Up in Ontario

Birthday Wish II: White Rabbit

Today is the birthday of the White Rabbit, Caroline Bradley.

When the Rabbit first moved to Vancouver a few years ago, we went for a walk. The air had thickened and the mist had settled in, just as if a cloud had descended on the city. The rabbit wore her new GoreTex jacket, bought specially for the rains. It was a light purplish-blue colour and she walked around with the hood up. When I saw her in the distance, she reminded me of a kid in a slicker.

We came to our first intersection and stopped. Being the tall one, I craned my neck around the parked cars to check for traffic. I looked left and, before I turned my head to look right, BAM, the rabbit was off. She darted out across the street and I jogged to keep up. We arrived at the far curb and resumed our normal pace. I said nothing about the Rabbit's dash. When we came to the next intersection I stopped to look for traffic, and again, BAM, the Rabbit was off across the street. This pattern continued at every intersection of our walk.

When I returned home I asked the Duck, someone more familiar with the ways of the Rabbit, if she had ever noticed the darting behaviour. The Duck said she had. A week later, I asked the Noodle if he had noticed the darting behaviour, and he said that now that I mentioned it, he had. Eventually, I confronted the Rabbit and questioned her about the darting behaviour and she said, "I never thought about it. I just go."

Luckily, the Rabbit likes to hold hands when she walks. Don't be surprised if she takes your paw in hers as you stroll along.

Favourite Rabbit pronunciations: