Rabbit's Lesson

Rabbit’s Lesson

         A brown rabbit, not fully grown, frolicked in a field adjacent to the forest where he lived. Rabbit's anticipation grew as he approached a small grove of trees and his favorite place to play—at the foot of a century-old oak with a trunk so large more than thirty grown buck rabbits could circle it tail-to-nose.

         Rabbit's oval eyes grew round at the sight of the gold and brown leaves piled deep around the tree. It was Rabbit's first Fall. Making as much noise as he could in the dry and crispy leaves, Rabbit pretended to be B-I-G! Suddenly, above the clatter of crunching leaves, Rabbit’s keen ears detected another sound—the crack of a snapped twig. That could mean only one thing—something large moved nearby, maybe even a human. Rabbit shuddered.

         Then Rabbit saw him—a giant of a man wearing a plaid shirt and matching cap, dark pants, and boots encasing huge feet. Rabbit froze. The sight of a rifle in the giant’s ruddy hands made Rabbit’s fur stand on end and his body quiver. His feet would not move. Even if he could run, Rabbit thought—if the rustling leaves didn’t give him away—his dash across the open field surely would. Better to hide. But there was no hole in sight. Rabbit crouched low behind a protruding root. He hoped his pointy brown ears looked enough like oak leaves.

         As the man approached, Rabbit peeked and flinched at the hostility in his intense grey eyes. The rifleman lowered his left knee to the ground and raised his rifle, butt end against his shoulder. The man was only a few feet away. Rabbit squeezed his eyes tightly, trying hard to picture his mother and siblings nestled safely together in the warren.

         KABOOM! The loudest noise Rabbit had ever heard reverberated in his ears, echoing across the open land. A strong sulfur odor hung in the air. Rabbit was startled to be unharmed! He opened his eyes and caught sight of a mangy, gray coyote bolting across the field and disappearing in the forest. Holding his rifle in one had, barrel end skyward, the giant turned and looked directly at Rabbit. Stroking his brown whiskers, he smiled and said, “You’re safe now little fella. That nasty critter’ll have to find lunch somewhere else.”

Rabbit finally understood. The hunter wasn’t there to harm him—he was there to protect him from harm! Rabbit sheepishly looked up at the man, feeling a tinge of shame for wrongly judging min. But Rabbit’s guilt was quickly replaced by a warm, fur-tingling joy. After twitching his ears and whiskers to thank his rescuer, Rabbit darted across the field, leaping as high as he could all the way home.

Was the giant stranger an angel? Rabbit later wondered. He wasn’t sure. But one thing was certain—Rabbit never forgot what he learned that day: Be quick to observe, but slow to judge, because people are not always as they seem.