The Dumpling Short Story & Audiobook Series: Episode 8 - Rabbit Rabbit!

Rabbit Rabbit!

*thump,thump,THUMP!*

“Sylvie! Mind the thumping,” Mum called from the hallway. “We don’t want another angry call from our neighbour downstairs.” 

“Rabbit, rabbit, RABBIT!” little Sylvie Fields chanted as she hopped into the bedroom. She wore a fluffy bunny costume with floppy ears and a cotton tail.

“Tomorrow is the first day of the month. You’re supposed to wait ‘til the morning to say ‘rabbit, rabbit’,” Bonnie said from her bed. 

“It brings you good luck!” Sylvie hopped into bed wearing her bunny suit.

“That’s right,” said Mum as she turned off the bedroom light. “Sleep tight, sweet beans.”

Bonnie lay in the glow of her little bedside light. Her sister began snoring.

“I’m the one who needs luck tomorrow,” Bonnie said quietly to herself. 

“Nervous about your school play?” asked the small, shaggy creature climbing onto her bedside table.

“Hi, Dumpling. Yes, I am a potato in the play. And I’m playing the trumpet,” Bonnie yawned. 

“Aww, you won’t need luck. You’ll do just fine. Fluffland is a different story though,” Dumpling said. He licked at Bonnie’s cup of cashew milk. 

“Fluffland needs luck?” Bonnie asked.

Without answering, Dumpling glowed and the room grew bright. He and Bonnie flew out the bedroom window into the Fluffland sky. A large, furry squid passed by.

“Woah!” Bonnie shouted. “We almost hit that... Wait - what are those?”

Eight white rabbits were holding onto the squid’s legs. “Rabbits!” Dumpling said. “There’s no more room underground for the rabbits. So, they’re everywhere now.”

Bonnie looked down. Sure enough, Dumpling was right. Rabbits were up in trees, crowded on hills and riding on the backs of animals. There was so little room for them. They were even stacked on top of each other.

Bonnie and Dumpling landed on the lawn of Whistlecrisp, Fluffland’s leader. Bonnie had to be careful not to step on any rabbits.

Whistlecrisp stepped out of their house. A rabbit was perched on each shoulder.

“Ah, dear Bonnie! We have a dire situation,” the deer-like creature explained. “The rabbits simply won’t go back into their holes. We don’t know why.”

“Can’t you just ask them?” asked Bonnie. 

“Don’t be silly. Rabbits can’t talk,” said Dumpling. 

“We need a proper Bonnie Fields solution,” said Whistlecrisp. They held out a basket with various items: a big, rubber dog bone, a golf club, a huge marble, a silver trumpet and a rolled-up comic book.

“Oh. I play the trumpet. Perhaps this will help,” Bonnie said. She took the trumpet under her arm.

“No time to waste,” said Dumpling. They flew to Fluffingdown Park. “This is where the most rabbit holes are.”

Bonnie got down on her hands and knees and peered into some of the holes. 

“Well, I can’t really see very far down the holes. They are too dark. You take a look,” Bonnie said. Then she took Dumpling and stuffed him down a hole. 

*Flump!*

Dumpling made himself glow like a torch. Bonnie pulled him back out of the hole.

*plup* *cough*

“Potatoes!” coughed Dumpling. “It’s stuffed full of potatoes.”

“That’s why the rabbits can’t go in their holes,” Bonnie said. “But why would there be so many potatoes in rabbit holes?” 

“Sometimes we just don’t ask why,” said Dumpling.

“Right. Sometimes it’s better to skip straight to the solution,” Bonnie said. 

She looked at her trumpet. “Maybe this will help.” Bonnie stuck the end of the trumpet into the hole. She pursed her lips and gave a blow.

*frrrrt!*

“Do that again,” said Dumpling, “but louder. I think I saw something happen.”

Bonnie put the horn back into the rabbit hole.

*frRRRRT!*

All across the valley, the tops of potatoes poked out of every rabbit hole. But when the horn blow finished, each potato fell back in.

“THAT’S IT!” yelled Dumpling. “All the rabbit holes are connected! The trumpet blast is pushing them out!”

Bonnie blew her trumpet louder. 

*FRRRRRRT!*

Potatoes all across Fluffland popped all the way out of the rabbit holes. But again, when the horn blow finished, the potatoes fell back in.

“Can you grab the potatoes when they pop out?” Bonnie asked Dumpling.

“There are way too many of them. I can’t do that all by myself,” Dumpling said.

“Should we call the Bridgegators?”

Dumpling looked at his tiny wristwatch. “It’s well past their bedtime.”

“Well, who should we call then?”

*thump, thump, THUMP!*

“What’s that thumping?” asked Bonnie.

“You mean, WHO’s that thumping,” said Dumpling.

*thump, thump, THUMP!*

A big, rabbit-like figure hopped out from behind a fluffy, white hedge. It was holding a smaller, shaggy squirrel-creature in one of its paws. In its other paw, it held a golf club. Bonnie quickly recognised the rabbit AND the squirrel creature it held.

“It’s Sylvie!” Bonnie shouted. “Macaroon brought her in!”

Indeed, it was Sylvie Fields wearing her fluffy rabbit costume. 

“Hello, Bonnie,” said Sylvie. “You’ll need me to help with this one! You blow the trumpet and I’ll swat the potatoes with my golf club.” Rabbits hopped out of her way as she crossed the valley. “You’ve got a clever sister, Bonnie,” said Dumpling.

“Yes. She’s got a good idea now and then, I suppose.”

Bonnie took a huge breath, put her horn into the nearest rabbit hole and blew as long and hard as she could.

*FRRRRRRRRRRRRRT!*

Potatoes popped out of rabbit holes across the valley. While they were up, Sylvie whacked them one at a time with the golf club. Together, the trumpet blast and golf club whack made a lovely sound. .

*FRRRT-WHACK! FRRRT-WHACK! FRRRT-WHACK!*

“Brilliant job, girls!” Dumpling shouted over the noise.

It went on like that for at least an hour. The sisters tooted and whacked until every potato was out. The happy rabbits all returned to their underground homes. 

After everyone gathered to eat some buttery mashed potatoes at Whistlecrisp’s house, Dumpling and Macaroon glowed and returned Bonnie and Sylvie back home.

The next morning, Bonnie woke as her bed wiggled. She opened her eyes and saw Sylvie standing over her. 

Sylvie was hopping up and down shouting, “Rabbit, rabbit, RABBIT! Good luck in your play today!”

“Thank you, Sylvie,” said Bonnie. “Something tells me...I have all the luck I’ll need.”

The End