Thanks to inspiration from OTA I’m joining The Great Discontent ‪#‎The100DayProject‬, a celebration of process that encourages everyone to participate in 100 days of making, empowered by the accountability of doing a project alongside others in a very public way. Pictures of these projects are posted daily on Instagram.

I asked myself, at the end of 100 days, what would I like to have amassed? The answer, for me was 100 first drafts.  So, I will write and post a 500 word story a day with the hashtag ‪#‎100DaysOfHorribleStories‬. Why horrible? Because what can go wrong if I aim for horrible and fail?

AGES

Summer is approaching in our little warren. You may call a place where many live a village, but we call it a warren. This time of the year is special for our furry, four-legged denizens. The days are the longest of the year, and so the Bunnyman family can remain wakeful for longer than at any other time, and as this honorable family knows, it is the time to remain active as well.

Summer is always special, but this year it is especially so. Because this year, the Bunnyman family is eligible for full membership in clan affairs. Each and every member of the family must participate in the trials of membership. I, as keeper of the ages, have knowledge of the ordeal the family must endure, and I also know that no member of our warren in recent memory has failed to pass it. But this year, there is a member of the Bunnyman family who many fear might be the first to attain that dubious distinction…

His name is Lefty Bunnyman. He is two seasons old. In his two seasons of life he has managed to get involved in situations that should have sent him to the place from which bunnies never return… but he always seems to return. Though they love him, sometimes, I think his parents wish he wouldn’t.

The floor of their end of the warren is always cluttered and the air is dusty, because Lefty is always scrabbling in late, or scuffling with one of his siblings, or leading some predator into our safe confines of Under-The-Deck.

The predator we fear most is the white dog the humans call Chaco. He has been the guard of the lands beyond the deck which contain the summer garden, and the shady trees, for as long as I can remember, and for many generations before me.

And so, it is a confrontation with Chaco that is the crowning test in the membership ordeal. This is so, because, we must all learn to deal with the elements of where we live; the weather with its freezing snows, soaking rains, and scorching heat; the terrain, with it’s secret hidden passageways, and the more dangerous but quicker out in the open paths; and yes, the various monsters, and creatures that also call this part of the world home.

The trials are less than a week away, and I see the Bunnyman family training diligently. They run, they stop stock-still to hide in plain sight, and they scout out the escape routes for when all else fails. The two younger girl Bunnymans show real promise, mastering each task with grace. The mother, though lame from a run-in with Chaco when she was a child, patiently guides her brood through the paces that will both earn them status with the clan, and keep them safe in forages to come.

But, Lefty Bunnyman, with the torn ear, and mangled right front paw continues to provide much quiet side warren wagers.