Insomnia and the Easter Bunny

I have trouble sleeping. Sometimes it's God trying to get my attention, because that's when everything is quiet in my house.  Sometimes it's just the worries of the day. You know things like kids, money, husband, money, laundry, money...you get the idea. Other times it's story ideas. Sometimes I have scenes from a story that I'm working on and need to fix. Sometimes I have conversations in my head with my characters. (Yes, I'm sane. I promise, although my mother never had me tested.) Sometimes it's just scenes and snippets that I need to write down and save for later. Hence, the paper and pencil I always have beside my bed. I have to be very careful. If someone says something like, "You should so totally write about this...," and it piques my interest, I'm in for one long night.

That's kind of what happened Monday night. We were out of town for the weekend to spend Easter with my in-laws. The family has a mini-family reunion with an Easter egg hunt for the kids. After the eggs have been found, we sit around converse, eat boiled eggs and junk food. It's loads of fun, except when your daughter gets car sick on the way home. You get the picture.

So this particular weekend I missed my writers group meeting. I knew the creative exercise was to write a conflict scene. That particular thought ran through my mind and subconscious all weekend. I had pen and paper with me, so if anything came to mind I could write it down. We came home Sunday evening. It was too busy to do anything but get unpacked, and the kids ready for school Monday morning. So Sunday night I slept, but Monday night is another story....here's the result.

The Easter Bunny Conflict



                Lisa heard the door open, slam shut and the sound of footsteps in the hall. She looked up from her cross stitching expecting her husband to walk into the room. She was surprised to see her sister with her hands on her hips glowering at her like she had committed the most heinous crime. She got up off the couch to greet her.

                “How could you!” Her angry words slapped Lisa in the face.

                 She was confused. “Do what? I don’t what you are talking about.”

                Her sister, Lynn, shoved Lisa and she took a couple of steps back. “Oh you know what you did! Just admit it!”

                “I have no clue what the hell you are talking about.” Lynn was not the only one getting angry.

                Lynn shoved her again. “You killed the Easter Bunny!”

                Lisa was dumbfounded. “What?”

                “You know you did it! You killed the Easter Bunny!” Lynn started to shove her again, but Lisa grabbed her arm.

                “I did know such thing!” Appalled Lisa continued. “You know I would never ever do that. How could you think such a thing?

                Lynn wasn’t listening. She sniffed. “What’s that I smell?”

                “I made stew…”

                Lynn’s eyes widened and she looked at Lisa like she couldn’t believe this was her sister. “You made the Easter Bunny into a stew?” She stormed into the kitchen. Lisa followed. Lynn looked into the stew pot and turned a little green. “Seriously?”

                Lisa clenched her teeth. “I did not kill the Easter Bunny!”

                “I heard you say you did!” Lynn fired back.

                “When?”

                “When we were talking while I was driving on my way home.” Lynn paced back and forth.  “I heard killed, then I heard Bunny. I turned right around and came straight here.”

                “You thought I said Easter Bunny?” This time Lisa shoved Lynn. She lost her balance and fell into a chair. “Are you insane?” Lisa towered over her sister. “You know if I had to kill my own food I’d be a vegetarian!”

                “Then what’s cooking on the stove?”

                “Chicken stew! You idiot!”

                “Then what bunny did you kill?” Apparently Lynn was still not convinced. Lisa reached into the trash and pulled out a Blue Bunny ice cream container. Lynn blushed. “Oh.”

                “Yeah – oh.” Lisa threw the container back into the trash can. “I have more in the freezer. You want to help me kill it?”

                Lynn grinned and together they killed another bunny. The Blue Bunny chocolate chip cookie dough kind.