Bunnie lounged on her sofa, the tip of her claw rapping against her mug. Today was raining, as usual. Well, at least the mayor was pleased. She always seemed to be pleased when it came to rain or storms. Then again, there was something relaxing about the rhythm of water-droplets against the window, or the rumble of thunder crashing through the sky, yet it would be nice to see a sunny day more often.
Bunnie brought the cup to her lips, flicking through a magazine lazily, her eyes scrolling over the page, not really absorbing the text. Her mind was on other things. She was meant to be peppy, what was with the mope? Suddenly, the phone rang, and he reached out a paw to grab it.
"Hi! Who's there, tee-hee?" she inquired, cocking her head to the side even though there was no one to see it.
"Hello, Bunnie!" It was the mayor, her voice shining like a sunbeam. Something that the small rabbit did not see often.
"Oh! Mayor Lillian! It's fantastic to hear from you again, it's been a while!" Bunnie instantly perked up, her ears straightening.
"I'm sorry to say it's not good news," the mayor apologised. "Come to the town hall. I and Isabelle have an announcement to make." With that, there was a click and then a deafening silence. Bunnie frowned. Well, that was her day ruined. What had happened to painting her claws and eating chocolate?
Reluctantly, she pulled on her rain-boots, grabbed her umbrella and trudged over to the town hall, carefully avoiding her flower patch. By the time she had reached the town hall, it was flooded with residents, and her boots were rimmed with thick, brown mud. Bunnie's demeanour became even stormier as a consequence.
Lillian cleared her throat, adjusting the hood of her polka-dotted coat and brought a silence over the bubbling crowd of animals. It was strange to Bunnie really. The mayor wasn't an animal of any sort she'd ever come across, but at least she was as sweet as her mama's cookies.
"We have been warned of floods. There has been a strange turn in the pattern of weather, and since we're so close to the coast, there is a good chance that our houses could be destroyed."
The shocked silence lingered for a few seconds. Then, pandemonium struck. There were cries of anger and distraught. Mayor Lillian was becoming panicked, her eyes widening and watering. She obviously hated seeing her townsfolk like this.
"But I have nowhere to go!" Kidd moaned, followed by choruses of agreement.
"If everyone clams down, I'm sure we can figure this out," the mayor struggle to shout, sounding forced. Bunnie's ears were aching because of the dumb, blind ruckus everyone was making. Despite her peppy nature, an anger she'd never experienced was driving her to distraction.
"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" the previously cheerful rabbit screamed, a vein throbbing in her forehead. The sound of rustling clothes and fur sounded as the rest of the crowd turned and stared at her in shock, unused to hearing such a harsh, loud noise from her. Bunnie's cheeks glowed red. She exhaled sharply.
"I know this is a big change," she mumbled bashfully, regretting her yelling "but it's not something we have a choice over. So we may as well buck up and make the best out of the situation."
Everyone seemed to calm down. True, it wasn't a desirable thing to think about, but the citizens were going to HAVE to change their attitudes and find a new place to live. Lillian, realizing that the kerfuffle had calmed, continued with her speech.
"It would be wise to gather up your possessions and go to a relative's house, perhaps, or find a hotel to lodge in. Please inform me once you have found a safe and secure place.
"Isabelle will be handing out my telephone number at the train station. Gather back here as soon as you have finished."
The animals scattered, dashing home as a more rain clouds rumbled on the horizon. Bunnie shook her head in disbelief, and began stumbling back to her house like a zombie. Once inside, something inside her snapped, and she began thrusting items of clothing into a large suitcase ferociously. She threw in a few photos, some precious things and stomped out of the house, leaving a trail of muddy footsteps behind her. Bunnie then decided to look at the beach one last time. She sighed and hopped down the familiar path, her paws stumping across the sand. Her eyes stung with tears as she stared out over the sea. Slowly, it came to the animal's attention that there was a slumped figure, resting on the shore line. Quickly, she dashed over, peering down onto the limp stranger. It was an albatross, squawking softly in its sleep.
"Wake up!" Bunnie hollered at him, frowning. It was Gulliver. Of course it was Gulliver.
"Hm?" he yawned, blinking drowsily and giving a lazy smile.
"Gulliver, get up. Now. We don't have time to discuss where you're going next, we need to get up and GO," Bunnie demanded, wrenching him up from the ground with a sharp tug. Gulliver screeched indignantly.
"You could have just said so! Fine, I'm coming. This sounds important," the bedraggled bird grumbled, flicking specks of sand off his top with his wing. Droplets of water dripped off his feathers and soaked his clothes. Bunnie wondered how he had survived sailing in a storm this violent.
In no time, the duo was seated in the train, huffing from the running they had had to do in order to reach it before its departure.
The train began to chug away from the station, leaving the grey, barren little town behind. A wave of sadness overcame Bunnie. Tears formed in the corners of her black, glossy eyes. She felt a wing rub her back comfortingly, and when she turned, a large, carrot-coloured beak was smiling at her.
"Tell me all about it."