There was something about the day that was different from all the others of the season. It was the middle of August in Rochester, New York. As usual for this time of year, it was quite hot and humid. Our backyard was my haven from the world. I would watch my mother garden, plant, and water with such fervor. To me, she had the original green thumb, and kept the space sacred for any creature and any form of nature.

Our yard had a large variety of vegetables, flowers, plants, and fruit trees. A sherbet orange and turquoise swing set was placed in the center of our yard. The colors were reminiscent of my childhood. It backed up to an old-fashioned garage that served as my bad weather getaway. Just off to the side, near the garden, stood a birdhouse. I had always pondered how old it was or if birds resided in this property. The house was mounted about 12-15 feet off the ground, and none of us ever tried to look inside. Mom always said that if a human touched a bird's nest, chicks, or even the eggs, the mother bird would abandon it all.

So, I preferred to watch from a distance and not get involved.

One day, I noticed how the muted blue paint was cracking and peeling off the large wooden pole that held the house high in the air. As I inched closer to examine it, one of my father’s rabbits sidled up alongside of me. My sister insisted that the rabbits were mean, especially the white one that was presently next to my ankle. I told her that the rabbits weren’t nice to her because she was afraid of them.

The white rabbit nuzzled my ankle, but for some reason, I disregarded his affections. His name was Petro, Ukrainian for ‘Peter’, and he seemed to be the leader of his rabbit brethren. As I relented and bent down to pet him, I spotted a rather peculiar sight. There was an opening in the ground to the right of the birdhouse. It resembled a mole hole, but we had none in our area. Curiously, I stooped over to take a closer look. It wasn’t an ordinary hole and it was growing at a paced rate. Pretty soon it reached past the garden line and began sinking into our lawn. I was about to call for my mother when, from the corner of my eye, I saw what appeared to be a grossly enlarged rabbit’s foot. Since I was hunched over, my balance was off. With one whack, the foot hit me on my bottom, and I fell headfirst into the hole. Someone was falling behind me and as the hole closed, the light source began to flicker out. Although I could not see a thing in front of me, I did not panic. Instead, I began to feel quite drowsy.

A voice in the dark began chiding me for my slow descent.

“Hurry up, would you?”

I had no idea how to respond to whomever or whatever was speaking to me.

“Hello? Is someone out there?”

I still didn’t respond. I was out of sorts.

“I can hear you breathing…,” taunted the voice.

Within seconds of silence I heard an undignified snort of displeasure. “You know, being rude is not the same thing as being interesting.”

“And who said I was interesting?” I finally replied, finding my voice.

“Not me," the voice grumbled, in almost an arrogant tone.

"But you’re rude. Very rude. And I think what you did up there was pretty crappy.”

“Get over yourself," the voice scolded. "I got you here, safe and sound. No problems to be had.”

Before I had a chance to explain that I was not safe yet, I yawned very loudly and fell into a deep sleep. When I woke up, I had no concept of time, let alone location. I was on some type of earth that felt like a wet sponge when I pushed down on it. I began to rub my eyes as I slowly turned around to see two large, white furry feet standing next to me. Looking upward, it was clear those feet were attached to an upright rabbit almost six feet tall. He resembled Petro, my father’s beloved pet. I stood up somewhat shakily, and noticed that the area was lit up, but could not find the source. I failed to say anything except for one word. “Petro?”

He began to dust debris off his white fur. “I can never get used to the first jump. It’s always such a doozy. He looked over at me. “Yes, I am indeed that same furry rabbit you chased around the yard and that your sister ran away from.” He twitched his mouth to make his whiskers move so the dirt could be removed from his features. Or maybe he was annoyed by my question. “I am quite indifferent to that name, Petro. I much prefer to be called by…”

“What? Called by what?” I asked impatiently.

“The name you had given me.”

“I never told you that,” I said, in raised indignation.

“No, you didn’t, at least not directly. But your voice carries quite a distance, even when you’re trying to be quiet. I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Pookah Shell and I’ll be your guide today.”

“I can’t believe you’re…well…” I began.

“Real? Six foot tall? Talking in English? What?” Pookah Shell demanded.

“Well… all of the above, but I guess that’s okay. It doesn’t really surprise me.”

“Really? And why is that?”

“I always thought you were different from the other rabbits. More in command.”

“Just to quell your enthusiasm over your theory, all those rabbits are like me. They’re not as tall, but we are all from the same family. Pookahs just tend to be the leaders.” Pookah Shell seemed to be a bit annoyed, which in turn frustrated me.

“Well excuse me! How am I supposed to know that?" I asked, raising my voice. "All I know is that a large, furry, white foot kicked me in the butt and here I am!” That bunny sure could provoke people, I thought.

“My apologies,” said Pookah solemnly, as he bowed low in a gesture of repentance. “I had forgotten that you are new to all of this. Despite your stature…” he began.

“What stature?” I demanded of him.

He said nothing, but coughed up a little bit of fur, which he cast aside in the shadows. “My apologies again. Hairballs. By the way, why add the word Shell after Pookah?”

My cheeks flushed in embarrassment. “My sister has a large conch shell from our accordion teacher. The inside is a light pink — just like the inside of your ears. So, there you go — pookah and shell equals Pookah Shell.”

“I see,” he said thoughtfully, rather non-plussed by my answer.

“Well, I will call you by your Mortal name — Larisa. Let’s get going. We have a bit of a journey.”

He pulled a short, wooden tube out of his fur. It looked like a flute for a small child. He blew three short notes and then a long one. Surprisingly, he did it with finesse, especially considering his paws were so much larger than the instrument.

“By the way, where is here?” I felt I was owed at least that much information.

“Why, you’re in the Land of En, dear child. One of the finest places on Earth. But we must hurry before the rains come through.” He put the flute to his mouth and repeated his tune.

“Rains? What rains?”

Before he had a chance to answer my question, two large figures loomed in front of us. They were caterpillars of the most brilliant shades – going from deeply hued purples, reds and blues, fading into light tan, pink, yellow, and sky blue. Their feet were jet black and there were many of them. On every other foot, there seemed to be a bell attached. Every time they took a step, jingling could be heard.

“They’re huge! They’re the size of horses!” I exclaimed in a loud voice. The caterpillars seemed disturbed by this comment.

“Please! Be careful of your volume. The pillars are sensitive to extreme noise levels.”

“Pillars? Did you say Pillars?”

“Yes. They are part of the family that you know as caterpillars.”

“Are all animals this large? Or, I mean, are they supposed to be…” I began, stumbling over my words.

“Why of course! In En this is the reality. It’s just in your world that we must be demure and dominated.”

Standing in front of us, the Pillars bent down so we could mount them easily. There were no saddles and I was a bit frightened of falling off. But once they rose back up, I felt secure.

“I thought I’d be more afraid. I’ve never even ridden a horse. In my world, that is. Or any world...” I trailed off knowing that I was beginning to sound more and more like a blithering idiot.

Pookah laughed. “Yes, but in En you don’t even need a saddle to ride a Pillar. They have a self-sticking back, so no worries about falling off.”

I was silent for a moment, contemplating how I would explain to my mother the “self-sticking material” that would be on the seat of my pants when she went to do the laundry.

The Pillars started to move a little faster and finally hit a gallop. I felt like I was out in the Wild West, as we began to ride into pitch blackness.

“Where are we now?” I asked.

“This place is called the Dank. We might encounter the rain as well.”

Just as Pookah spoke, we were engulfed in what looked like long strands of white rope. It was quite thick in circumference and ran into the wet ground and seemingly beyond it. Then the rain was drizzling not only on the strands, but on us as well.

“Where is this rain coming from?”

“Well, I believe, the sky. Your world’s sky. What happens up there, affects us down here.”

“What are these strands?”

“Grass roots. Now you know why it’s so hard to pull grass out of the ground when you're planting a garden. These roots go down deep into the middle of the Earth, I suppose. We haven’t even had time to track them in recent months.”

“You have a team that tracks this stuff?” I was quite astonished by this bit of information.

“What do you think we do here? Just eat, make little babies, and sleep? We’re far more advanced than you humans would like to imagine.”

“I’m sorry...I didn’t say that to be disrespectful. But you’ve been kind of gruff ever since you kicked me down into that hole. This place. En.”

“Well, I can’t help it,” huffed Pookah. “Lambkin was supposed to be here, not me. I always get last minute assignments thrown into my lap. And this one will be like climbing the Matterhorn.”

“And why is that?” I shot back. I was getting a bit sensitive and wanted to know what part I played in all of this. I was having a fine time, but I was worried that my family would soon wonder where I was.

“Don’t worry about your family. They were sprayed with something and will be peacefully thinking that you’re over at a friend’s house.”

“A friend? In that neighborhood? Are you kidding me?” I was so surprised by the notion of a friend that I forgot to ask about the substance.

“Don’t be daft, girl. It is just the power of suggestion. It doesn’t have to be exact.”

“Yeah, right. Explain that to my bottom if Mom wallops me with the belt for not telling her where I am.”

“She does that because she is afraid for you. It’s the Old European way,” Pookah added with sympathy. I think he knew how much I hated and feared getting into trouble.

“Well, we’re not in Europe anymore,” I answered back with sarcasm.

“Don’t worry. All will be well when you return,” Pookah said gently, trying to ease my anxiety.

“Promise?”

“I promise.” I still could not see his face but felt that he was smiling.

The light gradually came back and I was able to see around me. There were giant hills of earth that seemed endless and rather dull. “Is this considered the outskirts of town?”

“Oh, no, we’re not even there yet. This is before that. It’s called The Outpants.”

I burst out laughing, thinking this was a joke, but then realized my error. “Oh…I'm…sorry.” “It isn’t a laughing matter, Your Highness. This is your kingdom after all. You must respect all of it, whether it looks magnificent or dreary. You don’t want to be insulting.”

“Your Highness? Kingdom? What are you talking about?” This was getting weirder by the minute, but since I was riding a caterpillar and talking to a rabbit, I was wondering if my day could become any more complicated. I was wrong. On all counts.

“I really do not feel qualified to discuss this with you…it really is Lambkin’s job to do such things...where did he fall to?”

“Fall to?”

“You were carrying him, weren’t you? Where did you drop him when you went into the hole?”

“When you kicked me into the hole,” I corrected him. “And I had nothing with me, let alone a lamb. I live in the city. That’s a farm animal.”

Pookah became quite frustrated but said nothing.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Don’t be so silly!” He realized his tone was quite angry and then he softened up a bit. “I mean, Your Highness, Lambkin isn’t an animal. Well, at least not in your world. But he is someone you keep very close.”

“My little sheep?” I asked. He wasn’t that little. He was about two feet long and had a circumference of about a foot around his middle. I took my sheep everywhere with me when I was a little girl: to school, to church and even on vacation. But now he held an esteemed place in the corner of my dresser, right next to my jewelry box. When I was happy, sad, or indifferent, I would always whisper things to him. It was like going to see a psychiatrist, minus the fees. Even now, I used him as a sounding board for any ideas or fears I wanted to share. People can be hurtful and cruel; animals, even the ones made in a toy factory, could never disappoint. “He’s actually alive?”

“Well don’t think that you got him by accident. There are no coincidences, even when your father found him in the garage attic and gave him to you.”

I decided to change the topic. “Why use the term Your Highness with me?”

Pookah sighed deeply. “Like I said before, I’m not good at giving news, be it good or bad. But in your case, it is the former.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning that you are the sole leader of this domain known as En. It is your kingdom and you are the queen.”

“I think you’ve made some type of mistake.”

“Not in the least. We’ve been watching you ever since you were born. Haven’t you ever felt like an adult trapped inside the body of a child?”

I nodded. “Sounds weird, huh?”

Pookah just shook his head. “Not in the least. Unlike animals, humans sometimes get more than one chance to live life on Earth. You were one of those souls who wanted perfection. Craved it, to be truthful.”

“Why don’t animals get a second chance?”

“Because we’re good from start. After our demise, we go on to our resting place, our piece of Heaven.”

“You seem to be quite anti-human, Pookah.”

“I am, Your Highness," said Pookah, as he turned to be able to gaze into my eyes. "Present company excluded, of course," he added.

“Oh, of course," I quipped, with a smirk. "I figured you wouldn’t want to anger the Queen.”

Pookah laughed quietly. “You, as a human, are far different from most: loving your surroundings, playing with ants and potato bugs. You're not afraid of rabbits, including a rather nasty, white one. You prefer being outside, reading about archaeology and sitting under a tree as opposed to defacing property, watching television, or hanging out with other kids.”

“Have you seen my neighborhood? It’s a bit tough to find other kids to hang out with. They hate me; I’m weird, quiet, and speak a different language. I keep to myself and they all think I’m just some crazy girl who thinks she’s better than them. And I don’t think that — even when they tease me and call me names.”

“I know you don’t. You carry yourself well and with respect. That’s why they act the way they do. Pure and simple jealousy.”

“Jealous? Of what?”

“Your belief in yourself, your conviction.”

“I’ll be the first to tell you that I don’t believe in myself. I’m not good at anything. I’m not smart. I’m not pretty. And it takes me longer to do my homework than anyone else. I have to make sure all the words lay perfectly on the lined paper.”

The Pillars heard a sound and stopped abruptly. Thank goodness for that self-sticking seat or I would have taken quite a tumble.

“Look at me,” said Pookah. I stared right into his pink and white eyes. “You have more intelligence, beauty, strength, and grace than most humans. You just don’t see it… yet.” He whistled low and the Pillars began moving once more.

“So, you’re sure about all of this Your Highness and kingdom stuff?”

“Absolutely. You will lead your kingdom and its Citizens to much victory.”

“Victory? Are we, I mean…is En in some type of trouble?”

Once again, Pookah didn’t answer, but as we went around yet another earth hill, the sky was turning from charcoal grey into the lightest form of blue. As we finished rounding the bend, the earth mounds were gone and there stood the loveliest fields filled with all kinds of trees, plants, and flowers. The one difference is that the size of everything around me was magnified to En size. The trees were as tall as skyscrapers, the plants and shrubs as large as backyard sheds, and the flowers had the distinction of being the size of Japanese parasols, with the ability to open and close at will. A creek wound around the greenery and then stretched out into a glorious lake, which lay perfectly still like a pane of glass. Birds of every species were flying in the air and through the clouds. Each seemed to be as tall as my father and that didn’t count their wingspan. Just as soon as they spotted us, they stopped in mid-air and fell to the ground, landing on their feet. If this was my first sign of what it was like to be royalty, then I would enjoy it very much.

Yes, indeed.