December 10, 2012

The Reprieve

It was a dark day for us all. The Architect had been sneezing for weeks, and had decided that Hot Cross Bun Bun had to go. One of two rabbits who had replaced dear departed Spunky, Bun Bun is a lop-eared rabbit, who, apparently, is more allergenic than her normal-eared friend Pretzel.

Bun Bun was going back to the store.

My elder daughter wept. My son railed. My youngest daughter danced (she always dances, good or bad news). I seriously considered the prospect of getting rid of The Architect and keeping the bunny. But the bunny has limited earning potential, and so, with heavy heart, I said goodbye.

Bun Bun nervously awaits her fate
I took the girls out as it was too distressing for them to bid farewell to their beloved pet. The Architect and my son took out a box, lined it with straw, and left it out for Bun Bun to jump into.

In a touching moment of selflessness, Pretzel jumped in instead.

He was removed. Bun Bun was placed in the box and hauled off to the pet store.

According to my son, about halfway through the car journey my husband frowned. Apparently, he noticed that he was not sneezing, which was odd, as he was in a confined space with the highly allergenic Bun Bun. In the middle of a main road, he grabbed the bunny and sniffed deeply*.

He did not sneeze.

Clearly, my husband realised, it was the other bunny - the normal-eared bunny - who was the problem.

He turned the car around.

They returned home, swapped Bun Bun for Pretzel, and began driving again to the store.

Again, The Architect did not sneeze. Odd. Very odd.

Again, he grabbed the bunny and sniffed him in the middle of a road. He pulled out bits of fluff and sniffed them. Then, in desperation, he grabbed chunks of bunny straw and sniffed that.

Nothing.

So they drove home again. At this point, my son gave up in disgust and went inside to play computer. Occasionally, he would look out the window to see his father, with a puzzled expression, picking up each bunny in turn and sniffing deeply.

Eventually, The Architect conceded that he is not allergic to either bunny** and that he just has hay fever. So Bun Bun was saved, and Pretzel has her friend back.

And I did a happy dance of I Told You So. Yes, it was a good day indeed.

*Please note that there is currently no law prohibiting a driver of a motor vehicle holding a bunny

**As I have been suggesting for weeks

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