Samantha set her coffee mug down on the garden table, breathing in the crisp morning air. Across the lawn, her beloved bunny Pablo frolicked among the daisies, leaping playfully after butterflies. Smiling, Samantha took a slow sip of her coffee, savoring the peace of the sunlit morning.
The day was perfect—bright sun, a soft breeze, birds singing from the trees. Samantha picked up her phone, scrolling lazily through her messages, when a sharp, jarring screech shattered the calm. She looked up quickly, heart stuttering, and spotted a massive eagle circling high overhead.
The piercing cry stirred the neighborhood. Doors opened, neighbors spilled onto their porches, craning their necks toward the sky. Samantha stood frozen, a knot of unease tightening in her chest. She didn’t know it yet, but that golden morning was about to descend into a nightmare she would never forget.
It was one of those quiet Saturday mornings where everything felt still. Samantha had just woken up, the sunlight spilling gently onto the daisies outside her window. Inside, her bunny Pablo tugged playfully at the curtain tassels. It made her smile. For once, nothing felt rushed. Just… calm.
She hadn’t always lived like this. At thirty-eight, Samantha was once buried in contracts and deadlines as a corporate lawyer in New York. But after her divorce pulled the rug out from under her, the city lost its shine. The noise, the crowds—it all became too much to bear.
So she left. One overstuffed car and a few too many memories later, she arrived in a quiet suburban town. The house she bought was old and creaky, but charming in a tired sort of way. It felt like a blank page—and she desperately needed one.
While clearing out the old garden shed, she moved a stack of dusty crates and heard a faint rustle beneath them. Curious, she lifted one away—and there it was. A tiny white rabbit, wide-eyed and shivering, barely larger than her hand. No mother in sight, just soft fur and fear.