With no apologies to Beatirx Potter by jd
Early one morning, Benito Bunny was sitting by a bank. He pricked his ears and listened to the trit-trot trit-trot of hooves coming down the road. He saw a woman, wearing black jeans and a red sweater riding her horse down the road, she was also wearing her best Scarlet hat with ribbons. What a scene she was, elegant upon her horse, she was the loveliest woman he had ever seen. Her smile was warm and inviting, her hair was long and sweeping about her face, and with her cheeks a glowing red from the morning cold. He knew she would be out for a time on her ride. As soon as the horse passed, little Benito Bunny slid down into the road, and set off -- with a hop skip and a jump -- to call upon his relations, who lived in wood at the back of the Ladies cottage. That wood was full of rabbit holes; and in the neatest sandiest hole of all, lived Benito's aunt and his cousins -- Flopsy, Mopsy, Topsy, and Cotton. Old Mrs. Rabbit was a widow; she earned her living by knitting rabbit-wool mittens and muffles. She also sold herbs, and rosemary tea, and lavender. Little Benito did not very much want to see his Aunt. He came round the back of the fir-tree, and nearly tumbled upon the top of his cousin Cotton. Cotton was sitting by himself. He looked poorly, and was dressed in a red cotton pocket-handkerchief. "Cotton," -- said little Benito, in a whisper -- "who has got your clothes?" Cotton replied -- "That scarecrow, in the Flower garden of the Lady who wears red." and described how he had been chased about the garden, and had dropped his shoes and coat. Little Benito sat down beside his cousin and assured him that the Lady in Red had gone out on a gig, and certainly for the day, because she was wearing her best Scarlet hat with ribbons. Cotton said he hoped that it would rain upon her. At this point old Mrs. Rabbit's voice was heard inside the rabbit hole, calling -- "Topsy! Topsy! Fetch some more chamomile!" Cotton said he might feel better if he went for a walk. They went hand in hand, and got upon the flat top of the wall at the bottom of the wood. From here they looked down onto the Lady in Red's garden. Cotton's coat and shoes were plainly to be seen upon the scarecrow, topped with an old sun hat of the Lady's. Little Benito said, "It spoils the cloths to squeeze under a gate; the proper way to get in is down a pear tree." Cotton fell down head first; but it was of no consequence, as the bed below was newly raked and quite soft. Little Benito said that the first thing to be done was to get back Cotton's clothes, in order that they might be able to use the pocket-handkerchief. They took them off the scarecrow. There had been rain during the night; there was water in the shoes, and the coat was somewhat shrunk. Benito tried on the sun-hat, but it was too big for him. Then he suggested they fill the pocket-handkerchief with Scallions as a little gift for his aunt. Cotton did not seem to be enjoying himself; he kept hearing noises a lot. Benito on the contrary, was perfectly at home, and ate a Crocus leaf. He said that he was in the habit of coming to the garden with his father to get Strawberries for their Sunday dinner. The Strawberries certainly were very fine. Cotton did not eat anything; he said he should like to go home. Presently he dropped the Scallions and headed home. Benito paid no mind to his cousin's departure. Little Benito decided that it was not possible to get back up the pear tree with a load of Scallions. He hopped boldly to the other end of the garden, eating Crocuses, chives, and other green things along the way. He was beginning to look somewhat roly-poly as he continued to stuff himself with green things. Little Benito began to feel quite sick, so he set about to find some parsley. But when he stepped around to the back yard, whom should he see, but the Lady in red sitting on her back porch. She quickly jumped up and went after Benito shouting "Stop Thief!" Little Benito had eaten so much that he could not run at all. The Lady was able to simply walk up behind him and scoop him up before he could even get ten steps. She held him up and said "What have we here, but a little thief. Caught red handed with my scallions." Benito was very frightened. He did not know what to do as she carried him into her cottage. When she put him into a box she said, "I will deal with you later, my little thief. You look familiar, would you be the one who has been taking my strawberries on Sundays too. She held up the pocket-handkerchief with the Scallions and said "I will make sure you have these scallions with you tonight, so your efforts will not be wasted." Closing the box she added, "And I certainly wouldn't want to waste one as plump as you are." Many hours later she opened the box again and took Benito out. She set him down where she could look him over and talk to him. What a well-appointed lady she was, he thought to himself. She produced a long brown cigarette from a green and silver package, and lit it. Even in his predicament he could not help noticing how graceful and exquisite she looked. Blowing smoke at the ceiling she asked him, "Do you have a name, my little thief?" "Benito, Benito Bunny," he answered. "Well Benito," She said as she ran her hands over him, pinching here, tucking there, "you certainly made yourself plump on my flowers. It's nice to know that you can live so well in my garden." She then asked, "What do you suppose I should do with you?" "You could keep me here to live with you. I could sit in your lap and make it warm. My fur is soft to the touch, you could stroke my fur and scratch behind my ears while I sit in your lap." He suggested. She blew into his fur. "You do have a healthy coat, thanks to my flowers, which you have been stealing. But what would my cat do if I were to allow you to sit in my lap? That's her job. Besides, you have ruined too many of the flowers in my garden." Little Benito Bunny did not answer. "Why," she asked, "when there is cowslip and dandelions in the woods do you have to destroy my garden?" She looked at him. "Don't you realize the flowers are mine, and the strawberries too?" "I am sorry to have ruined your garden." He answered. "But the flowers are so tasty, it is just too hard to resist. You don't know how good your flowers are to eat." "Oh, is that so, then you won't mind if I tell you that I find little bunnies so tasty that they, too, are hard to resist. I like the young, tender, plump ones the best, the ones just like you." She answered. "With strawberries in whipping cream for desert." Then she took another puff from her cigarette, and blew the smoke in his direction. "You know Benito, you are quite fortunate, to have been caught by me. I think you shall have to join me for dinner tonight." She declared. As she returned him to the box, she put a large juicy strawberry in with him and a dish of water. He appreciated the water for he was very thirsty. Little Benito did not feel very hungry, as he awaited her pleasure in the box, but he nibbled on the strawberry anyway. When she returned, much later, she was wearing her Red evening dress that she was so well known for. She took Little Benito Bunny out of the box and declared, "It is time to get ready for dinner, my Little Bunny. And do you know what I do with little thieves come dinner time?" Benito promised her he would never again steal from her garden if she would let him stay with her and sit in her lap. She replied "Don't worry, my Little Bunny, I will make certain you never steal from my garden again, you can be sure of that. And I shall find a dandy spot for your soft fur here in my cottage as well." "But I didn't take so very much from your garden," he protested. She looked at him and said, "Look, Benito, I'm not eating you because you were in my garden, I'm eating you because I like to eat plump little bunnies. Being in my garden just made you easy to catch." She continued, "You know, I want to thank you for coming into my garden today, and providing me with such a tasty treat for dinner." Then she added, "Now I must see to it that you are dressed for dinner." When she finished preparing him, she placed him in the oven to roast, while frying the tender organs to go along side. She then sat down at her dinner table, Benito sitting before her, roasted in the sweet scallions she had found him trying to steal away in the pocket-handkerchief. She had a glass of white wine and a bowl of strawberries in whipping cream in place as well. Before she ate, she said, "This is what I do with the thieves that I catch, especially the plump, tender and juicy little ones." And then she began to eat Little Benito Bunny. She ate him slowly, savoring every bite. She enjoyed his taste, and the quantity of the little rabbit. The hind legs were always her favorite part so she saved them for last. As she ate him, she bagan to feel full. She noted that he had been quite a plump bunny with such a lot of meat to eat, but even as her fullness became more prominent, she did not stop eating her Little Bunny until there was nothing left but the bones. When she had finished eating him, she sat back and lit another cigarette. She could feel him within her belly. She was so full that she thought to herself how at this moment she felt pregnant. Then she realized, 'well, the rabbit died' and she laughed at her own joke. She took a final sip of wine then she moved over to the recliner by the window, where she could relax as she smoked. She placed a hand on her full belly and rubbed it as she luxuriated in her feeling of fullness. Benito was sitting quite will in her tummy and she liked that. She considered herself quite lucky to have captured such a filling little rabbit in her garden that morning. She could feel her stomach begin to work on him as she finished her cigarette. My little bunny, you were a satisfying dinner. You were both delicious and filling. 'I wonder if he has any siblings' she thought to herself. 'I'm sure the temptation of my garden will bring them in soon enough' she continued her thought. Satisfied from her dinner, she put on some music and looked out the window at her garden in the light of the setting sun. "The Tale of Benito Bunny" is © its creator,
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