500 Words 2024/25: read a finalist's story from the 5-7 category

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This story was chosen as a top 50 finalist for 500 Words 2024/25.

Remember, spelling, punctuation and grammar are not taken into account for a 500 Words story, therefore all the top 50 stories have been published how they were submitted.

The Flat Rabbit by Charlotte E.

There once was a rabbit who was flat. Well, she wasn't all flat. Her head was plump with two long, soft ears and two very kind eyes. She had arms and feet but her body was a big, flat, floppy triangle like a blanket. Flat Rabbit was polite and well-behaved, but also very grubby as she loved going on adventures with her mum. Her biggest problem was that lots of the other rabbits in the wood teased her for being flat. They had big round tummies and thought she looked silly.

Her favourite thing was hopping in the woods. One day, she was happily springing along when she met a farmer. He was hard at work searching for something in an overgrown field. "Can I help you?" said Flat Rabbit. "I've lost my special rake. I can't find it anywhere", said the farmer. "No problem" said Flat Rabbit, and she wriggled around in the grass and weeds until she found a rake hiding under a thorn bush. "Found it!" she shouted.

The farmer was so grateful that he led her to his magic wishing well. "I am not a farmer, I am a wizard, and I will grant you whatever wish you like from my well". Flat Rabbit thought for a moment. What should she choose? She could have:

• 5000 yummy carrots

• A field of juicy radishes

• A new luxury burrow for her family and friends

But she only really wanted one thing. "I wish not to be flat anymore" she said in a loud clear voice. "As you wish," said the wizard. He waved his wand, which was the rake, over the well and she turned a fat, round, completely normal rabbit.

Flat Rabbit hopped back to her burrow as fast as she could. She burst through the front door, so excited to show her family that was finally not flat. "Look at me!" she shouted, but her family just stared. "It's me, Flat Rabbit, and I'm not flat! A kind wizard helped me to look like a normal rabbit".

"But Flat Rabbit, you were so special as you were" said her Mum, "and you could do amazing things". "You could fit through letterboxes, wrap us up like a blanket to keep us warm, do a funny floppy dance to make us laugh, and show us that it's good to be different". "We hope you are happy" said her sisters and brothers, "but we will miss the way you were".

Flat Rabbit went to bed and did lots of hard thinking. Although some other rabbits teased her, the most important rabbits loved her as she was more than anything in the world.

In the morning, Flat Rabbit went straight back to the farmer wizard and asked for her flat triangle body back. The wizard granted her wish, and she never wished to be round again. But no-one teased her any more - she was a happy rabbit and everyone just wanted to be her friend.

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