So yesterday afternoon, I started to smell something burning from the hallway of our building and opened the door to see some neighbors examing the stairwell. Maintenance men were downstairs trying to crack open an apartment where the smell was coming from. The Rabbit was already scared -- we had heard the banging sound of them trying to break the door from our place and she was clinging to me.
One of the maintenance guys poked their head out and I asked, nervously I admit, 'Is there a fire? Should we leave?" and he suggested we head downstairs. The Rabbit began to wail. Which she did for the entire 3 minutes as I collected our coats, shoes, my purse, passports, and the checkbook even as I tried desperately to calm her down. She was terrified screaming that she didn't want to go outside to the fire, really pleading with me not to open the door again.
A few minutes go by and a neighbor knocks to tell me a cat (I am not a cat person FYI) had walked across the stove and set it on, burning a pot. No fire. The Rabbit is by now in hysterics, and I am rocking her on the floor. I fiunally get her to calm down and she tells me she doesn't like fire. Doesn't like black. Smoke is black and that is bad.
Now here's the thing. We've NEVER had a fire in our place. I think the only fire's she's ever seen is the one on the top of the stove. But somehow she knows fire makes black smoke. and she's terrified. I actually had my apartment burn down in my 20s and was caught in a fire -- I got out just fine. But I get how dangerous a fire can be -- so now I think my even asking, and probably fearfully -- terrified my rabbit. And I feel about 2 millimeters tall. She's still talking about it this morning. Bad mama. Bad.
One of the maintenance guys poked their head out and I asked, nervously I admit, 'Is there a fire? Should we leave?" and he suggested we head downstairs. The Rabbit began to wail. Which she did for the entire 3 minutes as I collected our coats, shoes, my purse, passports, and the checkbook even as I tried desperately to calm her down. She was terrified screaming that she didn't want to go outside to the fire, really pleading with me not to open the door again.
A few minutes go by and a neighbor knocks to tell me a cat (I am not a cat person FYI) had walked across the stove and set it on, burning a pot. No fire. The Rabbit is by now in hysterics, and I am rocking her on the floor. I fiunally get her to calm down and she tells me she doesn't like fire. Doesn't like black. Smoke is black and that is bad.
Now here's the thing. We've NEVER had a fire in our place. I think the only fire's she's ever seen is the one on the top of the stove. But somehow she knows fire makes black smoke. and she's terrified. I actually had my apartment burn down in my 20s and was caught in a fire -- I got out just fine. But I get how dangerous a fire can be -- so now I think my even asking, and probably fearfully -- terrified my rabbit. And I feel about 2 millimeters tall. She's still talking about it this morning. Bad mama. Bad.
Comments
how much worse would the alternative have been?
be kind to yourself. buy chocolate. also for the rabbit.