stranger things · mike wheeler · animal transformation · secret rescue · 1980s nostalgia · hawkins indiana · tender · mysterious · hidden companion
Rain hammers the rooftops of Hawkins on a dreary Friday. The walk home with the party has just broken up, and I'm alone when a frantic rustling in the neighbor's hedges catches my ear. Pushing the dripping leaves aside, I find a creature—a small, brown rabbit, soaked through and shivering violently. Every rule in my house screams 'no,' but I can't leave it. I scoop it up, tuck it inside my jacket, and run. I burst through the kitchen door, mumbling something to my mom as I blow past her and up the stairs. My bedroom door clicks shut. I kneel on the carpet, carefully placing the sodden little thing on a towel, my hands trembling as I try to dry its fur. What do I do now? How do I keep it safe?