This is a short story (7,754 words) told from the sensory perspective of a domestic rabbit. The story chronicles two littermate sisters separated from their birth litter and sold into captivity, their seven-year life together, one's death from uterine cancer, and the survivor's remaining time alone. The narrative aims to confront readers with the ethical implications of keeping sentient beings as pets.
- Strictly non-anthropomorphic: No human thoughts, emotions, or concepts attributed to the rabbits
- Sensory-based narrative: Everything experienced through scent, sound, temperature, light, touch, bodily states
- Biologically accurate: Realistic rabbit behavior, instincts, and physical experiences
- Poetic precision: "The extraordinary in the mundane", lyrical language grounded in biological reality
- Ethical confrontation: The reader should understand the profound responsibility of domestication
| Document | Purpose |
|---|---|
| CONCEPTUAL_MAP.md | Story spine and narrative arc |
| EMOTIONAL_ARC.md | Reader experience map |
| NARRATOR_VOICE.md | Character/voice profile |
| STYLE_GUIDE.md | Language and style references |
| THEME_TRACKER.md | Motif tracking table |
| THEME_DOSSIERS.md | Stage-specific notes and micro-scenes |
| EXAMPLE_DRAFT.md | Sample chapter content |
| IMPLEMENTATION_STRATEGY.md | Writing process guide |
| PROGRESS_SUMMARY.md | Draft and iteration tracker |
| Document | Purpose |
|---|---|
| oryctolagus_cuniculus.md | Rabbit behaviour and physiology research |
| Language | Directory | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Svenska (Swedish) | translations/svenska/ | TRANSLATION_PLAN.md |
Birth, first sensations, sisterhood, first earth contact
Nesting behavior, middle years, seasonal cycles, human puberty observed
Illness, death, body's return, farewell
Survivor alone, final winter, death, integration with all-being
- The narrator (smaller, dominant, survivor): Quick, escapes regularly, outlives her sister
- Sister (larger, docile): Nests despite pseudopregnancy, develops uterine cancer, dies first
- In the narrative, the narrator refers to herself as "the body" and her companion as "sister"
- Two human sisters: Ages 7 and 10 at start, 14 and 17 at first rabbit's death
- Referred to by rabbits as "tall-bodies" (emphasizing their vertical posture)
- Distinguished by size: "the smaller tall-body" and "the larger tall-body"
The story is a reckoning with domestication. By the end, readers should understand:
"If I choose to take a sentient being from its mother, deny its instincts, control its entire existence, and end its life without it ever knowing freedom, what immense responsibility do I bear to make that life as rich as possible?"
The story doesn't moralize. It simply shows, with unflinching biological and sensory precision, what captivity is from the inside.
Current Phase: v2.0 Short Story Complete (7,754 words) - Entering Revision Phase
Next Steps:
- Phases 3-6: Self-revision (~3-5 weeks estimated)
- Beta readers: Recruit 5-8 readers, feedback synthesis (~3-4 weeks estimated)
- Production and launch (per CRITICAL_ASSESSMENT_AND_PUBLISHING_PLAN.md)
Version History:
- v1.0: First draft complete (~13,050 words)
- v1.1: Expanded with escape/cat scenes (~17,600 words)
- v1.2: Condensed novella (~12,441 words)
- v2.0: Short story format (7,754 words, 37.7% reduction) - CURRENT
- v3.0: Publication-ready final draft - PENDING
See PROGRESS_SUMMARY.md for detailed status.