It was late evening and almost full moon. Tucona had just eaten her supper, snuffed out the candles and lied down on her bed, when she heard a strange rustling from behind the door. She sat up, leaning on the wooden back of her bed and listened carefully. Voice was weak and it came from the lower part of the door. 'Is someone trying to push something inside from below the door?' Tucona considered and felt little restless: she lived alone nowadays. Year ago, when mother had died, father had moved away as well.
Tucona stood up from the bed, put her bare foots on slippers and took a knife to one hand and trident - that was by the fireplace- to the other. She sneaked silently on her toes to behind the door. Rustling continued. Tucona bended down to look from under the door; but there was not any sort of gap. She kept listening quietly. Rustling did just go on and on. It sounded like a dog scrabbling the door, but the voice did come lower - if it was an animal, it had to be small. Tucona recoiled as she heard a crying voice. Like a child's cry. She turned the key on the lock and pushed the door little open. She stick her head out from the door, and saw nothing. Tucona looked around the nocturnal garden in confusion.
- Hello? Is there someone out there? she asked in a cautious voice.
No answer. So Tucona closed and locked the door again. She placed the knife and trident on the top of cupboard near the door; and noticed a rabbit chick sitting in the middle of the dining table. It had messed it's paws to raspberry jam and was currently munching on a croissant. Tucona crossed her arms and shaked her head, a gentle smile on her face.
- Where did you learn that kind of manners from, little one ?
Rabbit chick looked at Tucona with fearless face, one ear pointing upwards and other sticking to the side. Tucona walked closer to it slowly, trying not to scare it, but rabbit didn't seem to be afraid. Tucona stood already next to it. Rabbit munched for a little while, before it leaped on a perfect curve to the floor. It jumped it's way to the door, leaving jam-jawprints on the rug and floor behind. Tucona followed it. Rabbit looked at Tucona with it's ears pointing down and began to scrabble the door again.
- So you came for a supper, eh? Tucona talked to it on a little bit reproachful tone, as she opened the lock and pushed the door open.
Rabbit jumped to the porch, sitting to the middle of doormat. Again it started crying on a voice that sounded like little child's heartbreaking cry. Tucona leaned down to take the little rabbit to her arms, but just before she could catch it, it jumped down the porch steps. And again it began crying and whining. Tucona walked down and again rabbit jumped forward a little.
- Do you want to show me something? Tucona asked on a low tone.
Rabbit moved always few steps, then turned to look at Tucona and Tucona followed, until they reached the edge of near forest. Tucona shivered of the cold air: she had not clothed up anything but her frilly sleeping dress. Her waistlong darkbrown hair flowed freely on the night air and wind pushed under her dress. 'If someone would see me now, they would surely think I am crazy,' Tucona thought and laughed shortly.
They stepped inside the forest. Rabbit jumped it's way in agile manner through the thick groups of small birchwoods. Tucona had little harder time getting through, but in the end the rabbit chick stopped his jumping. It next to big stone, crying. Tucona leaned down to watch: under the stone was hollow, obviously rabbit's lair. There lied a corpse of rabbitmother. Snare had broken it's one leg: obviously rabbit had dragged itself back to the lair with snare on leg. The cry of the rabbit chick was hearbreaking. Tucona sat next to it, and salty tears came to her eyes. They flowed through her cheeks, and her vision clouded up. The nocturnal forest was pale on the moonlight, and moist with cold fog. Tucona reached her hand to stroke the grey fur of a rabbit chick comfortingly. It didn't fear or run away. Tucona took the body of rabbitmother and placed it on a depression on the ground, and covered with moss and leaves. While she sat on her knees on the moist, mossy ground, the rabbit chick climbed on her lap and curled up.
Tucona caressed it's soft, fluffy fur and whispered:
- I will take care of you.
