Jefferson Knapp
www.jeffersonknapp.com
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BOOK THREE
Prologue–The Ending Feud
MOONLIGHT ILLUMINATED THE FOG as it danced through the shadowy trees. Persly’s Woods was quiet and abandoned – or so it seemed. Inside the hollow trunk of a tall oak, five cottontail rabbits huddled together. The terror they’d encountered at the eastern edge of the forest had sent them running for their lives.
Each one felt the others’ heartbeats, pounding rapidly. They waited (for how long they didn’t know), trying not to make a sound. Then…
“Achoo!”
“Shhh!” another scolded. They waited in silence for a moment, then froze.
Crunch…crunch…crunch.
All five gasped, and squeezed their eyes tightly shut. Fallen leaves and sticks snapped in the path of some thing, and it was getting closer.
Crunch…crunch…crunch!
The rabbits shook in terror. Suddenly a sound they’d never heard made their long ears twitch.
Ring…crunch!…Ring, ring…crunch! And the sound was just outside the trunk.
Two of the bunnies bravely opened an eye to peek at the unseen horror in the hazy fog. The others, afraid to look, tucked their heads far into the fur of the rabbits beside them.
“Mmmmm!” A high-pitched whine was followed by an amused voice. “You think wood will save you?”
They dared not reply.
Ring! Ring! A small shadow entered the hollow. The rabbits jumped and tried to flee.
“Don’t leave this tree! It’s still not safe!”
“Wh-who are y-you?”
“I’m alive…just like you!” The strange voice grew eerily higher. “Mmmmmmmm!” Ring! Ring!
“What is that sound?” a rabbit whispered.
“That’s none of your business!” the stranger snapped. “Shhhhhh! We must keep our voices down.”
“We…we saw something tonight,” a rabbit stammered. “It was close, but we couldn’t make out what it was. We were in the trees just east of here, looking for food, and heard a sound like the entire forest was rolling toward us.” The other rabbits stiffened at the memory. “We split up and ran as fast as we could away from… from whatever it was.”
“It b-brushed up against m-me in the dark,” another rabbit added. “I tried to look away, but it was gigantic!”
“Mmmmmmmmm.” The stranger’s disturbing smile was hidden by the darkness. “She has bigger things to eat than you tonight!” Ring!Ring! “She must go home…far from here…”
“She? Y-You know where… she… lives ?”
“Hyack! Hyack!” It coughed, and its voice grew even higher. “Mmmmm. Rest up, little friends, and get some good sleep. Stay in here forever and don’t make a peep! For the time will come when—”
The pale glow of the fog was cut by immediate darkness. The rabbits couldn’t see the terrified look on the face of the stranger. It allowed a gasp to slip out. “Sh-shh…” They could barely make out the stuttering advice. Something grazed the mighty oak that protected them, causing it to sway slightly. Trapped inside, they had no choice but to wait for their fate. Finally the darkness pulled away and the glowing fog stunned their eyes.
“Is she gone—”
“Sh-shh!” The stranger waited a while longer, then stuck its head out of the hollow. Sniff! Sniff! “It’s gone.”
“What was it? What did we see?”
The stranger was no longer amused by the frightened company. “She slithers and slithers ‘til she goes to her lair. Far to the east there is a hill that holds many nightmares …and doesn’t let them out!”
“Slith—? That was a s-snake?”
The stranger hurriedly left the trunk.
“Wait! W-Where are you going?”
Ring! Ring! The shadow turned back to the hole of the frightened rabbits. “Stay away from Hermit Hill! There is something worse in that place than she!”
BOOM! BOOM!
The thundering noise, somewhere close by, drew a gasp from the stranger, who disappeared into the woods. Ring! Ring!…ring! …ring. The strange sound grew fainter.
For hours the five rabbits stayed in the hollow trunk, shaking. They didn’t get a wink of sleep for the rest of the night.
And in that hill of nightmares, neither did the Watermelon Queen.
The Rightful Heir Page 20