The Funny Little Bunnies

By Gail Armstrong

Once upon a time——-in the sprawling, green meadow surrounding the little town of Sunshine, lived a soft white bunny, with a perky pink nose, a round cotton ball tail and bright pink eyes. Her name was Pudding Pie.

Pudding had two adorable baby boys she called Piddle and Paddle. She was a kind, caring and responsible mother. She loved her boys, and they followed her everywhere. Pudding wanted good things for her two fun loving boys. The three made a happy, cute trio.

Well, they were a cute trio but something was different about them.

Even though they looked and acted like regular bunnies, with soft white fur and round, puffy cotton ball tails, they were different in that they all had very large ears that hung over their little bunny heads. Ears much bigger than the other bunnies that romped about the lush meadow. Their huge ears looked like a closed umbrella.

The three bunnies were thought of by all the other animals in the meadow to be ‘funny’ because they looked so different from other bunnies and they were laughed at and made to feel less than everyone else. They were called unkind names. Dummy was one, and no one would play with them. They didn’t understand that. After all, they were bright, loved to run and were fun to be with. At least they thought they were.

One day, with permission from Mama, the boys decided to go on a journey in the lush, fun meadow and look for someone to play with. Someone out there must want to play with them.

They loved to run after each other, chase yellow and orange butterflies that fluttered about and play hide and seek in the tall, soft green grass of the sprawling meadow they called home. They would poke their pink noses into the daisies and buttercups to get a sniff of the sweetness. The pleasing aroma lingered on their soft noses and made them happy.

Although they had fun with each other, the boys also longed to have friends to play games with. They watched with sadness as the other animals in the meadow played together and they longed to be part of it.

They saw Sammy squirrel and yelled out to him. “Hi Sammy, wait for us.”

Sammy stopped and took one look at their very large, strange ears and he laughed and chirped. He roared so loud that he fell on the ground and grabbed his tummy. He giggled so hard his tummy ached.

“Oh my, oh my. For bunnies you two are so funny. Why, your long wide ears are as big as an elephants’ tummy. Oh my, oh my.”

Sammy ran off chirping to himself at the strange sight he had just seen.

Piddle looked very sad and Paddle said. “Let’s hurry on. We need to go before it gets dark.”

With a bounce, the boys hopped further into the meadow. As they scampered along they thought about what Sammy had said.

“Are we really as funny looking as Sammy said?” Paddle asked. He was saddened at the thought it could be true.

What Sammy said, left them feeling very unhappy. It made their hearts hurt. “Oh my, oh my.” Piddle was not feeling happy.

The boys looked up and saw Mama Pudding Pie coming over the hill. They were happy to see her. She saw the boys and shouted to them. “Come children. We must go home. It’s getting dark and it’s going to rain. You can come back another day.”

Just as the trio turned around to head back home, it started to rain and it rained like ‘cats and dogs.’  Not really cats and dogs coming down, that is just a funny saying. It means it was raining a lot and what was interesting was, it was raining like “cats and dogs” but the little trio was not getting wet.

What? Why is that I wonder?

They were not getting wet because they had their own built in umbrellas.

Their very large ears that hung over their little heads that looked as big as an elephants’ tummy were opened up high and wide now, keeping the rain off their soft white fur. Their unusually large, different ears made perfect protection from the rain. The boys were happy now that their Mama was here, and they would be safe and dry.

And, who do you suppose came running by chirping to himself because he was getting wet? Well, Sammy squirrel of course, trying to stay dry on his way home to his cozy, warm nest in the pine tree on the edge of the meadow and he was not a happy squirrel. He thought about his dry warm nest and longed to be there. He spotted the bunnies under their umbrella ears.

“Oh my, oh my, I have a big tail, but that won’t help. If I had big ears they would keep me dry. Oh dear.”

Mama Pudding Pie heard Sammy and thought he could use a little help. She yelled out to Sammy. “Come here dear, you can stay dry and warm with us, under our large ears. Walk back home with us.”

Well, Sammy did just that. “You know” he said, looking at the boys. “I’m very sorry for what I said about your large ears being funny and laughing at you. Your ears are different but they’re wonderful!”

The boys were taught by their Mama to be kind and to behave in a polite way. “Treat others like you would like to be treated.” Mamma told the boys.  They remembered that and accepted Sammy’s apology. They all laughed until their tummies hurt, and the boys knew then that they would not be sad about their unusual ears again. Their large ears were wonderful and made them feel like special bunnies.

They would be proud to have different ears and happy that they were special.

The next day in the meadow, Piddle and Paddle had everyone around them, admiring and commenting on their beautiful large ears that they held up especially for them. They had become very popular from being so different. There was no one like them and that made them one of a kind. Now they had many friends to play with and run through the meadow with. They were happy and they loved their unusual ears.

They would also help their new friends anytime at rained. It was a good thing to do and it made them feel needed.

As the rain started and touched their ears, their ears perked up further and became an umbrella again and all their friends got under the large, bunny ears that were so big, they looked like an elephant’s tummy and they all laughed, and giggled and had so much fun.

“Being different is a good thing.” Piddle cried out.

“Yes, agreed Paddle. It means you are special because there is no one anywhere, just like you. We are different and it is wonderful.”

“That makes me smile.” Mama Pudding was happy.

The End.