Easter Short Story
By: Danny Scerbo
Pain. Torture. Suffering. Greg listened to the screeches and yelps of his ten little cousins, Ted, Ed, Red, Ned, Fred, Jed, Zed, Led, Ked, and Alfred with glum. “Kill me,” he whispered to himself.
“What was that, honey?” his mother questioned smiling at the children galloping around the large, furry animal sitting in the white woven chair rapped in bright yellow blossoms. She glanced at Greg, “Isn’t this great?” She tried to cheer him up, but she is his mother, and she knows him best. By looking at Greg’s crimson expression, she didn’t know what to say but, “Look, I know you hate Easter…and… uh... Could you just suck it up for today?” through the teeth of her smile. She looked out at the action happening in front of her. “Just take the picture.”
Greg frowned. His mother’s thoughts only made spend quality time with his family less enjoyable. He is the oldest in the family, and he doesn’t understand why he still has to participate in Easter celebrations. Greg tenses up and squints ahead as sweat started extracting from his forehead. It was the feeling he got when he knows just when he has to do something. He walked toward his cousins who were calling him and frolicking around him in circles of glee. Kill me, he thought.
The kids gathered around the Easter Bunny and got ready for the picture. Greg stood stone-faced two steps away from the woven chair. The flash came unexpectedly early, causing him to wince backward. The least he could do was take a decent picture, but Greg can’t even do that.
After the picture, he was lost in the crowd of children. He wobbled around in confusion and everything was blurry when Greg hearing the constant shrieks and wails of his cousins. Greg’s mind started to spin. Round and round and round… Boom!
Everything felt grubby and dusty. Greg could only hear the faint whisper of his breathing as if it were from a distance. He felt as if he were laying on a hard surface; his arms felt numb. Sluggishly he rose only to find that he felt stuffy. He was in some sort of dressing room with a mirror accompanied with dazzling light fixtures above it. His sight was blurred, but he could still make out the room with several outfits laid across the dresser. He went to the mirror only to find that he was no longer himself!
“Ah!” he wailed staring at the odd figure in front of him. “What the...” his voice trailed off. He gently stroked his cheek which was no longer smooth. He tapped his lips which were fixed into a smile. He patted his ears which were strangely elongated and hanging at the sides. Could it be? Greg pondered. Is this real? He had never had a pink nose or a tail before. “Could I really be the... Easter Bunny?!” Greg screamed. Standing in front of his unrecognizable self made Greg fret, but the sound of an other's voice made him come to his senses.
“Yep,” a man who was unshaven and wearing a Metalica shirt interjected while walking through the door to the room. He grabbed car keys from the shelf and started to gather his things.
Greg did not recognize this man, “Who are you?” Greg stepped toward him watching him pack his belongings.
“The Easter Bunny,” he chuckled not giving the time to look up. He had some what of a Brooklyn accent.
“What do you...”
“I was the Easter Bunny, but now you are. I quit,” the man smiled at Greg, but it wasn’t a real smile.
“But how did... What happen to...”
“You passed out, kid. So I was rushed out with the security guards. I felt it was a good time to walk out of my job, ya know? At least I’ll be still getting my paychecks. For now,” he stood up straight with his bags looking like he was about to leave abruptly.
“But what about...”
“Listen, kid,” the man came up close to Greg, “nobody's to find out about this, ya hear? I could loose my job. Or worse, my reputation! Look, I ain’t got time for you messin’ around, ya hear? So you get out there and do great!” He walked out the door leaving Greg dumbfounded in an empty room in an Easter Bunny costume. Great.
Greg sat down on the floor worrying what everyone will think of him fainting and his sudden disappearance. What will he do now that if he doesn’t pretend to be the Easter Bunny, then nobody will? There’s nothing he can do without people becoming suspicious, especially his mother. Suddenly, two security men barged into the room. “C’mon, you got a show to put on, Easter Bunny! Them lifted him up with his arms. “You sure got a lot scrawnier.”
Greg could hear the screams from the children at the sight of him entering through the door. The security guards plopped him on the white woven chair and walked away just when Greg was going to take his first picture with two kids. Then, Greg saw something. It was the man in the dressing room rummaging through the crowds of children trying to get outside to his car. He was holding his bags and car keys that he was packing just before. The man looked to his right and spotted Greg in the Easter Bunny costume glancing at him. The man walked faster. Flash! Greg’s first picture was taken of him standing in front of the two kids looking at the man in the crowd of children. The photographer looked puzzled and suggested a retake, but Greg was already across the room trying to step over the dozens of kids in order to reach the man from the dressing room.
“Greg, where are you honey?” His mother call out. He still ran for the man. Now all he could hear were the children’s feet dashing after him. When finally reached the guy, he tackled him and punched his face repeatedly.
“Help!” the man called out. He looked into the chaos surrounding him. He then kicked Greg and toppled over him ripping the head of his costume off. The crowd of kids gasped and cried suddenly. “Ha!” the man shrieked.
“Greg?” Greg’s mother came to him. “Oh, Greg,” she sighed in distraught.
The security guards pushed through the crowds trying to get to the crime scene. Greg sat up. They took Greg by his wrists and dragged him through the mob. “Wait!” Greg’s mother shouted at the guards. “Don’t take him away!”
“I’m afraid you do not have a say in this ma’am,” one of them said looking back.
“Please. He’s a good boy, trust me,” she begged wiping her eyes of tears.
“It really does not matter. He committed assault,” he replied turning away.
“I am his mother. And take it from me, what ever happened was not his fault.”
“I’m afraid you do not have any proof what so ever.”
“Actually,” Greg interjected, “this man put me in this suit.” Greg pointed to the guy from the dressing room as the mob gasped. “He is the real Easter Bunny!” Greg announced as chatter started to crescendo among the crowd.
“I’m really proud of you, Greg,” Greg’s mother said to Greg.
“Really? So I’m not grounded?” Greg pointed out.
“No, don’t get me wrong, you’re punished for a long time, but you did a great job this Easter. Better than ever before.”