Precious Gem

In Murmur’s domain of Hell, attention is to be distributed evenly between baby bunnies. Every last one of them deserves nurture, love, and care, and though the demon wishes he could dote on the individual children for days on end, this rule is practical. Order and fairness are hardly sinful qualities, but Murmur wants his precious babies to grow up having tastes of restraint, for it makes indulgence all the sweeter in adulthood. Any society, even a hedonistic one, must be built on respect. 

So, it is with a sigh that Murmur sets Emerald down on a soft cushion. He gives them a gentle pat, and lifts them up again to kiss their little forehead. All too often, being instructed to play by themself brings Emerald to tears. They hate being alone, always craving the company of one of their littermates, or, better yet - a demon. They’re only a month old, but Murmur expects their horns to come in sharp and pointy - a telltale sign of greed. 

Tonight, Emerald can’t seem to fall asleep no matter what they try. Murmur hoped that the extra attention would calm Emerald down, but the opposite appears to be the case. Emerald babbles away in a child’s nonsense-language about how they love play time and how lucky they are to play at night with their very favorite demon, and though Murmur is very conscious of having to get up, he can’t help but smile. Connections and relationships are a slightly unusual thing to covet with a devilish avarice, but Emerald will surely grow up to be most indulgent. 

Murmur puts Emerald back among the cushions, and though he departs only for several minutes to lull another rabbit back to sleep, Emerald’s eyes are wider and more watery at his return. 

Maybe it would be best to inspire another kind of possessive yearning in this bunny. 

By the time Emerald has fallen asleep, it is already a new day, and Murmur has a plan that he deems both solid and foolproof. 

Emerald is so groggy when they awaken - a smidgeon too tired to join their littermates in a game of tag. They keep being tagged anyways, and it is profoundly irritating. All of the friends they love so dearly don’t seem to understand that Emerald needs a nap! They crawl into a pile of pillows, and tag somehow becomes a game of hide and seek. For once, Emerald does not want to socialize with anyone at all. 

The day passes by quickly, and Emerald’s mood does not improve one bit. They usually have a voracious appetite when it comes to snack time, but today they listlessly poke at their pile of veggies. They don’t even mind sharing, which is so unusual for Emerald that they start wondering if they’re sick. 

Instead, Emerald realizes that Murmur has been missing all day. Where is Murmur? Surely, he would make things right again! There is another demon watching the babies, a nice lady named Beleth, and she gives good hugs, but she’s not Murmur. Today has got to be the worst day ever. 

As soon as that thought crosses Emerald’s mind, Murmur materializes out of a shadow. He’s carrying something, a little pouch a bit bigger than Emerald. All the baby bunnies in the room aside from the truly gluttonous ones turn their heads from their meals and leap from the cushions to flock at his feet. 

A chorus of chirping voices giving excited salutations and a cloud of fluffy fur greet the demon, and he’s almost too caught up in petting his children to reveal what’s in the bag. He picks each bunny up and kisses them between the ears, asking them about their days. When he reaches Emerald, their grumpy expression instantly reminds him of why he was absent in the first place.

Murmur was busy gathering gifts! He reaches into the pouch, and, with a dramatic flourish, reveals something very shiny and beautiful. It’s bright red and shaped like a heart, and he says it’s called a ruby. It’s gorgeous! It’s definitely too big to fit in Emerald’s mouth, but they want to eat it. Murmur gives it to a crimson-colored bunny who evidently had the same reaction, judging by the drool on their face. 

Next, Murmur shows everyone a sapphire, then a diamond, and then an amethyst. Blue, white, purple - they are all breathtaking in each their own way! He hands each object to a child whose fur matches its color. Emerald is so excited to see the green one that they can hardly breathe. 

The glimmer of green between Murmur’s fingers makes Emerald jump for joy. They hop up closer to see it, all their lethargy completely forgotten. 

“...And this one, this one is called an emerald! That’s right, just like you! But you’re much cuter and shine much brighter!” 

Murmur hands the gem to Emerald, and they run little laps around it as it’s placed on the floor. Wow! What an amazing present! As Murmur hands more precious stones out to more children, Emerald stares at the emerald. Though they can only count to ten, they know that the number they want to have of these amazingly wonderful things is much bigger. 

Emerald is almost too spellbound by the gem to express their greed for another. Almost. 

“I wanna ‘nother one! Murmur, I want another one!” 

Unbeknownst to Emerald, Murmur has another, slightly smaller emerald in his shirt pocket. He knows he has to spoil all his children equally, but that doesn’t rule out special gifts for each one on special occasions, and to nurture their sin. So he scoops Emerald and their emerald up in one hand, and safely deposits them in his pocket. 

As their collection doubles, they try not to squeal with joy. Maybe, just maybe, Emerald likes these shiny things better than company, but who says they can’t have both, safe in Murmur’s pocket? As if reading their thoughts, Murmur pats the outside of his pocket encouragingly. 

What an avaricious bunny will Emerald grow up to be!