Cosmic Beams and Bunny Dreams

Jesse Eric Whitehead

Last night was cold, but not so cold that we couldn’t go outside and enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime show. We watched in awe as millions of tiny shooting stars showered us with a dazzling display of light. The Earth was passing through the tail of Comet Lepus. My girlfriend, Jessica, snuggled close to me for warmth. 

“Oh Roger…it’s so beautiful,” she sighed as she nuzzled her head into my chest. “It looks just like fairy dust. Let’s make a wish.” So we closed our eyes and did.

We stayed out too late, and I woke up groggy this morning. Out of sorts. It feels almost like a hangover. I try to focus my eyes. Things look a little off.

I’m startled as I see a bunny a couple of feet away, its mouth and whiskers twitching nervously. “What the…?”

I don’t have a pet bunny! How did it get here? I thought back to last night. Did I leave the door open? Did a bunny sneak in? I don’t remember. 

“I’m hungry,” says the bunny. “I want a carrot.”

Whoa! Bunnies can’t talk. This can’t be real. I’m either dreaming or going crazy. I watched that weird movie once, Donnie Darko, and he saw a rabbit too. It didn’t end so well for that guy. 

My stomach growled. I’m hungry too. Did I eat last night? I rack my brain, still hazy. Still unable to find an answer. With the excitement of the cosmic light show, I must have forgotten to eat.

Maybe I had one too many beers. I must have drunk on an empty stomach and got a crazy hangover. But I don’t remember drinking any beer. Strange.

I need to get that bunny a carrot. And some food for me too. I am so hungry right now I think I could eat a dried twig. But a carrot sounds good. Or a salad.

I head for the kitchen and pass by the full-length mirror hanging on the bathroom door. I stop and stare. Looking back at me is a furry bunny. It is me. 

I’ve changed into a bunny rabbit. Is the other bunny Jessica?

I don’t know how this happened. People don’t magically change into animals. Was it the wish? I can’t even remember what I wished for. Something about getting married and starting a family with Jessica, maybe?

Wishes don’t come true, anyway. Fairy tales are for the gullible. There are no fairies. There is no magic fairy dust. 

That bunny in the mirror is still staring at me. He looks real enough. I blink, hoping the bunny in the mirror goes away. It doesn’t.  

My brain is mush. The only thing I can think about is finding a carrot. Or a tasty lettuce leaf. And a dried twig for dessert. I can’t wait to eat. I can’t wait to start a family.

Suddenly, it all makes sense in this little bunny brain of mine.

The front door is slightly ajar. I hop through it and out of the house. Into a new life. The other bunny follows close behind and we hop away together.