The Velveteen Rabbit

The Velveteen Rabbit

A SOFT AND FLUFFY VELVETEEN RABBIT lived in a toybox in a Boy’s room.  Each day, the Boy opened the toybox and picked up the Velveteen Rabbit. The Velveteen Rabbit felt as happy as the Boy.

Then newer, brighter toys came into the toybox.  They had special tricks.  Some could move when the Boy pushed a button, and others bounced high.  The Velveteen Rabbit had no special tricks or buttons. After awhile, the Boy started to choose the other new toys.

At night, when the toys were back in the toy box, the other toys talked with pride about the fine things they could do. The Velveteen Rabbit was quiet.  There was not much to say.

The only other toy in the toy box that was soft and fluffy like the Velveteen Rabbit and could not do any fancy tricks was Cowboy Horse.  Cowboy Horse was old and most of his fur was worn away.

Cowboy Horse said to the Velveteen Rabbit, “Do not listen to the rest of them. Soft toys like us are really the lucky ones.  We get loved the most.  And when soft toys get loved enough, we can become Real.”

“What do you mean, ‘Real?’ ” said the Velveteen Rabbit.

“Being Real is the best,” said Cowboy Horse.  “You can move when you want. When you are Real, if you are loved you can show love back.”

Chosen!

One day Nana, who took care of the Boy, flew open the lid of the toy box.  She said in a busy tone, “Oh, dear!  That walking doggie is missing. I must find something else for the Boy!”  In a second, the Velveteen Rabbit was plopped down onto the bed with the Boy.

This began another happy time for Velveteen Rabbit.  Each night the Boy would hold the Velveteen Rabbit close in his arms.  In the morning, the Boy would show the Velveteen Rabbit how to make rabbit holes under the sheets.  If the Boy went outside to a picnic or to the park, the Velveteen Rabbit would come with him.

This began another happy time for Velveteen Rabbit.

After all that hugging and holding, much of the Velveteen Rabbit’s fur got matted down.  Its pink nose grew less pink, but the Velveteen Rabbit did not care.  It was happy.

One day the Boy became sick.  His forehead got very hot.  The doctor came and went, and Nana walked back and forth in fear.  Day after day, the Boy stayed in bed.   There was nothing for Velveteen Rabbit to do but to stay in bed too, day after day.

Then at last, the Boy got better.  Such joy in the house! The doctor said the Boy must go to the shore.  How wonderful! thought Velveteen Rabbit.  Many times the Boy had talked with great excitement about the shore, about its wide sandy shore and big blue ocean.

“What about this old bunny?” Nana asked the doctor.

“What about this old bunny?” Nana asked the doctor.

“That old thing?” said the doctor.  “It’s full of scarlet fever germs.  Burn it at once!  Get him a new bunny.”

The Velveteen Rabbit was thrown into a sack along with the Boy’s bed sheets and old clothes and a lot of junk.  The sack was carried to the backyard.  The gardener was told to burn the whole thing.

But the gardener was too busy picking the beans and peas before nightfall, so he left the sack behind.  “I will take care of it tomorrow,” he said.  The sack was not tied at the top, and the Velveteen Rabbit fell out.

A Tiny Fairy

The next day when the gardener picked up the sack to take it away to be burned, the Velveteen Rabbit was not in it.

Then it started to rain.  The Velveteen Rabbit felt sad – so far away from the Boy, never again to be nice and cozy inside together and now soaking wet, too!  A tear fell from Velveteen Rabbit’s eye, over his cheek.  It plopped onto the grass.

All at once, at the spot where the tear fell, a flower grew up.  The bud of the flower opened.  Inside was a tiny Fairy!

“Little Rabbit,” said the Fairy.  “Do you know who I am?”

“Should I know you?” said the Velveteen Rabbit.

“I’m the Fairy that takes care of toys that are well loved,” said the Fairy.

By then, the Velveteen Rabbit was shabby and frayed.  The boy had loved off all of its whiskers.  The pink lining in the ears had worn into a light grey. Its dark brown spots, once fresh and bright, were now faded and hard to see.

“It is time for me to make you Real,” said the Fairy.

“It is time for me to make you Real,” said the Fairy.

“I think I remember Real,” said Velveteen Rabbit.  What was it that Cowboy Horse had said?  Ah, yes!  When you are Real, you move when you want to move.  If you are loved, you can love back.

With one touch of the Fairy’s wand, the Velveteen Rabbit felt different.  Tickly.  All of a sudden, its two legs that had always been sewn together tight, could move apart!

A fly landed on Velveteen Rabbit’s head.  It was itchy and as quick as a wink, that foot was up at the Velveteen Rabbit’s head to shake it away.

“So this is being Real! I can move when I want to move!”

“I will show you some new friends,” said the Fairy.  And the Fairy took the Velveteen Rabbit to where several rabbits ran and hopped about.  Soon they were all great friends.

Time went by.  The Boy came back from the shore, all better now.

Together Again

One day, the Boy went to the backyard to play.  From the trees nearby, a few rabbits hopped out.  One rabbit was brown all over, and another one was all white.  A third rabbit was brown with spots that were still darker brown, though most of them faded.  That rabbit hopped up close to the Boy.

The Boy thought, “Why, this rabbit looks just like my old Bunny that was lost when I was sick.  I loved that Bunny!”

What he didn’t know was this was his very own Bunny, come back to see the boy. For he was the reason the Velveteen Rabbit had become Real.