Bunny Says Thank You

Juniper the bunny wakes up with the sun on their ears. The warm sinks in, all the way down to their toes.

“Thank you, thank you,” says Juniper. And — funny thing — the sun feels a little warmer after.

Under the green leafy tops waits one carrot, cold from the night. Juniper pulls. Tug, tug. Pop! Then comes the bite. Crunch! Sweet, and loud, and just right.

“Thank you, thank you,” says Juniper, mouth full. The carrot tastes a little sweeter after.

Whoosh. A feather lands in the grass. A blue one, blue as a piece of sky that fell off. Juniper tucks it behind one long ear.

“Thank you, thank you,” says Juniper. The blue looks a little bluer after.

By the path, a small bug with seven spots stops at a puddle. The puddle is wide. The bug’s legs are tiny. It waits, and its feelers droop.

Juniper lays the blue feather across the water. A bridge! Tap, tap, tap go the tiny feet, all the way to the dry side. The bug waves one feeler. Juniper’s nose bobs hello.

The day gets full. Juniper’s legs get tired. Hop… hop… plop.

At burrow-time, the big blanket is waiting. It is soft and heavy in the good way, like a hug that stays put. “Thank you, thank you,” yawns Juniper. The blanket feels a little softer after.

Juniper’s eyes close. But one more thank-you is left. The biggest one. Juniper whispers it to the whole day at once — to the sun and the carrot, the feather and the bug, the blanket and the burrow and the last bit of light under the door.

“Thank you, thank you, everything.” And the day, all warm and finished, tucks itself around Juniper like one more blanket.

The End