5. The Wabbit and the Barge

"Franco!" said the Wabbit. "Commander Sir!" said Franco. "Are you in my unconscious too?" said the Wabbit, "because it's getting rather crowded in here." "I suppose so Sir. I was wondering if you were in mine," said Franco. "Nice spot anyway," said the Wabbit. "Delightful Sir," said Franco and he stood at ease. "Are we perhaps on our way to to the Underworld?" he added and he gave the Wabbit the fondest of looks. "Why?" asked the Wabbit. "You're on a barge," said Franco. The Wabbit looked all around. "So I am. Maybe I'm the ferry wabbit," he said to Franco. "If you say so, Sir," replied Franco, "but it appears to be a German police launch." "Ich bin der Fährmann?" mused the Wabbit. Franco chuckled and tipped back his Alpini hat. "Then we may meet Frau Holden, the Water Witch," he said. "And she will will make us aperitivi?" suggested the Wabbit. "I believe she's quite benign and seldom cross," said Franco. "Oh, I like the sound of her. This place is definitely better than the inside of a washing machine," said the Wabbit. "Washing machine?" asked Franco. "You'll never believe who I met in there!" said the Wabbit. Franco waited because he knew the Wabbit was going to tell him. "A wicked Agent of Rabit," exclaimed the Wabbit. "Oh I see them in dreams all the time, Sir," said Franco. "What happens?" asked the Wabbit. "I eliminate them," said Franco.

4. The Wabbit and the Dark Archetype

Water streamed into the washing machine and sloshed around as the drum span faster. The Wabbit lost grip of his phone but when he looked for it, his fur stood on end at the sight of an unwelcome presence. "What are you doing in my unconscious?" he growled at what was clearly an Agent Of Rabit. "Get out at once!" he yelled indignantly. "I can't," said the Agent, "because I live here." "You can’t live here, rent free and uninvited," gasped the Wabbit. "I can’t leave because I’m part of you," said the wicked Agent. The water sloshed soap suds around and the Wabbit found himself upside down. "Your a fiendish fiend," gurgled the Wabbit. "You need to give me a chance," replied  the Agent. "I’ll give you justice!" shouted the Wabbit. "And who would make me dried bread*?" said the Agent. "I’ll bring a loaf to your cell every day!" shouted the Wabbit. "Then you would be a prisoner too," said the Agent. There was a long pause. All the Wabbit could hear was water. He fell silent as he thought, and as he thought he revolved. "How can you possibly be part of me?" he asked. "I'm your potential for wrongdoing," said the Agent, "don’t you recognise me?" Then he too revolved as the soapy suds washed over his feet. The Wabbit stared at the Agent of Rabit and the more he stared, the more he recognised. The Agent became fainter and fainter - until he was merely a lick of colour in the soapy water. "It’s a good thing I brought a towel," gurgled the Wabbit.

[*Russian saying: prepare for prison, exile]

3.The Wabbit and his Psyche

The washing machine drum started to tumble, and the Wabbit gripped his phone to communicate with his unconscious. "Hello, anyone there?" asked the Wabbit. He heard muffled sounds and a crackling, then suddenly a familiar voice boomed from the earphone. "Hello, who’s calling please?" "It’s the Wabbit and I know your voice - it’s Snail," said the Wabbit. "You’re very clear! You could be standing next to me," said Snail, "where are you calling from?" "I’m in my deep unconscious," said the Wabbit, "but what are you doing here?" "Nothing leaves the psyche," said Snail sagely. "If I’m in your unconscious, I must represent something important to you, Wabbit. Can you think what it is?" The Wabbit thought as the drum tumbled slowly. "Well, you’re stalwart and principled and I can always rely on you," he said. "That’s all very well," said Snail. "But can you think of anything negative?" The Wabbit thought hard for a small criticism that wouldn’t offend, but Snail seemed to know what he was thinking. "I won't take offence, Wabbit. I am merely a relational object amongst others in your psyche," he said soothingly. "OK," said the Wabbit. "you can be a bit pompous sometimes." "Pompous!"  said Snail. "How dare you! I think that rightly belongs to you." "I suppose," agreed the Wabbit and he thought again. "Snail, do you have a complaint about me?" "Yes," said Snail. "It’s your misplaced humour." "Ah!" smiled the Wabbit, "if I misplaced my humour, then it’s not lost and I’ll find it again soon." There was a long silence. "Do you see what I mean?" sighed Snail. 

2. The Wabbit explores his Unconscious

The Wabbit looked all around. Then he looked all around again. "How on earth did I get here?" mused the Wabbit. The Wabbit's reflection laughed and laughed. "You're in your unconscious," it said with enormous mirth. "My unconscious is full of gadgets and electrical goods?" queried the Wabbit. "You're a little weird," said his reflection, "but this will do fine for the time being." The Wabbit had a long think. "Why?" he asked finally. "Since you're on this floor, you obviously need to communicate," said his reflection. "Communicate to who?" said the Wabbit in amazement. "Now you sound like an owl," said his reflection. "Anyway, it's to whom. Whom is the object of the preposition." The Wabbit's unconscious whirled. "OK, I grant you the grammar, just answer the question," he said. "Communicate with yourself," said his reflection emphatically and it squinted at the Wabbit in the glare of the shop lights. "Do I need a phone for that?" said the Wabbit. "If it helps," said his reflection. "There's so much choice, so what colour should it be?" asked the Wabbit. "What's your mood?" asked his reflection. "Blue," said the Wabbit. "Then it's settled," said his reflection. "Now we can go deeper into your unconscious." The Wabbit looked down. "What's there?" he asked. "Washing machines," said his reflection. "Good clean out?" suggested the Wabbit. "And a spin dry," grinned his reflection.

1.The Wabbit and his Shadow

The Wabbit had been on the roof, thinking. And there were many things to think about. There were the wicked Agents of Rabit, who never left him in peace. There was his work for the Department. There were his leadership duties to his small band of willing helpers. Last but not least, there was the sausage question that had not been fully laid to rest. But that wasn't all - because of the list of things to do from more than a year ago. There had been so many additions! "Now the things that used to be at the end of my list are in the middle," sighed the Wabbit. The Wabbit stretched out a paw to his shadow on the staircase wall and touched it just for fun. "You're funny!" said his shadow. "I beg your pardon," said the Wabbit sharply. "Don't worry about your list, Wabbit." The Wabbit sat down on the stairs and looked at his shadow. "What exactly do you propose," he said with narrowed eyes. "What are you doing for fun?" asked the Wabbit's shadow. The Wabbit shrugged. "That's not a satisfactory reply," said his shadow. "You mean like playing unobtainable records from 1936?" suggested the Wabbit. His shadow started to laugh. "I mean exciting adventures," he said. "I can't always be having adventures," said the Wabbit. "Everything's an adventure," replied his shadow. "In that case, another will start in a minute," said the Wabbit, who was beginning to feel cheered. "Can I come?" asked his shadow with excitement. "Hard to get rid of you," chortled the Wabbit.

The Wabbit and the Sausage Incident

"It was spontaneous combustion!" said the Wabbit, "just like you see on Discovery Channel." "You deliberately took a lighter out of your fur," said Lapinette. "I only intended to light a small paper napkin," said the Wabbit. "It was provocative" said Lapinette. "Well that's all in the past," said the Wabbit diplomatically and he flicked his lighter a few times. "Anyway, the demonstration was all your idea." he added very, very quietly. "Rabbit sausages should be forbidden, it's against nature," said Lapinette. The Wabbit nodded in agreement and pondered for a while. "Well, maybe you shouldn't have tipped the policeman's hat off," he murmured. "He shouted at me in an uncouth manner," said Lapinette. "What did he say?" asked the Wabbit as he looked down to dust charcoal from his fur. "That wabbits were nothing but trouble," said Lapinette, imitating a whiny voice. The Wabbit stifled a giggle, which he thought might be unwise under the circumstances. "What happened to the sausages anyway?" asked Lapinette. "They got cooked in the fire and a lot of customers came and ate them up," said the Wabbit ruefully. Lapinette slapped a paw to her head and groaned. "Look, the fire was very small and that nice fireman put it out with a single extinguisher," said the Wabbit.  "So how many lunches do you owe the emergency services now?" asked Lapinette. "Eleven," smiled the Wabbit,  "I'm a legend in their own lunchtime."

The Wabbit and the Many Maps

The Wabbit and Lapinette met to look at maps. The secret map of the Agents of Rabit contained a list of references to other maps, so Lapinette produced  her Big Map Box and emptied it on the table. “What about the original map?” enquired the Wabbit.  Lapinette pointed to her head. “I memorised it,” she exclaimed, “and then it was eaten.” “Oh,” said the Wabbit and he tried to think of what to say. “What did it taste like?” he asked finally. “I don’t know,” said Lapinette “I gave it to Big Blue Snail to eat. He said it was the most delicious map ever.” The Wabbit smiled and pored over the maps. “Greece, Germany, Ireland and ... Abu Dhabi,” he said with interest. “Abu Dhabi Agents of Rabit, “ sighed Lapinette.  “They certainly get around,” chuckled the Wabbit and he took some time to review all the locations on all of the maps. “I had one of these talking maps,” said the Wabbit suddenly. “Really, how did that work?” smiled Lapinette. “By satellite,” said the Wabbit. “You tell it where you want to go and it gives you  precise directions.”  “A GPS,”  said Lapinette. “I don’t know, it never worked for me,”  said the Wabbit. Lapinette looked questioningly and the Wabbit scowled. “Everywhere  I asked for,  it said, ”I’m as mystified as you.””

8. The Wabbit at the Zero Caffè

Lapinette was studying something very intently when the Wabbit arrived with his protégés in tow. "I present Mo and To, the MoTo Snails," said the Wabbit with pride. Lapinette assessed the Snails for quite some time. "How fast?" she asked eventually. "Oh around Mach 2," said the Wabbit in a matter-of-fact manner that suggested Mach 2 was routine for a snail.  "Wabbit!" shouted Lapinette. "Have you and Big Blue Snail been working in that shed again?" "We hired a garage," said the Wabbit innocently. Lapinette looked sternly at the Wabbit and then turned to the Snails. "Mo and To, are you quite happy with this turn of events?" she enquired softly. "Delighted," said Mo. "Critically delighted," said To. While Mo and To were wiggling their antennae in delight, the Wabbit seized the opportunity to ask what Lapinette was studying. "The Map," said Lapinette. "What map?" asked  To. "The locations of our wicked and vengeful enemies, the agents of Rabit," said Lapinette. To and Mo looked questioningly. "They would make sausages of us all," explained Lapinette.  "We’re against them!" shouted Mo. "Let's get 'em!" yelled To. "Now!" they cried in unison. Big Blue Snail shook his head. "I fear their youthful enthusiasm requires tempering by a mature and wise mind," he said. There was a thud as Lapinette slapped her menu on the table. "Well, I hope you’re not thinking of the Wabbit," she said.

7. The Wabbit and the Speed Trials

The Wabbit and friends crept out on a crisp, cold morning and scaled the heights of an old disused railway track that crossed the neighbourhood. Then the Wabbit produced a salvaged stop watch from his fur and set it to zero. "Start when I say go," said the Wabbit. But Mo and To had already gone. The Wabbit strained his eyes and he spotted a blue blur in the distance, getting steadily bigger. They were already on their way back! "Wow," thought the Wabbit to himself. "How fast were we?" breathed the Snails. "No-one knows," said the Wabbit, "because you left before I set my stop watch." "It felt fast," said To. "It was super fast!" said Mo. "It's unrecorded and doesn't count," said the Wabbit. Mo and To were properly crestfallen and the Wabbit took pity. "Think you can do it again?" smiled the Wabbit. Mo was already leaving but To quickly grabbed him back. "There will be a penalty for a false start," said the Wabbit. "What kind of a penalty?" asked Mo. The Wabbit hadn't really thought of a penalty but now he felt obliged to name one. So he thought and thought. "You have to go round again and it's added to your time," he said finally. "OK get ready, counting you down to zero," said the Wabbit. Both Mo and To gazed steadily at him.  "Zero," he said. There was an enormous rush of air and a loud crack as Mo and To left and arrived back.  "How were we?" said Mo and To. The Wabbit shook his stop watch free of broken glass. "You owe me a replacement," he grinned.

6. The Wabbit, Power, Traction and Slime

At a small garage not far from the Testaccio Market, the Wabbit and Big Blue Snail worked until night. The Wabbit aimed to improve the power and thrust of the MoTo Snails, whilst Big Blue Snail sought to enhance their slime production. They were seeing moderate success. "I'm increasing your power," said the Wabbit. "Excellent," said To. "To what end?" said Mo. "Speed and manoeuvrability," said the Wabbit. "Won't power make us go faster?" asked To. "To go faster you have to transfer your power to the road," said the Wabbit. "Your traction is critical," said Big Blue Snail, "otherwise you will spin round and round on your own slime." "Cool," said Mo and the Snails' antennae wiggled in delight. Big Blue Snail gave them a withering look and thought for a moment. "I need to make diet adjustments," he said and he vanished, quickly returning with a mixture of fruit, leaves, kale and mulberry. "Oh, do we have to?" asked Mo. Big Blue Snail added lettuce, artichoke, celeriac and tomato. "Mmmm, we have to," said To. "May I add something," said the Wabbit, delving in his fur. "Of course," said Big Blue Snail. The Wabbit took out a small packet and he added a homeopathic sprinkle. To and Mo wolfed the food with delight. "What's the added ingredient?" whispered Big Blue Snail. "Nitro," said the Wabbit. "Let's lay slime," said Big Blue Snail.

5. The Wabbit and the MoTo Snails

Next in the new Snails' education, was the market. "This is where snails assist in global recycling," said Big Blue Snail. "Look how blue the market has become," observed the Wabbit. "Here comes a blue snack now," said Big Blue Snail, "the traders are only too happy for us to eat their cardboard." "Perfect," said the first Snail in delight. "I'll wait and see how it goes," said the second suspiciously. The Wabbit smiled. "You require new names," he said. "I can't keep saying "You Snails" - it's rude." The new Snails pondered. "What makes you different from other snails?" asked Big Blue Snail. "We're fast Snails," they replied. "We're from Misano, near Rimini." said the first Snail. "We race the circuit there," said the second. "What's your best lap time?" asked the Wabbit, winking discreetly at Big Blue Snail. "One point three three," said the first Snail. The Wabbit's eyes widened and his ears began to quiver. "Minutes?" he asked. "Hours," said the second Snail. The Wabbit tried to keep a straight face. "Oh, that's respectably rapid, my good Wabbit," cautioned Big Blue Snail in an admonishing tone. "Then our new Snails are now Mo and To!" said the Wabbit swiftly, "they're the MoTo Snails!" The Snails wiggled their antennae joyfully. "Do your shells revolve by any chance?" asked the Wabbit shrewdly, pointing to their racy whirls. "We spin them for speed," they said together. The Wabbit turned to Big Blue Snail in excitement. "To the workshop!" he said.

4. The Wabbit and Anita Garibaldi

Big Blue Snail had decided that his admirers needed political education. The Wabbit was leading them all through the Villa Pamphili Park to the Gianicolo Hill but they hadn't gone far when they heard a neighing and whinnying and a stamping of hooves. Suddenly a statue of horse and rider appeared, blocking their path. The Wabbit hopped forward immediately with a welcoming paw. "You're supposed to be at the top of the Hill," he said. "We got fed up waiting," said the horse. "The Wabbit speaks with statues?" asked the new Snails. "They speak with him," said Big Blue Snail. The new Snails tried unsuccessfully to show they weren't impressed. "Listen youngsters," said the Wabbit. "This is Anita Garibaldi, escaping from the wicked enemy, carrying her new born child." "Oooooh," said the new Snails, "how brave!" "Was she against things?" asked one Snail. "She was for things," said the Wabbit. "She was for freedom and unity and we can learn from her." "What would you like to know, young Snails?" said Anita. "Will it take long to achieve freedom and unity?" asked the new Snails. "Do you love your species with all your heart?" said Anita. "Yes," chorused the new Snails  "Prepare for hardship, battles and ultimately triumph," said Anita. The Snails looked suitably chastened. Anita turned to the Wabbit. "We shall meet again, Commander," she said. "For new triumphs," replied the Wabbit and he waved his paw. Both horse and rider vanished and all that remained of their presence was the sound of galloping.

3. The Wabbit and the New Snail Model Army

Up on the Villa Pamphili, the Wabbit introduced the new Snails to his blue comapanion. "Who are those two?" asked Big Blue Snail. "Those," said the Wabbit, "are the self-styled New Model Snail Army." "They'll need to smarten up," said Big Blue Snail. "Come come," responded the Wabbit. "They do have a certain je ne sais quoi."  Big Blue Snail snorted. Adopting a imperious tone he addressed the pair. "Fellow Snails!" he commanded. "We must make a great leap forward!" "Now! Now! Now!" chanted the new Snails. Big Blue Snail turned and looked at the Wabbit questioningly but the Wabbit merely winked at him. So Big Blue Snail slid up and down several times in front of the snails, then turned to address them directly. "Now," he said, "is this very moment." The new Snails stared at him. "Now, is all that has been before," said Big Blue Snail. The new Snails slid backwards slightly and gaped. "Now, is the sum of all our opportunities in the future," said Big Blue Snail. The new Snails gasped incredulously. "All at the very same time?" they queried. Big Blue Snail gave a single, short and rather grave nod. The two looked at each other for what seemed to the Wabbit like an age. "Cool!" they breathed softly.

2. The Wabbit and the Alternative Snails

The Wabbit hopped along the street until he caught up with two large blue Snails. "Hey you two," he shouted. "You're not the original Big Blue Snail!" The Snails turned and tried to menace the Wabbit, but the Wabbit was not to be menaced. "Now look you Snails," said the Wabbit. "You'd better explain what's going on. Or there'll be trouble." "Um, OK," said one Snail. "We are the advance guard of the Alternative Snail Army." "The New Model Snail Army," said the other. "What do you stand for?" asked the Wabbit. "We're not exactly sure," said the first Snail. "But we're against things," said the second. The Wabbit shook his head. "You Snails have to be clear," he said "or no-one will know what you want." "We're against oppression and we want Snail freedom," said the first Snail. "It's a bit general," said the Wabbit. "We want Snail Rights," said the second Snail. "What are these rights?" asked the Wabbit gently. "The right to be left alone and supplied with plenty of leaves, fruit and cardboard," said the first Snail. "Seems reasonable," said the Wabbit, "so let's start. I'll shout a question and you respond." "OK," said the Snails. The Wabbit hunched his shoulders and put his head back. "What do we want?" he bellowed. "Rights for Snails!" they yelled back. "When do we want them?" yelled the Wabbit. "In due course!" shouted the Snails. The Wabbit slapped a paw to his head. "You Snails need training," he muttered.

1. The Wabbit at Loose End

The Wabbit hopped all around the city and eventually admitted that he was at a loose end. He looked about and all he could see was concrete. "I'm going to call this place Loose End," thought the Wabbit and he dug his paws deep into his fur. A warm south wind blew through the cold air. It was a very strange wind that carried a red grit that got in the Wabbit's eyes and made them sting. The Wabbit was unsettled. "Sometimes the city seems friendly and sometimes it doesn't," he thought. But this was a time when the city seemed indifferent, and above all other things, the Wabbit hated indifference. "I need something to do," thought the Wabbit. But the Wabbit reasoned that if he consulted his to-do list, he would find he had so many duties to perform. So he burrowed his paws further into his fur and resolved not to think about lists. "I need  a success," thought the Wabbit. "Maybe even a great triumph," he thoughtfully added. And he scuffed the street with his feet and leaned back against the iron fence. But the Wabbit knew one thing. He knew that little came from leaning against iron fences. So he squinted his eyes and he stared and he thought until his brain raced. And as he looked at the traffic passing routinely along the street he noticed something odd. "Now what the binky is that?" thought the Wabbit.