69. Free Food

Grandpa Rabbit, who was a prankster and loved to tease difficult children, liked to amuse himself baiting Alpin. 

Ever since my friend had eaten up all the fruits in his shop, the Chinese fairy would stop by Alpin’s home every morning on his way to do tai chi in the forest. 

He would munch on the lettuce and the carrots in Mrs. Dullahan’s vegetable garden and try as he would, Alpin always failed to trap him.

That morning I found Master Foo Ling and Alpin engaged in conversation, though from a safe distance.

“If you manage to catch me, I will give you a gift of great value. Heh, heh, heh!” the rabbit fairy was saying.

                     

“You think I will never catch you because you train every morning, but what you don’t know is...” answered Alpin, “that I have a shotgun!

                     

               

To my horror Alpin was indeed armed. He drew his weapon from a bush and aimed at the rabbit, who sprang like mad towards Minced Forest.

                         

“Stop, Alpin!” I cried. “Forget Grandpa Foo Ling! He’s only joking! It’s not worth chasing him!”

                           

“Bite the dust, Bunny!” screeched Aplin and the shotgun went bang.

                     

“Help!” I cried with my heart in my throat. “Armed madman on the loose!”

Grandpa disappeared among the forest’s  trees, with Alpin hot on his heels. But if there is a sport I am good at, it is running. I chased after them and when we were deeper than I had ever been in the forest I almost ran over something that I thought might distract Alpin from his insane purpose.

“Food! Look, Alpin, food!” I cried desperately.

There was a checkered table cloth on the ground loaded with bowls and trays of cakes, eggs and cheese. There were also loaves of bread and some honey and a bottle of cider. Alpin stopped running. He pushed a branch aside to have a look at what I was pointing at.

                 

“True!” he said, distracted from the chase. “Somebody’s forgotten a picnic here. And I’m starving. Well, finders keepers, losers weepers.” 

And he began to stuff the eggs into his mouth.

“Maybe we shouldn’t touch this,” I said, now that I was sure Grandpa Foo Ling had gotten safely away . “At least not while you have a gun. They could accuse us of armed robbery.”

“Nah!” said Alpin. “I’ll bet Grandpa Rabbit put this here because he knows I would have caught him. It’s the prize he promised me.”

“I put that there for you,” said a silvery voice from somewhere behind us. There was a rustling among the trees and the voice spoke again. “Would you taste a special apple?”

                        

A cloaked and hooded figure began to emerge from among the trees.

                        

“YOW!” howled Alpin, and he rushed out of the forest.

I picked up the shotgun and ran after him too. 

Behind us I could hear soft wailing and gentle weeping.