THE STORY LINE 84

' "Perhaps some time to yourself will help you understand that you should not go beating up on bunnies," Kirby said.

THE STORY LINE 83

' Why is it, Kirby wondered, when someone behaves badly, they too often try to make it seem as if you're the one who has done something wrong?

THE STORY LINE 82

' "Of course I'm your friend, everything I've done has been for you--and look, you are now the Easter Puppy, and on the verge of fame, and you treat me like a criminal!"

THE STORY LINE 81

' "Thanks for the rope, " Kirby called back. "I'm sorry I had to use it on you. I thought you were my friend."

THE STORY LINE 80

' "Hey--I made you the Easter Puppy and I can break you," said Spike. "Who tied those bunny ears on you anyway?"

THE STORY LINE 79

' "No cupcakes for you!" Kirby called out to his thorny former friend. "I'll bring you some lovely lettuce when I'm done with my Easter Puppy rounds."

THE STORY LINE 78

' "Help!" cried Spike. "Somebody please come and untie me! Or bring me some cupcakes!"

THE STORY LINE 77

'Shadowed against the remaining moonlight was the outline of not one, but two sets of ears to this creature, who gave off the aromas of fresh rutabaga and parsnip.

The creature stopped when it heard a plaintive cry from inside the Porcupine's house:

THE STORY LINE 76

'In the early hours of Easter morning, a strange creature was seen walking from the Porcupine's house. The creature appeared to be alone, and like no other in the animal world.

THE HEAD GUY INTERRUPTS 2

"Kirby will get back to a family," the Yoga Instructor said, cryptically.

"Which family?" asked the Head Guy.

"The family he was meant to be with," said the Yoga Instructor. "Just stay with me on this."

"I'm staying! I'm staying!" said the Head Guy. "You've got me where you want me. Just tell me what happens next."

THE HEAD GUY INTERRUPTS

"So this is a story of significant betrayal," said The Head Guy. "You have Kirby the Puppy, separated from his family, who just wants to get back to them, but has to deal with the Bitter Brown Bunny who turns out to be the least of his problems because there is a needy porcupine named Spike who pretends to be a friend, but is really quite devious."


"It will have a Happy Ending," said the Yoga Instructor.

"It will? How can it? Is Kirby getting back to his family?"

THE STORY LINE 75

"Go stick yourself with your own plan," Kirby said. "I left everything to you and you made a mess. Now I have to clean it up."

"Sure, sure, you have to clean it up" mocked Spike--"the puppy says someone else made a mess that he has to clean up."

"I'm beginning to understand why you really have no friends," said Kirby.

THE STORY LINE 74

"Can't a formula be changed--updated--to reflect changing times?" asked Kirby.

"Were you listening?" Spike asked, testily. "Candy. It's candy people want. They want what's sweet, you dumb mutt."

Kirby contemplated the basket of vegetables a moment.

"Why does everything have to be sugar coated except what comes out of your mouth?" he said. "I'm going to be a different Easter Bunny--or Puppy--and give out different goodies!"

"We are sticking with my plan," said Spike.

THE STORY LINE 73

"That's ridiculous," said Spike. "People want candy. Stick with the formula."

THE STORY LINE 72

"You know, these smell good," said Kirby. "Maybe we can use them just as they are."

THE STORY LINE 71

' "Look, I did what I had to do to to get you to be the Easter Puppy, so stop yapping about that," said Spike. Now I have to figure out how to make these vegetables look presentable."

"Maybe put vanilla icing on top?" Kirby suggested. "Whipped cream is good, too."

THE STORY LINE 70

' "Maybe if you hadn't gone and whacked the bunnies, they could have told you where to get the good Easter basket goodies," said Kirby

THE STORY LINE 69

' "I think they're vegetables," said Kirby. "I've seen the family eating them in salads."

"Salads? What's that?" asked Spike.

"Nasty stuff. Except for the bacon and cheese."

"That explains a lot about bunnies," said Spike. "We can't have you play the Easter Puppy and hand this junk out."

THE STORY LINE 68

'So this basket of goodies that Spike was able to fight--excuse me, neutralize--the bunnies over, was filled with items not typical to an Easter basket.

"What are these things?" asked Spike. "I was expecting chocolate eggs and Peeps."

INTERRUPTING THE STORY LINE

Oh, excuse me, speaking of baskets of goodies, shouldn't we be concerned about Little Red Riding Hood, who was last seen at Malin Ridge Farm looking for her friend Boo? Yes, we should, and she respectfully suggests that we get the story back to her, especially seeing as she is an expert on baskets of goodies and the various meanings attributed to them.

She has been patient, as have you. Just a little longer. Back to the Story Line....

THE STORY LINE 67

' Spike ignored the question. Of course, everyone knows that if you say "It's not about the basket of goodies"--it's about the basket of goodies. It's almost always about the basket of goodies, isn't it?

THE STORY LINE 66

' "I'm not hurting them I'm just neutralizing them," Spike insisted. "That way they won't hurt you again. And we can take their basket of goodies."

"Is this about long words that really mean hurting, or is about taking the basket of goodies?" asked Kirby, still struggling with his so-called friend's body daggers.

THE STORY LINE 65

' "He did? I'll teach him a lesson!" said Spike, tearing into the Big Bunny, who was blameless, and knocking down the others.

Kirby tried to hold Spike back, but the sharp quills couldn't be grasped.

"Don't hurt them," Kirby cried.

THE STORY LINE 64

' Kirby turned to Spike--"Let's scram--one of those bunnies can be really nasty."

"Which one?" asked Spike.

"The brown one--that's the one I told you pushed me out of the basket."

THE STORY LINE 63

' "What are we doing here, watching the Big Bunny?" Kirby asked Spike, who was sharpening his quills.

"Nothing," said Spike.

"It doesn't look like nothing," said Kirby.

"Looks can be so deceiving," said Spike.

"Isn't that what they say when someone wants to deceive you?" said Kirby.

"What does it look like to you?" asked Spike.

"It looks like you're going to jump the bunnies."

"Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, you are just so wrong," said Spike.

The little white bunny quivered and insisted again to the others: "Let's scram--I hear something."

THE STORY LINE 62

' The phrase "Be careful what you wish for" might seem to apply here, but does not really, because first of all, the bitter little brown bunny was just a furry gasbag who never really wanted anyone to try getting even with him, and Kirby, the puppy, who had every reason to do so, had no intention of trying.

However, that is exactly how it would appear, and Spike's thorny nature was about to transfer in reputation to Kirby.

THE STORY LINE 61

' "Do you ever worry that someone will take offense at your nasty comments and try to get even with you?" asked the little white bunny.

"Nah. But I'd like to see them try," said the brown bunny.

THE STORY LINE 60

' "You've been reading too much Harry Potter," said the brown bunny.

"That's Beatrix Potter," corrected the Big Bunny, between nibbles of lettuce and broccoli.

"They'll both rot your mind," said the brown bunny. "That's assuming you had anything there to begin with," he added, in case he had not been sufficiently rude.

THE STORY LINE 59

' "I just want us to get all the candy and treats safely to all the boys and girls for Easter, and if a Farmer MacGregor comes along with a blunderbuss to chase us away, all the baskets will be ruined!"

THE STORY LINE 58

' "You're pathetic," said the nasty brown bunny. He always had to pick on something that was cuter than him. With the puppy seemingly out of the picture, the little white made an easy target.
"Are you white or are you yellow?" he sneered. "Do I see quivering?"

THE STORY LINE 57

' There was, sad to say, a very good reason not to leave everything to Spike, as he had not given up on his idea to whack the Big Bunny, who was taking a veggie break with the other bunnies on Easter Eve. They had left the safety of the basket, and were gathering lettuce from the garden. A little white bunny became nervous. "Shouldn't we be going soon? he asked.