The Waiting Room

1. The Waiting Room

Rabbit had been waiting for something to happen.

The problem was, nothing had.

He had already checked twice.

Then three times.

Then once more, because apparently the fourth check was the one where things became clearer.

They did not.

Rabbit looked at the little paper ticket in his paw.

47.

Across the room, a sign glowed:

NOW SERVING: RIGHT NOW

Rabbit adjusted his glasses.

“That seems unnecessarily mysterious.”

Crow, perched above him, said nothing.

Crow was very good at that.

2. The What-If Department

Rabbit soon discovered that the Waiting Room had another room behind it.

A much busier room.

A sign over the doorway read:

THE WHAT-IF DEPARTMENT

We prepare for things that haven't happened yet.

Rabbit had barely stepped inside when Plate Spinner rushed past carrying three boxes while spinning six plates.

“Delivery!”

“What delivery?”

“Yours.”

Rabbit looked at the boxes.

What if I'm not ready?

What if it gets worse?

What if something happens nobody has thought of yet?

Rabbit blinked.

“I didn't order these.”

Plate Spinner smiled.

“Nobody does.”

3. Plate Spinner Gets to Work

Plate Spinner was magnificent.

Boxes went onto shelves.

Boxes came off shelves.

Some went into a wagon.

Others were stacked beside Rabbit.

All the while, the plates kept spinning.

“Past What-If!”

Spin.

“Present What-If!”

Spin.

“Future What-If!”

Spin.

Rabbit watched another box arrive.

What if it actually works?

He leaned forward.

“Wait. We have those too?”

Plate Spinner looked offended.

“This is a full-service department.”

Crow watched from above.

4. One Gets Loose

Then somebody opened a box.

Nobody was quite sure who.

Out flew questions.

What if I'm not ready?

What if it's too late?

What if I can't control it?

They fluttered around the room like startled birds.

Plate Spinner chased them while keeping the plates going.

Rabbit ducked.

Crow moved exactly six inches.

“This seems inefficient,” Rabbit said.

Deadpan wasn't there, but somehow the room felt like something he would have said.

5. The Sorting Station

Eventually Plate Spinner wheeled out a large board.

It had four columns:

WORRY

EXPLORE

PREPARE

LET GO

Rabbit stared at it.

“You can sort What-Ifs?”

“You can sort almost anything,” said Plate Spinner. “Whether it stays sorted is another matter.”

Rabbit picked one.

What if I'm not ready?

He thought for a moment.

“Prepare.”

Another:

What if something happens nobody has thought of yet?

Rabbit stared at that one longer.

Then placed it under:

LET GO.

Crow nodded.

It was barely a nod.

But Rabbit saw it.

6. The Wagon

Soon Plate Spinner began loading boxes into a red wagon.

Rabbit read the sign on the side.

LET GO - FOR NOW

“For now?” Rabbit asked.

“Oh, certainly,” said Plate Spinner. “You can always worry about them again later.”

Rabbit laughed.

That seemed ridiculous.

Which was interesting, because five minutes earlier it had seemed perfectly reasonable.

The wagon rolled toward the door.

The room suddenly had more space.

So did Rabbit.

7. The Door

That was when Rabbit noticed something he hadn't noticed before.

The door was open.

Not cracked.

Not unlocked.

Open.

Sunlight spilled across the floor.

Outside was a path.

And Wanderlust.

And somewhere beyond that, things Rabbit hadn't seen yet.

Rabbit looked back at the Waiting Room.

“Was that door open the whole time?”

Crow looked at him.

Plate Spinner suddenly became extremely interested in one of the plates.

Rabbit sighed.

“Of course it was.”

8. Rabbit Leaves

Rabbit picked up his backpack.

He left the boxes where they were.

Not because the questions had disappeared.

They hadn't.

Not because he suddenly knew what would happen.

He didn't.

He simply realized something.

He didn't have to wait for every answer before he lived.

Rabbit stepped through the doorway.

Behind him, Plate Spinner called:

“What should I do with Number 47?”

Rabbit kept walking.

“Give it to somebody who thinks they need it.”

Crow flew out after him.

And somewhere inside the What-If Department, another box arrived.

Plate Spinner read the label.

What if Rabbit comes back?

Plate Spinner smiled.

“Put it on the shelf.”