Episode 3: The Long-Eared Rabbits of the Golden Hills

Hello, and welcome to another episode of Sleepy Starship.

Are you ready to take a space adventure, and explore a new world with me?

Well, come on then. Let's go.

Tonight, you are the Captain of the Sleepy Starship. It is waiting for you just outside, under the stars.

Your co-pilot is Choo-Choo, a small, sleepy alien friend. She has patterned fur, a long curly tail, and big round ears that catch every little sound. Choo-Choo never says a word. She purrs, and coos, and trills instead.

You button up your pajama top and step outside. The grass is wet with dew. The ship's door opens with a long, slow sigh, like someone sinking into a comfy chair.

Choo-Choo is curled up on the Captain's chair, keeping it warm for you. She lifts her head and gives a happy little trill. Then she scoots over into her own seat, and you sit down. The chair is still warm.

"Hello, Captain," says the ship's calm voice. "Buckle in, whenever you're ready."

A low rumble starts deep inside the ship, and the floor gives a small shake.

You rise over your roof, over the treetops, and up through a thin gray cloud, until there is nothing outside but the dark sky and the stars.

Out the big front window, you see something new tonight. A planet with rings. Its rings are flat and wide, the color of sand, like the brim of a big sun hat.

Choo-Choo's ears turn toward the window. She tilts her head one way. Then the other way.

"Captain," says the ship, "tonight we are flying to Tumblewind. It is a planet of grassy hills. On Tumblewind, the sun goes down very slowly. And right now, it is just beginning to set."

A small golden planet grows in the window, and the ship settles on top of a round, grassy hill.

When the door opens, a breeze comes in to meet you. It is warm, and it smells like hay and honey.

You step out. And you stop.

Golden hills, as far as you can see, round and smooth, like big sleeping animals under a golden blanket.

When the breeze blows, all the tall grass bends together, and a ripple runs down the hill, across the valley, up the next hill, and away. Then another ripple follows it.

The sun is big and orange, resting just above the farthest hill.

Choo-Choo hops down beside you. The grass is taller than she is, so all you can see is the tip of her curly tail, poking up out of the gold, moving along.

You follow the tail.

The hill slopes down, long and smooth, into a green valley. You lie down in the warm grass at the top, tuck in your arms, and give yourself a little push.

You roll. Slowly. Over and over. Sky, then grass. Sky, then grass. The grass tickles your cheeks.

At the bottom, you stop, lying on your back. A moment later, Choo-Choo comes rolling down after you, round as a ball, and bumps into your side. She lies there with her paws in the air, and blinks.

Then you notice ears. Long ears. Lots of them, sticking up out of the grass on the next hill.

They are rabbits. Big, golden-brown rabbits with long, long legs. They are walking up the hill in a slow line. Not hopping. Just walking.

At the front of the line is the oldest rabbit. It stops, and looks down at you, and twitches one ear.

Choo-Choo sits up and gives a small, curious trill. The old rabbit twitches its other ear. Then it keeps walking. It seems to want you to come along.

So you do.

At the top of the hill, the rabbits sit down in a row, facing the sun. They sit up tall, with their long ears straight up, and they stay very still.

Every evening, the rabbits of Tumblewind climb this hill to watch the sun go down. It is how they get ready for bed.

You sit down at the end of the row. Choo-Choo sits beside you, tall and still, just like the rabbits.

The sun sinks a little lower. The sky above it turns pink, like strawberry milk.

The breeze blows. A ripple runs down the hill, and away.

The sun touches the top of the farthest hill. The sky turns a deep purple, like a plum.

One by one, the rabbits lower their ears. Down, down, until they lie flat along their backs.

The sun slips behind the hill. Only a thin gold line is left. Then that is gone too.

The sky is dark blue now. A star comes out, right above you. Then another one.

The rabbits stretch their long legs, and yawn. Each rabbit walks a few steps into the grass, turns around once, and lies down in a small, round hollow, just the size of a rabbit. It is a rabbit's grass bed.

The old rabbit is the last to lie down. It looks at you, and at Choo-Choo, and blinks slowly. Then it settles into its grass bed, and the tall grass closes over it.

Now there is nothing on the hill but the golden grass, moving in the breeze. And you. And Choo-Choo.

Choo-Choo stands up and shakes herself, from her ears all the way down to her tail.

Something is stuck at the very end of her curly tail. You lean closer.

It is a stalk of grass. A dried one, golden, with a fluffy tip full of tiny seeds, like a little feather. It must have caught on her tail when she rolled down the hill.

You pull it off, very carefully. Choo-Choo sniffs it, and sneezes. A tiny sneeze. Then she looks up at you, very proud, like she brought it for you on purpose.

You twirl the stalk between your fingers. The fluffy tip bobs back and forth.

Up on the hilltop, the ship is waiting, with its lights turned low.

"Captain," the ship says, "the rabbits are asleep. Shall we go home?"

You walk back up the hill through the tall grass, slowly. Choo-Choo walks right behind you, holding her tail up high, so nothing else gets stuck on it.

The door sighs shut.

The ship lifts off without a sound, and Tumblewind shrinks to one more tiny light among the stars.

Choo-Choo climbs up onto your chest and tucks her nose under your chin. She is warm, and getting heavier. Then she lets out one long, sleepy trill.

The ship sinks down through the clouds, and lands on the wet grass by your back door.

Quietly, you carry Choo-Choo inside. You find your bed in the dark, and slide under the covers.

You stand the grass stalk in a little cup on your windowsill. Its fluffy tip points up at the sky, like a tiny golden flag.

Choo-Choo curls up in the crook of your arm. Her tail wraps all the way around her, until the tip touches her nose.

Somewhere out among the stars, the rabbits of Tumblewind are asleep in their grass beds. And the breeze is still running over the golden hills, one ripple after another, until morning.

Let's breathe slowly, like the breeze over the grass.

Breathe in slowly. Now breathe out. Breathe in again. And breathe out.

You're home now, Captain. Safe and warm.

Your ship is resting. Choo-Choo is resting. And now it's your turn to rest.

Now it's time to say goodbye, but we'll soon meet again on another Sleepy Starship adventure. Goodnight, Captain.