Once upon a time in a hole in the ground lived a rabbit.

It was a grey bunny with long ears and everlasting passion for digging holes. You know how it is with rabbits: they have extra large and annoying but caring families, they spend most of the day stealing vegetables from the gardens, they consider their day lucky if they manage to avoid a dog, or a fox, or a wolf. Forest bunnies are actually quite a happy lot. They do not ask for much in this life, they just live a life.

Well, things would be much easier and our story way shorter, if this had been the case with our rabbit. However, a rabbit of our tale has been quite different.

From his early days, the rabbit felt different from his 14 siblings. He didn't like stealing vegetables (it's wrong! besides, you can grow them yourself), he never really understood why going out alone at night is bad (night sky is just so romantic), he even (God forbid) liked tomatoes more than carrots.

There was another secret he never shared with anyone. The rabbit was in love.

One day he was combing his ears sitting on a green hill, when he saw a squirrel. Yes, yes, you heard me right. A squirrel! A fluffy, red, hyper little squirrel. They stared at each other for a couple of seconds thinking "Can we do that? He looks different from my kin. He looks way cooler though. Can we do that?"

And they did.

They used to meet up every other night. The rabbit was bringing salad leaves, and the squirrel contributed spring water. The rabbit used to sing songs he has heard in the farmers' houses. And the squirrel used to teach the rabbit to dance in the moonlight. Those days were blessed.

In every story, there is some drama. The rabbit's drama came when his family found out about his friendship. 'It is unacceptable', thought Papa Rabbit. He was old white and very old-fashioned. 'He's my son. I love him and I would support him. But I have a husband and the society to deal with. I cannot embrace my dear son anymore.', thought Mama Rabbit. 'Shame', said 13 siblings. (There was one sibling who did not quite think the same way but this story is not about him really.)

Our rabbit had to leave his kin. The squirrel had a choice to make. The squirrel chose his best friend and soulmate.

They left the old conservative forest and moved to ... a new one. Luckily for them, the borders were open now and there were new exciting forests to explore. They settled in one of them where they met other animals who were also outsiders: a fox falling for an ox, a deer fancying a lynx, a turtle speeding things up with a snail. They got new friends who understood them well, and they finally lived in peace.

The rabbit became quite a dancer, if you ask me. The whole forest community admired his rock'n'roll. The squirrel learned how to sing merry songs. They both opened a lakeside cafe, which only catered for the vegetarians.

And, yes, they lived happily ever after. For such things do happen to those who keep believing in them.

[The end]

15 September 2009