The Easter Rarebit

For some context, watch this:

The first thing to note was the temperature.

For a rabbit, this was a strange sensation. With all of his fur and energy, he should be just fine with this type of weather. But there was the bigger problem of knowing too much about what time of year it should be.

Cold…far too cold for the time of year…

His pocket watch was no help, but he had a feeling that it was not spring. The sky was a beautiful sheet of blue; hardly cloudy or touched with rain. It was the cold that fooled him.

And then there were the trees.

Brown, gold and yellow… That wasn’t right.

No, there is something off.

The rabbit walked over to a simple oak tree, noting that there were more leaves on the ground than on the whitened branches. The trunk was raw and cool to the touch and he wondered if this was some sort of trick.

It was the wrong time of the year.

Great…he would have to rethink and change his plans.

Now, as you can imagine, for a rabbit with only one job to do, this was a great annoyance. All those eggs were prepared and ready to go, and he knew that no one would even bother to look for them if the weather was like this.

He would have to rethink his plans.

And that was not easy to do.

The cold was something he was not really used to, but the fur, waistcoat, and top hat were good for some warmth (much better now than in early April, he thought). There was also the fact that he could move faster than usual and his time was his own. No one would force him to make the rounds and deposit all of those eggs in the most discreet hiding spots.

The only problem was he would have to interact with the humans.

Now, I am sure you can imagine the response of a human who has never had to deal with a talking rabbit before suddenly finding one staring at them and asking for directions.  It was not a conversation either side was ready for.

The other problem was…where were the humans?

The area was completely rural, despite the road that he landed on and the gravel trail he thought he recognized. Plane trees, oaks, cedars, pine…some long grasses and flowers… No houses, cars, buildings or…anything else to show that there would be a lot of people worth his time. There were power lines and the occasional fence made out of raw wood marking tracts of land. But no mailboxes (an important sign), no vehicles, and no other animals anywhere, just the occasional bird that would not dare to approach what looked like a very large and unique predator.

No, he would have to do a bit of hiking around the area to see what he could find.

An abandoned branch would be a good means of support…and a weapon if things got difficult.

He stripped the leaves away, breathed deeply (he enjoyed the perfume of the season), and headed down a path through the long grass.

*

It was a long journey, and the temptation to hop was overwhelming. The woods were thick, and the rabbit knew that humans were not nearby. The thing about rabbits is that their ears are very sensitive, but so is their sense of smell. Certain odors did not exist in the grey and cold dead leaves that papered the path ahead. And he noted that the clouds were also clearing up. It was late in the day and the sun would soon settle itself in the horizon ahead. From instinct, he knew that he was heading toward something that would help him. But it was cold, and he was beginning to feel tired.

Then there it was…

A cabin that appeared in the clearing, like a dream, seemed to be waiting for the rabbit. It was clearly made by humans, but at this point, he was tired, hungry, and would not turn down a nice cup of tea if offered.

He hopped down to the door.

*

It was a bit of surprise, but the old couple at the door had dealt with badgers, foxes, snakes (non-lethal) and all the other animals in the woods that needed a pause from foraging and surviving. The rabbit explained that he must have taken a wrong step and ended up lost in this part of the world. The woman laughed as the husband found a chair and offered it to the rodent.

“Do not worry, my young rabbit. You were in the wrong place at a very wrong time. Your season was several months earlier and quite an event in the town. You may have to make apologies to the local children one day.”

The rabbit began to blush behind his fur.

“They still celebrated.”

“Oh, yes.” The old lady had somehow disappeared and reappeared with a teapot steaming in her hand and a cup in the other. “All those eggs… They really thought that they were bad and were being punished.”

He took the cup of chamomile but could not drink it.

“I feel…so bad about it.”

“It is no bother.” The man had his pipe out and refilled it as he smiled and nodded. “The children will understand and you can bring them great joy next year with your efforts.”

The rabbit began to drink, enjoying the blend of flowers and…something else in his tea.

“How can I really pay that back? How can I even thank you?”

The old man and woman looked at each other for a moment and paused for a laugh.

“Would you like to have something to eat?”

With the cold, he was honest enough to admit that the tea was not enough. “I would love anything you offered me.”

“Come. We were just about to have dinner and I think that you might like this.”

 The rabbit smelled it and heard it in their small kitchen as they walked him over to the stove.

“This is Welsh Rarebit. We put it on bread on cold days like this.”

“Rarebit.” The rabbit let the word play in his head and on his tongue, but could not let something go. “Sounds like rabbit.”

“Yes,'' the lady jumped in with her smile and grin. ''It was joke on the Welsh. We could not always afford rabbit in the old country.”

The rabbit felt a little lightheaded now.

“We subbed in the flour and cheese you see there. But sometimes, it just isn't enough...”

The rabbit had to take a seat.

“Not...”

“Not enough. Even old people such as ourselves need our protein...sometimes.”

The old man caught the rabbit as he fell to the floor, letting the eggs spill out of their guest's basket. But they would not be enjoying the eggs provided. No, no, no. Now, they would have some real meat in their dinner, and maybe share some with their neighbours, if they were not so noisy about where they got the rodent. And the size of the animal in their home would be good for sausages, pies and the occasional cold cuts for sandwiches.

She grabbed the largest kitchen knife on the rack and smiled as her husband stripped down the animal.

And they both wondered about what to do when Lent had passed and the kids were out again.

But that was for a warmer day.

They now had to eat.

*

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