Actually - Miss Bea's picture inspired the first scene in this section of the book.
However, I'm including most of the chapter since so many of y'all know Tiny.
By the way, Stan is an artist (as a hobby) and he and Kate just wentout on their first date a week before this chapter. They went to an artgallery after spending the day at a mall (you'd have to read thechapter to understand that). This was his first time in herplace.
Only...in many ways it isn't her place. It was her grandmother's - andshe has kept it the same way her grandmother left it because she feelslike it would not be honoring her grandma's memory to change things...
(Except maybe adding the bunnies)??
By the way - this is the first draft. It will be going through at least two more edits before the publisher sees it.
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Stan was really lookingforward to seeing Kates place. He often learned a lot about peoplewhen he visited their home or office. He wasnt sure yet how hepictured Kates house. It was probably done in warm colors that matchedher vibrant personality. Judging by the way she enjoyed walking at thepark, he figured that she either decorated with greens or blues. Hepreferred browns but any of the colors of nature were fine with him.
As Stan walked in the house,he remembered to close his mouth in spite of his shock. Decades oldwallpaper covered the walls. The couch looked like it came out of the60s. It had velvet cushions? Wow, Kate really surprised him with hertaste.
Kate told him to look aroundwhile she went and got the coffee going. He looked around the room andtried to find a place to start looking. Everything seemed so busy withthe patterns and colors. He finally decided to go and look at thepainting over the fireplace. He had a feeling that this was one of theones Kate wanted to show him and he had to admit that for an olderpainting, it was pretty impressive. The artist had played with shadowsand light before some artists made it popular.
Stan stood back from thepainting a bit so he could better observe it. As he continued to lookaround the room, he couldnt help but feel like he had traveled back intime thirty years. The only thing in the room that even seemed likeKate was the statue that sat beside the fireplace. He moved closer tostudy it.
Wow. Hed never worked withceramics but he needed to know the name of this artist. The colors wereso lifelike. The hairs looked real. Hed never seen a rabbit like thisbefore. The pose was even interesting, as if the rabbit was trying towatch others without being noticed.
He found himself wanting toreach out and touch the statue. He wanted to pick it up and see whereit was made and if it was a limited edition. He glanced back in thedirection Kate had gone. Would she be upset if he examined this piececloser? He decided she wouldnt be upset because she had invited him toexamine the artwork and this was certainly high quality art.
He reached out towards thestatue. He wanted to touch it first, to see how lifelike the hairs feltin his hand. But as his fingers got close to the statue, it turned andblinked at him. He gasped and stepped back a step. He turned againtowards where Kate had gone. He knew she had a sense of humor. Had sheset this up with a remote and made it move? When he turned back to seethe statue again
it was gone.
Stan rubbed his eyes. Hestarted to step back one more time when he felt something pulling onhis pant legs. Was he caught on a piece of antique furniture?. Stilllooking at the empty spot near the fireplace, he tugged on his pants tofree them. They tugged back. He looked down and screamed.
Kate heard Stans scream and came running. What happened?
Stan was standing near thefireplace and trying to pull his pant leg away from Tiny. He wasbacking away and obviously scared of the rabbit. She wasnt surewhether to laugh at him or feel sorry for him. For crying out loud,compared to his dog, Tiny wasnt that big.
Stan pleaded with her with hiseyes and his voice. Get him off me. Please. Get him off me now.
At the look on Stans face,Kate couldnt help herself. She started laughing. She laughed untiltears flowed down her cheeks. Stan was afraid of Tiny?
Stan tried to back away fromTiny but the more he backed away, the tighter Tiny held onto his pants.Finally he wound up half falling onto the couch. I beg you. Get himoff me.
Before he could say anotherword, Tiny let go of his pants and jumped up on the couch and startednudging him. Stan tried to back away but there was no place else to go.
How could Kate explain to Stanthat rabbits werent like dogs. You dont tell them what to do. Theywere more like a cat, you ask them to do something and hope theycomply.
Tiny started to climb intoStans lap. He looked at Kate and said, Ill get you back for this ifyou dont get him off me. Tiny yawned as he stood up on Stans lap.Stan looked at Tinys teeth. Kate, Im begging you. Get him off.
He looked back where Kate hadbeen but she was gone. He was alone with this thing. He shrank backinto the couch.
To this day, he stillremembered the late October night when he and Ben watched Night of theLepus on tv. This thing reminded him of those monster bunnies as theysought to destroy everything in their path. True, theyd had some sortof serum given to them so they were bigger than humans. But the waythis rabbit was baring his teeth, Stan knew he wasnt going to livemuch longer. As his life flashed before his eyes, he prayed that Benwould adopt Belle.
Tiny, come get a banana.
As quickly as hed corneredStan, Tiny took off for Kate. Stan watched as the monster ran to herand started pawing at her arms and legs to get to his banana.
Youre giving a rabbit abanana? I thought they liked carrots. Since when do rabbits likebananas?
Stan backed back onto thecouch as Tiny started towards him again at the mention of the wordbanana.
Tiny, come finish yourbanana. Leave Stan alone. Tiny turned away from approaching Stan to goback to his mistress. However, every once in a while he lifted his headand stared at Stan. Once he even twitched his ears.
Once Stan was able to breathenormally again he asked, What are you doing with a monster like that?
