Peaceful cohabitation
The short story begins with a beautiful picture. Different animals, birds, porcupine, fish, bunnies and squirrels all living together in harmony in a little clearing. The animals accept that they are different but are not bothered by it, thinking that their differences make them unique and special. The image presented here is very idyllic and peaceful and transmits the message that humankind can live together in peace despite our differences.
Scared squirrels
The next animals the terrible things came from were the squirrels that lived in the trees. To escape from the Terrible Things, the squirrels tried to climb up the trees from which the birds were taken. The squirrels are portrayed here as being extremely scared, running for their lives. These images showed that in certain situations, a person would do anything to save their lives even though they knew their efforts were pointless.
Not being able to look at one another
Towards the end of the story, when only the porcupine and the rabbits remained, the Terrible Things came once more to take other animals with them. When the remaining animals saw the Terrible Things, they looked at the ground and refused to acknowledge the other animals around them. This image shows that when one’s life is in danger, we are willing to ignore everyone around us and their pain just to save ourselves. In those situations, it doesn’t matter who gets hurt as long as the others watching are safe.
No one left to save
The Terrible Things came last for the rabbits that thought they were safe from danger. When the rabbits saw the Terrible Things, they began running, trying to hide, screaming for help. Unfortunately, no one was left to save them and the Terrible Things took the rabbits. The last image has the purpose of highlighting the idea that when we are not willing to stand up for the others, then no one will be left to help us when we need them to.
