Saturday, December 23, 2006



This will be my first post and taking note of the season, I will share a story of Christmas past.

This story took place about two years ago, it must have been two years ago because that is when Aunt Kris and Uncle Ray came down to visit. It is important to mention this fact because Ray played a crucial role in the events, or just event, that took place.

The day began as usual with gift opening and breakfast, then proceeded in trying out all of the new stuff we had just aquired. Not much different than the usual Christmasi that we always have. One thing was different however, a few weeks before, we had learned that we could let out my sister's rabbit in the backyard and the dog would not kill it. So during the whole day the rabbit was in the backyard frolicking in the plants and enjoying the sunshine.

The problem is that we overlooked one hazard, the backyard is connected to the sideyard and the sideyard has the outside portion of the river that runs through our dining room. The other half of the problem is that rabbits can't swim. Well, as the shit would hit the fan, the family was saying goodbye to Chris and Ray in the dining room, everyone filled with the warmth that only Christmas can provide, and I look out the window. It doesn't hit me that the brown mass spinning in the current like a dead rabbit is actually a dead rabbit. I guess I was expecting it to move, even if the water had probably filled it's poor little lungs hours ago.

The reality finally hits me when I hear the words "Oh shit!" escape my mother's mouth and hysterical wails fly out of my sister's. It is at this moment when my brother and I turn to each other and smile. To this day I am still not certain why we couldn't help laughing. I think it might go along the same lines as when a baby falls and hurts itself but then begins laughing because it doesn't know what to think or how to react. It was clearly a horrific accident and there was nothing funny about it. Ray put it in a plastic bag and threw it in the trash. The rabbit Flippity has flipped his last flop and it had made his heart stop. All I can hope for is that that rabbit had the time of its life in the few weeks before fate caught up with it.

Now go out there and have a bitchin' Christmas, but watch your animals and young ones.