The Adventures of Sunny and Pat, Part I, Beginnings

Sunny
Once upon a time, there lived a girl with thick red hair and chubby cheeks. Her mom and pop took her up to visit family in Pennsylvania one summer. They stayed in a cottage where spiders creeped through every crack and bees passed through on business. They picked blackberries. They played with firecrackers. The little girl harassed the dog.

One day, after an episode of inner tubing down the river, the girl's parents took her to the small town doctor. She had an ear infection. They went to a tiny pharmacy to pick up her medicine. The girl's parents promised her one stuffed animal to get her through such tough times. To tell you the truth, it wasn't an easy decision to make. Some stuffed were terribly cuddly. Others were awfully small and fuzzy. But, one stuffed animal jumped right off the shelf into the young girl's arms. It was a rabbit, of course, with white fur and a yellow clown suit. The child shrugged and said, "I guess I'll have this one, but I'd much rather have one whose clothes I can take off." (For those of you in shock, never fear. It is extremely important for a young girl to be able to dress and undress her dolls and toys. Top criteria.)

Anyway, the girl took the animal into her world. She didn't much like it, at first, because she couldn't dress it. She gave the rabbit a crib, plastic fruit, and a bottle to make up for the pre-attached clothes. She named it "Bunny." Yet, her mother suggested that she pick another name. She already had "Bunny" back home. So, she named it "Sunny."

Stubborn Sunny. She didn't like the crib at all. Every night, she crawled into bed with Ele--I mean the little girl. She still does to this day.

Pat
Have you ever read "Pat the Bunny"? Well, one day not too long ago, I'm telling you that rabbit jumped right out of the book into the young girl's arms. He sits around all day flippin his ears. The girl's father calls him "Pat;" it seems as if the girl's father names every one of her stuffed animals--Sunny being the exception, of course.