Rabbit

It had been a rocky morning in the Rayl household. Barry's parents insisted that he not drag his ratty old toy along to the funeral. Rabbit considered taking offense to this remark, but knew full well that he was ratty, old, and a toy. He blinked and remained silent while Barry started to cry.

Nerves were elevated, he could tell. Mrs. Rayl had lost a second brother, and now had no more siblings to lose. Mr. Rayl was facing difficulties at work with Uncle Frank's death. Renny and Aud weren't making things any easier, as they were not getting themselves ready to go. Renny didn't want to go because he wanted to play video games, and Aud didn't want to go because she didn't want to see a dead body. She wanted to watch TV.

Mrs. Rayl screamed at her kids. It was a hollow, wordless scream, but it shut them up. Mr. Rayl stood there, fiddling with his shirt cuffs. That's when Rabbit decided to break the silence.

"I have a suggestion," he said. He would have looked around, but his neck servos only whirred fruitlessly. He could see most of the Rayl family, and he had their attention. "I understand that everybody is very emotional right now, and we all need to be patient with each other. That being said, I think that we need to make some concessions. Aud, Renny, you both get ready to go to the funeral. As you can see, Barry is already ready, and he's younger than you. You don't want to be outdone by your younger brother, do you?" He twitched his eyes to Mr. and Mrs. Rayl. "And I understand that you are both stressed out, as Uncle Frank left a large gap in both of your lives."

Mr. Rayl paused before speaking. Rabbit could tell that he was second-guessing himself for speaking to a toy. "And what is your suggestion?" he said.

"I suggest that if everybody behaves, we all go out to a nice family restaurant and enjoy the company of those that are still with us. Then, after that, Renny can play his video games, and Aud can watch her TV."

Mrs. Rayl crouched down next to Benny, who by now had stopped crying. "And what about you?" she said to Rabbit.

"Barry will bring me along."

"But what if he loses you?" she said.

Rabbit chuckled. "Unlikely. I can guarantee that Barry will not let me go. Not at the funeral, nor at the restaurant. Am I right, Barry?"

"Yes," said Barry.

Mrs. Rayl breathed a deep breath before standing. She walked over to her husband before looking back over her children. "You heard what the rabbit said," she said. "No misbehaving."

Renny and Aud finished getting ready, and the five of them, Rabbit in Barry's clutches, left their apartment and called a cab. It carried them in silence toward the funeral home. Rabbit looked up from Barry's lap, out through the window, and into the sky. Occasionally, something would fly by, but he really wished he could have looked out the window and seen the people and buildings drive by.

They got to the funeral parlor and were greeted by people who hugged them and told them how sorry they were for them. Some asked how they were doing, and others asked if there was anything they could do, such as cook a meal or watch the kids or anything else.

The Rayls made their way down the center aisle and found their seats. An organist was playing a melancholy rendition of Ash and Elm, which Mrs. Rayl noticed, and said that it was Uncle Frank's favorite hymn.

Mr. Rayl looked around at all the people as they arrived, and wondered aloud where Aunt Gloria was. Rabbit knew she wasn't really an aunt, but that she might as well have been an aunt with how much time she spent around Uncle Frank. He wondered if she was still going to be Aunt Gloria or just Gloria, now that Uncle Frank was dead.

Mrs. Rayl didn't see her either. She said something along the lines of maybe it was too much for her.

At the front of the room sat a large black box. Rabbit could barely see it from where he sat, but he knew that this is where Uncle Frank now lay. 

Benny lifted him up onto his shoulder, and Rabbit could see the people as they walked in. He also noticed that there was a little room at the back of the room, above the entrance. It had a window separating it from the rest of the room. He wondered what that was for.

An old man with a white beard sat right behind Benny. He took off his black hat when he sat  down. Mr. Rayl saw him and greeted him, saying he was glad that he could make it.

The man looked at Rabbit and smiled at Benny. "I haven't seen one of those since I worked in a toy store back as a teenager." He patted Rabbit on the head. "Does he still talk?"

"I do," said Rabbit. "I'd offer my paw to shake, but I'm afraid my servos aren't what they used to be."

The man laughed. He took Rabbit's right paw in his fingertips and gave it a little shake. "It was a pleasure meeting you," he said. He said that his name was Syd, and said his last name, but Rabbit couldn't understand it. It sounded like it had no vowels, and far too many of the letters found at the end of the alphabet.

The seats filled up with Uncle Frank's friends and relatives, including Grandma C. She plopped down next to Mrs. Rayl, and Rabbit could detect the smell of alcohol on her breath. When everybody was there and seated, except, as Grandma C. loudly observed, Gloria, the organist changed songs.

A priest got up and talked about Uncle Frank. He talked about his many accomplishments, the loved ones he left behind, and the many joys he had in life. Some people in the room started crying.

After that, Mr. Rayl got up and stood in front of everybody and started talking. He placed his hand on the large black box that held Frank.

"Frank was a great guy," he said, his voice choking as he spoke. "He was a good friend, and an even better brother-in-law. If it wasn't for him, I don't think I would have been as successful as I have been. We built our own business together, and, well, it's a shame he won't get to see it be the success he dreamed about."

Mr. Rayl cleared his throat. 

"Frank was a fun-loving guy. Always one to play a prank or a practical joke. I mean, the very first time I met him was in college. I was sitting in the commons, reading a textbook and eyeing Cat from across the room. He walked up to me and handed me a can of soda, and said that I looked like I could use a drink. I had never seen him before, but I didn't know any better. I took the can, opened it, and it exploded into a fountain of sugary water that got all over me and my book. He had given it a good shake, noticing how much attention I was giving his sister, and he wanted to teach me a lesson."

He dabbed at his eye.

"Well, ten years and three kids later, I guess I'm still not good at learning that lesson." He looked over to his family and smiled. Then he looked back toward the black box. "It's a shame, though, as Frank was working on starting his own family. He found himself a girl who loved a joke almost as much as he did." He looked out over the crowd. "I don't see her here, and to be honest, I don't blame her. It's a pretty lousy world without Frank here in it. It's a shame we won't get to see his next big prank."

Then someone started pounding on the glass window in the small room above the entrance. "Mr. Conchobhar!" someone shouted. Everybody looked back. It was Aunt Gloria, pounding on the glass. She had sneaked into the upper room when nobody was looking.

Somebody gasped. "Look!" The attention went from the back of the room to the front, where Uncle Frank's head was poking out of the black box. He was grinning, and was slowly rising until he was a few meters off the ground.

"I'm alive, suckers!" he said to the crowded room. Then he lowered himself down next to Mr. Rayl. "How was that one, Conor?" he said.

Barry almost dropped Rabbit, but kept true to his agreement.