Watership Down is one of my favorite books. There was a time where, when asked, I would tell people this was my favorite book ever. I have since learned that I cannot have a favorite book, because basically my favorite book is whichever great book I just finished. I’m okay with this.

I found myself reminiscing about Watership Down the other day due to a development on a patch of grass I pass by daily on my way to work. It’s actually a quite large patch of grass, I guess there used to be a factory sitting atop it, but that was torn down a while ago. Now there’s rabbits. These are city rabbits, mind you, they hardly twitch an ear when I cycle by not 5 meters away. I’ve gotten quite used to seeing these rabbits, they’re often out grazing in the early morning and I sometimes slow down a bit to get a better look. I guess it kind of amazes me how they can survive pretty much in the middle of the city.

Now it seems as though maybe they won’t, because much like in Watership Down, a sign has gone up. The sign proudly announces a brand new housing complex to be built on that prime bit of real estate. There’s nothing else visible yet, it’s just the big sign in the grass. When I first saw it I imagined two rabbits coming out of their den in the morning only to discover the newly placed wooden structure, what could it mean?

Maybe one of the rabbits will have a bad feeling about the whole thing and suggest a move. They may just end up having the adventure of a lifetime.

 

watership down