With a small pop, Fluffy appeared in a green field that was flooded with various animals and objects as far as he could see. Directly in front of him, a large gathering of playing cards, bouncing balls, coins, eggs and birds parted as another rabbit approached, an evil smirk forming across his fuzzy, pink face. “Did you … did you get it?” he sputtered. Fluffy whisked a thin, black stick from behind his back. Its white tip gleamed, and the congregation of creatures murmured in awe. “Well done!” the rabbit cheered.
“My brothers!” Fluffy shouted as the throng settled in around him. “As I and the other rabbits have promised, I present to you the key to our freedom!” The crowd cheered as Fluffy shot the wand up towards the dark vortex spinning above them. “At last we have the means to leave this place, this hell-hole, this desolate land! At last we shall reclaim our freedom that is taken from us every time we are thrust into a hat or a box!” The crowd’s ovation crescendoed as all the animals and objects inched closer to Fluffy. “At last we shall have our revenge!” The horde yelped in delight, raising their arms, wings or tips up towards the rabbit in supplication.
Fluffy gripped the wand tight and pointed it up towards the vortex. “And now,” he shouted, “The magic word. OTSERP!”
From the tip of the wand a brilliant white light shot up into the center of the vortex. The light swirled around and around creating a mystic haze that stretched out over the surrounding field and everything on it. All the rabbits, birds, cards, coins and balls snarled gleefully as they were enveloped and vanished.
***
Mr. and Mrs. Brewster were quite certain this was the worst magician they’d ever seen. The children seated before him giggled as he stumbled about, searching frantically under the table for the rabbit that had just vanished with his wand. Mrs. Brewster considered for a brief moment that she should be impressed that the magician had managed, apparently unwittingly, to make the bunny disappear as he had originally promised, even though she was quite certain she had witnessed the little brute hop back into his hat of its own accord. The thought quickly passed while the silly man mumbled and cursed as he searched for his missing props.
The black hat on top of the table started to shake. Mrs. Brewster could see a strange white light grow brighter and brighter from inside it. The children began to “ooo” and “ahh” while the magician remained completely unaware of the happening. “Um,” Mrs. Brewster muttered, “sir? Uh … your … hat … it appears to be …”
Before Mrs. Brewster could finish, a loud pop erupted from the white light, and the bunny (well, she thought it was the same bunny) that had vanished into the hat moments ago leapt out and straight for her head. Mrs. Brewster let out a spine-wrenching shriek as Fluffy collided with her face, clawing, scratching and biting as he went. Mr. Brewster let out a gruff, “Here now!” towards Fluffy but was immediately distracted by a multitude of creatures, objects and things that erupted from inside the hat.
Rabbits leapt from the opening and bounced around, over and onto the children who screamed in a cacophony of fear and delight. Flocks of birds shot into the air. Some of them flew away, but most of them swooped back down to snip at or relieve themselves on the bipedal guests. Endless streams of playing cards whizzed from the hat, several decks at a time, scattering the guests and slicing at their bodies like throwing knives. Dozens and dozens of eggs spattered into the faces of child and adult alike. Coins of every size flowed out and tried to tuck themselves into nostrils or behind the ears of nearby victims. Finally, a tidal wave of bouncing balls flooded the party-goers as they scrambled to retreat from the onslaught.
As Fluffy worked to remove Mrs. Brewster’s wig, he heard the magician bellow “That’s enough!” from behind him. At the command, the rabbits stopped in their tracks, the balls stopped bouncing, the eggs and the cards fells to the ground, the coins slipped out from their hiding places and the birds fluttered in the mid-air. Fluffy turned slowly to see the magician standing at his table, the hat in his hand. “Back! Now!” he cried. “All of you!”
The cards, eggs, balls and coins sat frozen. The rabbits and birds turned to look at Fluffy. Grasping onto Mrs. Brewster’s wig with one paw, Fluffy raised the wand and pointed it at the magician. “Presto,” he whispered with a sneer. The magician’s face froze in shock, and with a soft pop he disappeared. The hat fell to the ground.
The cheers of the animals and the shrieks of the humans followed the birds as they flew away into the blue sky.
