Eva sat on the gentle slope of a small rise and munched a carrot. She wiggled her toes in the soft grass, trying to burrow them down to the cool, moist earth beneath. A curious rabbit hippetted closer to find out what was going on in his meadow, and Eva offered him a bite. The rabbit sniffed it carefully for ripeness, then took a dainty nibble. Eva wiggled her toes again, and caught the rabbit off guard. She couldn't help laughing when he stopped eating and sniffed at the toes. "Nope. Sorry, bunny, but those are not some rare wiggly carrots." She leaned forward and reached out caressing the rabbit's small, round head, smoothing his ears beneath her hand as she stroked down his back to his haunches. The rabbit sat quietly relaxing, carefully tucked in, his eyes closed, a twitching nose his only movement.
"You're so quiet, Rabbit." Eva was halfway talking to herself. "You're completely silent. Do you join the song of praise?"
The rabbit opened his eyes and looked directly into hers, as though issuing a friendly challenge. Eva quieted herself, growing as still as the rabbit. in the silence, she began to hear faint, distant-sounding music. Just as she picked up the melody and rhythm, the rabbit began to thump the ground with one of his fuzzy, oversized back feet. He started with a simple rhythm that obviously coordinated with the song that Eva heard, but as it went on,the rhythm he tapped out became more complex and beautiful, weaving itself like a rhythmic lace around and through the melody.
Abruptly, the rabbit was still no longer! As if suddenly propelled from his place by an unseen force, he raced from the spot where he had been sitting and began to perform a leaping, tumbling dance, incorporating the sounds of his thumping feet into the rhythm of the dance. He bounced and jumped in the vegetation of the meadow, dropping down into the tall grasses, only to pop into the air again, a little way from where he had disappeared. As Eva watched, it seemed the music grew stronger, and she began to hum along.
Suddenly, the rabbit wasn't dancing alone! There were at least a dozen other rabbits of all ages and shades, dancing with him. Eva sat mesmerized, watching the furry dance troupe popping in and out of view—jumping, flipping, and twirling, and all the while hearing the intricately patterned thump and rustle of furry feet, celebrating the life bestowed on them by their Creator.
Unexpectedly, in the midst of the dance the lead rabbit dropped to the ground, hunkering silent and still, his ears at the alert, listening for a repeat of the concerning sound. Immediately, all the rabbit clan dropped and huddled like their leader, ears twitching alertly.
Eva heard nothing, but it was clear the rabbits did. Their leader bolted from his shelter and shot across the meadow, heading for the forest, and in an instant the entire clan was hot on his heels, moving so quickly, they appeared to be competing in a race. In a moment's time, they had all disappeared, leaving Eva alone in an empty, silent meadow. Silent, except that somewhere off in the distance, she could hear a soft, melodic chiming.
She mentioned the incident to Shaddai later that day, when they were walking through the garden. "Something made them all want to run," she told him, "and it wasn't happy like the jumping and dancing was."
"I have been expecting this day. There is one who has come to the garden, who does not sing the song. It was from him that the rabbits hid."
"You're so quiet, Rabbit." Eva was halfway talking to herself. "You're completely silent. Do you join the song of praise?"
The rabbit opened his eyes and looked directly into hers, as though issuing a friendly challenge. Eva quieted herself, growing as still as the rabbit. in the silence, she began to hear faint, distant-sounding music. Just as she picked up the melody and rhythm, the rabbit began to thump the ground with one of his fuzzy, oversized back feet. He started with a simple rhythm that obviously coordinated with the song that Eva heard, but as it went on,the rhythm he tapped out became more complex and beautiful, weaving itself like a rhythmic lace around and through the melody.
Abruptly, the rabbit was still no longer! As if suddenly propelled from his place by an unseen force, he raced from the spot where he had been sitting and began to perform a leaping, tumbling dance, incorporating the sounds of his thumping feet into the rhythm of the dance. He bounced and jumped in the vegetation of the meadow, dropping down into the tall grasses, only to pop into the air again, a little way from where he had disappeared. As Eva watched, it seemed the music grew stronger, and she began to hum along.
Suddenly, the rabbit wasn't dancing alone! There were at least a dozen other rabbits of all ages and shades, dancing with him. Eva sat mesmerized, watching the furry dance troupe popping in and out of view—jumping, flipping, and twirling, and all the while hearing the intricately patterned thump and rustle of furry feet, celebrating the life bestowed on them by their Creator.
Unexpectedly, in the midst of the dance the lead rabbit dropped to the ground, hunkering silent and still, his ears at the alert, listening for a repeat of the concerning sound. Immediately, all the rabbit clan dropped and huddled like their leader, ears twitching alertly.
Eva heard nothing, but it was clear the rabbits did. Their leader bolted from his shelter and shot across the meadow, heading for the forest, and in an instant the entire clan was hot on his heels, moving so quickly, they appeared to be competing in a race. In a moment's time, they had all disappeared, leaving Eva alone in an empty, silent meadow. Silent, except that somewhere off in the distance, she could hear a soft, melodic chiming.
She mentioned the incident to Shaddai later that day, when they were walking through the garden. "Something made them all want to run," she told him, "and it wasn't happy like the jumping and dancing was."
"I have been expecting this day. There is one who has come to the garden, who does not sing the song. It was from him that the rabbits hid."
