We Love You, Bunny

The narrative returns to extended flashbacks. After Aerius escapes on Halloween night, the Bunnies are heartbroken and also worried about his compulsion to murder Allan. However, the next day, with no way to reclaim Aerius, they decide to take another rabbit back to the attic and try to turn it into a man.

They are able to do so successfully, and over the month of November, the Bunnies repeatedly turn rabbits into handsome men. These new creations (which they refer to as “hybrids”) are much more pleasant and agreeable than Aerius: They frequently pay compliments to the Bunnies and never express dissatisfaction with their lives. However, the Bunnies do not feel the same about these hybrids as they did about Aerius, and they are also disappointed and frustrated that these new creations are not able to have sex with them.

One night in late November, the Bunnies take their four hybrids on a date at a fancy restaurant (this is the same restaurant where the Poets are having dinner with Leonard Coel). They are disappointed with the date, and when they get home, they decide they must destroy the Hybrids. Kyra begins executing the hybrids one by one, but the final hybrid, Fyorg, behaves strangely. He begs Kyra not to kill him and references Aerius.

The Bunnies cannot fathom how Fyorg knows about Aerius. They ask him if he knows where Aerius is and follow him out into the night. Fyorg leads them to a park near the restaurant, and the Bunnies can smell and sense the presence of Aerius close by.

From there, Fyorg leads them to Ursula’s house. The Bunnies are very confused as to why Fyorg has led them there, and why he claims Aerius is inside. Ursula comes to the door and seems confused by the sight of her bloodied and distraught students. She invites them to come inside and tell her what is going on.

The Bunnies tell Ursula the whole story of how they created Aerius. They also allude to how none of their subsequent creations were satisfying. They explain that they want Aerius back and admit that he might be dangerous.

After listening to the story, Ursula begins to critique it as though it were a piece of fiction, leaving the Bunnies confused. She sends them away, vaguely alluding to a new project she has just begun and which will need her full attention. Confused and disappointed, the Bunnies leave.

The last few weeks of the term pass in a daze. At the Christmas party, Allan makes strange, cryptic comments to the Bunnies, leaving them angry with him. They continue to feel disdain toward Samantha for what they perceive as her closeness with Allan.

The Bunnies depart from the college campus and return to their respective homes for Christmas break. They are all haunted by sadness and regret during this time.

In January, the Bunnies return to campus. After time away, their attic space seems less impressive, and they are disgusted by the hybrids that they have created (which continue to live in the basement). They are eager for classes to resume, since Ursula will now be leading their workshop.

On the first day of class, the Bunnies are disappointed by the lack of guidance and inspiration that Ursula offers to them. Ursula is strangely aloof and seems preoccupied with her own work; she explains that she will be showcasing her new work at the end of the term.

January, February, and March pass; the Bunnies continue to pine for Aerius but feel more disconnected from the events of the fall. They also find themselves unable to catch any more wild rabbits to use in their creation of hybrids. Eventually, the Bunnies resort to purchasing domesticated rabbits from a pet shop, but they are unhappy with the hybrids that result from these experiments and immediately kill them.

They continue to be very unhappy with Ursula’s classes and notice that Samantha stops attending entirely. Their disappointment with Ursula’s teaching and their grief over losing Aerius converge to make the Bunnies very unhappy, leaving them to ponder how “we couldn’t mend our hearts” (365).

After the last class of the semester, the Bunnies are moping in the rose garden on a beautiful spring day. They see Ursula furtively picking some dandelions (Aerius’s favorite food), and they suddenly become suspicious of the strange behavior Ursula has been exhibiting all semester. They follow Ursula back to her house and see her enter the shed. Convinced that Aerius is inside, the Bunnies break into the shed. Inside, they confront Ursula, demanding to know where Aerius is.

Ursula rebukes the Bunnies for their accusations. She tells them she will be showcasing her new project the next night and invites them to attend. Chastened, the Bunnies leave the cottage.

The Bunnies are confused: They could sense the presence of Aerius in the cottage, but they also still respect and trust Ursula enough to be persuaded by her denials. They lament to the Hybrids that they still cannot find Aerius and wonder if he will be at her showcase.

In the present-day timeline, the Bunnies cut off their narrative and explain that they will now return to Aerius’s point of view.