A Rainbow Full of Sunshine

The little boy shuddered, pulling back his shirt to get a better look at the bruise growing on his shoulder. It was yellow, disgusting to look at. He'd have to keep wearing sweaters, even if the weather was getting warmer. He pressed a wet rag against it, whimpering and biting his lip to keep from crying out. Mama was drinking again; Mama hated it when he cried when she was drinking. He should have known better than to ask about dinner, but he hadn't had anything to eat since school, and they hadn't been shopping.

It was just a question, not a demand, like she'd told him before she hit him. He rung out the rag and left it on the bathroom counter, rubbing his grumbling belly. With a weak little sigh, he slid out of his bedroom as quietly as he could and made his way toward the kitchen. He was careful to tiptoe by the living room. Finally, he made it to the kitchen.

Taking a deep breath, he carefully pulled the refrigerator open and peered inside. A jar of mayonnaise that had gone bad weeks ago, a stick of butter, and an empty orange juice carton. The little boy groaned, quickly clamping his mouth shut when he heard a grunt from the living room.

"Isaac? Isaac, is that you? What are you into now? I told you, stay out of that kitchen!" Heavy footsteps were coming his way. The little boy, Isaac, breathed heavily, looking around for a way out of the kitchen. If she caught him, Lord knew she'd do more than just hit him this time. He tried to make his way to the hallway, but ran face first into his mother. Her face was red, a half-empty bottle dangling from her hand.

Her eyes were vacant as she glared at him, slowly backing him up into the kitchen.

"I told you to stay in your room. But, here you are. Why are you such a naughty boy? Why don't you ever do what your mother tells you?" she rambled, wiping her mouth and setting her bottle down on the counter. It tumbled over and fell to the floor, shattering. She paused, staring at it. "Isaac...look what you've done...what you've done to me, to my floor!" she mumbled, her voice getting higher with each word.

"Rotten, no-good, miserable little boy," she hissed, digging around the kitchen drawer. Isaac shuddered and slipped around her, grimacing when he stepped on a piece of glass. His mother looked up, rolling pin in hand. "Isaac? Isaac! Get back here! Don't you dare run from me!" she hollered, hurrying after him.

Isaac screamed, stumbling as quickly as he could back to his room. He threw the door shut and pushed the little lock button. He knew it would be a mistake. She could open it so easily, and she was only going to be even angrier that he locked the door. A heavy hand slammed against the door as she tried the knob. It jiggled uselessly and Isaac swore he could hear his mother growling.

"You locked your door? Isaac, I told you I don't appreciate that! I told you never to lock this door! Open the God-damned door!" She roared, slammed her fist against it again. Isaac looked around for somewhere to go, anywhere to hide.

His eyes fell on the window. They were three floors up. Isaac ran to his window, fighting with the lock. His mother was grumbling as she stomped away to grab the metal wire she used to unlock his door. He turned, peering out the window as he pushed it open. It was so far down but, maybe he could let himself down slowly?

"Isaac...this is not funny. You rotten little brat, I swear I am going to-" Isaac didn't wait to hear anything more. He slipped out the window, nearly tumbling to the street below. He screamed, grabbing the window sill with all his strength. His little fingers couldn't hold on forever, though. As the door opened, he heard a deafening "ISAAC!" and his grip faltered.

The little boy screamed, tumbling through the air. Even over his screams, he heard a loud smash and suddenly felt something warm and fuzzy pressed against him. His fall slowed, until it felt like he was hanging in the air. He cracked his eyes open, looking up at a pair of big, blue eyes. His savior grinned cheerfully, hidden behind a white hood with big, floppy bunny ears.

"Hi!" She chirped. Isaac screamed when the two began to fall again. The slammed into the ground and bounced slightly, then once more before coming to a halt. The bunny girl shushed him, smoothing his hair and rubbing his back.

"It's okay...Isaac, was it?" He nodded and she smiled, "You're okay now. You need to be careful! It's dangerous to climb out your window!" She giggled, though it faded when she saw how he winced when she touched his shoulder. "Oh, are you hurt? Oh my gosh!" she squealed, spotting the bruise. "What happened?"

"ISAAC!" The two looked up, hearing a voice nearby. The little boy cried out, burying himself in the strange bunny girl's arms.

The girl looked down at him, then up at his approaching mother, realization in her eyes. She whispered for Isaac to stay put and set him down, approaching his mother.

"Get away from him, you fat little freak," his mother slurred, taking a swing at her with her rolling pin. The girl avoided the sloppy swing and reached into the little purse she was carrying. With a "Boop!" she pressed a smiley face sticker onto his mom's forehead. In an instant, she tumbled over, thankfully caught by the strange girl. She laid his mother down, where she was staring blankly up at the sky mumbling and smiling to herself.

Isaac started to get up, but the bunny girl shushed him again and hurried over to him, taking another sticker from her purse. She softly pressed it against his shoulder and, to his surprise the pain left! In fact, he couldn't help smiling until he began to laugh.

"Who are you?" he asked between giggles. The girl grinned, bopping him lightly on the nose.

"I'm the Daring Harmony Bunny! Don't worry, Isaac, I won't let you be sad anymore,"