Things have been busy and hectic lately. So much so that I missed the deadline to submit a story to the upcoming Supposed Crimes anthology and I missed my article that I was going to submit to 52 Weeks of Horror for April 1st. Lately I've been more than a little stressed out. I've taken on a lot while searching for something that connects. I feel like Jobe at the end of the Lawnmower Man, frantically trying to find my 'Access Granted'. With that said I wanted to tell you a story of something that happened recently that I found strangely inspiring.
To preface this incident I want to shed some light on Chopin, our dog. Chopin's rambunctious and playful, loves to chase birds and squirrels. He likes the chase but he's the type that wouldn't do anything if he caught them. He attempted to chase a bird in the backyard one day when he ran up to it to find it dead. I watched him for a moment before disposing of the bird. He looked disappointed that it wasn't getting up and running from him and flying away. Then he just looked sad. I disposed of the bird and he went off to do his business. Another time had a tiny kitten approach him. We were nervous at first because he's always barking at cats and wanting to chase them as well. So of course we were thinking 'Holy crap, this kitten is tiny, what is he going to do?' He was so freaked out that it was approaching him. It walked up innocently and nuzzled against Chopin's face, eyes bugged and freaked out. Then they were playful. Now that you get a sense of what he's like, I can tell you this story.
I took him out one night recently for his last bathroom break. I opened the backdoor and he took off outside barking and raising hell. I didn't think much of it, he always does that. I get outside to see him chasing a little rabbit around the backyard. He's chased them before and they always take off quickly leaving him in the dust. This didn't go as normal.
The rabbit tried to get out of the yard but couldn't. Chopin was on it, chasing it around all over the yard. The rabbit jumped into the back fence at high speed multiple times, smacking into it hard and bouncing off and trying again elsewhere. I realized this rabbit had no way out so I went out to try to keep Chopin away from him. It's a bit hard to keep up or even get in between the dog and rabbit that's scared to death.
One last try, the rabbit jumped and dove into the side fence at the end of the yard - and got stuck with its back half sticking out, still in the yard. Chopin stopped chasing, confused by the rabbit stuck in the fence. I managed to get him back and to shoo him away a bit. The rabbit was trapped. It scurried like crazy but wasn't going anywhere. I looked at it wondering how in the hell it managed to get through the tight space of the chain link fence. I thought 'Shit, I don't want this rabbit dying in my fence, and I don't want to do a mercy killing.'
So I knelt down to try to help it through the fence the rest of the way. The rabbit was freaking out and I could feel its heart racing. I took its legs, trying to straighten them out briefly to wedge him through but it wasn't budging. My hands were wet so I figured it peed on me. I kept trying, several times, to fit this little thing through. Any time I'd let go of it it would scurry again to no avail. It continued to tremble. I talked to it like I would my dog, "I'm sorry, buddy, I know. I know." I don't know why, that's just my nature.
I realized it wasn't going through that way, and even for a brief moment tried pulling it back through but the way its rib cage was wedged for it too work. I knew I had to go on the other side and pull it through the rest of the way. I shooed Chopin away again and went out of the back gate - mere feet away from the trapped rabbit. I left the gate, turned the corner, and the rabbit was gone. I didn't hear it and didn't see it but it had managed to get out. I looked back at Chopin who just stood staring at the fence and me dumbfounded. I checked the area - no rabbit. I scanned the area but it was nowhere around. The only thing left by the fence was a tuft of white and gray fur.
I went back into the yard and Chopin did his business. My hands were still wet. I looked under the light to see it wasn't pee but blood. I don't think the blood came from being stuck but from the multiple times it slammed into the other fence. Took him in and washed my hands before I told my wife about it.
This may seem like nothing to some people and, in all honesty, it was probably just another night with a slight twist, but I keep thinking about that rabbit. Its will to live and to escape, to succeed in survival, is inspiring to me. Since that night when things seem like they're going to shit I think about that rabbit.
We're all stuck in some kind of fence, and people will try to free us to no avail, so we need to discover that drive, that urge, and pull ourselves out.
No comments:
Post a Comment