Part 3

The next morning Heatherperk and Radababa met up outside the Creativepeople Cafe. "My husband AMPerkins is spending the day with Hannah so it will just be us today." She explained as she noticed Rabadaba looking around for Hannah. "I thought we could go for a walk today and I could show you around some more." The two started down the path again and suddenly a road runner went zipping past them. 

"That's trackgirl," Heatherperk explained as the roadrunner travelled out of their range of vision. "She holds the planet record for running all the way around the planet in a single day without ever stopping to rest. She's highly motivated. When she finishes this lap around the planet, maybe we can meet up with her and you can meet her. I think you would really enjoy getting to know her, I know I have. She also holds a lot of contests. I noticed you seemed interested in entering contests when you arrived." 

"She sounds great," Rabadaba replied. "Yeah I'm excited for the contests. They sound so fun. I'm more excited to make some great new friends though. Everyone here seems so interesting. I'm not sure if I will fit in." "Don't be silly!" Heatherperk exclaimed. "Everyone here is going to love you! We all value the uniqueness that everyone brings to  our world. Everyone is important here!"

While they meandered down the path, they came up alongside what appeared to be a blue police box straight out of London back on earth. Curious Rabadaba asked, "how did that get here?" "Oh that," Heatherperk replied. "Tayloramzng lives there. I wonder if she's home. You'll love her! She's been here longer than most of us. She runs a daily poll section in the local newspaper known as the QOTD. Everyone loves it!"

 

As Heatherperk finished her sentence, a raccoon in an unusually long striped scarf popped out through the blue door. "Rabadaba!" She exclaimed. I just got back from the future and I knew you were coming to visit me. I hope you know that you're going to become quite famous around here. I know, I just saw it!" Rabadaba blushed in embarrassment as he shook the racoon's paw. He wondered if she was teasing him. How could such a simple little rabbit ever become as famous as she was telling him he would be? 

"I'm afraid I can't stay long," Tayloramzng explained. "I'm running late to publish today's QOTD poll but I would love to get to know you better later." Rabadaba nodded in agreement as they parted ways. He had a feeling he was really going to like Tayloramzng. She just seemed so genuine and kind. 

Heatherperk and Rabadaba continued down the path in silence for a little while before she continued "I'm afraid I won't be able to spend all day with you as I had planned because I had some errands come up that I have to do, but I thought I would introduce you to someone else that could help show you around. He's always so helpful and tells everyone new to come to him if they have any questions." As she talked, they came up to a tiger waiting for them beside the path. "This is Millerkirk1984." She explained. "He helped me out so much when I was new here so I thought maybe he could help show you around as well." 

Rabadaba was a bit nervous about being alone with such a fierce looking tiger but the minute the tiger spoke, Rabadaba instantly felt at ease. Millerkirk1984 said "hello Rabadaba! I'm so happy to meet you. Heatherperk told me she wasn't going to be able to finish the tour so I'm happy to help. Please let me know if you have any questions along the way. I will help you out in any way I can."

Heatherperk said her goodbyes and promised to see them again soon. Then she headed back up the path towards her home and left Rabadaba in the capable paws of Millerkirk1984. 

"Everyone is so helpful around here!" Rabadaba gushed. " thank you so much for continuing the tour for me, Millerkirk1984." As the sun rose higher in the sky, the pair set off down the path in search of new animals for Rabadaba to meet and new places for him to explore. It was still early in the day but Rabadaba had a feeling that it would be one of the best days of his life. 

Part 2

As Rabadaba finished writing his story for the contest, he heard a muffled knock on the hut door. When he opened the door to see who it was, a small bear cub came tumbling through the door followed by her mother. "You're Heatherperk and Hannah right?" Rabadaba asked. 

"Yes we are." The mama bear replied as she tried to keep her cub from climbing up the bookcase. "I thought we would see if you were settled in yet and maybe show you around a bit. There are so many others here that are still dying to meet you."

"That sounds great!" Rabadaba responded. "Is there anywhere we can get something to drink? I've been so busy writing that I didn't even realize how parched my journey here made me." 

"I know just the place!" Heatherperk responded as they walked out the door together. They strolled down the path while Hannah toddled along in front of them, occasionally getting distracted by a flower or a passing ladybug. She was such a curious little cub, always exploring the world around her. 

After a short jaunt down the path, they arrived in front of the Creativepeople cafe, a quaint little cafe bustling with activity inside. "This is where everyone loves to hang out." Heatherperk explained as they walked through the door. Gesturing to a beautiful butterfly that was fluttering between the tables smiling and greeting all the patrons, she continued "that's Ladyisreal. She's the one who owns the cafe. Everyone around here just loves her. She's known for her artistic talent and her big heart. She would never hesitate to help any of us." 

Ladyisreal's smile was infectious and Rabadaba immediately could see why everyone loved hanging out in her cafe. He immediately felt accepted and glowed thinking about all the new friends he would soon have. He realized that he wasn't even feeling homesick at all. In fact, he already felt like this was his true home. 

As they sat down in a booth Ladyisreal brought them both a coffee along with a chocolate milk and coloring books for Hannah. "Welcome to the Creativepeople cafe. If you ever need anything just let me know. We're super busy right now, but I look forward to getting to know you much better, Rabadaba." Rabadaba blushed and thanked her for the coffee. Getting so much attention from such a beautiful butterfly had him feeling very shy. 

As Ladyisreal fluttered gracefully to the next table, Heatherperk waved to some of the other  patrons in the cafe. "There are so many great animals here today," she gushed to Rabadaba. "I want to tell you about all of them but I don't know where to begin."

In the corner of the cafe, water bubbled out of a rock fountain into a shimmering pool of water. A sleek silver fish bobbed up and down in the pool while he dabbed his fin in a palette of paint and swiped it across a canvas propped up next to the water. He was focusing so intensely and quietly on his painting that Rabadaba didn't even notice he was there until Heatherperk gestured to him. "Ladyisreal is so sweet that she put in the fountain just for him. VIA is one of the many incredible artists around here and she wanted to make sure he could be included too. He may seem kind of quiet and reserved at first but once you get to know him, he's one of the best friends you could ask for." 

Rabadaba watched VIA paint for a while. then turning to Heatherperk he asked,"do you know what he's painting?" "Oh I'm not sure yet." She replied, "I think he's starting a new set. His paintings span across several canvases so you never know what it is until he puts them all together and you can stand back to admire the masterpiece. That's one of the exciting things about watching him paint. You get to see the whole picture come together through several small parts at a time."

"Wow!" Rabadaba exclaimed, "I wish I could paint like that. I've never been very talented with a brush though. Maybe that's something else I can learn now that I'm here. I can't believe how much being on this planet has inspired me already." Heatherperk grinned "I know exactly what you mean. The animals here seem to have that affect on me as well."

A mother wolf and her two nearly grown Cubs walked by the table on their way out of the cafe. As they noticed the group at the table the stopped to quickly hug Heatherperk and Hannah while apologizing for not staying longer. They were in a hurry to get to a doctor's appointment but promised to visit later when they had the time. 

As the three exited the cafe, Heatherperk explained "that's Acrogodess and her kids AJ and Liv. She's one of my very best friends. Out of everyone here, I've known her the longest. She and her kids feel like family to me. She's been there for me for some of the happiest moments of my life as well as  some of the hardest moments of my life and I love her for that."

"Wow!" Rabadaba exclaimed, "I've never had a friend like that. Most of my friends back on earth were really more like acquaintances. I really feel like now that I'm here I might actually make some real friends. Everyone here seems amazing! I hope I get to know each and every one of them." 

As they finished their coffee, Hannah started rubbing her eyes and Heatherperk realized that it was getting dark outside. "I would love to keep showing you around but it's getting late and I need to get Hannah to bed. Do you want to meet here tomorrow and we can continue then?" They set up a time to meet in the morning and went their separate ways. 

Rabadaba headed back to his modest little hut giddy with excitement over all that had happened throughout the day and all the wonderful new animals he had met. As he laid down on his bed and started drifting to sleep, he couldn't help but wonder who he might meet the next day. 

Part 1

5...4...3...2...1 liftoff! Rabadaba cowered in fear as the shuttle he was in blasted off the earth and soared towards outer space. He had been selected to be the test subject for a shuttle to see if space was habitable for humans. He knew this was a one way trip and he was destined to float aimlessly through space for all eternity. "I will never see my friends and family again" he thought to himself as he settled down for a nap with a tear streaking down his cheek. 

While Rabadaba slept, his shuttle drifted towards a black hole until suddenly it was sucked in and disappeared without a trace. A sharp jolt awoke Rabadaba as his shuttle was spit out of the black hole millions of lightyears away. In his groggy haze he wondered "where am I?" And then suddenly he felt his shuttle plummeting as it caught in the gravitational field of a nearby planet and went crashing to the ground. 

Rabadaba hit his head on the control panel as his shuttle impacted and blacked out. When he woke up, a fox was standing over him asking "are you ok?" "Where am I?" Rabadaba mumbled, still a little shaken from his crash. "You crash landed on our planet, it's called Internet." The fox replied as he stepped back to reveal a whole group of animals standing around with looks of concern on their faces.

"We're a social planet, we encourage everyone to interact around here. In fact, that's how you earn rabs, our form of money.  Whenever you interact with others, you'll get a little something added to your bank account." the fox explained "here let me introduce you to a few of the other animals." The fox held out his hand and helped Rabadaba up, then he led him over to the group.

A mama bear was sitting nearby playing with her cub. "This is Heatherperk and her daughter Hannah. They love to help out in any way they can. Feel free to go visit them whenever you need someone to talk to or just need a laugh. Hannah loves showing off." As the fox introduced them Hannah giggled and stood on her head. 

Next to them, sat a beautiful lioness with a lei of flowers around her neck. "This is Alohapmarjoree. She may look fierce but she is really such a sweetheart. You'll see a lot of her around as she is very social and loves to help others out." As she was introduced Alohapmarjoree waved and smiled in a way that was so inviting that Rabadaba couldn't help but grin and wave back. 

A crow flew by with a camera dangling from around its neck. "That's Darkskylady. Don't be fooled by her dark exterior. She's really quite friendly. Plus, you've gotta check out her photography. She has a way of making something dark so beautiful." The fox held up one of the photographs that Darkskylady had taken and Rabadaba gasped in admiration. It really was a gorgeous photo.

"We've got a lot of great photographers around here." The fox continued as he gestured to a squirrel and a cat who were sitting off to the side sharing photographs with each other. "That's 2br02b and Stoyanovska. They're a couple other amazing photographers around here. They're always willing to help you out with some pointers if you need them." Rabadaba grinned. He had always wanted to try photography but never knew where to begin.

A wise owl wearing a mask sat hooting above them in a tree. "That's Q. He always seems to have the perfect quote to help you out in any situation. He's also extremely generous to those who help him out. He's a bit mysterious, but that's part of his charm. He has another secret identity but only a few know who he really is." Rabadaba peered up through the leaves at the owl vowing to one day discover his true identity. If there was one thing Rabadaba loved, it was a good challenge. 

A platypus went parasailing by. "That's Scunning2688 she's the adventurous one. She's always willing to share stories of her adventures if you want some excitement. Also if you develop a crush while you're here, let her know. She may just feature them in her talk show rabawinewednesday." Rabadaba blushed. He was already starting to develop some crushes on some of the other animals but he wasn't sure if he was ready to divulge that information yet.

A pink cat wandered by handing out flyers for a new contest. "That's Tickledpink. If you ever want to hold a contest and need help promoting it, she's your gal. She works hard to keep everyone in the loop about all that is going on around here. I'm amazed that she also has so much time to share beautiful pictures herself."

"Contests?" Rabadaba inquired. "Oh right." The fox replied. "Around here people love to hold contests. It's a way for everyone to have some fun and share their rabs with each other. There are some really fun unique contests going on right now. You should check them out once you get settled in." The fox handed him one of the Flyers that Tickledpink was handing out. "Here's a cool writing contest called #thestoryoftherabbit maybe you should check out this one first."

The fox led Rabadaba to a little hut. "There are so many others to introduce to you to but I'm sure you would like to settle in and rest your head for a bit. This will be your home. Feel free to do with it what you would like." As the fox started to leave, he turned back to say "oh by the way, my name is A_minus1988. I'm always here to help if you have any questions."

After the door closed behind the fox, Rabadaba sat down at the desk and grabbed a pencil and paper sitting there. "The story of the rabbit," he thought to himself. "I could have some fun with this contest. I think I'm going to like it here." The words flowed quickly from his pencil as he started writing about all the lovely adventures he imagined he would have with his newfound friends. Maybe being sent into space wasn't the curse he thought it would be. Maybe it was just the start of a whole new chapter of fun in his life. 

The story of the rabbit: an introduction

For those of you who know me from Rabadaba, you'll know the origins of this blog. For those of you who don't, this explanation is for you. The story of the rabbit was a writing contest started by another rabadaba user. We were supposed to write a short story telling the story of Rabadaba the rabbit. While most users only wrote a paragraph or two, I was inspired. So far I have written 7 parts to my story which will all be uploaded here soon and I started this blog so that I could continue my story. The names of the characters may seem a bit odd to you, that's because they all are usernames of others on Rabadaba. Instead of simply writing about Rabadaba the rabbit, I turned my fellow dabbers into animal characters for my story. I hope you all enjoy reading along as rabadaba' journey progresses.

Heatherperk