BO-YOUNG
I stretch my arms up to the sky, feeling cold droplets on my palms as the storm clouds roll in and cover the evening sky, the drizzle leaving dark dots on the asphalt around me. I lean back, resting my head on a plastic bag filled with discarded clothes-my wardrobe-and idly click an ornate ink pen open and closed to fill the silence. I close my eyes, letting the rain hit my face and wash away the dirt that's been slowly building over weeks.
So this is it-my life. It's how it has been for years, and how it will remain. Sure, the nights are cold, and the winters are unforgiving, but it's better than putting my trust in another human.
The slow pitter-patter quickly increases to a downpour that loudly raps against the plastic waste bins across from me, so much so that I can hardly hear the clicking of my pen. Within seconds, I'm soaked.
I stand, taking the plastic bag in my hands before creeping down the deserted alleyway in search of something to hide under until the rain has stopped. I peek onto the main street, watching as humans pile into cafés and bars to escape the rain. I know almost too well that my kind isn't allowed inside. I duck back into the dark alley, deciding I'd rather risk catching a cold from standing in the rain than try to walk among the humans, for the only thing they look down on more than hybrids are strays.
Before I can return to my spot against the wall and consider finding refuge inside the bin, I stop. My dark rabbit ears-which are usually pressed flat against my head disguised against my similarly coloured hair-jump up in alert. Through the heavy rain, I can just barely hear the clicking of heels behind me. I turn to find a small group of people gathered by the entrance to the alley, a woman stumbling towards me drunkenly. She raises a finger in my direction.
"See, I told you guys I saw one hide in this alley!" she announces to her friends. "Looks like a rabbit to me. Say, how much do you get for bringing in a rabbit stray?" she asks her friends, her eyes trailing over my raised ears. I quickly drop them, taking a cautious step back as my body prepares to take off in a sprint. Her friends advance too, chattering and laughing as if this were a fun game to them.
Not wanting to see what they'd do next, I take off in the opposite direction. I can hear them stumble after me, along with the quiet clink of something metal falling onto the ground. I have no time to look behind.
I sprint to the other end of the alley, across the street, and into a park, my pursuers lagging far behind in their drunken stupor. Still, they don't relent.
I hunker down underneath a slide, clutching my bag of clothes tight as I hope they don't see me. I see the woman emerge from the alley, looking around for me. I press against the cold metal slide as her eyes pass over the park, right over me.
She doesn't spot me.
Quickly, she stumbles away with her buddies.
I feel my adrenaline slowly leave as all becomes quiet again. Despite my circumstance, I smile.
Being a stray isn't all bad, this just happens to be a tougher night. There are many good days, like when someone leaves leftover food in the trash, or when a human offers charity-old scarves and hats, sometimes even sweaters and food. It isn't often that a good day comes by, but there are just enough of them to keep me going.
I feel my fingers and toes begin to numb, my scrappy sneakers having done nothing to keep water out. The cold breeze sends shivers throughout my body as I lean back and listen to the rain, which is slowly returning to a drizzle as the dark clouds move along to the neighbouring town.
I fight to stay awake and alert, longing for nothing more than to feel safe enough to get a full night's rest. In the dark, my eyes begin to droop, and my breathing slows. My ears fall, no longer alert, as the world starts to fall away.
"You go ahead, I'll stay here for a while."
My eyes fly open as I hear a male voice. Two figures stand at the entrance of the park, silhouetted against the streetlight.
"You sure? It's quite cold," the second figure says, his voice much deeper than the first.
"I'll be fine, don't worry," the first man reassures, waving goodbye to the other.
"If you say so," says the second, waving back before heading off.
The stranger, now alone, approaches one of the park benches, sitting down with a heavy sigh. He seems to be deep in thought, half-mindedly tapping a staccato beat on his leg.
I move to hug my legs close to me when I accidentally brush against the plastic bag, cringing as it loudly crinkles. The man stops tapping, his eyes darting to where I'm sitting.
"Hey," I hear him call out to me. "Is anyone over there?"
I stay silent, hoping he'll dismiss it and leave me be. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him stand and cautiously approach.
Perfect-just perfect. I can't seem to catch a break.
"Are you okay?" he asks. He knows I'm here.
"Yeah," I reply, my voice trembling in the cold.
"Are you sure? You're shivering," he points out, sounding worried. I'm sure he wouldn't be so concerned if he knew I had a pair of rabbit ears sticking out of my head.
"I'm aware," I mutter, pushing myself up from underneath the slide. I press down my ears and hide them as well as I can before emerging, avoiding his eyes as I begin to walk away, hoping he'll leave me alone.
Suddenly, I feel a hand drop onto my shoulder as the man tries to stop me. Startled, I feel my ears dart up. His dark brown eyes are wide in shock.
I pull away and try to run off, but he manages to catch me by the arm. "Hey-" he begins, but it's too late. I've already disappeared from his grasp, only a pile of clothes left behind as my body snaps and cracks, turning into a bunny. I sprint away from him.
"Wait!" I hear him start to run after me.