Chapter Text
Annabel Lee has had quite a long day. From yet another young man turned down, to listening to her father ramble on about his ships. She longed for peace, so that’s what she searched for in the cloudy midday. As she navigated the winding halls of the manor she resided in, she settled for the garden.
The garden was a wonder in itself. Clean-cut brush framed the inside greenery, making it look like a painting of the Renaissance. Red rose bushes sat along the inside of the brush, then deep maroon carnations. A stone path led to the center, which sat the topper of this whole arrangement; a scarlet oak, with a stone bench right under its shade. Annabel took a seat there, settling in with a cleansing sigh.
She’d stolen away a book when she was sneaking around. She hadn’t really looked at what it was, being in such a hurry. But when she pulled it out as she sat on the cool stone, she got the chance to examine it further. It was a fairytale. With a hum, she decided that it would do for now. She smoothed out her light blue dress and sat the book on her lap. Annabel opened it and began to dive into the waves of whimsical literature that awaited her.
Time passed on like a blur, blending much too quickly. Or did it pass by like molasses, oozing on in a slow, long trail, taking its time to reach its destination? The only sounds in the garden were the rustling of the leaves in the wind and the scrape of paper on paper as Annabel’s gloved fingers flipped through the pages of the tale. Other than that, everything was still and quiet, like a watercolor picture. Annabel’s mind rarely wandered, too focused on the story that had captivated her. She must’ve been desperately wanting to get lost in the words, she even found herself reading between the lines, wanting to make sense of this tale.
Annabel wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but she was sure that she heard some rustling in the bushes after a small while. Now distracted by this new issue, she closed the book with a sigh. She stood up and fastened her lace gloves, a touch irritated that she might have to get them dirty. Lifting her dress and trudging through the soft grass of the garden, she moved closer to the noise. Just as she was about to reach a hand through the bush, something emerged, completely startling her.
She let out an indignant squeak as a figure rushed out of the greenery, clearly distressed. They spoke, worry painfully present in their voice.
“Oh no, oh no!! I’m going to be late!” he cried. The voice was undoubtedly masculine, as whiny as it was.
Annabel was about to say something, to demand who he was and what the bloody hell he was doing in her garden until she stopped abruptly. As she got a closer look at him, she was stunned.
It was a man, but a man in the way of shape, not species. You see, he certainly looked like a man, yes, with square shoulders, short sandy hair, masculine build. His gray eyes bugged as he looked at a stopwatch which he grasped firmly. He wore a plaid red and beige suit, with deep red pants. Proper dress, just like how a man would wear. But here was the catch. At the shoulder seams of his jacket, white tufts of fur poked out. A small cottontail peeked through the fabric of his pants. And the most striking detail of them all; where his ears should be, were ears, but not of a human’s. They were large and white and fluffed, resembling a rabbit’s.
This man-thing paced her lawn, muttering and whining to himself about being late. Annabel blinked a few times, processing this sight before her. Then, deciding to do something about it, she cleared her throat.
“Hello, uh, sir. Might I ask what you’re doing in my garden?” she queried. His head immediately snapped in her direction. His expression was still stressed, but it also carried a look of sheepishness.
“Miss! I am so sorry, your garden is a perfect detour. But still, I’m going to be late!” he cried, running a hand through his hair.
“Late for what? Who are you exactly- hey! Wait!” She called out to the rabbit man as he suddenly rushed off, running to another bush and diving into it. Annabel’s eyes widened in disbelief, shaking her head from side to side. She took a moment of pause and then followed in the direction in which he ran off. She bent down, looking into the bush. She used her hands to push away the bushes and branches, curious as to where he went.
The sight that met her eyes was an odd one. It was a human-sized rabbit hole. Annabel tilted her head at this, noticing that this day had gotten stranger and stranger more quickly than she would’ve liked it to. Has that always been there? How did he dive so flawlessly into it? Questions swam in her mind, leaving her more confused than satisfied. She kept peering into the hole, wondering how deep it went.
She sat there for a while, contemplating whether or not to jump down. Her thoughts seemed to debate with one another, struggling to reach a decision.
He seemed fairly confident in his dive. Perhaps going down there won’t be so bad…
Are you mad?! You have no idea how deep that hole is! And you’ll filthy your dress. Leave it be.
But this could be an escape. Something to get my mind away from my usual life. This is different. New.
Annabel kept on peering, feeling more and more enticed to go down that hole. She eventually shook her head, standing up and moving away from the hole. She sat down on her bench once more, picking up the book and beginning to read again.
It was only a few minutes when she decided that she couldn’t focus. Her gaze kept flicking back to that odd hole. She let out a groan, frustrated with herself, and snapped a book shut. She crossed her arms, glaring at the gaping space in her garden. She started speaking to herself out loud.
“It’s probably not that interesting, anyway. It’ll probably lead to his home. There’s nothing interesting or inviting about that hole. Nothing at all. In fact! It would be in my best interest to report this hole to one of the maids or butlers to have it patched up and fixed.
But… I am intrigued. Perhaps, there is something interesting about this hole. Perhaps I am meant to follow this strange rabbit man and embark on an adventure. Perhaps this is just what I need to distract myself.” She let out a sigh after a short pause.
“Listen to me, rambling to myself out loud. I must be going mad.” Annabel stood up, walking over to the hole. With one final examination, she declared a single statement.
“If it is down I want to go, then down I shall go.”
And with that, she hopped down the opening and immediately fell. She let out a small yelp, not expecting the fall to be longer than a second. But she kept falling. And falling. And falling, and falling, and falling.
So down,
And down,
And down,
And down
she
went.