Easter

Spring is upon us, my friends! And while I’m more of a winter person, I still look forward to spring for one reason: Easter!

Easter is a time when families come together to celebrate another holiday with yet another mascot (the Easter Bunny)! But Easter at its core is a religious holiday that commemorates possibly the largest event in the entirety of the Holy Bible.

I won’t be talking entertainment today. Instead, I’ll be writing briefly about both the Biblical timeline of Easter as well as a short story similar to what I’ve done with Halloween in the past. So, let’s go ahead and start!

As for the timeline, I won’t be writing about Jesus’s entire lifespan, as that would take up four books! (Each written with my buddies Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.) Instead, we will start in roughly 33 AD. This story really occurs over the course of three acts: Peak, Betrayal, and Ascension. So, let’s get it started!

Part I: Peak

Jesus Christ had been preaching for a few years (approximately three) by this point. He was held in high regard by many, but distrusted and feared by powerful politicians such as Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor serving Emperor Tiberius Caesar. Even religious leaders were wary of Jesus’s claims and sermons, but He always proved them wrong. Having given sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, words to the mute, freedom to the demon-possessed, healing to the lepers, food to the hungry, and, the greatest gift of all, forgiveness to the sinners, He truly was (and is) the Messiah. By this time, Jesus had predicted His death and resurrection three times! Wow! Of course, He had prophesy on His side.

As mentioned, Jesus had rebuked the religious high priests and leaders a number of times. This made them greatly angry that a seemingly simple man could summon more followers than they could, and they worried that their people would turn against them. They even floated a plot to murder Jesus! So, He was certainly a polarizing figure in His day. But, as we will see, this was merely an obstacle in His way.

Now, we move onto the beginning of the week, starting with:

• Palm Sunday – Jesus confidently rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, ready to spread faith to the people of the region. This day is referred to as “Palm Sunday” because the Jerusalem civilians laid down palm leaves and clothes for Jesus’s donkey to walk on as they entered, and He was also greeted by positive chants from the crowd. The religious leaders there, as well, were apparently also irate that Jesus dare proclaim He was God’s Son. Nonetheless, He spoke the Truth, and many are contemporarily called to speak the truth to everyone on this day, whether it be to a friend or to the world!
• Monday and Tuesday – Soon after arriving in Jerusalem, Jesus was looking for fruit and approached a fig tree, noticing that it didn’t have any fruit on it since it was too early in the season, He cursed the tree and set out to the temple where He was confronted by the religious elders and later taught a lesson to those present at the Holy site.
• Spy Wednesday – When walking past the fig tree the next day, Jesus and His twelve disciples noticed that it had withered away and died, proof of Jesus’s curse on it. The same day, the Pharisees, who were basically working in the interest of Pilate and Caesar, tried to trick Jesus into saying something that would get Him arrested. They asked Him if He thought it was right to pay taxes to Caesar or not, and Jesus replied by showing them Caesar’s face on a coin and remarking, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Casear, and give to God what belongs to God.” This dumbfounded the Pharisees, who had lost this battle. Throughout the rest of the day, Jesus illustrated many parables and foretold several prophecies. But, the day ended with an infamous event in which Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’s twelve disciples, approached the religious priests inquiring how much they would pay him to turn on Jesus Christ. They gave him a handsome offer, which he took and began searching for an opportunity to betray the Lord’s Son and ultimately have Him arrested.

Part II: Betrayal

The painting above is, of course, the piece The Last Supper, painted by the one and only Leonardo da Vinci in the late 1490s, depicting the final dinner Jesus shared with His twelve apostles. The apostles are, in alphabetical order:

• Andrew
• Bartholomew
• James
• James the Less
• John
• Judas Iscariot
• Matthew
• Peter
• Philip
• Simon the Zealot
• Thaddeus
• Thomas
• Fun Fact: Though he wasn’t one of the original twelve, Paul later refers to himself as an Apostle after having a spiritual meeting with Jesus.

If you want to learn more about the Twelve Disciples, I’d recommend this article: https://www.learnreligions.com/the-apostles-701217

There will be some faintly graphic details below, but if you’re familiar with the story of Jesus’s arrest and crucifixion, it won’t feature anything new. 🙂

• Maundy Thursday – The night after Judas made a bargain with the religious leaders to abuse Jesus’s apparent trust, Jesus began preparing for the Jewish holiday of Passover, which celebrates the emancipation of Israeli slaves from Egypt. Jesus washed His disciples’ feet and then ate dinner with them: His Last Supper. Many well-known things happened at this feast. In what many churches still do today, Jesus took His bread, saying it represented His body, and broke it in half. He then picked up His wine glass and told His apostles that the wine was His blood. Also during the meal, He predicted that one of His twelve disciples would betray Him. When Judas asked the Son of God if it was him who would betray Jesus, He responded yes. He also told Peter that he would deny that he knew Jesus three times, to which Peter dismissed. That night, Jesus walked to Gethsemane, an olive garden (no, not that Olive Garden), with His disciples and privately prayed to God, agonizing over His inevitable death. He was in such deep distress and anguish that His sweat was dripping to the ground, according to Luke. He begged for His suffering to end while His apostles slept.
• Maundy Thursday Night Into Good Friday Morning – Judas Iscariot, who had disappeared from the group for awhile, returned secretly with an armed crowd. He gave Jesus an infamous kiss and greeted Him as “Rabbi”. This was the Roman soldiers’ cue; they forcefully grabbed Jesus and formally arrested Him. One of the disciples attempted to defend Jesus, even slashing one of the soldiers’s ear off with his sword! This led to Jesus’s condemnation and His well-known quote, “Those who use the sword will die by the sword.”
• Good Friday – As Jesus was led away for questioning, Peter, in the courtyard, was approached by a servant woman who addressed him as one of Jesus’s disciples. However, he denied this three times, and then realized what Jesus had prophesied about this. He fled, weeping. After Jesus’s interrogation was over, the religious elders and leaders began moving forward plans for His death, and He was taken to Governor Pontius Pilate. Meanwhile, Judas had many regrets about turning the Messiah in. He tried to give the money given to Him back to his employers, but they refused it until the ashamed Judas Iscariot resorted to throwing down the coins and hanging himself. The religious leaders then took back the silver coins and purchased a potter’s field. Now, to be clear, there are some conflicting reports on this. In the Book of Acts, it is said that Judas died when he physically deteriorated and his intestines shot out of his gut (I told you it might be graphic!), but I find this story in Matthew to be more traditionally accepted and trustworthy. Anyway, back to Jesus and Pilate. When Jesus was brought before the Roman Governor, Pilate asked Him if He considered Himself “the King of Jews”, which Jesus confirmed. Surprised at His confidence, Pilate was at odds with himself. Each year during Passover, it was traditional for the governor to release one prisoner. It was between a prisoner by the name of Barabbas and, of course, Jesus. Pilate’s wife encouraged him to pardon Jesus, but the religious priests and many in the Roman crowd wanted Jesus Christ dead. When he pushed back against them, they grew noisier, so Pilate was therefore pressured into releasing Barabbas and ordering the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. As they prepared to crucify Him publicly, Roman soldiers and slaves mocked the Lord’s Son, unclothing and putting a scarlet robe around Him, and creating a crown of thorns that they put on His head. They made various cracks about Him, but Jesus remained humble despite the suffering. As servants carried the massive cross, two other men (described as revolutionaries) were preparing to be crucified along with Jesus, who was nailed to the cross in Calvary. It was nine o’clock in the morning. Jesus cried aloud to His Father, begging Him to forgive the unknowing Roman servants and asking Him why He must suffer. While many gathered outside and heckled Jesus, throwing insults and mockery at Him, one of the criminals adjacent to Jesus scoffed at Him, while the other defended and praised Jesus, as well as God. Jesus responded to the latter by remarking that He would be with him in Paradise later that day. Jesus’s last words on the cross were those that were faithful in God . . . and He died.

Part III: Ascension

It was about noon on Friday when Jesus was crucified. Darkness had fallen across the land. He died to take on our sins and forgive us so we could ascend to heaven someday! The curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple suddenly tore in two, and an earthquake shook the entire Earth! People in cemeteries suddenly came back to life, crawling from the ground and walking around normally.

According to historians and analyzers, it appears that we get an almost hour-by-hour account of Jesus’s crucifixion in the Bible. It’s possibly the biggest event in all of scripture. So, let’s get to the uplifting part (no pun intended)!

• Silent Saturday – On Good Friday, a good Christian named Joseph passed through the town, asking Pilate for Jesus’s body. He wrapped Jesus in cloth and laid Him in the tomb, rolling a large stone across it to block it off as Mary and Mary Magdalene watched. The next day, the Pharisees and priests came to Pilate and told him about the prophecy that Jesus would rise after three days. They wanted to seal the tomb to prevent His disciples from coming, stealing Him, then claiming that He was alive. Pilate agreed with this, and posted guards outside.
• Easter Sunday – That leads us to the biggest celebration of the Lent season: Easter! I’ve always thought of Easter as a very cheerful day, and that it should be, for it was the day that the Lord Jesus Christ rose again! Although Good Friday has a larger presence in the Bible and there’s more written about it, Easter Sunday’s story is likely the more well-known. On the morning of the Sabbath, angels descended from heaven and frightened the tomb guards, who passed out. Mary Magdalene and Mary were walking to the tomb in Galilee when they saw that the stone was no longer blocking the entrance! They were frightened as to what the religious leaders or Roman politicians had done with Jesus, but two angels appeared and calmed them, reminding them that the Lord would rise again on the third day. The angels told them that they would indeed see Jesus alive, and they also instructed them to leave and tell the disciples. As they were running along, Jesus appeared before them, very much alive. Both Marys were filled with great joy, and Jesus told them to send the disciples to Galilee, where He would greet them. Mary, Mary, and a few other women told many people about this incredible miracle. Many were skeptical, but others were accepting. They told the remaining eleven disciples, who immediately left for Galilee. Peter found the tomb empty, and all of them met Jesus again. Even after seeing Him, some of the apostles were still dubious! But, He convinced them that He was truly Jesus Christ. His final commandment was for the eleven apostles to spread His Word and tell everyone about His resurrection. And with that, He ascended into heaven.

Well, that was a big, sweeping epic! I originally intended it to be much shorter and more compact, but sometimes when I get going, it’s hard to stop me! Of course, there’s some minor details in the story that may differ with varying sources or interpretations, but the overall arc is continuous. Perhaps I should write a play adaptation of those eight days!

If you have thoughts on the story and the way I wrote it, be sure to leave a comment down below. But now, I’m going to write a short story about our modern-day Easter. As mentioned before, it’ll be written in a similar way to my Halloween series. So, enjoy!

Lights, keyboard, action!

Setting: Jersey City, New Jersey, Saturday, April 16, 2022

Ring ring! A telephone was, well . . . ringing in a building located downtown Manhattan. Like the building structure, the telephone was old and dilapidated. It was one of those vintage phones used in the 1950s and 60s. After a few seconds, Dr. Abraham Richardson awoke and rose from a futon in the same room. Groggily, he answered it.

“Hello, IconCrashers. . . . Mm-hmm. . . . No, no, we’re legal, well . . . yeah, let’s just go with that. . . . ’84 Volkswagen, yeah. . . . Okay, tonight for Easter, I presume? . . . Alright, I’ll have to make it 12:15, we’ve got another appointment at 11:45. . . . Cash is fine, $500. . . . Address, please? . . . Okay, we’ll be there. Thank you.”

Dr. Richardson hung up the phone. He was an older gentleman, in his early 60s, who had originally formed the business IconCrashers under the name HoliBusters in 1984 with his two friends and colleagues. IconCrashers was created after the three creators were let go from their university jobs for teaching an after-school class about the scientific probability of “legends”, or icons, existing, whether it be Bigfoot or Santa Claus. It started out harmless until, in the class, they criticized the university’s Vice President, Dr. Pierre Rupert, for immediately shutting down, dispersing, and expelling campus protesters who claimed he was partaking in insider trading with large scientific organizations. This resulted in the three’s instant firings. That’s when they formed IconCrashers, a small New York-based business dedicated to proving that legends such as Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, Cupid, and even Count Dracula exist. Not only did they do deep research on the topic, they made themselves available for hiring. If someone wanted the IconCrashers to arrive in their smooth-looking vehicle at their house and wait until Santa slid down the chimney or the Tooth Fairy flew in, they’d be there. However, in 2019, both of Dr. Richardson’s colleagues disappeared during a Halloween stakeout.

After a brief shutdown in 2019 and 2020, Richardson began hiring again. And he ended up with a group who thought themselves to be an A-List team (in other words, a D-list team):

• Dr. Ernie Palsatto, an Italian-American Harvard graduate in astronomical physics who moved to New York for a singing career, but lost his apartment after bursting the pipes and windows with his falsetto, became part of a concerning new “family” that met at a high school cafeteria for awhile, and got a job mopping the floors at 30 Rockefeller Center.
• Dr. Devon Hudson, an egotistical psychiatrist and medical specialist from England who was banned from being within 5 miles of Queen Elizabeth after accidentally spilling coffee on her most expensive dress and moved to America out of spite, quickly ran out of money, and moved in with a newlywed husband and wife who he theorized were hitmen.
• Dr. Murray G. Abbott, a self-proclaimed doctor who collected toilet paper and spare LEGO parts from public restrooms and was hired to work at IconCrashers out of pity.

Richardson began drifting off again as he leaned back in the chair . . . which fell onto the floor. This alerted Dr. Murray G. Abbott, who ran into the room.

“Everything okay, Doc?!”

“Yes, I’m fine,” replied Richardson. “Listen, Murray, where did you buy this phone? It looks like it was plucked straight out of 1963!”

“Oh, yeah, I got it at something called an antiques auction.” Murray answered, “It was a bit over our budget, but it looks cool!”

“How much over our budget?”

“Only $1000 bucks! And that’s without interest!”

Richardson frustratingly sighed.

“Hey, come on, man!” Murray said. “You know what they say, the older it is, the cheaper it is!”

“That’s not how it . . . whatever. We have another appointment tonight at 12:15, but we’ll have to be out of there by 12:45, we have that other slot at 1:00 across town,” Richardson remarked.

“Got it,” Murray nodded. “Say, Doc, did you eat the Cadbury Eggs last night?”

Richardson bit his lip as he responded, “I got a little hungry.”

“No problem!” exclaimed Murray. “Just glad you’re not afraid to tell me. That must be how you got the nickname Honest Abe!”

Dr. Richardson opened his mouth to reply, but decided it wasn’t worth it. He was saved from another tedious conversation with Murray by Dr. Ernie Palsatto, who entered the office from the fire escape outside.

“Hey, how’s it goin’, my friends?”

“You mean, ‘how’s it going, my pretty’?” asked Murray. “Cause you’re the Wicked Witch from that tornado movie!”

“And why am I the Wicked Witch?”

“Cause you have a mop like the one she rides, Einstein!” Murray mocked, then whispered to Richardson, “Can you believe this guy?”

Richardson rolled his eyes. “Ernie, when’s Hudson getting here?”

“I saw his car pulling up outside, my friend,” Ernie answered.

Sure enough, about two minutes of silence later, Dr. Devon Hudson walked through the rusted door. Richardson could tell by the psychiatrist’s expression that something was wrong. “What is it, Devon?”

Dr. Hudson shot him a look, and Richardson backtracked. “I mean . . . what is it, Dr. Hudson?”

Hudson scoffed. “That doorman downstairs dared call me ignorant because I assumed that he was also a shoeshiner.”

Dr. Richardson tried to reason with him. “Well, it is a bit demeaning, wouldn’t you say, Dr. Hudson?”

Hudson’s eyes blinked with fury and he replied blisteringly, “Well, excuse me, Dr. Richardson, if I tend to meld the blue-collar class together occasionally!”

“You said that to him, didn’t you?”

“I’m sorry if I speak the truth! It was too much for my refined upper-class taste, I suppose.”

“You’re a derogatory classist,” Richardson shot back.

“No, Doc!” Murray interjected. “Everybody knows that a glassist is someone who makes spectacle frames!”

Dr. Hudson took a deep breath and muttered, “I’m going to use the restroom, please excuse me.”

“Oh, wait!” Murray warned. “I may or may not have clogged and overflowed the toilet earlier. I put the lid down, though, so it should be safe. Just be careful.”

“Okay,” Hudson quickly pivoted. “In that case, I’ll use the building bathroom.”

“Hudson, just go off the balcony. That’s what I was just up there for!” suggested Ernie.

After a brief pause, Hudson, shocked, responded, “I’m speechless. I may have just thrown up in my mouth.” He closed the door and left the room, but Ernie yelled out, “If you were speechless, then you’d shut up for once!”

“He left already,” Richardson said.

“No, we won’t need to turn left for at least the next twenty seconds!” Murray protested while pouring himself a bowl of dry cereal.

Ernie ignored him and ranted, “Those darn upper-class elites! How long are they gonna be able to insult guys like us, huh? Who bust themselves up to make a dang livin’! They don’t know anything about the real world.”

“This isn’t the real world, Ernie,” Richardson replied. “This is some sort of personally modified torturous void that we exist in.”

After Dr. Hudson returned to the room, Richardson briefed everyone on their schedule for that night. “Alright, folks, we have some appointments starting at 10:30 P.M. tonight, but the big ones don’t start until right before midnight. The ones we’ll want to be looking at are 11:45, 12:15, and 1:00. Tonight is the night that we catch the Easter Bunny!”

Meanwhile, in a rather quiet yet wealthy neighborhood, two kids, aged 10 and the other 7, were in their luxurious backyard playing around with an Easter egg hunt.

Rose, the older of the two, exclaimed, “I have more than you, Randy! You can’t catch up!”

“We’ll see about that!” her younger brother Randy responded.

However, the fun quickly game to a grinding halt when their father, Dr. Antoine Falcrone, walked outside and said rather loudly, “Children!”

They both stopped in their tracks and looked at him.

“What do you think you are doing?”

“We’re having an Easter egg hunt!” Randy said. “We think the Easter Bunny left them!”

Dr. Falcrone chuckled. “Ah, the Easter Bunny. A myth. A fable. A fake imaginary friend created by children to ensure their happiness during a holiday in which that should be irrelevant.”

Rose protested, “Dad, we know you don’t believe in the Easter Bunny . . . but we do! And Mom does, too!”

“Does she?” Dr. Falcrone inquired. “Well, perhaps I can prove otherwise using a trusty friend I like to call . . . science!”

“The only reason you don’t believe is because your boss Pierre doesn’t!” Randy boldly said.

“He is not my boss!” With this, Dr. Falcrone’s voice rose. After a moment, he calmed down, and said, “My colleague Dr. Rupert has facts on his side of this, quite frankly, silly argument. Now, kids, come inside. You ought to practice your piano. And I don’t want to hear anything more about this magical rabbit.”

“His name is the Easter Bunny!” challenged Randy.

“Yes, yes, and my name is Sigmund Freud, run along,” Dr. Falcrone said. Rose and Randy went inside as Dr. Falcrone stood on his deck staring into his backyard. He snapped out of it when his wife, and Randy and Rose’s mother, Dr. Jennifer Falcrone, a family and couples therapist, walked out onto the deck. After a brief pause, she asked, “Why do you have to suck the spirit out of those kids every time they want to have fun?”

Dr. Falcrone came prepared. “I knew you’d inquire that, Jen. It’s harmful behavior for them. If they’re going to grow up scientists and doctors, they ought to know at a young age that ridiculous fairy tales about bunnies who bring gift bags . . . “

“Baskets.”

“. . . baskets to every house in the world on Easter. We certainly had none of that in my home growing up. And I’d ask you, Jen, to stop encouraging them and this sort of rhetoric.”

“They’re kids,” Jennifer replied. “They’re supposed to have fun! And holidays are a great time for that, Antoine.”

“This ‘fun’ adjective is just a lousy cover-up for the more dangerous side to this.

“Dangerous?” Jen said. “Letting our children be children for once is dangerous?”

Dr. Falcrone ended the conversation. “I’m not discussing this any further. I have work to do.” With that, he left.

That night, Rose and Randy were discussing their masterful plan in the backyard with Randy’s friend, Larry, who was more commonly known by his nickname, Beethoven.

“Alright,” Rose began, “here’s were we are right now. First, we – “

“Excuse me,” Randy interrupted. “May I? I believe we had a formal agreement?”

Rose sighed. “Whatever, knock yourself out.”

“Okay, so, first, Rose and I will make Mom and Dad their favorite snack: an Italian salad with French dressing. Next . . . “

“That’s your parents’ favorite snack?” Beethoven asked.

“Yes,” Randy replied, “so, next . . . “

“Mine is chocolate vanilla pretzels dipped in a combination of mayonnaise and orange juice. Ohhhhh, yeahhh . . . ” Beethoven moaned.

“Excellent, moving on. So, we’ll make them the salads to ‘butter them up’ and prove that we’re responsible kids! Then, we’ll be in the same room saying goodnights when the phone rings, and . . . “

“So, where do I come in?” asked Beethoven.

“We’re getting to you!” Rose shouted.

“I would hope so!” Beethoven complained.

“The phone rings,” Randy continued, “and it’s you, saying that there’s been a shocking discovery at the lab, and both doctors Falcrone must arrive immediately. But lower your voice to sound like an adult.”

“Like this?” Beethoven said, but with a still slightly high voice.

“Lower,” said Rose.

“Like this?”

“Lower.”

“This?”

“Lower.”

“This?”

“Lower!”

“This?!”

“LOWER!”

“IS THIS GOOD?!”

“PERFECT!” yelled Randy. “Listen, we need to quiet down, we don’t want them to know what we’re up to! Since we’ve already proven that we’re ‘responsible’, they’ll leave us home alone briefly without a babysitter. And then, that’s when the Bunny snatchers will arrive.”

“So what time should I call?” Beethoven inquired.

“About 11:35,” Rose replied.

“What? No, that won’t work. I have a mandated bedtime of 9:00 P.M.!”

“Tell your parents that you need a phone in your room as a nightlight!” Randy suggested. “Just make sure you’re still awake at 11:35.”

“Well . . . I guess I could do that. Alright, I’m in!”

Beethoven high-fived Rose and Randy, then asked, “So, where’s the money?”

“Your quarter is waiting in the entryway,” Rose responded.

“Alright, I’ll see you guys Monday! Have a good Easter!” Beethoven said as he walked into the house.

Randy made sure Beethoven was gone when he said to Rose, “Wow, a whole quarter!”

Rose shook her head. “It’s a nickel. He won’t know the difference.”

That night, the operation was running smoothly. As Jennifer and Antoine were saying goodnight to Rose when the home phone rang, and they instructed the children to stay in bed, not eat anything, and obviously not leave the house. They then rushed off to the lab.

Rose entered into Randy’s bedroom as soon as the door slammed shut. “We’re on track, buddy!”

“Yes!” Randy exclaimed enthusiastically. “See, I told you Beethoven was trustworthy!”

“Tonight, my friend,” Rose said as she sat down, “we catch the Easter Bunny.”

Six minutes later, a 1984 Volkswagen Rabbit pulled into the cul-de-sac. Out came four men with heavy equipment. One knocked on the door, which Rose answered.

Dr. Abraham Richardson was surprised to see a ten-year-old answering the door. “Oh, uh . . . hello, miss. Are your parents home?”

Rose, concerned about the question, turned towards Randy, unknowing what to say. Randy answered the question. “You see, kind gentlemen, we are actually SSC.”

“And what exactly does that stand for?” Dr. Hudson grilled.

“I think it’s pretty obvious!” Murray stated. “Super Secret Service!”

“Self-Sustaining Children,” Randy responded. “Our parents went on a safari trip to Africa a year ago and were forced into a Zambian treaty that required they stay in Africa for an additional three years. With our other relatives dispersed against the United States, we appealed to the court to dictate how we live. You may have read about our case in the paper, ‘Falcrone vs Yuhsuvikt’?”

“Every single day!” Murray said.

Randy privately gave Rose a confused look, but replied, “Nonetheless, the court decided that we could live on our own until our parents return.”

“That sounds fishy, but I really don’t care, I just want to get the job done,” Richardson said.

“Hey, hey,” Murray said to Richardson, “choose your words carefully. You don’t wanna get in trouble with the law. They could send you to Antarctica! To freeze! Or to a lion colony!”

“Or community service!” Dr. Hudson said. “How distasteful.”

Ernie added to the conversation, “I had to do that once, but I blew it off. Who the heck cares anyway?”

“The law, Mr. Palsatto! Are you technically wanted?” Dr. Hudson wondered.

“Hmm . . . I don’t know. . . . ” Ernie worriedly said.

“Well, come on in. Let’s catch the Easter Bunny!” Rose said excitedly.

The IconCrashers entered the home and set up their top-notch (or, fifteen-year-old) gear that would presumably catch the Easter Bunny.

“How many times have you tried catching the Easter Bunny before?” Rose asked Dr. Richardson.

“Well, let’s see . . . about 180.”

Rose was shocked. “Wow! Why do you keep trying?”

“Well, each year, we upgrade our equipment to comply with standard procedure. I wouldn’t bet on catching this rascal, but we made a significant update this year,” Dr. Richardson explained.

“Somebody, somebody, help!” Dr. Hudson yelled from the fireplace. “Somebody, it’s urgent!”

Randy and Murray got to Dr. Hudson first. “What’s wrong, are you hurt?” asked Richardson.

Dr. Hudson began sobbing, unable to speak. “Oh my goodness, is he going to be okay?” Rose questioned.

Finally able to speak, Dr. Hudson answered, “I got soot on my coat! Somebody fetch me a rag, and quickly!”

Randy ran to get a rag, but everybody else rolled their eyes . . . except for Murray. “I’m so sorry, Dr. Hudson! I’m so glad that you’re alive!”

“Thank you!” Dr. Hudson said emotionally.

“Hey, Hudson, you like that soot-coat? Get it?!” Ernie cracked.

Five minutes later, everything was set up. They waited an additional seven minutes for the Easter Bunny to show up until, suddenly, everyone got very, very sleepy . . . they couldn’t help it anymore. Within thirty seconds everyone was passed out.

A mysterious figure walked, or hopped, into the room extremely quickly and was almost out of the house within two seconds, but something stopped it . . . it was the equipment.

Thirty seconds later, Murray woke up and saw . . . THE EASTER BUNNY! He screamed in a very high-pitched manner and yelled, “HE’S HERE! WE GOT ‘IM!”

Dr. Hudson, half-asleep, mumbled, “Go back to Australia, mate.”

“WAKE UP!” Murray screamed. And soon, everybody did. And what they saw was indeed the Easter Bunny.

Randy screamed. Rose screamed. The Easter Bunny screamed. Murray kept screaming. Everybody was in shock that they had accomplished their mission.

“Quiet, everyone!” Dr. Richardson yelled. And, focusing very closely on the human-sized rabbit, he asked him, “Are you the Easter Bunny?”

“Why, of course! Now, I’d very much appreciate it if you’d let me go! I still have the majority of homes to get to!” The Easter Bunny replied.

“I ask that you’ll stay for human interest purposes, Mr. Bunny,” Dr. Hudson said. “Now, let’s start with question one of four-hundred-and-twenty-three. First, do you consider your brain to be more human or Leporidae-based?”

“Enough! Let me out of here or you won’t be getting your basket this year!”

“I don’t even get sweaters from my mother for Christmas, so I’ll be alright, thank you,” Dr. Hudson said.

“Mr. Bunny, may I have your autograph?!” Murray begged.

“If you let me out of here!” yelled the Easter Bunny.

“I can’t believe it! Dad was wrong! We need to show him!” said Rose.

“Trust me, children, your dad has been a non-believer since 1986 and he’ll likely remain that way,” the Easter Bunny assured.

“I have a doodle of you in the trunk of the car, maybe you can sign that! I’ll be right back!” Murray said as he ran out to the Volkswagen.

“Wait, wait,” Rose interrupted. “1986, Mr. Bunny? But he was born in 1980.”

The Easter Bunny sighed. “He was a believer until age six. That’s when his parents shut it down and he got all scienc-y. Now, somebody let me out now!”

“Not gonna happen, buster,” Eddie said.

Right after he said that, the Easter Bunny used his feet in a hopping rhythm to kick through the net he was stuck in, letting him out.

“All of you should know better. IconCrashers, stop hunting me. Rose and Randy, you’re not getting your basket this year.”

With that, the Easter Bunny took the basket and eggs and left.

“Well, that was a nice 60 seconds,” Eddie remarked.

Murray ran back into the house with a hand-drawn picture of the Easter Bunny. “Mr. Bunny, you can sign here!”

“He left, Mr. Abbott,” Dr. Hudson told Murray.

“Sorry, Murray. He let us down,” Rose said.

“Yeah, tell me about it, Soul Sister!” Murray yelled angrily as he tore up the drawing.

“Not so fast, everyone,” Dr. Richardson said. “I implemented a tracking device on Mr. Bunny here before he left. We can see where he’s headed on this graph.” He showed everyone which houses the Easter Bunny was hitting on a monitor. “At this speed, he’ll be at our next client’s home a little after 12:15.”

“Alright, let’s head out, everyone,” Ernie said. “Let’s hustle!”

“Wait!” Randy stopped them. “I want to come!”

“Yeah, me, too!” said Rose.

“Not gonna happen,” Dr. Richardson told them. “Clients don’t get a special ride-along. Sorry, kids. Stay here, and wait until Christmas. Here’s our card. Everything is misspelt because Murray wrote it. Stay in school, kids.”

“Wait!”

But, before they knew it, the IconCrashers were gone and headed out in their Volkswagen Rabbit. Dismayed, Randy and Rose sat down.

But a lightbulb flickered in Rose’s head.

“Randy!”

“What?”

“Do you still have that electric scooter?”

Seconds later, Randy and Rose sped out of the garage on Randy’s safely secured, high-tech electric scooter following the IconCrashers. But, as they sped along, they unknowingly passed their parents’ car.

Jennifer could’ve sworn she just saw her children. “Antoine, turn back around!”

Dr. Falcrone automatically made an illegal U-turn. “What is it?”

“I just saw Rose and Randy on his electric scooter!”

“Oh, Jen,” the doubting Dr. Falcrone started, “You really haven’t been getting enough sleep.”

Jen slapped him. “Ow!”

“It may have just been a crow and not a bald eagle on the way here, but I know our kids when I see them!”

Four minutes later, the IconCrashers arrived at the next home. They entered with the equipment.

The door was unlocked. “Come in,” said a voice.

“Alright, we’re here, where should we set up?” Ernie asked.

“Oh, I already have my own gear set up. I thought that you gentlemen perhaps would like to assist me in the process. I heard that you are each doctors.”

“Yes, I’m a doctor! I went to Prince-Town!” Murray claimed.

The voice sounded very familiar to Dr. Richardson. “Excuse me, sir, have we met?”

The person turned around. In his famous silky black robe, it was Dr. Pierre Rupert.

“Richardson?”

Their reunion was interrupted when a white flash darted across the room for about a second before getting trapped in a steel cell that took up about a quarter of the large room.

“What? What is this?” the Easter Bunny exclaimed, shocked that he was trapped twice within the same night. “Who are you? Let me out!”

“Settle down, big guy,” Dr. Rupert said menacingly. “Ah, I’ve been awaiting this for years.”

“And what exactly do you plan to do with him, Pierre?” Richardson grilled.

Dr. Rupert laughed maniacally. “That’s none of your concern, Richardson. You won’t be interfering with my plans again. After all these years, it’s devastating to see the new low that you’ve stooped to.”

Dr. Richardson started to charge at Dr. Rupert, but Ernie stopped him.

“No, let him come at me,” Dr. Rupert commanded Ernie. “It’d be hilarious to see him try.”

The enraged Dr. Richardson broke free from Ernie’s hold and ran towards Dr. Rupert, preparing to sock a punch . . . but he was instead thrown back by a metal device on Dr. Rupert’s wrist that emitted a strong force. “Stay back,” Rupert warned. “You wouldn’t want me to slap a suit on you, would you?”

“Hey, he has good fashion even if he doesn’t dress fancy!” Murray cried.

“Who’s this idiot?” Rupert scoffed.

Murray growled. “This idiot is Murray G. Abbott!” Murray grabbed a nearby metal pole and ran at Dr. Rupert, who again used his wrist device. This shattered the metal pole and injured Murray.

“Stop it! Don’t hurt anybody, Dr. Rupert!” the Easter Bunny begged from his jail cell. The giant rabbit then tried kicking his way out, but it was no use.

“Be quiet, peanut gallery,” Dr. Rupert mocked. He then enabled a setting in the cell that would shock the Easter Bunny if he moved more than an inch. “I’d sit still if I were you, Bunny Boy.”

Still conscious, Dr. Richardson said to Rupert, “I know what you’ll do with him. You’ve always argued against my scientific proposition that these fantastic creatures and legends do indeed exist. You’d do the unthinkable to protect your ego. You’ll keep this Easter Bunny here until you’re able to manipulate data and prove that you are right, that he does not exist.”

Dr. Rupert evilly laughed again. “You know me so well, Abraham.”

“Let the Easter Bunny go,” said a new voice. Dr. Rupert turned to the door to find . . . Dr. Antoine Falcrone, and his wife and kids.

Rupert was alarmed that his coworker witnessed what was occurring. He searched around in his mind to find a lie or an excuse, but there was nothing there. His mind was completely blank. Knowing how power-hungry Dr. Rupert could be, Dr. Falcrone took this opportunity to lunge directly at Rupert. He grabbed onto the wrist device, and a struggle ensued. Dr. Rupert enabled it again, which caused Falcrone to float in the air. Just when Rupert was about to overpower him, Dr. Devon Hudson used a part of the equipment, called a Beamer, to shoot out a beam of light at Rupert. It passed through the forcefield and attacked Dr. Rupert, allowing Dr. Falcrone to grab the wrist device and destroy it.

With Rupert down, Falcrone grabbed the key to the cell and unlocked it, letting the Easter Bunny roam free.

Somewhat shocked that he had just freed a large rabbit from a crazed coworker, Dr. Falcrone was struggling to find something to say to the Easter Bunny.

But the Easter Bunny said it for him: “Thank you for believing.” And he slowly hopped outside.

Murray was also shocked. “Wow, wow, Rose, Randy, this must be the greatest day of your lives! To see your parents again after an entire year!” He shook both Falcrones’ hands. “Hi, I’m Dr. Murray G. Abbott. How was Africa?”

Confused, Jen simply said, “What?”

While all of these conversations were happening, Rose and Randy stepped outside to speak with the Easter Bunny one last time.

“Kids, thank you for helping to free me. I may be the gift-giver of Easter, but you are the heroes of Easter. Perhaps next year you can join me in Easter Island to help me with my basket rollout.”

He smiled at the siblings.

And then he disappeared.

Antoine and Jen stepped out of the house, as well.

Antoine said to his children, “I hope that this Easter will still be fun for you even if I took the joy out of it. I’m really sorry.”

“Oh, I don’t see forgetting this Easter anytime soon,” Rose replied.

“Yes, it was the best Easter yet!” agreed Randy.

Jen, Antoine, Rose, and Randy embraced as they saw, in the distance, the Easter Bunny hopping fantastically from house to house.

And that is 2022’s Easter post! I hope you enjoyed both parts of it. It definitely turned out longer than I anticipated! But that’s how it usually goes for me.

Be sure to comment down below what your favorite Easter candy is. Mine is the chocolate-covered, cream-filled eggs that come in a carton. Oh, yeah, baby!

Have a great Easter, and remember: Jesus gave you a purpose. What do you think that is?

Whiz Kid out