Real at Last

A boy loved his spotted cloth Bunny and called him Real, but the toy was still sewn in one piece and could not hop. His wise friend, the old toy Skin Horse, had taught him about becoming Real through love.

During summer, the boy made Bunny a little nest in the woodland bracken, then went to gather flowers and play. He wanted his companion to be comfortable while he explored.

Two wild rabbits came out of the bracken, with real fur and four legs that could hop and run. They changed shape easily as they moved.

They invited Bunny to play, but he stayed still because his cloth body could not move as theirs did. He had seen clockwork toys move, so he looked for a winding handle on the rabbits and could not find one.

The wild rabbits noticed that Bunny had no separate hind legs and laughed when he said he could jump. His rounded lower body was made as one sewn piece.

They said he was not a real rabbit, though Bunny knew the boy’s love had made him Real in another way. He wanted very much to dance and hop with them.