Many years had passed since the crowning of a new Easter Bunny, and a lot had changed in the lives of those who knew him. His eldest- but still younger- sister, Lauren, had married and given birth to a child. For the first year of his life, the boy was often surrounded by his closest relatives, but scarcely was he visited by one uncle in particular. As he grew, Thomas- as was his name- once asked his mother about her seemingly distant brother. He received no answer.

By the time Thomas turned four, his mother's older brother had seemingly vanished. Soon Easter was close, and all the boy's thoughts revolved around the annual egg hunt. Thomas was so excited to get the goodies hidden in each egg, but still got ready for bed early the night before. As he climbed in bed, however, his mother's voice stopped him.

"You're staying up late tonight, Thomas; we've got a surprise for you," she remarked. Curious, the boy padded over to his mother, who led him to the living room. He was told to watch cartoons for a while, his bed time long forgotten. Then, as the clock neared midnight, something magical happened. Thomas' parents drew his attention to the backyard, and the boy turned to see little bunnies hiding eggs throughout the landscape.

"The Easter Bunny is here!" Thomas cried. He pressed his hands and face against the sliding glass door, watching the entire process. Soon the yard was ready for Easter morning, and the bunnies returned from whence they'd come. However, one bunny stayed, hopping up to the back door. The small, brown-furred mammal held a scepter in its paw, and seemed to be in charge.

Thomas' mother opened the door, and the bunny hopped inside. Thomas was shocked beyond belief; he was getting to meet the one and only Easter Bunny!

"Hello there, Thomas; nice to see you again," the bunny said. His words were marked with a slight British accent, which confused the young boy.

"H-Hi there," Thomas stuttered nervously.

"Thomas," his mother said suddenly, "You have to promise you're not going to tell anyone about this."

"Why?" Thomas asked, confused.

"If anyone finds out, Easter will be ruined," his mom explained.

"Alright… I promise…" Thomas responded dejectedly.

"Well, I suppose it's time I revealed my little secret," the Easter Bunny remarked. Thomas turned to see the bunny close his eyes, and then suddenly he began to change. Within moments he was a human, surprising young Thomas.

"U-Uncle Austin?" he asked, shocked. The man smiled, and picked up his nephew.

"It's me, kiddo," he responded, smiling and ruffling Thomas' hair.

"You're the Easter Bunny?" Thomas asked excitedly.

"Yep, it's a secret though; you can't tell anyone," Austin answered.

"I promise I won't Uncle Austin!" Thomas responded.

"Good," Austin responded, hugging Thomas, "I'll see you around, okay?"

"You're leaving already?" Thomas asked, saddened.

"There are a lot of other houses I have to visit tonight, and I'm already behind schedule. I'll try to drop by more often though, okay?" Austin answered.

"Okay," Thomas responded. Austin set Thomas down and changed back into his bunny form. After another hug, he headed for the door.

"See you next year Uncle Austin!" Thomas cried.

"See you next year Thomas," Austin replied, smiling.

The next day, Austin and his friend Bryan met up for their traditional Easter lunch at Genghis Grill. They had an enjoyable chat, talking about all the usual stuff. Bryan talked about how his job was going, and asked about his father, the previous Easter Bunny. Austin answered his friend's questions, and then talked about a few changes that had been made the last year. Then Bryan asked one particular question that never failed to pop up:

"So, anything interesting happen last night?"

"Actually, we had a pretty routine night for once. I did stop at my sister's house though; we felt it was time to let Thomas in on the secret," Austin answered. Bryan grinned.

"How'd the little tyke take it?" he asked.

"He was so excited you'd have thought it was Christmas," Austin answered, chuckling. Bryan had a laugh as well, and then the conversation returned to its usual topics. Before long the two friends left the restaurant, returning to their everyday lives.