A couple of days later, with nothing to worry about, they made their
way together through the thicket of oaks that lay on the other side of
the meadow. They were about to go across the meadow and there, where
the lofty oak tree stood, they would be back on their usual paths. The
bushes ahead of them became lighter, and there they stopped and peered
out. There, by the oak, there was something red moving.
“Who could that be ...?” whispered Bambi.
“I expect it’s Ronno or Karus,” thought Faline.
Bambi doubted this. “They don’t dare to come near me any more.” Bambi
looked more carefully. “No,” he decided, “that isn’t Karus or Ronno
... that’s a stranger ...”
Faline agreed, astonished and very curious. “You’re right, a stranger,
I can see that too now ... odd!”
They watched.
“He seems very careless!” called Faline.
“Stupid,” said Bambi, “he is really stupid. He’s behaving like a
little child ... as if there weren’t any danger at all!”
“Let’s go over there,” suggest Faline. She was too curious.
“Alright then,” Bambi answered, “let’s go ... I want to get a closer
look at this lad ...”
They made a few steps but then Faline hesitated. “But ... what if he
wants to fight you ... he’s strong ...”
“Bah!” Bambi lowered his head to one side and had a disdainful look.
“Look how small his crown is ... why should I be frightened of that?
He’s big and fat ... but strong? I don’t think so. Just come with me
...”
They went. Across the meadow the other deer was busy biting at grass,
and did not notice them until they had come quite a long way out onto
the meadow. He immediately ran out to meet them. He made joyful,
playful jumps and again seemed to be very childlike. Bambi and Faline
were puzzled and waited for him. Now he was just a few steps
away. Like them, he stood still.
After a little while he asked, “Don’t you recognize me?”
Bambi had lowered his head, ready for combat. “Do you ... know us?” he
replied.
The stranger interrupted him. “But Bambi!” he called, full of
admonishment but trusting.
Bambi became hesitant when he heard his name being used. The sound of
this voice tugged at some kind of memory in his heart, but Faline made
no delay and jumped forward to meet the stranger.
“Gobo!” she exclaimed and the she was silent. She stood there without
a word, without moving. She had lost her breath completely.
“Faline ...” said Gobo gently, “Faline ... sister ... you recognize me
...” He went to her and kissed her on the mouth. Suddenly the tears
began to flow down his cheeks.
Faline cried too, and she was unable to speak.
“But ... Gobo ...” Bambi began. His voice quivered and he was very
excited, he was deeply touched and astonished beyond measure. “Gobo
... aren’t you dead?”
Gobo laughed. “You can see, can’t you. I think it’s easy enough to see
I’m not dead.”
“But ... that time ... in the snow?” Bambi persisted.
“That time?” Gobo lowered his head bashfully. “That time it was Him
who saved me ...”
“And where have you been all this time ...?” asked Faline now, in
astonishment.
Gobo answered, “With Him ... I’ve been with Him all this time ...”
He became silent, looked at Faline and Bambi and greatly enjoyed the
sight of their helpless astonishment. Then he added, “Yes, my dear
friends ... I have had many new experiences ... more than all of you
put together here in this forest of yours ...” It sounded a little
boastful, but they still did not notice that, they were too taken up
with the enormity of their surprise.
“Tell us about them!” exclaimed Faline, unable to control herself.
“Well,” said Gobo complacently, “I could tell you about them all day
long and wouldn’t have told you everything.
Bambi insisted. “Go on then, tell us!”
Gobo went over to Faline and became serious. “Is mother still alive?”
he asked timidly and quietly.
“Yes!” Faline cheerfully declared. “She’s alive ... I haven’t seen her
for a long time though.”
“I want to go and see her, straight away!” said Gobo. “Are you coming
with me?”
And off they went.
All along the way they were silent. Bambi and Faline could feel Gobo’s
impatient yearning to see his mother, and that’s why neither of them
said anything. Gobo strode hurriedly forward and said nothing. They
did nothing to stop him.
Except that now and then, when he blindly ran through a place where
the paths crossed, always running straight ahead, or when in sudden
haste he rushed into another direction they would quietly call to
him. “This way!” Bambi would whisper. Or Faline would say, “No ... it
goes round here now ...”
A couple times they had to go across broad clearings. They noticed
that Gobo never stopped at the edge of the trees, never even glanced
around to see that it was safe before he went out into the open. He
would simply run out there with no caution at all. Bambi and Faline
looked at each other in amazement whenever that happened, but they
said nothing and hesitantly followed Gobo.
They had to wander about in this way, searching and going up and down,
for a long time.
Gobo suddenly recognized the paths he had used in his childhood. He
looked at them in wonder, and it did not occur to him that Bambi and
Faline had led him to them. He looked round at them and declared,
“What do you think of that? Look how good I was at finding my way
here!”
They said nothing. They merely, once more, looked at each other.
Shortly afterwards they came to a small chamber in the foliage.
“Here!” called Faline as she slipped into it. Gobo followed her and
then stopped. It was the chamber where they both had been born, where
they had lived as little children with their mother. Gobo and Faline
looked close into each other’s eyes. They said not a word. Faline
kissed her brother gently on his lips. Then they hurried on.
They probably spent another hour going up and down. The sun shone more
and more brightly through the twigs, the forest became more and more
quiet. It was time to lie down and rest. Gobo, though, did not feel
tired. He hurried forward, breathed heavily because of his impatient
excitement and looked around without any plan. He flinched when a
weasel rushed out from the long grass and passed under him. He nearly
stepped on the pheasants who were pressed close down to the ground,
and when they flew up in front of him with loud flapping of wing and
told him off he was very alarmed. Bambi was amazed at how unfamiliar
he seemed with everything and how he proceeded as if blind.
Gobo stopped and turned to the two of them. “We can’t find her!” he
exclaimed in bewilderment. Faline soothed him. “We will do soon,” she
said with emotion. “Not long now, Gobo.” She looked at him. He was
once again wearing that disheartened expression that she knew so well.
“Should we call for her?” she said with a grin. “Should we start
calling again ... like we used to, when we were still children?”
Bambi continued walking. Just a few steps. And then he caught a
glimpse of Auntie Ena. She had already lain down to rest and lay
without moving in the shadow of a hazel bush, very near.
“At last!” he said to himself. At that moment Gobo and Faline arrived.
All three of them stood beside each other and looked over at Ena. She
had quietly raised her head and looked sleepily at them.
Gobo made a few hesitant steps forward and gently called, “Mother!”
As if snatched up by a thunderbolt, Ena was no longer lying down but
up on her feet and standing as if cemented into position. Gobo quickly
jumped to her. “Mother ...” he began again. He wanted to speak but
could not utter a word.
His mother looked closely into his eyes. She began to stand with less
stiffness; she was shaking so much that wave after wave ran over her
back and shoulders.
She asked no questions, she did not ask for an explanation, not for
any account of what had happened. Slowly, she kissed Gobo on his lips,
kissed his cheeks, his neck; without cease, she washed him with her
kisses, just as she had done when she had given birth to him.
Bambi and Faline had left.