Never bring kids to White Rock Creek. Look, I know that White Rock Creek has been a popular location for hiking and stuff like that, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe. I don’t know if adults are safe at White Rock Creek, but I do know for a fact that kids are not. It’s because of Hippity-Hop, or what the media has labeled “The Bunny Man”.

Let me just say that it wasn’t a man in a costume that I met at White Rock Creek in 1989. He was a real bunny-like creature. I know that it sounds made up, but it’s true. His white fur, his big smile, his even bigger eyes, they were all real. And he wasn’t a friendly rabbit, either. He might seem like it at first, but do not trust him. Ever. He’ll try to befriend children, and eventually try to keep them at White Rock Creek forever. I’m writing this as a warning, and maybe as a goodbye. This is what happened when I visited White Rock Creek.

It all started on the bus me, other kids, and teachers from my school were travelling in. We were staying at White Rock Creek for a few days to study wildlife in the area. I was sitting with my best friend, Zach, and we were just talking about stuff kids in the 80s would talk about, like arcades and horror movies. I looked out the window while Zach was talking about how Freddy Krueger would beat Jason Voorhees’s butt. That’s when I saw the sign for White Rock House, the place all of us would be staying for the next few days. But something in the bushes caught my eye.

Two big rabbit ears stuck out behind a bush. They looked to be at least a feet tall, which were big for regular rabbit ears. I guess you could say that I was curious to know what the ears were attached to, but they suddenly vanished into the bushes in a split-second. I turned to Zach, who was still talking about the battle of Jason vs. Freddy. “Did you see that?” I asked, pointing out the window. Zach stopped talking and tried to look out the window.

“See what?” he asked. “Those big rabbit ears,” I said. “They were like a foot tall.” Zach scoffed. “You thinking that a giant rabbit is in the woods? You need help.” I looked back outside the window, but we had already passed where I saw the ears sticking out. “I know I saw something,” I said. “Something was sticking out of the bushes. Maybe it wasn’t rabbit ears, but there was definitely something there.” I turned back to look at Zach, who only said, “Maybe.” He started talking about his earlier topic, but I didn’t really listen. I was still thinking about what I saw in the bushes.

When we arrived to White Rock House, Ms. Donald said for all the kids to exit the bus first. Once we did, she did a head count to make sure we were all there. I turned around to see the white building that stood behind us. It was a big wooden house, four stories high, and was painted white all over. The steps leading up to the porch looked like they could collapse any second, and the white paint was starting to peel off the walls.

It looked pretty spooky to me, but no one seemed bothered by the house when we went inside. The first floor had five rooms, a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and two bedrooms. Some of the kids and chaperones would be put into the two bedrooms on this floor, and everyone else would sleep in the rooms on the upper floors. Me and Zach, already partnered as bunkmates, were situated on the bunk bed closest to the window on the first floor. Another kid and a chaperone would be sharing the room with us.

Ms. Donald said that we could explore around the house while the teachers and chaperones unpacked for the night. Me and Zach went out behind the house, where a little tire swing sat under a tree. It was still functional, and me and Zach took turns swinging around. But after a while, Zach said that he needs to get a bottle of water from his bag inside. He left me on the tire swing while he ran inside.

I started swinging myself up and down on the tire swing, a bit bored without Zach. But I wouldn’t be bored for long, because the rabbit ears returned. I saw in the woods behind the house, the tall rabbit ears I saw before were sticking out from behind a tree. Curiosity got the better of me, and I walked over to where the ears were. But when I got closer and closer, a figure starting coming out from behind the tree.

It was a rabbit, a tall one. Even from a few feet away, he seemed to tower over me. His body, head to toe, was covered in fluffy white fur. He had a wide smile on his face with two buckteeth sticking out. His big brown eyes seemed to stare right into my soul. He waved his paw at me when he came out of his hiding spot. “Hi, Joseph.” How could he talk? And how did he know my name? He took a step towards me, waiting for me to respond.

In disbelief, I gave him a small wave. The rabbit stepped closer to me, but I didn’t run away. I stood still as the rabbit continued speaking. “My name is Hippity-Hop. It’s not too often that people come around here. It’s pretty lonely, really.” He frowned as I just continued watching him slowly walk closer to me. “I’d like to have a friend to play with.” He started to smile again. He stopped a few inches in front of me, and I had to tilt my neck to meet Hippity-Hop’s eyes. “Will you be my friend?”

Now, I was ten years old at the time. I knew that I wasn’t allowed to talk to strangers, but Hippity-Hop seemed to be sad that he couldn’t have any friends in White Rock Creek. I nodded, and the rabbit immediately hugged me in response. His soft fur felt nice against my face, and I hugged him back. When he let go, he was literally jumping for joy. “Thank you, Joseph!” he said. But he suddenly stopped jumping. “But you can’t talk about me to anyone. I must be a secret, okay?”

I nodded, and Hippity-Hop smiled. “Well, I’ll see you later, Joseph.” He walked off into the woods, as I felt Zach touch my shoulder. “Hey, what’re you doing back here?” I looked back behind me, but Hippity-Hop was already gone. “Nothing,” I said, looking back at Zach. “Let’s go back on the tire swing.” “I’m next!” Zach shouted, running towards the swing. I looked behind me again, and this time I saw Hippity-Hop peeking at me behind a tree. I waved at him as I made my way to where Zach was.

The next day, I was lying on the grass, looking up at the sky while I waited for the teachers to finish making lunch. I closed my eyes, taking in the fresh air and thinking that so far, this was a great trip. My day was about to get better, when a furry paw tapped my shoulder. I sat up and looked behind me, seeing Hippity-Hop also lying on the grass, smiling up at me. “Aren’t you worried that someone will see you?” I asked. He shook his head.

I chuckled. “You wanna play something?” Hippity-Hop immediately sat up and turned to me. “Of course! Friends always play games together.” “How about… Hide ‘n Seek?” I suggested. “Only if I can seek first.” Hippity-Hop said. “How about you hide in the woods?” He pointed to the woods behind me, and I nodded. “Okay.” I got up and started running into the woods, hearing Hippity-Hop counting down.

Hiding behind a tree, I heard Hippity-Hop walking through the woods. I was thinking about how surreal this was. Playing with a giant talking rabbit I’d just met yesterday? It didn’t seem possible, but it was. When I heard Hippity-Hop getting closer, I quietly walked away from my hiding spot. I heard the creek a few feet away, and I made my way through the trees to the White Rock Creek. It was true to its name. The rocks under the water were pale and made the water look a light gray color.

I started walking the direction the creek was heading. The water moved pretty fast, which made me start running with it. It was fun for a while, until I came across something in the bushes. It was a person, I thought. Their leg stuck out of the bushes, with some sort of red substance on it. I slowed down. A strong metallic smell seemed to punch me in the face. Was that what I thought it was? Was it…

“Got ya!” Hippity-Hop grabbed my shoulders, making me jump a bit. He laughed, but seeing my worried expression, he frowned. “What’s wrong?” I pointed to the leg. “Who’s that in the bushes?” Hippity-Hop seemed to frown more. “You might need to go,” he said. “I’ll take you back.” Hippity-Hop led me away from the bushes and to White Rock House. I tried to look back, but Hippity-Hop turned my head back to looking forward. Was he trying to hide something? Who could that be in the bushes?

The next two days, I kind of forgot about what I saw. Me and Hippity-Hop usually played or talked in the woods, where no one would be able to see us. Zach had been noticing that I’ve been disappearing lately, but I just tell him that I like exploring places. Now it was the fifth day at White Rock Creek, which was the last day we would be here. I was sad because I wouldn’t be able to play with Hippity-Hop anymore after we left tomorrow morning.

So me and him played all day. From after breakfast till right before dinner. But after dinner, I wanted to go say goodbye to Hippity-Hop before it was too late. So I walked to the spot where we usually met, and I saw him emerge from behind a tree. “You’re back! Want to play Tag some more?” he asked. I tried to think of what to say, but I finally said, “I can’t.”

“Then why’re you here?” Hippity-Hop asked, confused. “I’m… here to say goodbye,” I said. “I’m going back home tomorrow.” Hippity-Hop’s eyes grew wide. “Leaving?! But I thought we would stay friends forever!” “I know, but… I can’t stay in White Rock Creek forever.” I saw Hippity-Hop give a big frown, seeming angry at me. “You’re supposed to my friend, Joseph!” he shouted. “Friends don’t leave each other!”

I didn’t know what to say. I knew he’d be upset, but not this much. “Look, I need to go,” I said. “I’m sorry I can’t stay.” “Wait,” Hippity-Hop said. “Can I just have one more hug?” I smiled, glad to know he was over it. “Sure.” I ran over and hugged him, and he did the same. But after a few seconds, I felt his grip tighten.

“Hey,” I said. “That hurts.” I tried to wriggle out of his grip, but that made him hug me tighter. It was starting to hurt, and I tried to tell him, but he just said, “We’re friends forever, Joseph. You won’t be leaving.” I felt my legs lift off the ground as Hippity-Hop turned and started walking deeper into the woods. I tried to scream for help, but his fur kept getting in my mouth. “You’re mine!” Hippity-Hop started running deeper and deeper into the dark woods.

I desperately tried hitting him, but he seemed unfazed. The trees were blocking the setting sun, and suddenly, the light disappeared. It took me a second to realize that Hippity-Hop had run into a cave. He stopped moving and dropped me on the floor. Whatever he’d dropped me in, it felt squishy and sticky. I tried getting up, but Hippity-Hop grabbed my leg and kept me there. He grabbed a burnt candle and held it in front of me. “Say hi to my previous friends.”

A flame suddenly appeared on the candle, and the flame lit up what I had fell on. I screamed, seeing at least twenty kids. They had been brutally killed; their eyes had been gouged out of their sockets, skin was ripped to shreds, and some kids had a few legs and arms missing. Their faces were frozen in screams, and I imagined that it must’ve been painful for them when they met their ends. And it didn’t take a genius to realize who the culprit was.

Still holding my leg down, Hippity-Hop explained, “I’ve met great kids over the years. They were always so kind, so innocent, so weak. They loved playing with me, Joseph. But they always had to leave some day, and you know that I don’t like that. So I brought them here, where we could be friends forever.” I started tearing up. “Please, don’t kill me!” I cried.

Hippity-Hop laughed. “I don’t just kill them instantly, Joseph,” he said. “First, we play a game of Tag. Isn’t that funny? We were just playing that earlier, right?” I slowly nodded. Hippity-Hop smiled, but it was more terrifying than sweet. “Joseph, if you can get back to White Rock House without me tagging you, I’ll let you go. But…” His smile widened. “If I tag you, you’ll join them.” He gestured to the dead kids in the cave. “Got it?” I nodded once more. “Good,” Hippity-Hop said. “You have thirty seconds.”

He started counting, and I quickly tried to get up and out of the cave. But I slipped on some blood from a kid’s chest, and managed to lose six seconds of running trying to get back up. The woods had gotten even darker than before. I felt like I was going nowhere as I kept running towards the direction I thought White Rock House was. I didn’t stop to take a breather. I didn’t look back. I just kept running and running, knowing that Hippity-Hop would be right behind me very soon.

I heard him. I didn’t know if he was behind me, but I knew he was running. And he was running a lot faster than I was. This somehow helped me run faster as I kept thinking that I would see White Rock House and I would be safe. But it wasn’t the house I saw first. It was Zach. He was calling for me. I yelled for him and started waving my hands, but I closed my mouth as soon as I could. Zach heard me, but so did Hippity-Hop. I knew because I heard him stop in his tracks, then start running directly at me.

“Zach!” I screamed. I saw Zach turn around and look at me. “Joe! What’re you-” I bumped right into him, knocking us both to the ground. “Hey, get off!” Zach said. But when he saw my tearful eyes, he asked, “What happened to you?” “Hippity-Hop!” I yelled. “He’s going to get me if I don’t get to the house!” White Rock House was a few yards away, and I pulled Zach up. “Who the heck is Hippity-Hop?” he asked.

“Me.” A figure appeared behind Zach. It was Hippity-Hop, but now, more disturbing than I had ever seen. His eyes were… gone. Empty eye sockets sat where his big eyes used to be. His mouth was open in a devilish smile, full of sharp teeth that were stained with blood. His white fur was ripped, and blood drained out of scars on his body. He seemed to be a foot taller, and skinnier. I could see the bones pressed against his skin.

Zach turned around, seeing what used to be the Hippity-Hop I remembered. Almost immediately, the creature grabbed trapped Zach in a hug. I heard Zach try to scream, but it was muffled by the fur and blood from the creature. It looked at me with a wide smile and said, “Thank you for the new friend. I’ll be sure to pay you a visit when you return, Joseph.” The creature and Zach disappeared into the woods, with me screaming for Zach to be let go.

But he didn’t return. All I could do was return to the White Rock House and tell what happened, no matter how crazy it sounded. There were a few teachers already calling my name as I emerged out of the woods, my clothes covered in the blood from the corpses of the kids from the cave. Mrs. David, one of the chaperones who was outside at the time, screamed when they saw me covered in blood. The teachers and a few kids came over.

“What happened?!” Ms. Quinn asked. And I told them. At first, they seemed to tune me out during the middle of the story, but started listening again when I said that Hippity-Hop took Zach. Everything after that is a blur. I remember the police were called, and two groups of adults went into the woods to search for Zach. …They found him, along with the other victims in Hippity-Hop’s cave. And after all these years, I still wish I could’ve saved him.

My parents arrived at White Rock Creek to take me home after that. And when we passed the sign for White Rock House, I saw Hippity-Hop, hiding behind a tree, for the last time. He was back to his regular rabbit form, except his mouth was covered with blood and his smile was full of sharp teeth. He waved to me, and I immediately looked away.

I now live with my ten-year-old daughter, Amy. It’s been a good life, up until Amy gave the permission slip a few days ago. It was for a five-day trip at White Rock Creek. I knew Amy, and she would always want me to chaperone on her field trips. And I couldn’t tell her about Hippity-Hop. It would for sure give her nightmares for months.

I know it’s stupid to go back, but Amy really wants to go on this trip, and I would do anything to make her happy after the divorce. So, like I said before, this is like a goodbye from me. Hippity-Hop’s words are repeating in my head now: “I’ll be sure to pay you a visit when you return.” Never bring your kids to White Rock Creek, because he’s not gone. He’ll visit me when I get there. But I’ve come to accept it. At least I’ll see Zach again, even if it’s in Hell. Me and Hippity-Hop, we’re best friends. We’ll hug when he visits me. And this time, he won’t let me go.