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The Mailbox–Story 3 of 31

By Ta’kom Ironhoof

David, a pudgy and old white rabbit, frantically drove down the street, pushing his mail carrier truck to its absolute limit. The pedal was smashed to the floor, David’s foot pressing hard, as if that would make the rickety vehicle speed over 40 miles per hour.

“I’m late. I can’t be late!” David muttered to himself.

Across his dedicated but not very illustrious 42 year career as a mail carrier, the white rabbit had never once been late, taken a sick day, or any vacation days, instead opting to cash them in at the end of the year for a nice little bonus during the holidays.

During that time, he could only remember once ever being slightly off schedule, when a police investigation closed a road near Snake Hill along his route back in the ‘70s. This was easily corrected, though. He just turned down a back alley and caught a left on to the next road over. Simple and easy.

Today’s delay was also on the road leading around Snake Hill.

Though he’d had no mail to drop off for whom ever lived in the house at the top of Snake Hill, today, the flag on the mailbox next to the road was lifted, signaling that David needed to stop and pick up whatever was inside. Typical fare for a mail carrier. Nothing out of the ordinary. That was until the old rabbit stuck his paw inside.

To David’s credit, he still wasn’t sure what actually happened. Besides waking up flat on his back, staring at the partly cloudy blue sky and his left paw throbbing with pain, two things were obvious to him; three hours had passed by and he was very late.

His heart pounded in his chest, adrenaline coursed heavy in his veins, and he was drenched in his own sweat. His mind raced with what he would tell his boss, a no nonsense bull with a quick temper. They’d always been on good terms, but the last thing David wanted was to get on his bad side, especially so close to his retirement. He’d finally be able to just…rest.

“Oh…this is awful. I gotta hurry.”

The David felt a shot of pain through his arm; an electric shock from his left hand up to the shoulder. The rabbit jerked the vehicle hard to the left as he grimaced, while his right hand pulled him back to the right, barely missing an on-coming vehicle.

“Something is seriously wrong with me! Just breath. You’ll be fine,” David thought to himself, attempting to calm his nerves. “The post office is just up ahead. Just park, go in, and explain what happened.”

David pulled into the parking lot much faster than he should have, almost tipping the vehicle over. It was almost comical, such a small vehicle twisting into a parking lot on two wheels. Though he was still panicked, David slowed as he pulled around to the back side of the building to park in his designated spot next to the bay doors and employee entrance.

As the vehicle stopped, David uncharacteristically stopped and took a few slow breaths. He had made it back to the post office. There were still undelivered parcels in his truck, but David justified to himself that Samuel would be understanding. This was an emergency and after all his years of faithful, unwavering service, the least they could do was give him a small amount of leeway.

The rabbit unbuckled his seat belt, leaned over to grab his carrier bag, and step out to go inside. Just as he did, another twinge of pain shot from his hand, this time ending down through his left hip. It nearly caused him to collapse just as he stepped out of the truck. However, David managed to stay on his feet, stumbling over to the grass behind his truck.

“Damn it!” he shouted. “I’ve…got to get inside.”

When David began to stand up, he noticed something odd about his left foot. There was a numbness to it. Almost as if it wasn’t his foot, but he could still feel a slight amount of pressure in his knee. His body wobbled, trying hard to steady himself. He reached an arm out toward his truck, ready to catch himself should he fall again.

“Maybe I just need to slow down. I’m not the spry buck rabbit I used to be.”

David chuckled to himself. As panicked as he currently was, maybe laughing at himself a little would help easy his tensions. He closed his eyes and again, took several slow, deep breaths, fighting his urge to continue panicking.

“Come on, old fella, just gotta make it inside.”

However, upon opening his eyes, something was off.

“When did they put a tree here?” David said aloud. “I suppose this side of the building could use some shade.”

As the rabbit began to turn to make his way into the building, he realized he could no longer pick up his left foot. Looking down, it was firmly rooted into the ground.

“What the hell?!”

David then tried to reach down, but though he tried, his body simply would not bend. It was only at that moment that he understood that the branch he had seen earlier was not from a new tree. The small branch was his arm. And though David tried to scream, desperately begging for someone, anyone, to help him, he was unable to do anything.

Samuel arrived at the post office at the same time he did every day: 4am. The post office had a duty to deliver the mail on time and that could only be accomplished by starting every day as early as possible to sort the incoming deliveries and making sure the carriers got out the door quickly.

Though he was old, he had to commend David. That old rabbit was well past the age of retirement but, like clockwork, he was there before everyone else and out the door just as quickly. Samuel was going to miss David. Couldn’t be too much longer before the old rabbit threw in the towel.

Samuel pulled around the side of the building, the fog of the morning still hanging low against the grass. It was a sight that he was familiar with, but the bull knew something was off about this morning. David’s mail truck was still in its assigned spot. By now, he was usually already out and about.

Then the old bull noticed another curiosity.

“Who the hell planted a tree? It’s way too close to the curb. I’ll have to have that removed.” Samuel grunted out his thoughts, curiosity and confusion coloring his every word.