On the mountain, most animals went up.
The birds flew up.
The goats climbed up.
Even the little beetles crawled upward when they could.
But a rabbit named Rue went the other way.
Down.
Rue was afraid of heights.
Very afraid.
Even the medium-sized rocks made her feel wobbly inside.
So instead of going up like everyone else, Rue dug. 🐇
🏔️ Deeper and Deeper
She dug through the dark, cool soil.
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
Deeper.
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
Deeper still.
Until she dug through a wall and fell — just a small tumble — into a cave she had never seen before.
She sat up and looked around.
Oh.
It was enormous.
Tiny glowing crystals on the ceiling, like stars but underground.
A underground stream, whispering through the dark.
Mushrooms the size of umbrellas, soft and silver.
“Oh,” said Rue again. Because oh was all there was to say.
🌟 A Whole Other World
Rue explored.
She found a colony of friendly beetles with lantern shells who lit the way.
She found a tiny waterfall that sounded like a lullaby.
She found a warm dry corner that felt made exactly for rabbits.
Nobody had ever been here before.
Because nobody had ever dug down far enough.
Because everyone was always in such a hurry to go up.
💛 Amelia Goes Underground
Amelia had been on the mountain path when a small brown rabbit appeared and looked at them very seriously.
And then disappeared back down a hole.
And poked her head back out.
And disappeared again.
“I think she wants me to follow,” said Amelia.
So Amelia got down on hands and knees and looked into the dark tunnel.
A glow of crystal light flickered at the far end.
It looked like the most wonderful thing in the world.
“Going up isn’t the only adventure,” Amelia said.
And climbed in. 🐇