The killing tree

It was early morning when twelve year old Eden lay in bed, her eyes wide open, thinking about the day ahead. Today was the day Eden was going to save her rabbit Honey Bunch from the killing tree!

Eden called it the killing tree, because Mr.Fester the neighbor used it to butcher his eating rabbits on. And, Eden knew something terrible about Fester, as she called him. She knew he'd forced his daughter to butcher her own rabbit.

Eden was mortified, watching Mr. Fester yelling at his daughter Shauna, shoving the the pipe into her hands, squeezing them so tight around the pipe, then swinging it at the rabbit's head. Blood splattered poor Shauna's face and ran down it, mixing with her tears.

Have you ever heard a rabbit scream? It sounds just like me.

Eden had run and hidden under the juniper tree behind Festers house, crying as she watched her fiend being forced to kill her pet. She saw Shauna's face go blank when Fester told her to start skinning the rabbit for her dinner. Eden stopped watching when her friend started throwing up.

That night, Eden cried herself to sleep. She cried for her friend, who'd seemed so withdrawn since the incident. No one had the right to treat people like Fester did. That night, Eden made a secret promise to herself that Fester was going to pay for what he did to Shauna.

Yes, today was the day! Excited and frightened all at once, Eden got dressed, grabbed a biscuit from the kitchen and went outside. She knew what she was doing was wrong, but she felt compelled, pulled. Honey used to belong to Eden until her father traded all the rabbits for a bunch of the neighbors chickens.

Eden grabbed her bag of tricks and stealthily made her way to the juniper tree. She hid behind the tall field grass that grew underneath the tree, staring at the killing tree fifteen feet away, it's gnarled and ugly branches twisting around each other. One thick limb was lower than the others and was used for hanging the rabbits by their feet while being killed.

Eden hated that tree. When she looked real close, she could see blood splatters on the trunk and limbs from all the murdered animals. Underneath the tree, flies were swarming the filthy bucket used for the discarded head and guts. You could smell it when you walked by.

And leaning against the tree was the hated killing pipe, which was used to hit the poor animals in the neck or head until they stopped moving. The four foot long lead pipe was purposefully made that length, so the murderer wouldn't be splattered by blood and other matter being flung by the dieing rabbits. Fester had filled the hollow pipe with concrete to make it heavier, and the killing easier.

Eden saw Fester go inside his home. It was time! She jumped the small broken fence surrounding Fester's back yard, ran past the side of his house and to the front yard where all the rubbish and dead limbs were scattered. She quickly pulled one of dead limbs off a pile of dead leaves and threw an oil soaked rag onto the pile.

Fear and uncertainty flashed across Edens face as she pulled the tin of gasoline out of the bag and poured it over the pile of debris. Taking a lighter, she lit the pile in three places, then ran to hide beside the house again. Eden crouched, waiting for Fester to come out. Dark smoke from the oil rag started to rise rapidly and fill the air. No turning back now.

Eden heard Fester yell and saw him leap off the house steps, running toward the fire. Eden turned, ran to the back yard and the rabbit pen, unlatched it, grabbed a hold of honey and pulled her out. Lifting her up, she rubbed her face against Honeys soft fur,then ran to put her in the small cage hidden under the juniper tree.

Eden ran back to cage holding the other rabbits and started pulling the whole thing, stand and all, towards the back fence so she could release them.

No longer frightened,it seemed as if Eden were watching herself from above, telling herself below to hurry, hurry. Nothing felt real including herself.

She couldn't get the cage over the fence, so she left it, pulling the rabbits from the cage and throwing them through the break in the fence and out into the brush. Eden ran back to where the rabbit cage used to be, picked up a juniper branch like the Indians used to do and started beating and whacking the ground with the branch to wipe away her footprints. She was hoping everyone would think a coyote had dragged the cage and tore it open to get at the Rabbits. Coyotes were often known to do that, she thought.

Eden ran back to the juniper tree and hid behind the tall grass again. She watched the smoke getting thicker and saw Fester frantically putting out the fire with his yard hose.

Why, he's running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, thought Eden, and started giggling until she couldn't stop. Sitting under the tree, rocking back and forth and laughing till she was in tears, she wondered how her life had ever gotten this crazy.

Eden woke under the juniper to the sound of her mother yelling for her to come in for dinner. Only when her mother started calling her by her full name, did she jump up and run towards the house.

"Eden Shauna Fester, get in this house now" my mother yelled.

I went inside and thought, life is good, if you only work at it a litt