Fairy Tale Spotlight: That Time I Ended Up a Rabbit, Part 3 [Final]

Where I come from, tea is rarely hot. It is not only cold, but filled to the brim with ice and sugar. I suppose I had heard of hot tea before, but it never really felt like something that was real. It was more something I would see people drinking on television or in books. None of my friends or family were ever seen drinking hot tea. Yet, here I was sitting before a cup of the stuff presently. I took a sip, and I must say, with all honesty, that I did not much care for it. My opinion of it was apparently showing upon my face.

"Philistine," I heard the fox mutter as he continued to sip from his own cup. I had absolutely no idea what he meant by that, and I did not ask.

And so, after suffering through a few more sips of hot tea, the conversation renewed for it final stretch:

Fox: How do you feel about me?

Me: You are very... fancy... I guess.

Fox: Is it a guess or is that what you are really feeling?

Me: You live really well... despite it being underground. You speak well. You speak better than I do. And you drink hot tea. I don't know anyone else who does that where I come from.

Fox: The warren, you mean.

Me: [I sigh miserably.] Yes. The warren.

Fox: I feel as if your perception of myself is good enough. I admit to putting on some airs, but I really do believe in proper behavior as a means to control oneself. The world tends to be a bit chaotic on its own. God, for some reason, made it that way. I have found that the best way to live here is by an act of will to remain calm and deal with what comes with a restful spirit. In general terms, it helps to understand yourself personally so that you may dispense with unwanted issues and expand on those which are a benefit. For this reason, I am very much your better.

Me: Yeah.

Fox: You can only be what you are... but you can also make the most of it. Do you know what I am?

Me: You're a fox.

Fox: And what are you?

Me: I'm a rabbit.

Fox: Are you intelligent enough to know what those two things mean as a combination?

Me: [I became flustered.] What are you trying to say?

Fox: I asked you a question. Are you going to answer it, or am I going to have to help you along like I did with the tea?

Me: Well, you don't plan to eat me, do you?

Fox: Of course, I am. Within the next fifteen to twenty minutes probably.

Me: [I was stunned into silence. In fact, I think I stopped breathing altogether.]

Fox: There's no reason we can't be civil about it. We have time to talk to one another. After all, I'm not going to just tear into you or anything. I need time to start the fire and all that. We have plenty of time to get to know one another.

Me: [I became incredulous.] You invited me in! I'm your guest!

Fox: Indeed, and it is my duty as your host to take care of you.

Me: By cooking me alive?!

Fox: You've done so well, thus far, in accepting who and what you are, but you seem to be having trouble with the finale of this story. The fox eats the rabbit. Accepting that is only the final step of your journey. Now, I am being very civil with you. I've given you tea. We've had a good talk. In fact, it's still quite good. Your emotional response to the fact that you are going to die... is normal.

Me: [I began to cry.] I don't understand what I'm doing here. This can't be real.

Fox: [He stood up to go start his fire.] The thing about death... something I have seen time and time again... It's very strange, you see. Moments before it happens, it tends to make life feel more like a dream. You begin to wonder if you are about to wake up. Or should I say, you hope that you will. And maybe you shall. That is one of the many great questions, if not the ultimate one. Here you are at the brink of existence itself. Everything is so confusing and worrisome. But twenty minute from now, you'll not being worrying about it. You, rabbit, shall be busy taking your place in the perfect cycle that is our God-given reality.

Me: You speak so much about God.

Fox: Why wouldn't I... when my meal was just sitting right at my doorstep as if it had been a special delivery?

Me: I don't want to be eaten.

Fox: There's no shame in that... but at least... you seem to know... that you are about to be eaten.

Me: Boiled alive first.

Fox: It won't take as long as you think.

Me: Please let me go home.

Fox: No.

Me: Please?

Fox: I already told you no. This is the end of the story. I am a fox, and you are my rabbit. There was always going to be one conclusion to this. You need to admit to it. You need to admit to it right now. I won't be satisfied until I hear you say it. Admit to being my food right now, and take your place as God has given it to you. Do it now, or your soul shall be forfeit.

I wasn't dreaming... but I did awake. I awoke and sat upon the floor of my room, thinking about what had just happened. In those last moments, I realized that I had given in. I gave in to the fox... and perhaps into God as well. I gave myself to who and what I was in those moments. And after I had done so... I was free to live out the rest of my life as a human... but somehow I knew that my rabbit had been eaten. He was gone and would never come back. That was the story of how I ended up a rabbit, and why I am so very happy to be a human living under God in this wonderful world of His creation.

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