Page 13 of The House of Quiet

Chapter Nine

Rabbit Awake

Rabbit wakes up.

No, that’s not right. Rabbit already woke up today. But now there’s an enormous red sun around her, pinning her in place. She doesn’t like that sun. She’s tired, so tired, and she wants to be back where it’s soft and dark again.

Rabbit wakes up. No, that’s not right. Rabbit already woke up today.

She must have dozed off. She can’t do that again.

She sits up, trying to look ready to help.

The House Wife is in the red sun now, and she might need Rabbit.

But she doesn’t look like she needs anything.

She looks happy, and she smiles at Rabbit, and Rabbit feels happy, too.

Rabbit wakes up. No, that’s not right. Rabbit already woke up today.

She’s sitting with the House Wife in the window seat of a room filled with velvet in every shade of red imaginable.

It’s nice. Like being in the middle of a human heart.

The House Wife hums, soft whooshing noises like the heart is beating around them.

She holds Rabbit’s hand, absently stroking it as they both gaze out the window at the setting sun, red and terrible on the infinite horizon.

“Thank you for your help today,” says the House Wife.

They walk into the hallway together. Everything feels vague.

Like Rabbit hasn’t slept in days, or has slept for days.

What has she been doing? She turns and sees the House Wife smiling at her.

That’s right! She helped the House Wife today.

That’s what she did. And if the House Wife is telling her thank you, it means she did a goodjob.

The House Wife is kind, and she doesn’t mind that Rabbit fell asleep. Rabbit’s sure it’ll be their little secret.

The next thing Rabbit knows, everything is loud and strange in the kitchen.

She feels like she’s underwater, watching it all happen above her.

She might be sick. Hopefully no one notices.

She can’t lose this job. Everyone she loves gave everything for the procedure, and she disappointed them, even if they said it was fine.

She won’t disappoint them again. She’s being paid so well, and it’s all going directly to her family.

She did that. Her! Helping everyone.

“Where were you all day?” Birdie whispers. Then she pauses and puts a hand against Rabbit’s forehead, frowning. “Are you feeling well?”

Rabbit doesn’t know how to answer either question.

She giggles, thinking how funny it would be to say she was in the middle of a small red sun, and it feels like the sun is still inside her, burning away.

Then she tries to get serious again, tries to remember where, exactly, she was so she can give Birdie an answer.

But the second question. Is she feeling well?

She’s feeling soft and fuzzy and quiet, like the pillows in the House Wife’s room.

Rabbit bats away Birdie’s hand. “I’m fine. I helped the HouseWife.”