Safe and Found

A Short Story

“I bet you can't find me!” Shouted Daisy Donald Dunston, her father turned to her knowing the question had sadly been directed to him.

“Listen to crumbling tumbling Pat! And stay out of my way child!” Daisy was shocked by her fathers reaction.

She left the liver-room sad and confuzzled.

“Why does father hate me so?” She asked herself (Quite frequently too.)

“Does he not want me to be around?” She suddenly saw a rabbit run past her, he was wearing a wristwatch and he had a rather vibrant green leopard sweater.

She then stopped in her tracks, she had just thought about what had occurred and realized that what she had seen was not ordinary.

“Rabbits don't run!” she exclaimed now searching for the poor thing.

“Damn you rabbit where do you hide?” She shouted standing outside.

As she was prepared to give up the silly search for this peculiar creature she saw the rabbit, he was hunched over picking flowers.

“Hello there!”

The rabbit jumped and turn screaming “Do you want me to have a bleedin' heart attack you little scallywag!?”.

Daisy stood still for she was no longer listening to the rabbit rather she was remembering what her father had told her, collapsing to the ground, she started to cry.

The rabbit sighed and asked the poor little scallywag what was wrong.

Daisy immediately stopped crying and said “N-nothing...”.

“Don't give me that! Do I look like a Joshua McBerryfull?” For those who do not know what a Joshua McBerryfull is, it's the only thing it shouldn't be, useless that is.

Daisy started laughing, she didn't know why, but seeing the rabbit concerned for her made her smile.

“Well...” She said in a very sad tone.

“My father hates me, and I don't know why...”

The rabbit listened to her statement and started to laugh “Ho ho ho!” (For that is how rabbit's laugh) “My child, your father doesn't hate you!” He now stopped laughing and grabbed her hand. “He does!” She shouted pushing him away. “Well...” Said the rabbit checking the time for in case you didn't know, he was rather late for a very important meeting.

“Even if he does:.” He said as he grabbed her hand once again.

“I will help you win him back!” Daisy looked at the rabbit for a second then said “Impossible!” tossing his hand(Or paw? I honestly don't know how those kind of things work in this kind of story) away.

“Impossible?” All of his confidence had dropped from this statement and now he was starting to get mad with this little scallywag.

“Nothing is impossible for George Grumplestone!” (Sadly Grumplestone wasn't with the rabbit at the current moment, but the girl didn't know that now did she?).

The girl looked at him funny for a second and then said “I'm not going to believe anything! Especially not from a weird looking rabbit wearing ridiculous clothes!” She suddenly bit her tongue for she realized that what she had just said was rather hurtful and not at all lady-like.

The rabbit turned away, he was now very angry and did not care for the girl any longer.

“Fine! I'll take my leave then!” He said now walking away.

“No wait please! I'm awfully sorry!” She shouted grabbing the rabbits soft fluffy tail.

“Ah! Don't touch that!” He said knocking her hand off.

He stomped his feet (Which was usually a symbol of a rabbits anger) then he walked up towards the girl.

She was now officially terrified.

“NEVER! I repeat! NEVER touch a rabbits tail!” He shouted massaging the object in question.

He then backed down and said “Listen, I'll give you another chance to let me help you, but this will be the last chance you're given, understand?” He asked, now looking down on her for she had fallen to the ground from the fright of earlier.

“Thank you!” She exclaimed quickly grabbing the rabbits hand. She took the rabbit all the way around her house and hid in her plastic play house in the front garden.

“That is my father” She pointed to a tall looking man sitting on their porch reading a newspaper.

“I see...” The rabbit said rubbing his whitey tightey beard.

The rabbit turned to the girl and said “This is the plan...”, the girls ears were now wide open so wide in fact that she could've been mistaken for dumbo, and for those who don't know who dumbo is, he is a giant Ear with big elephants.

The rabbit explained the complicated plan bit by bit and then shoved the girl outside of her play house.

“Go!” he shouted in a whispering tone.

She quickly ran into the house and within' an hours time she returned.

She presented the rabbit with a bright hot red cherry pie that not a single mere mortal could fully understand and enjoy. This culinary delight was exactly what the plan needed, in fact, it was a little too good for the father.

“Excellent job!” He said patting her on the back.

The girl chuckled and thanked the rabbit, she then left the plastic ono play house and headed towards her father.

“Here you go daddy I baked this for you!” She stretched her arms out and placed the pie on her fathers left leg.

He turned to the daughter and then looked at the pie.

“Is this some sort of joke?” He asked her grabbing the pie.

Daisy was looking at her father confused.

“Do you think this is funny?!” He shouted tossing the pie into the sky, only to see it fall to the ground and smash into a million little pie pieces.

Daisy started to cry and ran back to the rabbit who was now furious at her father.

“Yes! Go run away! Immature brat!” He exclaimed sitting back down as he returned to his daily pleasure of reading his newspaper in the springtime breeze.

The rabbit comforted her as much as he could and then got really mad.
“I'm going to make that no good lillyliver landlubber pay!” He stated storming out of the play house.

Daisy cried out “No stop!” But alas it was to late.

“Hey you!!” The rabbit had stormed all the way over to Daisy's father and was now pointing a finger at him.

The father looked at the rabbit for a second then let out a scream, he was terrified, after all, it's not everyday you see a elegantly dressed white rabbit now is it?

“You're a demon rabbit!!” He cried attempting to keep the rabbit at bay by swatting his newspaper at the weird looking thing.

The rabbit suddenly realized the potential use of being this so called “Demon Rabbit” and then, boom! An idea came to this clever little fuzzy creature.

“Listen...” He said, now talking in a lower tone of voice.

“You must apologize to your daughter and love her!” his orders were about as hard to digest as the burritos he ate that morning.

“B-but...I do love my daughter!” He said now falling to his knees.

The rabbit looked at the pitiful sight of Daisy's father and said “So that's why you toss your daughters pie, a beautiful pie that took her over an hour to make, onto the floor?!” he shouted pointing at the sad sight of ruined pie resting on the grass of his front garden.

“Well...truth is...that...I'm allergic to cherry flavoured delights...” The rabbit heard this and sighed.

“Well perhaps you ought to make yourself more clear and explain these things to her rather than just shouting all the blasted honey boogling time!” He stated now calming down.

The father got up and said “You're right, I've been very stressed as of recent. I need to apologize to Daisy and make things right” He marched over to the play house and kneeled down to the door, for he was clearly too tall for the blasted thing and knocked.

“Anybody home?” He asked in a trembling sorry voice that only those who have wronged one too many times would know and recognize.

Daisy remained silent and didn't answer her father for she wasn't sure whether he was going to shout at her again (And given the certain circumstance, that wouldn't be ideal).

The father took a deep breath and said “I'm terribly sorry my darling, life, at the moment, is quite dreadful for me so I let out my anger and blame you..” he then coughed and recomposed himself. “When you feel ready to forgive me I'll be waiting” He said getting up.

He turned and waited for a split second hoping to hear her run out of the play house and hug him, alas...That was not to be.

He walked off and entered the house collecting his newspaper first.

The rabbit remained absolutely shocked.

Why hadn't she forgiven her father? It was the perfect moment!

He barged into the play house and saw her standing there (He then realized that he'd never dance with another..).

“Rabbit..” She whispered signalling him to come closer.

“Yes?” He asked approaching her.

“What is your name?” She asked as she leaped onto the now startled rabbit hugging him.

“My name is Gregoorai The Rabbit” he said watching as she let him go.

“Thank you Gregoorai! You have made Daisy a very happy child” She said smiling.

“I'm going to forgive my father now, I just wanted to give him some time to understand just how sad I've been feeling these past few years.” Gregoorai nodded and patted her on the back.

“Good girl!”

She smiled and headed towards her house.

“Stay here, I want to make you something” She said quickly retreating into her house.

“Don't go anywhere!” She shouted as Gregoorai sighed.

Sadly, the rabbit really did have to go.

Little did poor Daisy know that that would've been the last time she ever saw her little fuzzy friend.

The End

Author's Note

Just keep in mind that this story makes perfect sense if you read it backwards whilst singing "She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain"

-Anthony L. Doyle