Young Mindfulness

This town haunted me. The street outside my frosted window did anything but call my name. The frigid wind told me I would be better off inside, but that was something I already knew.

Camilla had never forgiven me and made it clear she never would. "How could you do this?! I can never look at you the same again!" The words replayed in my mind every night before I went to sleep. She was my best friend and I let her down. I had hurt her in a way no one ever had before.

As I got out of bed, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I headed to the bathroom and grabbed my Buzz Lightyear toothbrush, my brain preoccupied with the tragedy that occured. It had been a warm day. As warm as it could get in Montana in the dead of winter. I was just arriving at Camilla's to feed Mimsy as I heard my name being called. Camilla had been out of town for a few days and didn't live near any of our other friends. I turned in surprise and confusion to see my friend, Matthew Patterson, hanging out the backseat window of his car. He was waving to me and then I, him.

"Hey, do you want to get ice cream? We were on our way and my dad said you could come, too!"

I felt my blood pumping. Of course I wanted ice cream. Who would ever say no to that offer?

"Definitely!" I yelled across the street in reply, "I just have to feed Mimsy and I'll be right back!"

I rushed through the front door and sped up to Camilla's room, going as fast as my legs could carry me. Mr. Patterson was not a patient man. Matt and I had been late getting home on a couple of occasions and he made it clear he took his time very seriously. I didn't want to keep him waiting if I didn't have to. Now I wish I had.

The cage was on top of her dresser. I hurriedly undid the latch and poured the prepared rabbit food into the dish inside. It toppled over the remaining pours from the past few days. Mimsy was not keen on eating. I'd observed that much over the past month since they'd gotten the rabbit. Her white fur that stood out against the pink color of Camilla's walls would stand on edge when people came around. Camilla wasn't allowed to take her out of her cage unsupervised, and even when she could, the rabbit would squeeze into the corner of the enclosure as if trying to pass through the metal and get as far away as possible.

I was just checking the water as I heard a scream from down the hall. Footsteps that undoubtedly belonged to my father went clattering up the stairs at the sound. I followed suit to the bedroom two doors down. I took a breath and immediately started coughing.

“Go open the windows, quick!”

My mother and I ran to the other rooms and threw the windows open. I asked my mother what happened and she explained that she had seen a spider and, after hitting it with a broom, it had burst into a bunch of baby spiders. My father ran into the room and grabbed the nearest spray that he could and emptied the bottle. We needed to immediately air out the house.

After the disaster was averted, I remembered my invitation. After checking to make sure it would be alright with my mom, I rushed back out the door and into the Patterson’s car. It reeked of Mrs. Patterson’s perfume that would waft back to his pew every Sunday in church. His father would always try to get him to sing the hymns, but his choking on the fumes would be the downfall of the melody. Matt and I discussed what flavors we would get as his father drove down the road. I was lucky enough to live barely five minutes from an ice cream parlor. He got chocolate and I caved on getting a swirl of chocolate and vanilla. We got brain freeze after trying to race each other to the bottom of the cones. The jungle gym nearby was fun for a long time until a chill swept through the air and we weren’t dressed to stay longer.

The Pattersons were going to be leaving for vacation the next day so they needed to get back home. As we drove to my house-only two doors down from Camilla’s-I saw something odd in the road. A bright lump of white mixed with red. I squinted to see what it could possibly be and then I realized. In all the confusion with the spiders and chemicals and ice cream, I forgot to latch Mimsy’s cage.

I screamed for Mr. Patterson to stop. I jumped out of the car and ran to the carcass of the fallen rabbit. As I cradled its small head, a flurry began to settle in. The headlights lit the scene as the white spots swirled around and I had no choice but to accept my blunder.

I walked back to my house that night, all the while holding Mimsy’s limp body. When I arrived back home, my mother came running out to me. I fell to my knees as I sobbed and tried to explain what had happened. My mother lifted me back up and we put Mimsy in an old shoebox. She looked so peaceful. Camilla did not when I delivered the news with the box the next day.

Today, I knew what I needed to do. Once I was done getting dressed, I got in the car with my mom and dad and we took a drive into town. The pet store at the mall had one white rabbit left. I looked at it in the cage and we connected eyes. After a moment, it took a half-leap toward me in the way only an inquisitive rabbit could. I looked up at the saleswoman and gave her a nod of approval. Next stop was Camilla’s after a meal of pride I swallowed whole.

I walked up the paved pathway to her door with the cardboard box holding Mimsy 2. Camilla came to the door dressed head to toe in black. She had a piece of cloth that looked like an old piece of doll clothing that she was using to blot at her eyes. Her fifty-inch frame stood two inches over me, not to mention the height the extra step into her house gave her.

“What do you want, bunny killer?” Her words stung like the bee that got me at recess the last week of school.

“I am really sorry, Camilla,” I choked out as my mother lightly pat my back reassuringly, “I wanted to make it up to you.” I handed over the box. She glared at me and took it. The confusion I could see on her face led her to kneel down and place the box on the ground. I followed to the floor and watched as she opened the box and revealed her new best friend.

“Mimsy!” She picked the bunny up out of the box and hugged it. “I knew you’d come back to me!”

“That’s not-“ My mom grabbed my wrist before I could continue. I looked at her and she shook her head, so I kept quiet. I watched her revel in the return of her lost pet “Do you like her?”

“I love her! You’ve brought my dear Mimsy back! Would you like to come play for a little bit? I’m sure Mommy won’t mind if you stay for dinner.”

My parents waved to me from the car and drove home. I ran inside to play with my best friend once again.