Rabbit in the window

The book closed. This time, the swirling dust didn't make anyone sneeze. The children were tense from the story. Void looked at them and smiled. "Our first story is finished." Chuck gulped. "M-Mom, what happened to Henry? I didn't understand anything. Henry became a good guy, but then a rabbit and..."

Void reached out and patted Chuck's hair. "Everything will be answered, little Chuck. I know these stories aren't exactly for children, but when it's all over, you'll make your choices just like I did. Truths are really different from what we think. You'll see that too."

"What do you mean?" Clementine asked, tilting her head. She was a girl who cared about answers. Void placed her finger on her lips and thought. "Hmm... how can I put this, dear... let's call them existential truths. The knowledge needed to overcome."

"I still don't get it," Chuck said, approaching Void and putting his hands on her shoulders. Void looked into those little curious eyes standing so close. "I was just as curious as you... and Mother Mary kept me waiting with curiosity just like I'm doing to you. Back then, I was sad, and those curious waitings helped me forget my sadness. But you're not sad, are you?"

Void turned and looked at the three children. "No, Mom, thanks to you, we're always happy." Then Clementine and Charlie also got up and approached Void, and they all shared a long, big hug. A peaceful hug that showed the unbreakable bond of the four people in this church.

"Then, Mom, why don't you tell us? We're not sad like you were." Clementine had asked this. The hug ended, and the three children sat back on their fluffy cushions. "Good question..." Void picked up the book and put it back in her bag. "Maybe..." she began to slowly zip up the bag. "I don't want to stray from what Mother Mary did to me." And the bag was fully closed. Void smiled at the clever and sweet girl. "Okay..." Clementine wanted to learn, but it would take time, and that annoyed her a little. There was one more person just as annoyed. "But... Mom, can't you just tell us?" Chuck got up and approached Void again. Void shook her finger in a 'no' and sat Chuck back down.

"What are you thinking, Charlie?" Void asked Charlie, who was lost in thought. Charlie immediately snapped back to reality. "Well... I was trying to understand what I was supposed to learn from the story, Mom."

"Yes, I was thinking about that too," Clementine immediately chimed in.

"I got it, let me tell you," Chuck quickly jumped in, seeing the others' confusion. "There's a man who meets a bad guy, then he becomes like the bad guy, but in the end, he realizes being a bad guy isn't a good thing and becomes good, but then um..." Chuck didn't know how to continue. "Then..."

"Yes, Chuck, then?" Void prompted encouragingly. "A rabbit comes and I think it eats him, a weird thing, but I think that's it, otherwise why would he scream?"

"Haha! Great, Chuck, you've drawn a good conclusion. Congratulations."

"Haha!" Chuck stood up, puffing out his chest and deepening his voice. "Thank you, Mom."

"My strong hero, striking a strong pose..."

When Chuck heard Void's words, he blushed and quickly lost all the seriousness he had mustered, sitting down on his cushion awkwardly. "Hehe..." he grinned, his cheeks still red. Void loved seeing him like this. He was the liveliest among the children.

"But Mom?"

"Yes, dear?" Void turned her head to Clementine.

"Chuck summarized the story very poorly, and we already know what he said. We know the importance of being good."

"Yes..." the other curious child's voice joined in.

"What, what, what? Come on, Clementine, why are you being a spoilsport when Mom just praised me?" The shy child stepped out of his shy mode, folding his arms. "I'm not being a spoilsport. I'm just stating the truth!"

"Hmph!"

"Hmph!"

Both children turned their faces away from each other in a pout. Void quickly stepped between them, grasping their shoulders. "Don't fight, children. We have no one else but each other here. We're alone, and fighting will only tear us apart."

"But, but... she started it. She's acting all know-it-all, Mom. We get it, you're the smartest—"

"Shhh," Void interrupted Chuck with a finger to her lips. "What did I say..."

"No fighting." Chuck lowered his head in regret. "And you, Clementine?" Void turned to Clementine, who seemed uncomfortable with Chuck's situation. Void was pleased with this. These children were bound to each other. Their bond couldn't be broken so easily. "I..."

"Go on, sit by him." Void gently nudged Clementine on the back. Clementine looked at Void with a small amount of hesitation. "Go on..." A soft whisper was enough to encourage her. Clementine nodded and crawled over to sit next to Chuck. Chuck sat with his head down, looking sad. She slowly nudged closer to him, thinking about what to say. She hadn't meant to hurt him, but how could she apologize? "I..." The words started to come out in a soft voice, and soon more followed. "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to belittle you. I just wanted to see the main point. I was going to ask Mom about it."

Chuck pursed his lips and lifted his head. Clementine averted her eyes. One more step would complete the apology, she thought. "Brother..." She wrapped her arms around Chuck, hugging him shyly. Chuck's eyes filled with tears as he hugged her back. "Sister... I'm sorry too, I was about to say mean things to you. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay, it's okay..." Clementine finally felt at ease. She was happy to have resolved this with him.

Void stood up. Clapping her hands, she drew the attention of the three children. "Alright, now that you've made up, it's time for bed."

"Okay, Mom." They all responded in unison, as usual. Charlie stood up first. Then Chuck. When Chuck stood up, he extended his hand to Clementine. "I'm really sorry..." Clementine smiled. "It's okay, brother," she said, taking his hand. "Hehee... brother." As he helped her up, he scratched his head with his other hand and smiled.

After Void, Clementine, and Chuck went to their rooms, Void noticed Charlie still standing there. She crouched down in front of him and looked into his eyes. "What's wrong, little Charlie?"

"Well... I wanted to learn the real message of the story like Clementine."

"Is that so..." Void smiled. "You know, Charlie, there actually wasn't a message in the story."

"What do you mean? But aren't you reading it to us to teach us something?"

"Of course, I'm reading it to teach you what I've learned, and you are learning."

"I don't understand..."

"Now, go to sleep... you'll learn everything in time, okay?"

"Ugh... alright, Mom."

"Good boy, now good night, sweetie." Void kissed Charlie on the forehead. "Good night, Mom..." Charlie wished her a good night as well, then walked to his room with his arms hanging down. "In time, you'll see, my children... in time," Void murmured quietly after him, then went to give the other two children their goodnight kisses.

When she returned, she noticed the church door was open. She opened it wider and saw a scratching rabbit at the doorstep. White fur, red eyes, long pink ears, and snow trailing behind it. Void smiled. "So you heard us." The rabbit's red eyes reflected Void's image. It just stood there, doing nothing.

The next day passed much like the others. The only difference was that the children were now more curious. They eagerly awaited the new story. And the time for the story came.

"Is everyone ready?" The children nodded excitedly. "Today you're going to tell us about the butterfly, right, Mom?" Chuck quickly voiced his excitement. "Yes, that's right, sweetie."

"Alright then, I'm zipping my mouth as a listener." Chuck mimicked zipping his lips. "Are you ready, esteemed listeners?" The other two nodded as well. Once Void got their approval, she opened the book to the page where they had left off and began.

This time, there weren't just three listeners; there were four. The rabbit, with its ears perked up, stood by the window. Its red eyes reflected the images of everyone inside.