Philip's Fear

There was a group of happy children playing outside the other day. They were enjoying the sunshine, trying out new bikes and running from bunnies.

Well, at least Philip was. And he actually didn't run.

The animals in the backyard are the children's pride and joy. Tom the dog, Goat the... goat, and our two fluffy bunnies who have probably been named multiple times by multiple children. We understand why some of the children would be afraid of Tom, he can be pretty overwhelming when he really wants to play with you. The goat doesn't come out that often, and even if he did, we doubt that his gentleness would frighten the kids. The bunnies, though, we're sure that none of the kids are afraid of them. At least we were.

The brown bunny was brought out to pet first. Philip and Joel were sitting together when Joel started petting the bunny. Philip hesitantly reached out his hand for a quick touch. He jerked it back quickly after brushing the fur for a second. "That's enough. I don't want him anymore. I'm scared." he said. The bunny went back to Joel who continued to stroke its silky back.

Philip perked up after a bit. "Where's the black one? I want to pet the black one, not the brown one. "  The black rabbit was brought out, but upon being set face to face with him, Philip decided again that he wasn't up to it. He was scared and the rabbit needed to go home.

We thought that the scene was funny, especially considering the way Philip talked about sharks a few months ago.