By the time the rabbits appeared on the road, the heat had already driven everyone indoors.
There were three of them, laid out beneath the power lines as though someone had placed them there with care. Danny stopped his bicycle. The others coasted a few yards ahead before they noticed he was gone.
“What?” called Peter.
Danny did not answer. The rabbits were perfectly still, and their eyes caught the afternoon sun. He had seen animal eyes shine before, at night, in the sweep of his father’s headlights. This was different. Each one held a tiny, hard reflection of the sky.
Except the sky in their eyes was full of stars.
Behind him, a bicycle wheel clicked slowly to a stop. At the bottom of the hill the pond lay flat and bright, waiting for them.
At the shore, the water felt colder than it should have. Danny waded in until the sand gave way beneath his feet. He looked down, expecting to see weeds and the pale blur of his toes.
For an instant he saw a dark ceiling scattered with lights. Then a ripple crossed the surface, and it was only water again.
“You coming?” Peter shouted from the dock.
Danny took one more step.