This is my submission for Marvelous Tales #18 inspired by keywords carrot & bunny. This is a children's short story.
The little girl squeezed and held the bunny tight.
“Okay Debby, you can put the bunny in its cage now,” the girl’s father said.
“Okay, daddy. This is the first bunny of many, right?” Debby asked for the hundredth time.
“Yes sweetie, lots more to come.”
The girl placed the bunny in a brand new chicken-wire enclosure.
“There you go Richard,” the little girl said patting the white bunny’s head. She closed the top of the cage.
“I’ll be back soon,” she whispered to the rabbit.
Running through the large yard the girl’s dress twirled and danced in the midday sun. Richard looked at her as she disappeared inside a red brick house. He looked around his new home; it was a roomy enclosure filled with lots of hay. He hesitantly made his way to a water dish. Lapping up the water he noticed rabbit food close by. He munched on the dry kibble but then his nose started twitching; it twitched faster and faster. At the other end of the cage there saw a stalk of green leaves sticking up from the ground; many stalks in fact. Staring intently at the green leaves he saw a hint of orange where soil gave way. Richards little body was vibrating, the aroma was whirling around his head. For what felt like hours the little bunny stared at the carrots.
The door to the house swung open. Debby ran to the enclosure, opened the gate and scooped up Richard. She placed him on the ground in the yard. Richard started hopping towards the carrots. Debby ran after him laughing. As he got close to a green stalk she scooped him back up.
“You’re a quick little guy!”
She petted the bunny and placed him back in the cage. Looking at the carrots, she grinned. She plucked one out of the ground. Just then, a pickup truck pulled into the yard.
“Daddy!” Debby yelled dropping the carrot just outside the cage.
Richard hopped as close to the carrot as he could. He pressed his head against the fence. It wouldn’t budge. He bit into a chain link with his tiny jaws. Ouch. Sticking a front paw through the fence he heaved his body against it as hard as he could. Dejected he scurried away into a corner. The rest of the day he stayed in that corner trying his best to avoid the aroma and sight of the juicy carrot.
The next morning Debby and her dad got in the pickup truck and drove away. Hours later they returned; Debby hopped out of the truck holding something.
“Look Richard! We got you a friend,” Debby said.
She was holding a brown bunny.
“Juliet, this is Richard. Richard, this is Juliet.”
Debby carefully placed the brown bunny in the enclosure, closed the gate, and knelt down. She watched the bunnies with a silly grin through the fence. Richard and Juliet made their acquaintance, their little noses twitching at each other, ears perked up.
“Have fun you two,” Debby said as she ran after her dad back into the house.
“Carrot?” Juliet asked, looking at the carrot on the ground outside the cage.
“Carrot,” Richard replied.
“Carrot!”
“Carrot...”
The two little bunnies stared at the carrot all day and all night.
The next day Debby came outside with her mother.
“Debby I think you dropped this,” her mom said scooping up the discarded carrot.
Debby shook the carrot free of dirt. Richard and Juliet’s noses were twitching in anticipation. Debby placed the big orange carrot in the cage as the two bunnies dug their little teeth into it.