The price of freedom

The sun was high in the sky. Not a cloud was in sight as THE MAN came towards the cage. THE MAN opened the top of the cage and gave the rabbits their food and water for the day. There were six of them. THE MAN took out F32. F32 squealed and begged uselessly as THE MAN held him by his back legs. THE MAN lifted his metal pipe and R47 turned the other way. He heard a meaty thump, then another along with a sickening crack. The other four rabbits all watched with horror and disgust as THE MAN carried the now lifeless rabbit to the barn. Only R47 knew what happened there and he would never tell the others. No one deserves what he got R47 thought. The only reason he knew all that he did was that THE MAN’S offspring had a liking to him. THE MAN wouldn’t kill him and THE GIRL would take him places. Once he ran away and stumbled into THE MAN cutting up another rabbit in the barn. The blood, the gore, he could never tell anyone else.

Another day came and went. They were fed, watered, and chosen. This time G12 was taken. R47 watched this time as G12 struggled and begged. THE MAN was in a bad mood today. When he was done with G12 his head was nothing but a bloody lump. Shortly after that THE GIRL came to see her pet. She took R47 inside of the house. She started to talk to him as they came to the room. Her words where a mystery to understand and so he only heard a seemingly endless drone. She danced him around and fiddled with his tag, he didn’t mind. After all he was alive thanks to her. There was a bang as THE MAN came into the house. He yelled at THE GIRL and grabbed R47 by the legs. He was yelling in his drone like way but R47 could tell he was in trouble. THE MAN stormed through the house as the rabbit dangled helplessly in his huge hands. They went outside and started towards The Pipe. He felt terror as the realization dawned on him. He started to writhe and wiggle as THE MAN took him to the cage. His attempts where hopeless as THE MAN clutched The Pipe. R47 started to scream. The ones in the cage turned towards him and he recognized their faces, the one he always wore when one died. The one that said there goes another one, which was his last thought before The Pipe hit his head with a satisfying crunch.

He woke in a dark room. Blood matted his fur and covered his eyes giving what little vision he had a crimson tint. He tried go get up but the pain in his head was too great. He could see THE MAN’s outline against the light that the bare bulb hanging from the ceiling gave. He heard as though he had cotton in his ears. It was still enough to hear the scraping of steel to bone as THE MAN cut up one of his many victims. The thought of being next was enough to give his legs some strength and clear his head a little. He was on wobbly legs but managed to shuffle his way to the end of the table he lay on. The blood continued to ooze from his wound and he was sure his skull was cracked. He tried to jump off the table and land on all fours but instead he fell off like a small sack of potatoes and landed on his hind legs, breaking one in the process. Pain blossomed up from the leg and cleared his head a bit more. THE MAN stopped what he was doing and turned to R47. THE MAN started to stomp his feet trying to crush the injured rabbit. He hobbled towards the opening in the door, his leg was on fire and he could barely see through the blood in his eyes. His breathing was hard and THE MAN was close behind him. Just as he made it to the door THE MAN’s boot stomped R47’s tag and ripped a gash in his ear. He saw the sun through his red tint and it was gold. He quickly hobbled to the back of the barn. THE MAN stormed out of the barn and started looking for the injured rabbit. By the time what used to be called R47 was spotted he was too far off for THE MAN to follow.

In the forest behind the cage, behind THE MAN, behind The Pipe and behind the meaningless death, a once captive rabbit found peace. He drank from a nearby stream and washed the blood from his head. Afterwards he lay in the grass, dyeing from THE MAN’s blows. But even through the pain he felt peace, because he finally, even if it was only for a little while, knew freedom. And that was worth dying for.
R.C.