Three Easter Stories Six Parts Each

by Robert Silva

1. Beneath a wooden bridge, a bunny rabbit breathes heavily. A rainbow trout swims down the stream that runs beneath the bridge. The two animals greet each other. They talk about the weather, etc. The fish heads downstream, caudal fin flapping in the cool, reflective water.

2. On artificially bright grass, the bunny encounters two children: a boy and a girl, sitting on a blanket, having a picnic. They invite the bunny over and take turns petting him.

3. The bunny scampers into a dark garden where a row of carrots are planted. Nibbling on one, he watches an errant Venus’ flytrap trap a fly.

4. The bunny encounters a female of the species; they fornicate.

5. Under the bridge again, the bunny spots the trout fighting upstream, hooked in a gill, one eye missing. The trout speaks, but it sounds like gargling to the bunny. The trout tries to tell the rabbit to go back to the garden. The trout is reeled in.

6. The bunny returns to the garden. The female rabbit he had fornicated with lies there, a big chunk of her belly missing. Flies swarm around, laying eggs for maggots.

1. Jackson, a middle-aged single father, robs a bank. The police track him to his house, and, in the ensuing shoot-out, kill all his children.

2. He eludes the police. In a decrepit motel room, he counts the loot. On TV, there’s a montage of his children’s faces and an inaccurate synopsis of his crime. A bucket of ice liquidates on the night stand while he sleeps.

3. He pursues the good life on a beach in Turks & Caicos. He hangs around beach bars, talking with tourists; he goes to dance clubs and attempts to lure women. He meets two high school girls on their senior trip. They are receptive to his advances, and one eventually kisses him and gropes his penis.

4. He goes to visit an acquaintance on the other side of the island. He drives through lush landscapes and listens to foreign-sung music on a CD. He arrives at a mansion surrounded by foggy hills. He is received by a housekeeper who does not speak English. He is directed to a large room to wait. He can see the ocean through open French doors; he waits a long time, then leaves.

5. He has sex in a tourist’s dim, curtained hotel room.

6. Walking the beach at night, he hears a woman flailing in the ocean, shouting for help. He would like to rescue her, but he can’t swim. He fears she will drown while he runs to get help. He shouts her some comforting words.

1. Sean goes to see a movie with his friends. Afterwards, on the sidewalk, one of his friends, to everyone’s amazement, picks up a girl.

2. Sean goes to work and jokes with his boss. He deals with a customer.

3. Sean talks with his girlfriend in the kitchen of her apartment. She thinks they should go on a vacation somewhere, sometime. Perhaps Hawaii.

4. Sean’s girlfriend ponders getting a tattoo.

5. They go to a Flaming Lips concert. They wait in line to enter. Once inside, they drink beer out of plastic cups and talk in silhouette. They leave before the end. In the parking lot, sheltered by a tour bus, Sean proposes.

6. Sean sits on the side of the bed, his penis in her mouth.

Robert Silva lives in San Francisco. This is his first story in print. E-mail: silvarobert@gmail.com