Big-Eared Brad
Reel, E Minor
One summer we had a backyard rabbit, a small guy, with comically long ears. Our kid named his Big-Eared Brad.
We yelled at Brad and shot soft toy darts at him when he started eating our garden (by July every hosta was gone, chewed down to the soil). But we also tiptoed to the hammock while he napped in the sun. He’d usually open an eye and then settle back down.
When he wasn’t napping or eating our plants, he’d often chase Chubby Andrew (a fellow wild rabbit) and the aptly named chipmunk Long-Necked Jimmy.
One day in August, we saw Brad lying on the stone patio—one of his favorite napping spots. But this time he didn’t stir when we walked past. Big-Eared Brad had tucked into his final siesta. So we buried him in the backyard.
