Beachside Bunnies -

Eloise looked out the window. The dunes were quiet, but she could see them—small shapes watching from the shadows of the sea oats.

She didn’t think. She took off her hoodie, wrapped him in it, and carried him back to the cottage.

She left a drawing on the driftwood—not of Captain, but of all of them together, a crowd of small shapes against a big sky. And this time, instead of a shell, she weighted it with a scrap of paper that said, Thank you . beachside bunnies

She walked at sunset, just to see the light leave. That’s when she found Captain.

“Go on,” she said.

“There’s a rabbit in the bathroom,” her mother said.

At dawn, the rain stopped. She ran to the beach. Eloise looked out the window

She stood in the bathroom doorway, pale and thin, wearing a robe that used to be white. Captain looked up at her. She looked down at him.