The Bunny's Tail

One day, a bunny hopped into the beautiful forest. It was its favorite forest, with the beautiful flowers, the delicious berries, and the bright green grass shining in the daylight.

Suddenly, a group of rabid foxes rushed by. Hungered for excitement, they attacked the bunny. The poor bunny tried to defend itself, but to no avail. The foxes fled, laughing after they had their fun.

The bunny was worn out, covered in scratches, and its plushy tail now torn to shreds.

What was, to the bunny, a beautiful fauna of green, was now a pale gray of emptiness.

The bunny dragged itself for days, stuck in a loop of emptiness and pain. It did not want to eat. It did not want to drink. It did not want to bask in the sun from the sky.

The pain of what it had been through became unbearable, and retreated into the solace of its sleep.

It was day, so it had slept.

It was night, so it had slept.

It was morning, so it had slept.

The bunny saw no point in living the life it once had. It was gone.

One day, a bear came by.

“Little bunny, what is wrong?”

The poor bunny had no words. It did not know where to begin.

All the bunny could do was cry.

“Oh you poor thing...look at your tail. Here, let us sort it out together.”

The bunny, wary at first with the bear, handed its tail. They both sat together and went through the threads.

One by one, they went through each knot. Some were easy to get out. Some were so hard that it had to be cut.

Each thread and thought was expressed to the bear. How the bunny just wanted to live and enjoy life, how the foxes attacked for no reason, and how the events just played over and over again in its little head.

After some time, the bunny’s tail was now a bundle of spool.

The bunny couldn’t understand what had happened just now. For the first time in a long time, it had felt relief.

“There. Doesn’t that feel better?” The bear said.

The bunny asked. “Why did you help me?”

“Sometimes, you need a little help to sort through and untangle the thoughts you have.”

The bunny held it’s spool of a tail and looked up at the bear. It’s heart went from a caged stone to a softening warmth.

...but as it let its guard down, the tail slightly loosened.

“No...! No! My tail! It’s unraveling again!” The bunny burst into panic and tears. “It’s happening all over again!” Just like the rabid foxes who attacked it.

“Oh little one, please don’t be sad.” The bear said. “There will be times you will fall apart again, like your tail.”

“I don’t want to feel this way again! I NEVER want to feel this way again!” It cried. “What’s the point of living if I keep feeling this way!?”

“Yes, there are times when you will feel the same pain. I cannot tell you when. I cannot tell you how.”

The bear took a yellow ribbon, and it tied around the spool of the tail.

“But I promise you this: the sadness you feel will help pave the way to happiness towards you and to others.”

The bunny looked around once again, seeing the magnificent flowers, smelling the delicious berries, and the green grass and leaves shining even more radiant than before.

“And once you come out of the darkness each time, it will be much brighter and beautiful than ever before.”

(Thank you for reading this short story.

This story was made for all ages for those who went through traumatic events in their life.

Battling with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) still to this day, I wanted to make a story to give a reason for people to keep going.

Whatever you went through, you are not alone. You have friends and family, not just by blood, who love and care for you.

I want you to know that it is okay to still feel the sadness and pain, and your feelings are valid. The past cannot be changed, but your future can.

Rainy days and storms come and go, but bright sunny skies will come each time; and believe me, it is all worth it.)