THE GOLDEN RABBIT

	Hello Everyone.  Flashman here once more.  The temperature is 
heating up, so here's a story to help you think cool thoughts.  This 
is an updated version of an old Christmas tale that I loved as a kid. 
 I hope that you like it too.  To tell me if you think this is the 
start of a new Christmas tradition... or not.... E-Mail me at 
MXJK67C@Prodigy.com.
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	Well.  After all this time, I've finally been bought.  I've been 
sitting on that shelf in this antique shop for 25 years.  Now, after 
all this time, I finally know how much I'm worth in yen.

	Oh no.  Not the bag.  Please, my first time outside this shop in 25 
years and I have to go blind.

	The man who bought me is surprisingly gentle as he isn't just 
carrying the bag by the handles but is holding it the right way, with 
his hands bracing the bottom and keeping me steady.  He put me down.  
A door slam.  Am I just going to sit here for a while?  Oh.  There's 
the other one.  I'm in some kind of car.

	The trips over all ready?  Now we're getting out...up some stairs....
. he's opening a door...and in we go.  Down on a table for me.

	AHHHH!  Finally, I get my first glimpse of what my new home is going 
to be like.  Not bad.  Not bad.  A little disorganized but servicble 
as far as apartments go I suppose.  Oh look, a mirror.  
AAAAAAKKKKKKK!!!

	Is THAT me?!?  Oh man!  Am I in bad shape.  I've always known that
I probably would be covered in a pretty good layer of dust from 
sitting on that shelf for 25 years, but this...... I'm absolutely 
filthy.  My gold color's almost faded away.  Oh well, at least my 
blue sapphire eyes are still intact.  Hey, here comes the guy who 
bought me.  He's picking me up.

	We're in the kitchen.  What's that on the table?  Oh my... is that 
what I think it is?  Yes... Yes.... YES!  Oh, that is just what I 
need right now.  Gold polisher.  AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

	This guy sure has gentle hands.  Wait a minute.  This is high 
quality polisher.  I'm only 1/2 karat gold.  I know 12 karat gold 
that doesn't get this kind of treatment.  I haven't felt this clean 
since I was first carved in England.  That would be about 50 
something odd years ago.

	Oh look, wrapping paper.... WRAPPING PAPER???  (Sigh!) Just my luck. 
 This guy is taking such good care of me because I'm a present.  I 
wonder who I'm for.  Here it comes.  Oh good, he's just wrapping it 
around my body and putting a bow on top.  I do NOT want to be 
subjugated to darkness until whenever I'm opened.

	Here we go.  Now either I'm for an anniversary, a birthday, or..... 
yep.  I thought so.  I can see now that we're outside.  The bright 
lights, the decorations, the sound of carolers singing songs in the 
air and the small trickle of snow that's falling from the sky.  I'm 
someone's Christmas present.  Now that we're at his car, he's looking 
at the traffic and frowning.  He's looking at me.

	"Well little fella.  Looks like we'll have to go the quick way."

	"Quick way"?  What does he mean by that?  We're back on the stairs 
again.  Why are we on the roof?  Why is he taking out a rose?  What's 
going on???  What's this flash of light?  Who's playing the castanets?
  Oh, it's over.

	YOW!  He's leaping from roof to roof.  I'm tucked inside his belt.  
>From here I can feel his muscles tensing and relaxing as he's in 
midair. His blood is rushing in his veins.  He likes this.  Oh, he's 
happy now.  Where are we going?

	No way he can make that jump.  It's too far, even for him.  AKKKKK!  
He jumped anyway.  We're going to fall!  I'm going to smash into a 
million pieces!  I..... We..... We're NOT falling?  We're flying.  
Only until we get to that roof top though.  Good, I can't stand being 
in the air.  Brings back some bad memories from my teen years.

	He's headed for... Oh my!  A temple, but I haven't been to ANY kind 
of religious ground since... since.. oh yes, since that woman in the 
USA used to carry me as her lucky charm and brought me everywhere.  
That would be about in the mid-sixties.  Not that I have much for any 
kind of confession.  Except for maybe eavesdropping, (which is easy 
for someone with ears like mine) and a few murderous thoughts I 
suppose.

	We're not going in?  We're sitting on the ledge over the door.  My 
friends reflection is shown in a patch of ice on the roof.  WHOA!  
Who is this guy?  A black tuxedo with a white mask and a black top 
hat.  The cape's a nice touch.  He's leaning over now.  I know this 
pose, he's eavesdropping on somebody.  I wonder who?  Well, if he can 
listen, I can listen too.

	"So, what did you get Mamoru for Christmas Usagi?"

	"(Giggle) Come on now Rei.  If I told you, you'd tell him and then 
it wouldn't be a surprise."

	I can feel him sigh and relax as he hears this voice.  Who ever that 
is he must love her very much.

	"Uh oh!  I gotta bogie or I'm gonna be late.  See ya later Rei."

	"Bye Usagi."

	He turns toward the entrance and blocks my view, so all I see is a 
slight flash of blond hair disappear in the curtain of snow.  I can 
almost feel the happiness radiating off of him. (SIGH!) I simply 
adore young love.

	That's it?  We're off again?  I guess he just needed to hear her 
voice.  What's going on down there?  A man's getting mugged!  Hey!  
My friend just threw a rose at one of the muggers.  Oh, that was no 
ordinary rose from the way the punk is holding his arm.  I see now, 
this guy's some kind of super hero.  There are those castanets again. 
 WHOA!  OOOOFFF!  I'm on the ground.  Man is he good.  There go the 
punks.... and the victim, in total terror.  My caped companion 
doesn't even get a "thank you".  Poor guy.

	There I go, forgetting my place.  I am just a trinket after all and 
here I go getting all attached.  Uh oh!  He dropped me.  What if he 
doesn't see me?

	He saw. (Phew!)

	Now we're headed for a school.  A high school I think, the sign's 
all covered with snow.  Now either we are going to eavesdrop again or.
... nope in we go through the door.  Another flash of light?  Wha.... 
oh.  He's the way he looked before.  I'm in his hands now.  Is the 
person I'm for in here?

	OOOOOOOOOOO!  The people who are decorating the auditorium are doing 
a good job.  Who are those three ladies that're headed over here?  
Strangest bunch I ever saw.  One is petite (almost mousey), and is 
that blue hair natural?  The next one is HUGE, she's gotta be 6'8 
easy.  'Course I'm hardly a fair judge of height with my stature.  
The third seems to be the token normal girl.  Hey, she's got blond 
hair.  This guys girlfriend (at least I think it's his girlfriend) 
has blond hair.   Could this be her?

	The tall one, "Hey Mamoru, what've you got there?"

	My friend, "A Christmas gift for Usagi."

	The blond, "Oh it's so cute.  I'm sure she'll love it."

	Nope not her.  Rats.

	The blue head, "Thanks for voulentering to help with the Christmas 
Dance."

	My friend, "No problem.  Let's get to work."

	I'm in a chair.  It's okay though, it's a nice chair.  I guess there 
is nothing else for me to do except just wait.

	Dum, dee, dum, deee, deeee, dum, dee, dum, dee, deeeee..... Oh, time 
to go?  Wow!  I must have really zoned out.  The auditorium looks 
even more beautiful now.  All those colored lights, the paper mache 
trees and snow flakes.  Just beautiful.  Back in the belt I go.  It's 
night out now.  He's looking around.

	Yep.  There's that rose again.  Flash of light.  Those darn 
castanets.  Here we go.  Up on the rooftops, quick, quick, quick..... 
oops.  I'm getting carried away. (Both literally and figuratively.) 
Oh look a house.  Nice little place.  Are we going in?

	We're going in all right.... in fact we're BREAKING in.  Well, all 
he's done is just open the window to the living room.  He didn't 
break anything really.  Still I wonder what he's doing.  He makes not 
a sound but gets right to it.  He finds a spot under the modest 
Christmas tree and says,


	"That should do it."

	He's got another rose in his hand.  I didn't see where he got it 
from.  Now he's placing it under the bow at the top of the wrapping.  
What's that in his hand now?  Oh no.  The card.  I think I know just 
where he's going to put it.  Yep, he did. (Sigh!) Right on my face.  
I'm on the carpet.  Probably under the tree in the place he picked.  
There go his footsteps.  There's the window closing.

	Hmmmm... the name is probably on the other side but I can still read 
the rest of the note.  It says, (Ahem!) "A rabbit for the Rabbit who 
stole the carrot of my heart.  Love, Your Personal Santa."  Yeesh!  
How corny can you get?!?

	Huh?  Wha?  What's that?  I distinctly heard a THUMP on the ground.  
Hey.  Who's moving my card? (Not that I'm complaining or anything)  
AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!  It's a CAT!  I hope she doesn't chew 
on my ears. (or any other part of me for that matter) The black cat 
with the funny mark on its head actually says.....

	"I can guess where you came from little fellow."

	A talking cat?  I've been in the antique shop too long, I missed 
something.  Oh no.  Don't put the card back down.  Rats.  Oh well, 
back to waiting......

	Morning already?  My how time flies.  I can tell from the excited 
squeals.  Whoa!  Going up.  H-H-hey!  S-s-s-sto-o-o-p s-sh-shaking m-
m-e!

	"Hey," a mans voice, "does anybody know where this came from?"

	"I have no idea honey," an older womans voice.

	Now a slightly familiar girls voice, "OOOOOOOO!  It's for me!"

	YOW!  She must have snatched me from the guys hands.  That's the 
only explanation I have for THAT ride.  There goes the card.  So 
that's who I'm for.  Cute girl.  Weird hairdo though, but she does 
wear those buns and ponytails well.  Yep.  She's a blond.  She's not 
looking at me yet, she's still reading that card with the sappy 
message.  Now she finally looks at me.  Oh wait, she's looking at 
that rose.  The indignity, upstaged by a lousy carnation.

	NOW she sees me.  AHHHH!  Look at those sparkles in her eyes and are 
those actually.. yep.  Tears of joy.  I'm over 50 pushing 60 and I've 
still got it.

	The others can't take it anymore, "WHAT IS IT?" they all shout.

	"It's- It's- it's beautiful."

	She's unwrapping me very slowly with trembling hands.  The family 
crowds around to get a good look.  At last, the unveiling.

	"Wow!"

	"That's pretty."

	"It's adorable."

	The father again, "How'd it get here?"

	My new owner, "I guess it's one of those Christmas miracles."

	Sure.  If miracles wear tuxedos.  Where are we going?  Up the stairs.
... into her room.  I haven't been in a womans room in ages.  Onto a 
pink dresser.  Nice and clean, no dust.  FLOP!  She's on her bed.  I 
think she's going to be starring at me for a while.

	"USAGI."

	"Yes mom?"

	"Your friends are here."

	"Send'em up."

	"All of them?"

	"Yeah.  Of course."

	That sounds like the father.  He seems to be talking to someone.  I 
know that tone.  He's giving somebody a warning.  THUMP.  THUMP.  
THUMP.  Here they come.  There they are.  Oh, it's the girls from the 
school, and the guy who bought me.

	"Hey guys.  Look what I got for Christmas."  She talking about me. 
(Grin.)

	"It's sooooo cute." I didn't know so many people could speak at the 
same time with such perfection.

	"Who's it from?" a girl I haven't seen before but I think I 
recognize her voice from the temple.

	"The card just says," now she's smirking at the guy, "'Your Personal 
Santa.'"

	The tall one, "OOOOOOOOO.  Cryptic."

	Now my new owner's looking at the guy, "Mamo-chan and I have to talk 
for a little bit.  Could you step outside?  NO eavesdropping."

	The other girls leave.

	"So," the guy," how do you like your gift Usako?"

	"I love it, and I love you.  Thanks."

	OOOOOOOOOOO.  What a kiss!  You know sometimes I wonder why I've 
stuck around for so long, why I haven't just let the parts of me that 
are gold tarnish and fall to pieces.  Then I see something like this. 
 Something I know I played (however small) a part in, and then I know 
why.
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	Usagi separated from the kiss and saw something odd over Mamorus 
shoulder.  It was probably a trick of the light, but still the way 
the light reflected off the little gold rabbits blue sapphire eyes....


	"Mamo-chan?"

	"Yes Usako?"

	"..... Never mind, it's nothing."

	"What is it?"

	"Well, that rabbit you got me......"

	"Is something wrong with it?"

	"No.  I love it.  It's just that... I could have sworn that it just 
winked at me."


THE
END
and if it's that time of the year.....
MERRY
CHRISTMAS

May The Spirit Preserve You!