CHAPTER ONE: The Smooth Start
Cinnamon’s eyes fluttered open as he smacked his tooth against his lips and stretched his body outward. He stood up on his hind legs to set his carrot pillow against the edge of his bed. He then continued to lay his favorite pink blanket across his furry, circular bed.
Cinnamon grabbed his bunny cell phone and texted his best friend Butter. Are you free to hang out today? Almost immediately, Butter replied. Can’t. I have my family’s Bunanza Party today. Speaking of which, when is your Bunanza Party? Cinnamon thought for a moment. Every family in Cottonville always had an annual party that celebrated another year of life. He didn’t know about the rest of Bunmania, but he knew his town always made such a big deal out of it.
I think it’s in two weeks. Cinnamon typed that last sentence and shut his phone. It was only morning, and he was already miserable? No, that wasn’t how it worked in Cottonville! Cottonville was the richest, most beautiful town in all of Bunmania, and everybody knew it. He couldn’t be moping around when he had a free day!
Cinnamon escorted himself to his private bunny bathroom where he brushed his one tooth until it was bright and shiny, showered with silky shampoo and conditioner, and blow-dried his curls until he looked like a fur ball. Ready to face the world, Cinnamon went back into his bedroom and opened his closet door. He pulled out a black leather jacket and four carrot knit sneakers and put them on.
The light-brown bunny thought about the locations of different rooms in his house. His home was shaped like a bunny on his hind legs, and he knew he was in the cottontail. He estimated that it would take him eight minutes to get to the left or right foot, where the entrance doors were located. Within a few seconds, he was on his way!
Cinnamon slid down his sky blue slide, into a ball pit of bunny-shaped toys, and onto the ground floor of his house. He snuck around the hallways, went through some doors, and slid down one last green slide in order to make it to the foot of the bunny. He didn’t know if it was the left or the right, but he would find out soon enough.
Slipping through the door, Cinnamon shut the door firmly and hopped down the sidewalk of Hop Street. He had been on the left foot, so it was a longer hop than expected, but the bunny didn’t mind. He was ready to seize the day!
Just as he was about to go for his morning hop, his phone buzzed from inside his jacket pocket. Someone was calling him.
“Hello?” Cinnamon squeaked into the phone.
“Hey, Cinnamon! It’s Butter. Wildflower came down with the hops, so I’m free to hang out today!”
“Are you sure Mr. and Mrs. Bundty are okay with this? I mean, your parents don’t always go along with what you want to do,” Cinnamon stated truthfully.
“They’ll be fine with it! Besides, I don’t even have to tell them if I don’t want to,” Butter responded defiantly.
“Of course you have to tell them! If they’re busy taking care of Wildflower, then you need to tell them where you’re going so they don’t need to worry about you, too! If you don’t tell them, I won’t go with you,” said Cinnamon.
“If they say no, it’s your fault!” Butter yelled as he hung up the phone. Cinnamon was okay with that. He wasn’t planning on meeting Butter at the park, anyways.
The bunny resumed his hop down his street until he made it to the road. He put up his paw to signal to the Bunmobile that he was crossing. His family owned the only Bunnyvan in the whole world, and it was beautiful. That Bunmobile was nothing compared to his car.
Cinnamon hopped across the road and approached the park. He opened the black metal gates and entered the beautiful field. A large meadow stretched through the town for quite a while. Tulips of every color covered the grasses. This place was extremely special to some of the elderly bunnies. The park was also where Cinnamon met his best friend, Butter. It was a bright summer day, when Cinnamon and Butter were just two months old. Their parents had taken them to the park to play in the carrot box, which was still standing there today. Butter and Cinnamon had reached for the plastic toy carrot at the same time and touched paws. The two bunnies looked at each other in silence and smiled. From then on, they always hung out together.
But the park contained some bad memories too. When Butter met Cinnamon, he already had a best friend named Sugar. Sugar was a sweet little female bunny, just like her name. When Butter ghosted her, it broke her heart. Just two days later, the young bunny disappeared. Nobody knew what happened to her.
Cinnamon blamed it on himself. He thought that if he never hung out with Butter, Sugar might still be with them today. He never even had a chance to meet Sugar, so who knows? Maybe she would have been his best friend, and Butter would have been left alone. He just never thought of the possible outcome that he could be the one without a friend.
The bunny knew he was kind but sometimes he only thought about himself. He always hoped he started off on the right paw with the bunnies he met, because he could come off as a selfish bunny. His past wasn’t the sweetest, too. Sometimes he wasn’t very nice to tinier bunnies that didn’t stand up for themselves. He regretted it with all his might, and he wished he could take it all back.
His phone buzzed once again and Cinnamon groaned. He pulled out his phone and spoke into it.
“Butter, if you’re coming to the park, you don’t need to call. Just come!”
“I was calling to say that my parents said no. It’s your fault, you little fuzz ball! They said they couldn’t let me disappear while taking care of Wildflower!”
Cinnamon hung up immediately and sighed. He looked towards the tiny forest that was connected to the park as his stomach growled. He decided to go see if there were any ripe bananas in the tree. There weren’t any, so he sat down on a bench and thought about where he could find bananas. I don’t feel like going to the grocery store, he thought. Butter is mad at me, and my parents are asleep…
Just then, Cinnamon realized that his parents were asleep. He could easily sneak some bananas from the fridge without his parents knowing. His personal robot bunny cleaner and personal robot bunny chef were turned off, so they wouldn’t be recording the activity. He was so smart. That was why he went to Bunvard College.
Cinnamon hopped off the bench and waved to his neighbors and school friends. He then hopped into the distance as the sun was high in the sky, far above the horizon.
I need a furcut soon, Cinnamon thought as the sun blazed on his crust-colored fur and he panted. It didn’t take long for him to finally reach his house, which was where his true journey would begin.
CHAPTER TWO: Sojourn in the East Ear
Cinnamon entered his household through the right foot, which made him have to pass his baby sister Bun Bun’s room on his way to get bananas. It didn’t really matter, because he would have to pass his big brother Bunz’s room if he went through the left foot. Bunz woke up easier, so Cinnamon chose the right foot.
However, the downside of heading to the kitchen was the fact that he had to get past his parent’s room, Buntrice and Bundtini. They snored very loudly, so it wasn’t that hard, but he still didn’t want them to catch him stealing bananas.
Cinnamon snuck into the kitchen and quietly opened the cabinet. He grabbed some bananas and shoved them into his jacket pocket. As fast as possible, the bunny hopped out of the kitchen and up the stairs to the library.
The library was located in the East Ear, which meant a long trek upstairs. When Cinnamon was stealing bananas, he always used the library as a safe place. I have to think of a good spot not so far away from here! he thought.
He slowly reached the top of the stairs, tired and heaving from the pain it caused his back legs. Cinnamon practically crawled up the last few steps until he reached the large revolving doors that led to the library. He took a deep breath and swung through them.
The air conditioning was impeccable. The breeze blew through his fur as he grabbed his favorite book, Carrot Land. He munched on his stolen bananas and flipped through the pages. He landed on page three hundred and ten, his favorite part. Suddenly, a bright glow emitted from the book and filled the library with light. . . And Cinnamon disappeared.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .DUN-DUN-DUN. . . . . . . . . . . . .
