A Gift Exchange
When little Maxine loses her beloved bunny in the basement, she discovers something lurking in the shadows.
Photo by Lizbeth Alvarez Gasca on Unsplash
It should be in the den she built last week, the one nestled between the communal washing machine and the building’s hot water tank.
Pillows crammed in, blankets draped over the top. Resting in the centre of it all should have been Olivia the Bunny.
Now, the den was empty.
The room was in near total darkness, the only light a dull glow from the washing machine that someone had left on.
Maxine had crept out of her bedroom and crept down stairs looking for Olivia. She had searched in the dark but couldn’t find her. She felt on the verge of tears.
That was when she heard it, a dull scraping across the floor.
Maybe it was an adult. Or a cat. Maybe they had found Olivia.
She peeled back one of the blankets. Opposite her den, more dense than the surrounding dark, a massive shadow loomed.
She let out a tiny sob.
The shadow twisted, two red eyes peered out of the dark.
She sat, frozen for a moment before her voice squeaked out.
“Have you seen my rabbit?”
A gravelly voice whispered back, “Is this what you want?”
The shadow twisted, an arm unfolded. Resting on what she took to be a hand was Olivia, floppy ears swaying softly.
“Yes…” She hesitated for a moment, then remembered what her parents always said about sharing.
“But if you like it, you can keep it.”
“No, child.” The shadow moved closer and gestured the toy at her, “It is yours.”
The insistent tone sent goosebumps across her skin.
She took a slow breath. “No really, if you like it you can play with it.”
“Are you sure?” This response was beyond insistent, it was almost threatening.
She ignored the fear in her tummy and took a deep breath.
“Keep it. I have others, you need toys as well.”
The creature shifted again, was that teeth she could see catching what little light there was.
“Thrice I have made the offer, and thrice you have offered me what is yours. Your kindness will be repaid with a blessing.”
The shadow grew rapidly, filling every corner of the room. When it spread over her she felt her vision dim, but a warmth spread across her body. Not from outside, but from within her.
The shadow whispered once more, “May fear never bind you, and shadows never block your path.
She blinked, then as suddenly as it had arrived the darkness that had filled the room vanished.
The shadow had also disappeared with Olivia. While she was sad to see one of her favourite toys go she had a feeling she had just made a new friend.
