Bunny Will Keep Me Safe

If it hadn’t been for everyone crying out, I would have thought I’d gone blind. It wasn’t an outrageous thought. Ollie had gone blind not long before her death. The once brightly lit room had gone pitch black. I had been laying on the couch in the living room while Mom and Dad sat at the dining table surrounded by their friends. 

The constant noise coming from the dining room was making it hard to nap. I could have gotten up and left the room, but I enjoyed being near them. I liked listening to what they talked about with their friends, even if I didn’t understand most of it. And even though I was only nearly seven, it felt like my responsibility to make sure they were safe. To keep a constant eye on them. Although they always thought it was the other way around.

“Must be a blackout,” Dad said. “Everyone stay put, and I’ll go find some flashlights.”

Not everyone listened. Chairs scraped the floor as some got up. I could hear them fumbling their way around. Knocking into chairs and each other. I listened to Dad and stayed where I was. 

“Did you guys plan this?” a voice asked with a laugh.

“No, it looks like it’s the entire city,” someone said from near the window. It sounded like Mom’s friend, Sherri. 

“Hopefully this isn’t the start of a trend,” a voice from the kitchen said. “I can’t handle another summer of blackouts.” 

My eyes were adjusting to the dark. Dad wasn’t back with the flashlights yet, and I hoped he wouldn’t be much longer. My fear of the dark was not something I was proud to admit.  

A beam of light was bouncing its way down the hall. I jumped down from the couch and met him as he entered the living room.

“Hey Archie,” he said as his hand reached out to the top of my head to comfort me. “Everything’s okay, just a blackout.” He passed our only other flashlight to his friend Bryon.

“Maybe we should light some candles,” Sherri suggested.

“Good idea. I think we have some in the bathroom,” Mom answered. She rarely let us light candles. I once heard her tell Dad she thought it would be dangerous around me because I might knock one over. 

“I’ll go find them,” Bryon said, and he headed down the hall. I watched his back as he retreated into the dark. We should stay together. 

I was trying not to be nervous. Something about it felt off, though, and I couldn’t help but pace. Everyone seemed to think it was normal. The blackout summer they mentioned must have happened when I was young because I don’t remember anything like this. I walked to the window and the usually bright city was dark. Several windows were speckled with dim candlelight. 

From across the way, I could see Sammy’s home. He was my best friend. Our moms made sure to take us to the park at least once a week so we could play together. He was also standing at the window. His silhouette was barely visible. The glow from their candles illuminated him just enough and I could have sworn his expression matched mine. Fear.

Byron wasn’t back yet. No one else seemed concerned. I headed towards the bathroom to see where he was. It wasn’t until I was halfway down the hall that I realized what was off. The flashlight beam didn’t float through the air like when Dad held it. Instead, it illuminated the wall from the floor. I wanted to turn around, but kept going. 

I turned into the bathroom and was greeted with Byron’s feet. What is he doing on the floor? I nudged his foot to let him know I was here. He didn’t move. I nudged him harder and called out a little. Nothing. Then I noticed the pool of liquid seeping out from under him.

I ran back down the hall and found Dad. “What’s wrong, Archie?” he asked when he saw how frantic I was. I couldn’t communicate what I wanted to say. Instead of trying, I ran back towards the bathroom. Mom and Dad followed after me.

When they reached the doorway, Dad bent down to check on Bryon. “Is he okay?” Mom asked. Several of their friends were now standing behind them. I kept my distance, but didn’t venture too far. I didn’t like how still he was lying on the floor. 

“He’s dead,” Dad said. 

Mom’s hand went to her mouth. Her friend, Sherri, screamed. She was always the dramatic one, but for once, she wasn’t overreacting. 

“Let’s all go back into the living room.” Dad used his arms to herd everyone away. I gladly followed. 

I knew what dead meant. Two years ago, our cat Ollie died. She had been my best friend before Sammy. To say I was distraught was an understatement. I moped around the house for days, not even wanting to eat. Mom and Dad explained to me that Ollie was in a better place now. I thought our place was pretty nice, though. I looked back in the direction of Byron and wondered if he was with her now. 

My focus pulled back into the room. Everyone was talking over each other and I could barely make out what they were saying. I slipped back onto the couch and tried to make sense of it. They were using words like killer and murder. Words I didn’t know the meaning of. 

Sherri pointed at a man whose name, I think, was Ron. “You made him his last drink. You could have easily poisoned him.”

“He clearly wasn’t poisoned. Didn’t you see the blood?” he asked.

“Well, there was no murder weapon nearby, so it could have been.” A few others nodded their heads in agreement. 

Ron shook his head. “Or the killer took the weapon with them. We should search the apartment.” I wanted to say we should all stick together, so I was thankful when no one moved to start a search. 

“Where were you right before he died? I don’t remember seeing you in the dining room.” They looked angry with each other. I looked at Mom and Dad for any sign of what was going on. Any comfort. They seemed to have forgotten I was here.  

“I was in the kitchen looking for more candles,” Sherri answered. Her hands went to her hips.

Several others paced around and everyone seemed deep in thought. I wanted to ask Dad what was going on, but he had that faraway look he sometimes got. I knew not to interrupt him. Mom came and sat next to me. She put her hand on my back and looked down at me. She gave me a smile, like everything was okay. It made me feel like everything was. 

My Bunny would also help me feel better. I left him in the bedroom, though, and I’d have to walk past Byron to get it. I stayed on the couch. 

“It could be any of us, right?” Sherri asked.

“Well, all but one,” Mom answered as she stood up and rejoined the circle. I tried to keep it together. Without Mom next to me, I decided I would need Bunny. He would keep me safe. I slowly crept down the hall. When I got close to the bathroom, I was going to run past. However, I paused and I couldn’t help but peek. 

It was empty. I stepped into the bathroom just to be sure. There was no sign of Byron. Just a dark circle of liquid that was left behind. 

Bunny was forgotten as I ran back into the living room. I tried to get their attention, but they were so wrapped up in their discussion. They were now talking about motive and more words I didn’t understand. 

Sherri was stepping out from the kitchen with something in her hand. “Look what I found.” Dad turned the flashlight in her direction. 

“Is that blood?” someone asked. 

She shook her head. “I’m ready to guess.” 

“Guess away,” Dad said.

Sherri cleared her throat. “Okay, I think it was Ron, with the candlestick because–” The lights came back on and everyone screamed. 

Suddenly, Bryon appeared. He raised his arms up into the air and called out, “Tada!” then took a bow like Dad does after he fishes one of my toys out from under the couch. All the humans started laughing. Why were they laughing? A man was dead and now he’s standing on his own two feet. This was a miracle!

I couldn’t contain my excitement. I ran around the room, jumping and wagging my tail. They all laughed even harder. 

Mom came over to me. She bent down and scratched behind my ear. “See Archie, he’s okay! It was just a friendly murder mystery game.” I cocked my head to one side, and she added, “He was just pretending.”  

Humans make fun of dogs for chasing their tails and then they go around thinking pretending to be dead was funny. I’ll never understand them. But that’s okay. I didn’t need to understand them to love them. I went to my bed under the window and plopped down. As long as they were safe, I could rest.