low, majestic voice.

“ I can make that happen.” She jumped and turned to face the forest.

“ Who said that?”

“ It is I, the spirit of the forest. I have heard your pleas little rabbit and have decided to grant you your wish.”
Song’s innocent little heart leaped from her chest.

“ How? How can you make me fly?”

“ There is a magic rock which you must leap from. Once you jump from it and launch yourself into the air, you will be able to fly.”

“ Where is this rock?”

The sly smile spread even wider on the fox’s face.

“ Follow me.” She did as the fox bade her and left the safety of her meadow for the promise of a dream.

As she entered into the forest, one of her little sisters bounced up to the hilltop, hoping to fly with her sister only to find Song walking off into the woods. She panicked and fled back to her mother, for like all the little ones of the meadow, all the older rabbits had told her time and time again, never to leave the protection of the meadow. She reached her mother, out of breath and barely able to form discernable sentences, and attempted to tell her what she had just seen. After a few moments of her mother nudging her with her nose and licking her forehead to calm her down, the little bunny was able to speak again.

“ Mama! Song went into the bad place! She went into the bad place!” she screamed and her Mother’s gentler demeanor flew from her features and was replaced by one of absolute terror for the life of her little Song. She turned to all her little ones as she ran for the forest.

“ All of you stay here!” With that, Father and Mother sprinted towards their baby, who for all they knew was already dead.

Back in the woods, Song and the Forest spirit traveled for what seemed like hours. She followed the voice of the fox as he dashed from one bush to the next, concealing his true form from her. At length, they came to a great rock that looked like a diving platform in the middle of the woods.

“We are here, Little Rabbit. Jump off of that rock and you shall fly.” As Song began to sprint towards the rock, she heard her mother and father frantically calling her name. She hesitated and turned to go back towards their voices. The fox, unwilling to lose another meal, put on his sweetest voice and spoke to the little rabbit.

“ Why what ever is the matter little one? Don’t you want to fly like the sparrows?”
Song pawed the ground and shifted a bit.

“ I do, but Mother and Father are calling for me…they sound scared.”

“ Well, you would reach them much faster flying you know.” He could tell she was mulling the idea over in her head. “ Besides, think of how proud they’ll be when they see their little baby flying through the air.”

Her mind was made up. Laughing and jumping into the air, she ran to the rock, unaware of the danger, ignoring her senses and her parents, which were screaming at her, telling her to run back to the meadow. She came to the rock and began to run towards the end of it. She closed her eyes and leaped into the air, feeling the air rush into her lungs and her organs lift inside her as if she were truly flying. After a few second she open her eyes only to find herself falling back to earth and right into the open jaws of the fox as he stood beneath her. Her mother and father’s hearts stopped cold when they heard their little baby’s shrieks of terror as the fox ate her. Her mother, hoping against all hope that she had been imagining the shrieks, screamed her daughter’s name as she and her husband ran faster than either of them had ever run in their entire lives. When they came to the great rock all they found were tufts of golden and hazelnut fur and a few scattered bones. As they looked upon the gruesome scene, her Mother let out a heart-wrenching wail that brought the stones to tears and caused the trees to sway and groan to reflect the mother rabbit’s agony.

An angel with glowing white wings that seemed to span the entire length of the forest heard the cry and flew down from her perch on a nearby cloud. Hovering above the place where Song had been robbed of her life, she watched as the mother and father wept together and tried to console each other. A sorrowful look swept across her face as her tears splashed the ground, ringing like tiny silver bells as they hit the earth. Also wakened by the cry were two more figures, one a man with hair which resembled the bark of an oak tree and the other a woman with nutmeg curls that flowed back into the forest behind her, connecting with all the trees and plant life around her. They were the true spirits of the forest, the Lord and Lady of the woodland realms. The three supernatural beings looked down upon the grieving couple and the spot of ground where their tears moistened the earth. The mother continued to call out for her baby, even though she knew she would never come back to her.

“ Poor thing…” the forest god sighed. His lady nodded. Unseen by the rabbit parents, she bent and picked up one of Song’s bones and began to stroke it, holding it to her ear as if listening to it. After a few moments, her look of sympathy turned to one of disgust and anger. Her husband noticed the change in her demeanor and touched her shoulder.

“ What did the bone say, love?” She breathed deeply in an attempt to calm herself before she spoke.

“ The bone told me a story of deceit and unforgivable crimes.” The Lord and Angel both looked at her, waiting for the continuation of the story.

“ What do you mean? What happened to the little baby?” Asked the angel.

“ She yearned for flight and a fox overheard her desire. He heard it and used it to lure her into his stomach.” They were speechless. It was a normal part of life that one being should feed another with their life, but to lure an infant with the fulfillment of their dreams was an unforgivable crime.

The angel shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. “ It was so cruel to use her dream against her. To take advantage of her…” Again they stood in the air, gazing down at the spot where little Song fell and her heartbroken parents. After a while, a look of determination swept across the angel’s face.

“ If she couldn’t enjoy her dream in life, then she shall enjoy it in eternity. As for that fox…” The forest goddess held up a slender hand.

“ We will handle him.” The forest spirits left her standing there as they went to visit some woodland justice upon the deceitful fox. It wasn’t long before they came across him sleeping in a beam of light, which leaked through the treetops onto a bed of moss and mushrooms. They stood there in the shadows listening to the contented breathing of the deceiver. The Forest god raised his hand. The tree roots near the fox pulled up from the earth and waved to and fro in the air, moving aimlessly as they awaited their next command. Then, he clenched his fingers as if squeezing a ball of sand in his hand. The roots went from listless ribbons of wood to stiff angry bars that wound themselves around the fox. The beast woke from his sleep in a panic. He yowled and thrashed in the grasp of the tree.

“ Fox. Silence yourself.” The petrified animal looked up. The Lord and Lady of the forest stared back at him, a silent fury burning in their eyes. The Lady stepped forward, her hands clasped in front of her, emerald and almond robes flowing behind her in a non-existent breeze.

“ Fox. It has come to our attention that you have committed a transgression against the creatures of the meadow realm.” She paused, staring directly into his eyes and right through to his soul.

“ Under normal circumstances, we would accept your act as a normal part of forest life, but your treachery and deception are inexcusable.” The forest god closed his hand a little more and the roots tightened around the fox. The creature yelped as the roots crushed his body. The fear of death gripped him so that the tip of his tail and his snout turned pale white. After a few moments, the forest god released his grip and the fox fell to the ground. He crouched where he fell, shivering and shaking where he cowered.

“ Let the deprivation of color in your nose and tail serve as your only warning of what will happen should you try something as base as this ever again. Let it serve as a mark of shame upon you so that all the creatures of the forest and meadow shall know the horrible deed you have committed this day.” With that, the Lord and Lady of the forest faded into the trees behind them, leaving the fox crying with fear.

Back by the great rock, the angel still hovered over the grieving family. She thought to herself for a moment before she bent down to where the bones lay. She pets the ground and the tufts of fur.

“ Come out little one,” she cooed, “ nothing can hurt you now.” A glowing orb began to rise from the earth and after a few seconds, it took the shape of little Song. Her smile was nowhere present on her features and her eyes looked like they held all the pain the world could ever create within them. She looked about and spied both her parents weeping over her.

“ Mother…” her spirit cried.

“ Hush, Little one.” The angel whispered gently as she continued to stroke Song’s
feather soft fur. Song’s sobs where uncontrollable and she could not stop herself from feeling the wave of sadness and pain that over took her soul.

“ Mother!” She cried trying to nuzzle up against her mother’s soft fur. She tries again and again, calling out for her parents, but after a time she realized they would never hear her. She collapsed onto the ground, head hung and ears sweeping the ground. After sometime, the angel spoke again.

“ Would you like to fly?” Song looked up at her with tears brimming in her eyes.

“ Yes…” she began to sob again at which point the angel bent down and placed her hands upon the little rabbit’s back. From the fur she pulled a pair of cream-colored wings as soft as the clouds and stood.

“ Well now you can.”

Song looked her at in confusion. The angel pointed to her newly created wings and her little spirit grew lighter and happier than it had ever been before. She laughed and leapt into the air, spreading her wings and flying for the very first time. She danced in the air like the butterflies and raced the clouds like the sparrows. All the while, the angel floated and watched. Song’s delight rang through the trees and brought new life to the flowers that had begun to wilt with age. At length, she looked back down at her parents as they continued to sob. She sank down to earth once again and cuddled underneath her mother’s chin. Again, she began to cry because she knew there was no way to comfort them. The angel smiled and flew over to the little rabbit. She brought Song’s chin up to face her eyes.

“ Now I have a special job for you, Little One.” Song dried her tears and looked up at the angel, curious as to what she could possibly do to be in service to such a magnificent being.

“ I need you to return to your meadow and become its guardian. I need you to safe guard your friend, family, and future generations born unto your little field. Fuel the dreams of those who dare to look to something more, comfort those who have lost all hope, and kindle the flame of faith in the impossible that all your brethren should have burning in their hearts.” Her smile could not have grown any wider, for Song would now be able to be with and watch over her friends and family in death.

Her parents hopped back to the rest of their children, still sobbing at the loss of their little one. They took their time, trying to find a way to explain to Song’s brothers and sisters that she would never be coming home. As they approached the burrow, they heard their children squealing with glee at something within their home. They ducted inside the entrance and found to their shock and delight, the spirit of their little Song swirling about the ceiling of the hole as her little sisters leapt into the air to imitate her. Her mother stopped dead in her tracks.

“ Song?” the tears ran anew down her cheeks, this time they were of joy rather than sorrow. Song, spread her wonderful wings and hovered next to her mother’s cheek.

“ Don’t be sad, Mother. Please…” she smiled.

“ My little Song can fly.” With that, Song nuzzled her mother and flew out the den, laughing as she flew with the nighttime breezes, her spirit a brilliant dancing orb against the cobalt blue sky.

After that evening, she watched over the meadow like she had been told. Those under her care enjoyed a new prosperity and joy than they had ever had before. Although her family mourned the loss of their beloved Song, her Mother knew, as the winds twirled and spun through the emerald grasses and the new generations of bunnies dreamed of worlds all their own, that her little Song was to thank for all the happiness surrounding them in their enchanted meadow.


Dedicated to the Dreamers of the world. Your belief in your dream is more powerful than any force on this earth. Never let it die.