I hold the bunny in my hands. I delicately stroke his fur, cooing soft praises at him. Something greater than happiness burst inside of me at the sight of my new pet. Yearning for a bunny all these years had paid off. The bunny cuddled up in my hands was the sweetest, softest, and most adorable bunny ever. I could already see the future we would have together. Petting his fur, giving him baths, and watching him eat his food were all going to be frequent activities of ours. I couldn’t wait to get home. 

That night, I climbed into my bed. I pulled the covers up to my chin and rolled over. My bunny, who I decided to name Edward, was snoring away in his crate at the foot of my bed. His breathing grew even, so I finally decided he was okay for the night, settled in a slumber. I allowed my eyelids to droop and close before falling asleep to the wonderful replay of my day. 

HISSSSSS!

Catapulting awake, I threw off my covers and hurried to scan the room for the hissing sound that still echoed in my ears. Fear flooded through me as the darkness of my room threatened to swallow me. I needed to get to my lights, but I couldn’t do that in the dark let alone with some sort of snake on the loose. I ran through my options in my head: I could sit in my bed and wait for the animal to leave… or attack me, or  I could turn on my lights and see what had happened to be creeping beneath me. I decided that the latter option was  the better and safer option, so I swallowed my fear and bounded away from the safety of my bed. I rushed towards the light switch without so much as a second glance. Flickering on the lights, I let my eyes adjust before hunting around the room for that snake. I searched everywhere: under the bed, by my nightstand, and in the closet. Nothing was there. I was about to climb back into bed when I remembered my bunny. Surely, he could not have made the noise. I mean, Edward was a bunny. I took a long, deep breath and bent down towards the cage. Sleeping away peacefully was my bunny. Edward had no trace of anxiousness on him. As I layed back down, I realized that it must have all been part of a dream. The very next morning, I woke up with a groan. I was tired from that night’s events. I had lost too much sleep tossing and turning, worrying about that sound. What could it have been? I still didn’t know, and I pondered the question all night long. I dragged myself down the stairs. I was looking forward to eating my usual breakfast of a banana and a breakfast bar. My mom always laid my meal out on the counter before leaving for work, so all I had to do was sit, relax, and eat. However, when I sat down at the table, my breakfast wasn’t there. I shrugged my shoulders and stomped over to the pantry. Not a single bar was left, and the bananas were gone too. I was having a terrible day. I stormed back up the stairs, too upset and tired by last night and this morning to eat. I decided on taking a shower to wind down and relax a bit. I slouched into my room, grabbing clothes out of my dresser, but something stopped me in my tracks. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward eating a banana. Miraculously, the banana was peeled and chopped into perfect bunny-sized pieces. My breakfast bar sat next to it, also chopped. I staggered back in horror as I watched my pet gleefully munch on my breakfast, and at that moment I knew one thing: my bunny had made that noise last night. There was definitely something off about this creature.

After texting my mom to make sure she hadn’t given away my breakfast to our new pet, I knew for sure my bunny was evil. Some people may have called my stupid or dramatic, but I knew I was right. Now, nothing would get in the way of me getting rid of that bunny. I wanted him gone. He was ruining my life. I glowered down at the bunny. I turned my head to the side just a bit. 

“You think it’s funny,” I spat, “to steal my breakfast? To leave me hungry and desperate? I don’t think it is.” I was getting louder now, my voice teetering on yelling. I was tired. Maybe I was being extreme, yelling at a bunny, but I didn’t care the slightest bit. Edward just cocked his head and continued to eat. I screamed in frustration, but stopped when I saw my bunny. His eyes were no longer the black they used to be. No. They were red, bright red. I fumbled for words, but not a single coherent sentence came out. Finally, I sprang out of the room, pounding down the stairs. 

I made a grab for the phone, and I quickly dialed my mom’s number. Hands shaking, I explained what had happened last night, this morning, and just now. She was disbelieving, of course, but she promised to take Edward to the vet in the morning. 

Relieved, I threw myself on my couch. I had wanted nothing more than a nice bunny. A pet that was sweet and cute, but instead I got an evil one. All I could hope for was that the vet could fix Edward, and that I would get my happily ever after with my pet.