The Trapper's Tale

Grandma entered the living room, where the children were chatting happily with their grandfather.

“Kids, it’s time for bed.” She was met immediately with groans of protest.

“But it’s not even a school night! Can’t we have just one more story?” The youngest boy whined.

She sighed and put a hand on her hip, “If you don’t get some rest, you’ll be crabby tomorrow!”

“No, I won’t! I promise I’ll be good!” The boy pleaded.

“What do you think, Papa? Should they have another story?”

“Well, of course!” he chuckled. “I think they are old enough to hear my favourite story of all. But only if you boys promise to keep it a secret.”

“Promise!” Both boys blurted out at once.

“Then it’s a deal,” he said, leaning back into his chair.

Years ago, when I was in my early 20’s, I used to make a living by trapping animals. I made all sorts of things with the furs: coats, mittens, and scarves. Occasionally, I would make mounts too. Back then, it was a profitable business, and I even had a shop. Every morning at dawn, when the sun was just about to rise, I would check all my traps. I never knew precisely what I would catch, but never in my life did I expect what I saw one day.

In my snare was a piebald Cottontail. I could hardly contain my excitement at the sight of such a rarity. As I removed the rabbit from my trap, something strange caught my eye. I noticed a tiny black book in the grass where the rabbit was caught.

At first, I thought the whole thing must be a prank; I couldn’t make sense of the notebook. Inside was tiny scribbles. It was far too small for a human to bother using. I put it in my pocket and continued with my day.

When I returned to the shop, I began to work on the rabbit. Of all the things I could have made, I decided a mount would be most appropriate.

It took three days to complete, but everyone in town wanted to see it when the mount was finished. I planned on keeping it myself at first. I even had people offering hundreds of dollars for it, but I refused to sell. One man, however, was very determined to make it his own. He travelled from the city to my shop and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. After closely inspecting the rabbit for what felt like hours, he made his offer.

“Would you take twenty thousand dollars for it?” He asked.

I was taken aback; my rabbit was about to fetch as much as solid gold.

“Sold!” I exclaimed.

He opened up his briefcase and began to count the money. I had many questions for the man, but I didn’t want to distract him. He placed the money on the table, took the rabbit, and bid me farewell. I still wonder to this day why he offered so much without even trying to barter.

“Papa, did you ever see the man again?” The older boy asked.

“No, he never did come back to my shop. I never got to see the piebald rabbit again either.” He took a sip of water from the cup on the side table.

“Now, where were we?”

In the evening, when I returned home, I placed the money in my safe. I reached into my pocket to grab the black book. I wanted to lock it away as well. I put it in the safe on top of the pile of money.

“Hey! That’s mine!” A voice shouted from behind me.

“Who are you? Why are you in my house?” I swung around but saw nobody there.

“I am the judge. You, sir, are under arrest for the murder of Elowen Cottontail.” The voice said sternly.

“Is this a joke? I have never killed anyone.”

A small black rabbit with little ears stepped forward into the dimly lit room. “If you didn’t kill her, then why do you have my book?”

I rubbed my eyes and shook my head; surely this couldn’t be real. “This is just a weird dream, and when I wake up, you will be gone.”

“We are never supposed to interact with you heathens, but sadly, you left me no choice.” The rabbit scoffed. “Unfortunately, this is real. You will follow me to the warren where you will be tried for murder. If you refuse, you will suffer grave consequences. Do you understand?”

I stood there in silence. I had no idea how to respond to the rabbit. If I wasn’t dreaming, then how could this be happening?

“Well?” The rabbit asked while thumping his foot impatiently.

“Why can you talk? Why do you have a book? Why have I never seen you before even though I have trapped so many rabbits?”

The rabbit sighed.

“These are the last three questions I will answer until you arrive at the warren. You see, Elowen and I had significant jobs. We were given a gift from Eostre, and that’s why I can talk to both humans and animals. Elowen was the egg bringer, and I am the judge. Together, we were the beings your kind so affectionately call ‘The Easter Bunny.’ Without her, children will no longer receive anything, and it’s all your fault.” The rabbit frowned and lowered his ears.

“What do you expect me to do about it? Nothing can be done to bring her back.”

“That may be so. However, you still need to pay for your crime.”

“What if I make you a deal? If I can help you find a new partner, then will you drop the charges?”

“Oh yes, this area has an abundance of rabbits that lay eggs. I’m sure we will find a new egg bringer in no time.” The rabbit said sarcastically. “If you can miraculously find an egg bringer in the next 48 hours, and you promise never to trap another animal, then we have a deal. But if you fail, you will spend your life in the warren’s prison.”

I must admit that at this point, I thought the tanning chemicals had caused me to hallucinate. I made a deal with the rabbit and went off to bed.

The next morning, I was awoken by the sound of tiny claws on the hardwood floor, I hoped it was a mouse, but it was the black rabbit rummaging around in my belongings.

“Oh, you’re still here.” I groaned, rolling over out of bed. “Suppose it’s time to go looking for some magical bunnies!” I stood up and began to get dressed.

“Don’t patronize me. You’re already on thin ice.” The rabbit pinned his ears back.

“Lighten up, grumpy bun.” I grabbed a light jacket and slid on my boots, “It’s time to go.”

We wandered to the edge of town to a large meadow, with a small creek that weaved through the long grass.

“This looks like a good place to start,” I said.

When we stepped out into the meadow, the birds fell silent. All that could be heard was the soft, trickling flow of the creek beside us. As we continued, we soon found ourselves deep within the lush boreal forest. I used my knowledge from my trapping career to find animals for him to speak with. We visited some clearings where rabbit warrens were hidden under dirt mounds and stumps. He talked to many rabbits, but none felt like they could take on the roll.

We continued our stroll through the forest, passing shallow ponds and wildflowers along the way. He then spoke to a squirrel, a badger, a raccoon and an ermine. None of them were interested in working with the rabbit; they knew how challenging replacing the egg bringer would be. It wasn’t until we crossed paths with a beautiful vixen that our luck changed. She was relatively small for a fox, but she was agile, slim and quick. Her orange coat sparkled under the sunlight.

“I am sly and clever; I could deliver eggs completely unseen.” The fox said confidently.

“But where will we get the eggs? It still doesn’t solve the main problem.” Said the rabbit. A few moments later, as fate would have it, a cuckoo bird flew overhead.

“Excuse me? Do you have a moment?” Asked the rabbit.

The bird flew over to us and perched on a branch; her feathers shone beautifully under the afternoon sun.

“Can I help you?” she cooed.

“We are looking for someone to join our team, someone that can lay eggs. You see, I am the judge.” The bird nodded knowingly as he spoke.

“This lovely fox has volunteered to be the new egg bringer, but we are still missing an egg layer.” He finished.

“I’m sorry to hear that the egg bringer has passed away. I’d love to help if I can.” She hopped off of the branch and landed on the ground in front of us. “My eggs aren’t colourful, but we could dye them with berries!”

“That just might work.” The usually cynical rabbit was starting to have more optimism. “Easter is only eight months away. We will need to practice working as a team so that we can deliver all the eggs in one night.”

I stood quietly while the animals planned how they would work together to be the new Easter Bunny. The fox and cuckoo cared not that the rabbit would be getting all the credit. They were just happy to continue the legacy.

“Well, I think it’s about time I headed home. A deal is a deal, and you have your new Easter team.” I looked up at the canopy; the glow of the afternoon sun turned the whole forest gold.

“What about my book?” The rabbit enquired.

“I’ll leave it in the field beside my snare when I dismantle all my traps tomorrow morning. I promise.”

I did take apart all my traps, but I never kept my word about returning the book.

“But grandpa, you told us always to keep a promise, no matter what happens!” The young boy exclaimed.

“I learned that lesson the hard way; that is why I am passing that advice into you.” He took a deep breath and continued.

I broke my promise with that little rabbit, and I should have known that he would retaliate. One evening, when I returned home, my safe was nearly empty. My money was all gone, and so was the little black book. All that remained was a small pastel egg. I was livid. After everything I had done for that little rascal, he stole everything I had.

But as time went on, I converted my store into a woodshop. I continued with my life and forgot about what I lost. Every Easter, I have received an egg. At first, it brought me to anger, then sadness, but now I feel comfort. I enjoy the reminder that the rabbit, the fox and the cuckoo remember me, and they make sure that I remember them.

I wanted to keep the book always to remember the black rabbit and have proof of his existence. I have come to realize that the money was never mine to keep. That money truly belonged with the black rabbit, as did the notebook. The lesson I learned from that experience made me more aware of how my actions affect others. Be it a human or animal. As you grow older, I hope this story helps you as much as it helped me. Most importantly, I hope pastel-coloured eggs will always bring you joy.