"Bunny"
*sniff*
*sniff*
“Taylor? Is that you?”
*sniff*
“Mom?” Called a sweet soft voice from beneath the dining room table.
“Tay, why are you underneath the table?”
Diana Hanson leaned down and stared at her 5 year old child sprawled on the hard wood floor. She reached over and tucked a few strands of hair behind his ears.
“Come here, sweetheart. What’s wrong?”
*sniff*
“I don’t have any friends.”
“Of course you do. Just, right now we don’t live as close to them. You’ll make more, I’m sure.”
Taylor crawled out on his hands and knees and sat in the lap of his mother. He gentally touched her protruding stomach and smiled. Diana wiped his tears from his pallid cheeks and hugged him tightly.
“I have something for you. Would you like to see it?”
The young child nodded and laced his fingers between his mother’s. Both people walked the short distance from the dining room to the master bedroom. Taylor hopped on his parents bed and snuggled into the covers. He watched as his mother went through bags and suitcases in search of something. The child’s thumb found it’s way into his mouth and soon he fell asleep.
“Good morning, Sunshine.”
Taylor walked to his place at the table and proceeded to show the family a mysterious stuffed toy that he found by his side that morning.
“Mommy, what’s this?”
Diana smiled and petted her sons hair. She kissed his forehead and began her explanation.
“That’s yours. I bought it for you in Tulsa. You wanted it when you were younger, but I couldn’t give it to you then. The eyes are buttons and I was afraid you would choke on them.”
Taylor eyed the stuffed rabbit is his hands and softly placed a kiss on it’s pink nose. He beamed and ran to his mother.
“Thanks, Mom.”
The boy started to walk out of the room but was stopped by his mother.
“Tay? What are you going to name it?”
Looking like his was thinking, Taylor stroked the rabbits cloth ears and sighed.
“Bunny.”
“Diana, that toy of Taylor’s is gross. He’s carried it through dirt and messy foods. You really should take it from him and wash it.”
“I know, Walk. But he loves it. Before he was complaining about having no one to play with. He has Bunny to take of that now.”
Walker Hanson paced the living room.
“I don’t know. It can’t be healthy. He talks to it like it’s real and he won’t ever put it down. I think we need to get rid of it.”
“Just wait a while, Dear. Wait till we get back to Tulsa and he can see his older friends again. It’s only a phase.” Diana prayed silently that her husband would not ask for her to remove their sons only friend.
“Okay. Tulsa. Then... it’s gone.”
Mrs. Hanson was picking up dirty clothes in the boys room back in Tulsa. She walked to the closet and began picking up old toys and stacks of legos. Tripping over something she assumed was a sock, she raised the toy in her hands. It was an old, forgotten but once strongly loved, Bunny. The eyes that used to be buttons had been replaced with circular strips of cloth Taylor cut out and sewed onto the face. Diana placed the stuffed animal under her arm and took it to her bedroom. Tucking it away in a safe place in her drawer, she spoke. “I’ll keep your for a rainy day.”
*sniff*
“Tay? Why are you crying?”
The teenage male quickly dried his eyes on the back of his hand and put on a smile. He stared into his mothers eyes trying to cover anything that would have shown he really was crying.
“Oh, I’m not crying. I’m fine. Just the allergies I guess.”
Diana frowned, knowing very well that Taylor had no allergies. She reached up and caressed the back of his neck.
“Taylor. Don’t lie. What’s wrong?”
*sniff*
“I don’t have any friends. We are always away and I never can meet anyone.”
She hugged her 16 year old son and left the room. Minutes later she returned with a package. Taylor looked confused but opened the gift.
“What is it?”
“Look.” She responded.
A smile grew broad on his face.
“Bunny.”
back to other short stories
To enter a long story also written by Colleen:
Left Alone
To view a campaign run by Colleen:
ITZ Irrelevant
