5,795 words

RUN RABBIT RUN By Terra Morgan and Thomas Morgan Artwork by Terra Morgan

"Run Rabbit run! Run, run, run!" Deep in his comfortable hole the sleeping rabbit cracked one eye open. “Run Rabbit run!” Now Rabbit recognized the voice. It was that silly bluebird. Birds were such flighty creatures, always getting excited about nothing. Still, no one in the forest was as cautious as Rabbit, and if there was a warning, he would have to give it serious consideration, even it did come from a silly bird. Rabbit shook the sleep from his eyes and crawled carefully from his hole, cautiously looking both ways for any sign of danger. The sun had not yet gotten to the valley floor where the rabbit lived, and the grass was still wet with dew. Everything looked calm and peaceful. Everything except for one very excited little bird who was hanging on tightly to the branch of a small bush and flapping his wings without going anywhere. "It's the dragon, he's coming to eat you!" "Nonsense" said Rabbit, "That dragon is only a danger to big animals, he doesn't care about small creatures like us." "Today he does" insisted the bird. "Today he awoke dreaming of stew. Rabbit stew! And soon he will be coming to get you!" “Hmmm,” Rabbit said to himself, “This could be a real problem. Thank you!" he shouted to the Bluebird, as he disappeared back into his hole. This is certainly not a situation to take lightly thought the Rabbit. The dragon is the most dangerous creature in the world. They say that dragons are very old, very smart, and very wise. This is definitely a problem to take very seriously. "I shall have to make plans to deal with this situation" said Rabbit to himself. “Perhaps I shall show this Dragon that other creatures can be smart too.” Rabbit ate his breakfast and then hurried off down the south path through the woods nervously watching over his shoulder for approaching dragons. Petunia was nibbling cowslip at the edge of the meadow when Rabbit found her. She was a bit suspicious at first because, being a skunk, she seldom got visitors. "House sitting," Rabbit was saying. "People do it all the time. I need someone to keep the mice out while I'm gone." explained Rabbit. “And you want me to stay at your house for a few days?” asked Petunia. "That's right" said Rabbit. "Just move right in and make yourself comfortable at my place. I have lots of carrots and celery in the pantry and even some fresh strawberries. Eat anything you want and have a nice time and I will be back in a few days". "Well, O.K." said Petunia hesitantly. She was still suspicious of this strange offer but couldn't resist the thought of a pantry full of celery and strawberries, already picked and cleaned and ready to eat. And besides, it felt nice and rather important to have a job. House Sitter, thought Petunia. "O.K." she said. "I'll do it. I'll be there tomorrow morning". "Oh no!" said Rabbit. "You must start immediately" and he grabbed her hand and urged her gently along the path toward his house. Gently, because no wise creature ever tried to force a skunk to do anything! Petunia may have been small but she was a force to be reckoned with in the forest and all creatures great and small respected her. ******************** Deep in the cave near the top of the mountain at the head of the long valley, a very busy dragon straightened his kitchen and chopped up a pile of carrots and potatoes. It had taken him a long time to find his stew pot because he hadn't used it for years. In fact, the dragon had not cooked anything fancy for a long time. He usually just BBQ'd a yak high in the mountains with his fiery breath and ate it right there. But lately he had been getting bored. "There is nothing to do around here," he said to himself. "I just eat a yak and sleep for a week. The dwarves never come to talk anymore". He used to have great long talks with the dwarves. They would come from miles away to debate the ancient wisdom of the wise dragon. "I suppose its my own fault they don't come anymore" said the dragon to himself. "I shouldn't have eaten Old Thorn". Thorn was a very famous old dwarf from the mines up north. Everyone knew Thorn and the word must have gotten around quickly when the dragon had gobbled him up in a sudden rage because he didn't like the outcome of their debate. Now the dragon had no one at all to talk to. He missed Old Thorn. He missed their week long discussions about philosophy, religion and the odd minds of men. "If I ever find another wise person to talk with" vowed the dragon regretfully, "I certainly shall not eat him up!" The dragon put the potatoes and carrots into the stew pot and lit the wood fire with a puff of his breath. "Now just one more thing" he said. "I must go out and get a nice plump rabbit for my stew." The dragon knew just where to go. There was a rabbit hole on the bluff above the forest in the valley. Leaving his pot to warm, he slipped out of the cave and jumped from the little cliff just below it. Catching the brisk morning breeze beneath his wings, he glided silently down the mountain across the upper part of the valley and landed on the bluff where Rabbit lived. This would be quick and easy, thought Dragon as he looked at the rabbit hole. He had just the right trick for this situation. He could put his mouth to a hole like this and because he was so big and so powerful, he could suck an unsuspecting animal right out. From behind him he heard a small voice yell "Run Rabbit Run". He slapped his giant tail at the bushes to scare away the pest and quickly put his lips to the hole. ******************** Petunia sat in the rabbit hole munching strawberries and wondered what could possibly be going on in the mind of that silly Rabbit. It all seemed very sudden and unusual and didn't really make sense, but the strawberries were delicious, so why should she worry about the silly rabbit? Everyone knew rabbits were flighty creatures and prone to odd behavior anyway. That's when the wind started. Petunia hardly had time to think "wind in a rabbit hole?" when it turned into a small indoor tornado. She fell off her seat and was being sucked toward the door. She shrieked in excitement, clawed at the floor and did what any frightened skunk would do. She let loose every drop of stinky spray she had. And as suddenly as it had started, the wind stopped. ******************** Dragons are beautiful creatures. They are covered with glistening iridescent scales that shimmer and flash gold and green, blue and purple. But on this morning all the color went out of the dragon. First the reds, blues and purples faded into a uniform dull gold. Then the gold dimmed to a pale pea green. His cheeks bulged and his eyes almost popped from his head. He exhaled slowly and carefully and all the leaves wilted and fell from the nearby trees. Dragon turned quietly and did not fly, but walked slowly all the way back up to his cave. He went quietly inside and was not seen again for seven days. Chapter Two It was a beautiful and pleasant afternoon for Rabbit. He could hear the dragonflies buzz and he could smell the forest lilies from where he napped with the warm sun on his toes, in a deep patch of purple and crimson owl's clover. That's where he was when Petunia found him. She carried with her a bowl of strawberries that had gotten all squished and icky in that unpleasant situation with the dragon. She walked quietly up to the sleepy rabbit and dumped the icky strawberries right on his head. "Mice indeed" she said as he sputtered and tried to shake the berry juice from his ears. Petunia turned on her heel and with her nose in the air, marched away without another word, no matter how he called to her. “Oh well,” thought Rabbit. I suppose it was a rather unpleasant surprise for her, but if anyone in this valley can take care of themselves, its Petunia. ********************* Several days passed quietly. Summer was fading and it was getting cooler, but the leaves had not started turning gold on the trees yet. Rabbit had been careful and quiet for a few days. He had moved back into his hole and had cleaned up all the mess. When the dragon had not returned, Rabbit began to feel brave and proud. Today he was by the creek explaining to several bull frogs how he had outwitted the fierce and dangerous dragon. When right in the middle of his story, three Bluebirds raced in shouting "Run Rabbit Run!!!” "What is it now?" asked the Rabbit. "I've already put that old dragon in his place" he said, still trying to sound brave but suddenly not feeling so brave anymore. "He has his cooking pot out again" insisted the Bluebirds. "He is chopping carrots and potatoes! He still wants rabbit stew!" "Well" exclaimed Rabbit, still trying to sound brave in front of the bull frogs, “I will just have to put that bothersome creature back in his place once again”. And with that he turned and went straight back to his hole, leaving the Bluebirds and bull frogs amazed. Once inside his hole all signs of bravery disappeared. His legs shook, his hair stood on end and his whiskers quivered. "Whatever shall I do this time? he wondered desperately. Will the dragon keep coming back no matter what I do? Will he not stop until he tastes rabbit stew? How does he know he even likes rabbit stew? "Aha!" shouted Rabbit. His knees stopped knocking. His hair fell into place. A twinkle came to his eye and a big grin grew on his face. "Perhaps" he said, "this dragon may soon find that he doesn't like the taste of rabbit after all. And if he finds that he doesn't like the taste of rabbit, then he will look for something else to eat and he won't ever bother me again!" ******************** Dragon was busy chopping an onion for his stew. “How could I have made such a foolish mistake?” he thought. Surely that's what it was, just a simple mistake. I must have gone to the wrong hole. Or maybe that skunk was just visiting. Do skunks visit rabbits? Dragon wasn't sure but it didn't really matter now. A few days had passed and he was feeling much better. The color had come back to his scales and his sense of smell had returned. He planned to start a fresh pot of stew and this time he would be sure to get a rabbit for it. This time he would be much more careful. When the pot was ready he left his cave. This time he flew high into the air so he could see the whole valley. He glided silently across the sky as high as the mountains. It felt good to be outside again. The sun felt nice on his leathery wings, the air was fresh and crystal clear. Below he could see the entire valley with its two broad meadows, its small forest and its winding creek. Dropping a bit lower, he saw birds everywhere playing in the trees and fields, unaware of his silent form high above them. He saw the beavers working at a new dike by their pond. A silent fox was sneaking out of the woods and snow white egrets were standing knee deep in the muddy end of the meadow searching for bugs. Then he saw what he was looking for. Far below him on a small bluff overlooking the upper meadow, sat a small brown figure with long, alert ears. Those ears would surely hear anything coming, anything except a silent dragon riding nothing but the wind. The Dragon banked quietly to the north and dropped down lower and lower. From this direction he would come upon his target from behind. The unsuspecting rabbit would never see him coming. As he approached the upper meadow he sank lower and lower until his toes almost brushed the tops of the trees. When he passed the last trees he sank lower still and was only inches above the ground. He swooped silently in at lightning speed, rushing upon the rabbit from behind. As he came upon the rabbit he opened his mouth wide to snatch it up and heard a startled voice from the edge of the meadow that called "Run Rabbit run!" But it was too late. The dragon flashed by and snatched the unmoving figure of the rabbit up in his fierce jaws. In an instant it was all over. The dragon was gone. The rabbit was gone. The little hillside was silent and empty. Silent except for a small quiet gasp from the shadows under the trees at the edge of the meadow. The dragon banked sharply, slapped his great wings to gain altitude and headed back to his cave, the captive rabbit clenched tightly in his massive jaws. But then, as he flew, a strange look came over the dragon's face. His lips stung and itched and an awful odor began to creep into his nose. His eyes began to water and he was afraid he might sneeze, but he gritted his teeth tight and held back his sneezes until he landed in front of his cave. Then “PATTOOEY”, he spat out the rabbit. It lay there without moving. "YUUCK" he said, spitting and sputtering. His mouth tasting awful and his lips and tongue where itching and stinging. “PATTOOEY”, he spat again and looked closely at the rabbit. He sniffed it. “Yuck.” He poked it. And then he began to grin. This little rabbit is a surprising creature indeed, he thought. For before him was no real rabbit at all, but one made of yak dung held together with stinging nettles. Yes indeed, he thought. This rabbit is one very interesting little creature. ******************** Rabbit crept hesitantly from his hiding place in the bushes. He was so frightened his knees were shaking and he could hardly stand. Obviously he had underestimated the size of his problem. As he had watched from his hiding place the whole area had seemed quiet and peaceful. The butterflies were playing and the flowers were blooming and it was so restful that he had been beginning to have trouble keeping his eyes open while he watched his false bunny sit silently waiting. Then the whole peaceful scene had changed so suddenly that when he shouted “Run rabbit run!” to his false bunny, he almost choked. One second it was silent and no one else was there and the next second the sky was blotted out by the tremendous shape of the dragon who burst into the scene like a hurricane and snatched the false bunny faster than Rabbit could blink. As the dragon rose his wings cracked the air like thunder. One second the bunny was there, and the next it was gone, all so fast that it took rabbits breath away. Even though he was safe, the sight he had seen was frightening. Such great size, such blinding speed. Rabbit was stunned. He knew now, that he had underestimated this problem. This ancient and mighty creature, this dragon, so huge and so fast, would not just go away because of a simple trick. Rabbits legs were still shaking as he wondered to himself, who or what on this earth could possibly stand up to such a powerful creature. And then, suddenly, he had his answer. Only one thing Rabbit knew of had ever fought a dragon and won, and that of course, was a knight. A knight in shining armor. But knights don't travel to dragon lands to save rabbits. They only face dragons to save princesses. “Hmmm,” thought Rabbit. Tricks are what I do best. Why not trick a knight into coming here. Chapter Three That night Rabbit stayed with his friend the hedgehog and on the next morning he began a long journey. In those days most animals could talk to people if they tried really hard and if the people were not too foolish. But none of the animals could write. Rabbit needed to send a message to the city of men that lay many days journey to the south. And he needed someone who could write. Just below the round meadow where Rabbit lived was a narrow band of forest and below that was the long meadow. Below the long meadow was more forest and in that forest the creek spread out into a wide marsh. Beyond the marsh was the man's road. Rabbit knew that mail could be left at the road and the next passing traveler would pick it up as he passed and carry it with him to the city. Before rabbit could think about the road, his first destination had to be the marsh. Rabbit traveled all morning, running fast for a short distance then stopping still, the way rabbits always do. He stayed near the trees and always kept a watch on the sky for approaching dragons. As he entered the forest below the long meadow, he had to go much slower. There was water and deep mud everywhere. There were secret ways through the marsh but Rabbit didn't know them. He had only come this way a few times in his life. He hopped carefully from rock to rock and climbed along fallen trees whenever he could. The trees were so thick overhead that very little light came through. Ragged gray moss hung from all the trees and insects buzzed everywhere. Rabbit slipped twice and got his hind legs wet and muddy. ******************** It seemed to Rabbit that he had been in this smelly old swamp forever when he finally saw the mud and stick hut he was looking for. This was the home of the old man that they called the hermit. Usually Rabbit did not talk to men, but the hermit was different. He wasn't really like a man at all. He was much more like one of the animals. He lived alone in the swamp and only wore woven leaf pants. He didn't wear colored clothes or ride horses or drive carts like the other men did. He lived in a hut just like a musk rat's home, and he didn't have glass windows or wooden fences or front porches or any of the things men usually had. The hermit talked every day with the animals who lived nearby and didn't seem foolish like a human at all. "Hello Hermit!" shouted Rabbit. But all he heard was the buzzing of insects. He must be out, thought Rabbit. I'll just wait inside. So, saying "Hello, Hello" as he went, he hopped toward the little open door of the hut. Just as he was about to hop inside, a loud clear voice from nowhere said "Hello Rabbit". It frightened Rabbit so much that he tried to run backward and forward at the same time, causing him to spin around twice and fall on his tail. He looked around. Everything was silent again. "Uh....hello" said Rabbit, to the apparently empty air around him. "What brings you this far into the swamp?" asked the bodiless voice. This time Rabbit saw that it was a pile of leaves next to the door that was talking to him. "Oh..." said Rabbit hesitantly. "I've just come to see the hermit." He was quite unsettled by all of this. He had never had a conversation with a leaf pile before. "Oh good" said the leaf pile. "Hermit?" asked Rabbit, "is that you?" Rabbit was starting to realize that the pile was just big enough to hide the strange old man beneath it. "Why, of course it is" said the leaf pile "who else would it be? This is my house isn't it?" "Yes it is" agreed Rabbit. "But sitting under a leaf pile is rather unusual, even for you." "Oh, I see" said the hermit, "It is the leaves that have you all ruffled." "Why yes, I suppose it is the leaves" said Rabbit. He waited then but the hermit didn't say anything. This crazy old man can be very frustrating thought Rabbit. But he was determined to be polite. "May I ask why?" inquired Rabbit. "Why what?" asked the hermit "Why the leaves" said Rabbit, more than a little exasperated. "So that I will not be seen, of course" answered the hermit. "Not seen by whom?" asked Rabbit. "So that I will not be seen by those sneaky ferrets" said the hermit. The leaf pile shook and sprouted two long skinny arms that gestured wildly. "But I don't suppose they will be coming now that I have a visitor, so I will just have to wait for them again tomorrow." With that the hermit stood up and shook off most of the leaves. He stepped out of the pile, turned and straightened and heaped the leaves back into a pile. Then he stood, smiled at Rabbit and said "Let's have tea!" ******************** They sat in the hermit's hut long into the night. The hermit told Rabbit about the ferrets who he suspected of sneaking into his hut and stealing corn. "I only have so much," complained the hermit. "I shared some with them and now they keep sneaking in and stealing it when I'm gone. But just you wait" he said laughingly. "Soon I'll catch them red handed then we shall see what they have to say for themselves". Rabbit told the hermit that there were lots of wild plums this year in the woods above Round Meadow. He told him about the snowy egrets that had stopped by the pond this summer for the first time. The hermit told Rabbit about the new baby foxes and how funny they were when they fell into the creek. And he told Rabbit about the bison he had seen across the man road. And then Rabbit told the hermit all about the dragon. "You should avoid confrontation with this creature at all cost." advised the hermit. "It is the dragon who is after me. I have no choice." argued the rabbit. "Bringing a man into the situation might just make matters worse." warned the hermit. "I have no choice." the rabbit stated with finality. "I will write you your note," said the old man, "but the responsibility is yours. If things do not work out as you plan, you cannot blame me." said the hermit. "Of course not." said Rabbit. "Of course not. The responsibility is mine". ********************* That is how a note came to be tied to a stick standing in the middle of the man road the next morning when Trader Joe came along with his rattling wagon full of cups and pots, scissors and brooms. He unrolled the note and read it right there in the road. ...Help. I am Princess Ashiqui. I am being held prisoner by an evil dragon . Please brave knight, come and save me. My father will give you half of his kingdom. Follow the creek to the dragon's lair. The trader whistled softly. He rolled up the note and put it in his tunic. He would carry it with him to the next village and to the town beyond that and would give it to the first knight he met. It never occurred to the trader that he had never heard of a Princess Ashiqui or that there was no kingdom nearby with a missing princess. It did not occur to him that the handwriting looked more like that of a grubby old man than the delicate script of a well bred Princess. Lots of things didn't occur to him. That's just how men are. ******************** Rabbit spent the next few days hiding in the woods by the road. At night he sat up talking with the hermit. They talked about the availability of fruit and nuts and about the affairs of the animals. Rabbit, with his sensitive nose, found truffles from the deep dark places of the marsh to repay the hermit for his hospitality. On the sixth day, Rabbit was snoozing in the woods by the road when he heard a horse. There at the place where the creek crossed the road was what he had been waiting for. There was his Knight in Shining Armor. Well, maybe he wasn't quite shining, maybe even a bit rusty, but he would have to do. Off ran Rabbit as fast as he could. By noon he had crossed the Round Meadow and was home. He was very tired but there was no time to rest. His knight must surely be making his way up the valley and soon he must arrange for the Dragon to meet him. Chapter Four The dragon was sitting in his cave waiting for Rabbit. He had been waiting for several days and nothing had happened. Each morning and each evening he had soared high above the valley looking for signs of Rabbit's next trick. He knew the smart little rabbit would have another plan and this time he was determined not to be fooled. Finally this morning he saw something. There was some unusual activity occurring in the valley. The dragon studied this activity and went out to do a little activity of his own. Then he went back to his cave to wait for Rabbit. Just after noon he heard a small voice outside shouting "Run Rabbit Run. You are too close to Dragon's cave and he will get you. You had better run!" Dragon went outside and looked around but saw nothing. The day was warm and fresh.. The birds played happily in the trees. He didn't see any rabbits. He didn't see anything unusual at all. Then he heard the voice again. It was coming from the bushes at the base of the hill. It was the voice he heard before. The voice said "Run Rabbit run". It was the same voice he heard just before he tried to suck Petunia out of the rabbit hole and just before he chomped down on the dung bunny. Who was this stranger that was waiting and warning every time the rabbit tried to trick him? Now the voice was letting him know that Rabbit was down below. Cautiously, Dragon flew down to where the scattered trees and bushes started. He still didn't see anyone. But he heard the voice again. "Run Rabbit run, the dragon is following you. Run to the Round Meadow" the voice said. This voice is trying to lead me, thought the Dragon. Well, let's see if I can find out what's really going on. Dragon flew up, just over the trees, but he didn't cross them to the Round Meadow. Instead, he followed the trees around to the south below the meadow. He dropped silently to the creek and then without making a sound he crept between the trees up toward the meadow. Dragon stopped still. Before him he saw Rabbit run across the meadow and hide behind a big rock. Rabbit looked back across the meadow from behind his rock to see if anything was coming. Then he stood up on his toes and looked south toward Long Meadow to see if anyone was coming from that direction. He's expecting someone from the south, thought Dragon quietly. And he's leading someone else down from the north. And that someone else is supposed to be me! He watched as Rabbit, peeking over the rock again, yelled, "Run Rabbit run, the dragon is coming!" All right, thought Dragon, now it's my turn to play a trick. Silently he crept up through the trees until he was right behind the rabbit. Rabbit was looking nervous. He was getting worried because he didn't see the dragon coming into the meadow. "Run Rabbit run!" he shouted again. "Yes, indeed," said the dragon from right behind Rabbit, "Run!". Rabbit froze in horror and didn't move for a long moment. Then very slowly he turned his head and looked right into the dragon's face. The dragon grinned his biggest grin. Rabbit went very pale. His hair stood on end. He seemed at first to be frozen, but then suddenly he was an explosion of energy. He didn't run around the rock, he ran straight over the top of it and ran right across the meadow. In a flash the dragon was in the air and right behind him. Bursts of his fiery breath blasted the ground on both sides of the rabbit, forcing him to run straight across the meadow and straight up the hill. Rabbit had never been so frightened in his life. The dragon was right behind him. He could hear the dragon laugh and yell "Run Rabbit run!" over and over. Fire was bursting all around him. He could smell his own singed fur and he ran, and ran, and ran. At last he saw a gap in the rocks ahead of him and he ran through it into a dark place. The ground slanted downward and he ran down the wide path until he came to a huge open room. Rabbit slid to a stop in the middle of the big room. His mouth fell open and his eyes stared as he realized what he had done. On his left was what appeared to be a huge open bed made of piles of beautifully woven rugs and velvet pillows, all scattered around with items of gold and sparkling jewels. On his right was a giant table piled with scrolls and books and dozens of earthen jars. Before him was a wide stone hearth with a big cooking pot bubbling gently. He could see carrots and celery floating in the water. Rabbit's lips moved, but no sound came out. “What have I done, what have I done, what have I done?” he moaned silently. But he knew exactly what he had done. He had run right into the dragon's cave. But what else could he do? The dragon had been right behind him! And where was the dragon now? Rabbit turned around very slowly and then he saw exactly what he feared most. The dragon. His huge body completely blocked the entrance of the cave. There was nowhere for Rabbit to go. He was trapped. Doomed. Rabbit was determined to be brave, he stood tall and looked right into the eyes of the dragon. But what he saw there was not what he expected at all. Something was happening to the dragon. First Rabbit thought he was going to sneeze, but that was not it. Shudders went through the dragon's immense body. He shook from head to tail and held his lips clamped tightly shut. And then he burst into.....laughter!!! The huge dragon laughed and laughed and laughed. He pounded the floor with his fists. He rolled over on his back. His laughter went on and on and on. Rabbit was not finding this funny at all. "Here now," he called. "What is so funny?" "You," giggled Dragon. "You took off so fast you almost turned yourself inside out! He-He -He" the dragon continued, now trying to control himself. “One minute you are the brave trickster baiting the fierce dragon. The next moment your tail is on fire. Ho-Ho, I loved it. It was priceless." "Well," said Rabbit crossing his arms. "I don't find it funny at all. I might have had a heart attack." Then Rabbit thought, turning to look at the cooking pot, what would it matter, he's going to put me in the soup anyway. "Are you going to put me in the soup?" he asked turning back to the still giggling dragon. "Close, but not quite" replied the dragon. He straightened himself up a bit and tried to look more serious. "I'm going to put the soup in you!" "You do like carrot soup don't you?" "Oh, I see" said Rabbit. "You want to fatten me up". "No,” said Dragon. “You don't need to get fat. In fact, you looked a little slow out there today. I want you to stay in good shape so you can have more adventures to tell me about". "That was a pretty good trick you tried today. Get us some soup and you can tell me what other good ideas you have had. I think you should come every Friday evening for soup and every Tuesday morning for tea. Did I ever tell you about the time I tricked the dwarves into hiding all their gold in my cave?" "Wait" said Rabbit, suddenly remembering. "What happened to my knight?" "Ha-Ha-Ha" The dragon started laughing again. "He's off to the Black Mountains. It will be winter before he gets there and by the time he returns next spring he will have lost all interest in us!" "But, how?" asked Rabbit. "How did you get rid of him?" "Simple" replied Dragon. "You lured him here to save a Princess didn't you? Of course you did. That's the only reason knights ever come looking for dragons. Well, I simply made him a princess. I rolled up a rug and stuck a mop out of the top. It looked just like I had a princess wrapped in a bundle. I flew low over the knight's head as he crossed the long meadow and used my best frightened princess voice to call out “Help! Help! He's taking me to the Black Mountains”. I heard him shout something like 'Come back foul beast', but I kept right on flying east until I was out of sight. Then I circled around and came back home. No doubt he will ride all the way to the Black Mountains to save his imaginary princess!" "Ha-Ha" laughed Rabbit. "That's a wonderful trick! We are very much alike aren't we?" "Yes, yes we are", agreed the dragon. Then they talked long into the night and the rabbit came back next Tuesday and they had tea and talked all morning, sharing tricks and stories. They were friends for many years and enjoyed debating the composition of stars, the meaning of life and the very, very, odd minds of men. 0423 11-12-00 TM