Congratulations !
You have been awarded points.
Thank you for !
- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Fairy Tales & Fantasy
- Subject: Biography / Autobiography
- Published: 04/08/2021
The Truth Behind the Legends
Born 1980, M, from Exeter, United KingdomI stand in the recording booth, take a deep breath and look down at the yellow legal pad with my handwritten notes on it. I am recording the introduction to a program entitled: The Truth Behind The Legends.
It had been my idea. The show would be me interviewing a guest each week, getting to know the real character behind the myth. Television stations seemed interested in my pitch at first. However, when I told them who I would like to have as my first guest, The Easter Bunny, I was laughed out of station after station; but I never stopped believing in my project. There was an audience for this, I knew it. But, the more I got rejected, the more uncertain I became. Eventually, a local television station, TCA, that had just started broadcasting, was looking for program ideas. I went along fully expecting to be laughed at, again, but the idea intrigued them.
“Max!” shouts a voice, bringing me back to the recording booth. “Earth to Max! Are we recording this or would you rather do it live?” “No, no, Sally. Let's do a pre-record to play before the beginning titles.” Sally replies “OK, this is Max Porter, The Truth Behind The Legends, introduction, take one.” I was really nervous but once I started to speak, the nerves evaporated.
“Every year, a mythical creature delivers and hides chocolate eggs in gardens for the pleasure of children. I am talking, of course, about The Easter Bunny. But, is the excitement felt by children shared by the Easter Bunny? Or is this only a job to him? Find out this, and more, tonight on The Truth Behind The Legends. “Great, says Sally, that's a wrap for now. Thank you Max, we’ll see you tonight for the live show.”
I leave the station feeling nervous, I grab something to eat at a local cafe, take a walk to clear my head and try not to think about the fact that in a few hours I will be hosting my own live television programme. “What if I mess this opportunity up?” TCA has taken a big chance, allowing me to make this pilot. I do not want to let them down.
At six o'clock I returned to the studio still trying to calm myself. What if the bunny wasn't the nice bunny everybody thought he was? He had seemed angry at first, avoiding my phone calls. Only when I offered him an exclusive interview for people to get to know the real Easter Bunny did he reluctantly agree. There was no time to worry about these things now. I went backstage while my pre-recorded introduction played through the speakers. A microphone was pinned to my lapel and then I was hurried out on stage.
The Audience begins to applaud.
“Welcome to the myth behind the legends. This is my first show, so be gentle with me.” As I say this I walk over to a black swivel chair and sit down. The Easter Bunny is sitting opposite me cross legged, swivelling his chair gently from side to side as he waits. He is tall and slim with short ears wearing a blue jacket, perched on the top of his head there are black sunglasses.
“3...2...1… And we’re live!”
“Good evening and welcome to The Truth Behind The Legends. I'm your host, Max Porter, my guest for my first ever show, as you might have guessed from my introduction, is the Easter Bunny. Good evening Easter Bunny…” I stop myself and say, “Do I call you Mr Bunny or Easter?” “Call me Kevin.” The Easter Bunny replies. “Ok, Kevin”- I say- “tell me about your childhood?” “Well, you know, it was a happy one. Lots of hopping around in fields. The typical image, really. My parents are greengrocers but not really very good ones. As they eat more of the vegetables than they sell.” The audience laughs and I relax a little. This is going to work I think to myself.
“Did you have any idols growing up Kevin?” “Oh yes”- he replies- “I always wanted to be like Peter Rabbit.” Someone in the audience whoops “Yeah, Peter!” which makes the rest of the audience laugh.
“So Kevin, how do you go from hopping around in fields to a legendary bunny who delivers chocolate to girls and boys at Easter?!” “We have a television program called The Bunny Factor, it's a talent competition. The winning bunny gets to be the Easter Bunny for one year. I believe humans have something similar.” I nod, feeling really excited at this revelation. This was exactly the sort of stuff I wanted to uncover.
“Really?! That is fascinating. Can you give us any insights into the process you have to go through to win?” I ask. “I don't think the makers of The Bunny Factor would be happy with me telling you that. We have to sign non-disclosure agreements.” -I look disappointed- “I suppose I can just say that everything your children do at Easter we have to do to win the competition.”
The audience cheers as it dawns on them what he is implying. While their child is doing the egg and spoon race a bunny somewhere was doing the exact same thing to try to become the Easter Bunny.
“Does it take a lot of work to find hiding spots for all the eggs?”- I ask. “Oh, absolutely!”- Kevin replies- “in fact the Bunny factor provides the winning contestant with a team of bunny cartographers who map out every child's garden so we can figure out where to put the eggs. “This happens every year?” - I say in surprise- “Yes.”- he replies. Easter takes a lot of preparation including the prosthetic ears some of us have to wear to live up to the image that everybody has of the Easter Bunny.” At this bombshell, the audience gives a collective gasp and the camera zooms in on their shocked faces. “Does it upset you having to pretend to be someone you’re not, just to live up to people's expectations?” Kevin considers this for a while before saying: “No, I don’t think about it in terms of image really. The Easter Bunny is loved by children around the world and if I can bring a little bit of joy and brighten their lives, it’s all worth it.” This answer earns Kevin a huge round of applause and cheer.
“Can I ask about the eggs? Where do they come from?” Kevin smiles, “We buy them just like everyone else! There are great value multi-packs in most super markets.” “What do you say to people that blame you, the Easter Bunny, for promoting obesity and tooth decay?” “We cannot be held responsible for the large consumption of chocolate on Easter.” That remark will probably be taken out of context, I thought. I can see the headlines now: Easter Bunny says yes to obesity! Tooth decay, okay with the Easter Bunny!
“One last question, if I may, Kevin. What do you do the rest of the year?” “I spend my time at The Easter Bunny official residence, on Easter Island. Which is my home for the year while I am The Easter Bunny.” “I see,” I replied. “So the winner of the Bunny Factor gets a place to live?” “Yes,” said Kevin.
“Well that’s about all the time we have for this evening. I would like to thank my guest, the Easter Bunny, for his honesty answering my questions.” Kevin interrupts “Just before we go, Max, I have a question for you and your audience.” “Really? What is that?” I ask with surprise. Kevin looked very seriously into the camera and then grins cheekily: “Who likes chocolate?” With one quick motion, Kevin throws chocolate to the audience, who all try to grab some. “Wow, what a treat! Thank you very much for watching and good night. Hope to see you soon.”
When we are off the air, I shake Kevin’s paw and say: “You were great, thank you.” Kevin replies: “ Thank you very much for the opportunity, it was an honour to set the record straight and tell our side of the story. Sorry for being in a bad temper when we first talked but you would not believe the amount of time wasters who phone the bunnies asking for interviews so they can ridicule our Easter Bunny brand. It’s so bad we are warned about them before we even apply for the competition.” With that he hops down from his chair and leaves. I watched him go with a smile on my face, thinking how well the interview had gone.
The next day, I’m relieved to see that the obesity headlines I was worried about, didn’t appear in the news. Not only that, but viewers and critics loved the truth behind the legends. Because of this, TCA now wants to make more episodes with me, calling me a new original talent. I think to myself: “It has nothing to do with me, everybody loves chocolate!”
The Truth Behind the Legends(Christopher Long)
I stand in the recording booth, take a deep breath and look down at the yellow legal pad with my handwritten notes on it. I am recording the introduction to a program entitled: The Truth Behind The Legends.
It had been my idea. The show would be me interviewing a guest each week, getting to know the real character behind the myth. Television stations seemed interested in my pitch at first. However, when I told them who I would like to have as my first guest, The Easter Bunny, I was laughed out of station after station; but I never stopped believing in my project. There was an audience for this, I knew it. But, the more I got rejected, the more uncertain I became. Eventually, a local television station, TCA, that had just started broadcasting, was looking for program ideas. I went along fully expecting to be laughed at, again, but the idea intrigued them.
“Max!” shouts a voice, bringing me back to the recording booth. “Earth to Max! Are we recording this or would you rather do it live?” “No, no, Sally. Let's do a pre-record to play before the beginning titles.” Sally replies “OK, this is Max Porter, The Truth Behind The Legends, introduction, take one.” I was really nervous but once I started to speak, the nerves evaporated.
“Every year, a mythical creature delivers and hides chocolate eggs in gardens for the pleasure of children. I am talking, of course, about The Easter Bunny. But, is the excitement felt by children shared by the Easter Bunny? Or is this only a job to him? Find out this, and more, tonight on The Truth Behind The Legends. “Great, says Sally, that's a wrap for now. Thank you Max, we’ll see you tonight for the live show.”
I leave the station feeling nervous, I grab something to eat at a local cafe, take a walk to clear my head and try not to think about the fact that in a few hours I will be hosting my own live television programme. “What if I mess this opportunity up?” TCA has taken a big chance, allowing me to make this pilot. I do not want to let them down.
At six o'clock I returned to the studio still trying to calm myself. What if the bunny wasn't the nice bunny everybody thought he was? He had seemed angry at first, avoiding my phone calls. Only when I offered him an exclusive interview for people to get to know the real Easter Bunny did he reluctantly agree. There was no time to worry about these things now. I went backstage while my pre-recorded introduction played through the speakers. A microphone was pinned to my lapel and then I was hurried out on stage.
The Audience begins to applaud.
“Welcome to the myth behind the legends. This is my first show, so be gentle with me.” As I say this I walk over to a black swivel chair and sit down. The Easter Bunny is sitting opposite me cross legged, swivelling his chair gently from side to side as he waits. He is tall and slim with short ears wearing a blue jacket, perched on the top of his head there are black sunglasses.
“3...2...1… And we’re live!”
“Good evening and welcome to The Truth Behind The Legends. I'm your host, Max Porter, my guest for my first ever show, as you might have guessed from my introduction, is the Easter Bunny. Good evening Easter Bunny…” I stop myself and say, “Do I call you Mr Bunny or Easter?” “Call me Kevin.” The Easter Bunny replies. “Ok, Kevin”- I say- “tell me about your childhood?” “Well, you know, it was a happy one. Lots of hopping around in fields. The typical image, really. My parents are greengrocers but not really very good ones. As they eat more of the vegetables than they sell.” The audience laughs and I relax a little. This is going to work I think to myself.
“Did you have any idols growing up Kevin?” “Oh yes”- he replies- “I always wanted to be like Peter Rabbit.” Someone in the audience whoops “Yeah, Peter!” which makes the rest of the audience laugh.
“So Kevin, how do you go from hopping around in fields to a legendary bunny who delivers chocolate to girls and boys at Easter?!” “We have a television program called The Bunny Factor, it's a talent competition. The winning bunny gets to be the Easter Bunny for one year. I believe humans have something similar.” I nod, feeling really excited at this revelation. This was exactly the sort of stuff I wanted to uncover.
“Really?! That is fascinating. Can you give us any insights into the process you have to go through to win?” I ask. “I don't think the makers of The Bunny Factor would be happy with me telling you that. We have to sign non-disclosure agreements.” -I look disappointed- “I suppose I can just say that everything your children do at Easter we have to do to win the competition.”
The audience cheers as it dawns on them what he is implying. While their child is doing the egg and spoon race a bunny somewhere was doing the exact same thing to try to become the Easter Bunny.
“Does it take a lot of work to find hiding spots for all the eggs?”- I ask. “Oh, absolutely!”- Kevin replies- “in fact the Bunny factor provides the winning contestant with a team of bunny cartographers who map out every child's garden so we can figure out where to put the eggs. “This happens every year?” - I say in surprise- “Yes.”- he replies. Easter takes a lot of preparation including the prosthetic ears some of us have to wear to live up to the image that everybody has of the Easter Bunny.” At this bombshell, the audience gives a collective gasp and the camera zooms in on their shocked faces. “Does it upset you having to pretend to be someone you’re not, just to live up to people's expectations?” Kevin considers this for a while before saying: “No, I don’t think about it in terms of image really. The Easter Bunny is loved by children around the world and if I can bring a little bit of joy and brighten their lives, it’s all worth it.” This answer earns Kevin a huge round of applause and cheer.
“Can I ask about the eggs? Where do they come from?” Kevin smiles, “We buy them just like everyone else! There are great value multi-packs in most super markets.” “What do you say to people that blame you, the Easter Bunny, for promoting obesity and tooth decay?” “We cannot be held responsible for the large consumption of chocolate on Easter.” That remark will probably be taken out of context, I thought. I can see the headlines now: Easter Bunny says yes to obesity! Tooth decay, okay with the Easter Bunny!
“One last question, if I may, Kevin. What do you do the rest of the year?” “I spend my time at The Easter Bunny official residence, on Easter Island. Which is my home for the year while I am The Easter Bunny.” “I see,” I replied. “So the winner of the Bunny Factor gets a place to live?” “Yes,” said Kevin.
“Well that’s about all the time we have for this evening. I would like to thank my guest, the Easter Bunny, for his honesty answering my questions.” Kevin interrupts “Just before we go, Max, I have a question for you and your audience.” “Really? What is that?” I ask with surprise. Kevin looked very seriously into the camera and then grins cheekily: “Who likes chocolate?” With one quick motion, Kevin throws chocolate to the audience, who all try to grab some. “Wow, what a treat! Thank you very much for watching and good night. Hope to see you soon.”
When we are off the air, I shake Kevin’s paw and say: “You were great, thank you.” Kevin replies: “ Thank you very much for the opportunity, it was an honour to set the record straight and tell our side of the story. Sorry for being in a bad temper when we first talked but you would not believe the amount of time wasters who phone the bunnies asking for interviews so they can ridicule our Easter Bunny brand. It’s so bad we are warned about them before we even apply for the competition.” With that he hops down from his chair and leaves. I watched him go with a smile on my face, thinking how well the interview had gone.
The next day, I’m relieved to see that the obesity headlines I was worried about, didn’t appear in the news. Not only that, but viewers and critics loved the truth behind the legends. Because of this, TCA now wants to make more episodes with me, calling me a new original talent. I think to myself: “It has nothing to do with me, everybody loves chocolate!”
- Share this story on
- 7
JD
04/12/2021That was really FUN and humorous. It will be a great story to feature the next time Easter rolls around, since it is a subject that appeals to all ages. Thanks for sharing your funny story about the Easter Bunny, Christopher! : )
Reply
COMMENTS (1)