Foiled

Tom woke to a faint rustling.

It was the kind of sound that meant something was sneaking.

He sat up slowly. Moonlight filtered through the curtains of the townhouse bedroom, casting pale shapes across the plush carpet. Their grand twin room was quiet, but something didn’t feel right.

Across from him, Alex lay perfectly still in his bed — arms folded across his chest, just as always, like he was trying to win an award for Most Dramatic Sleeper. His pale blonde hair flared against the pillow like frost, and his long limbs were bundled in a messy knot of blankets.

Completely unaware that something was clearly happening.

Tom pushed his golden fringe out of his eyes and leaned forward.

There.

At the base of his wardrobe.

A chocolate bunny.

Tall. Glossy. Slightly wobbling.

And… moving?

Tom rubbed his eyes.

The bunny hopped.

Twice.

Then turned — and bolted under Alex’s bed.

Tom hissed, “Alex!”

No response.

So Tom grabbed the nearest item — a slipper — and flung it across the room.

It hit Alex square in the side.

“OW—what the—?”

“There’s a bunny under your bed!”

Alex blinked open his grey eyes, squinting. “You woke me up… for chocolate?”

“It moved.”

Alex frowned, then slowly leaned over the side of the bed.

Silence.

Then a quiet crinkle.

A chocolate bunny stared up at him from the shadows, foil ears bent, dragging a half-unwrapped egg between its teeth like some kind of sugar-crusted outlaw.

Alex blinked. “That thing’s nicking our chocolate.”

“Told you,” Tom whispered.

The bunny paused for a second longer — then darted out from under the bed and made a run for it.

It wasn’t alone.

Two more chocolate bunnies shot after it, one hauling a sock stuffed with marshmallows, the other gripping a wrapped egg in each paw.

Tom and Alex launched out of bed.

“Get the eggs!” Alex shouted.

“I’m getting the bunny!”

They sprinted across the thick carpet, out into the hallway, and down the polished townhouse stairs.

The lounge was chaos.

Foil-wrapped eggs littered the floor. Bits of chocolate were smudged across the couch cushions. A marshmallow chick rolled past them, squeaking.

“Looks like a full-scale raid,” Tom muttered.

They followed the trail into the kitchen. The pantry door was swinging.

“They’ll be in there,” Alex said, panting.

“No way we’re letting them eat all of our food,” Tom replied.

They crept forward.

Alex eased the door open.

Inside, five chocolate bunnies froze mid-bite. Ears twitched. Eyes wide.

Then one let out a tiny squeak and darted past Tom’s feet. The rest followed — scrambling, slipping, dropping eggs as they fled into the shadows.

“AFTER THEM!”

Tom slipped on a marshmallow.

Alex tripped over a rogue jelly egg.

The bunnies vanished.

Silence.

Alex lay flat on the floor and groaned.

Tom was flopped beside him.

“Next year,” Tom said, “we build traps.”

Alex nodded. “Foil-lined.”