It was not long before everyone noticed that Gobo had an odd and
puzzling habit. He slept at night, when all the others were awake and
moving about. But by day, when all the others sought out a place to
hide and sleep, he would cheerfully walk off somewhere. And when he
felt like it he would go, without hesitation, out of the thick woods
and stand in full daylight in the middle of the meadow with no worry
at all.
Bambi was no longer able to keep quiet about this. “Do you not think
of the danger?” he asked.
“No,” came Gobo’s simple answer. “There is no danger for me.”
“Bambi, love,” Gobo’s mother put in, “you’re forgetting that He is a
friend of his. Gobo can afford to allow himself more than you can or
anyone else.” And she was very proud of this. Bambi said no more. One
day, Gobo commented to him, “Do you know? Sometimes it strikes me as
odd that I can eat here like this, whenever I want to and wherever I
want to.”
Bambi did not understand. “What’s so odd about that? That’s what we
all do.”
Gobo thought about this and said, “Yes ... well that’s you! Bit with
me it’s a bit different. I’ve got used to having my food brought to
me, and that they’ll call me when it’s ready.”
Bambi looked at Gobo with pity. Looked at Auntie Ena, at Faline and
Marena. But they just smiled and admired Gobo.
“I think,” Faline began, “I think you’ll find it hard to get used to
the winter, Gobo. For us, outside in the winter there is no hay at
all, no turnips, no potatoes.”
“That’s true,” answered Gobo thoughtfully, “but if it gets too hard
for me I’ll just go back to Him. Why should I go hungry? I really
don’t need to.”
Without a word, Bambi turned round and walked away.
Gobo now was alone with Marena, and he began to talk about Bambi. “He
doesn’t understand me,” he said. “Bambi is good, but he thinks I’m
still just stupid, little Gobo, like I used to be. He still can’t
understand that I’ve been changed into something special. The danger!
Why is he always on about danger? I’m sure he means the best for
me. But danger is something for him and for those like him, not for
me!”
Marena agreed with him. She loved him, and Gobo loved her, and the two
of them were very happy.
“You see,” he said to her, “no-one understands me as well as you do!
Anyway, I can’t complain. Everyone respects and honours me, but it’s
you who understands me best. The others ... I’ve told them so many
times how good He is but they won’t listen to me. I’m sure they don’t
think I’m lying but they keep on thinking he must be terrible!”
“I always believed in Him,” said Marena with enthusiasm.
“Really?” Gobo replied glibly.
“Don’t you remember,” Marena went on, “that day when you stayed lying
in the snow? I said that one day He would come to us here in the woods
and play with us ...”
“No,” retorted Gobo, speaking very slowly, “I can’t remember that at
all.”
A couple of weeks went by, and one morning, just as the sun was
rising, Bambi and Faline, Gobo and Mareni, were all together in the
old thicket of hazel bushes that they saw as home. Bambi and Faline
had just come back home from their wanderings, they had gone past the
oak and wanted to seek out their place to rest when they came across
Gobo and Marena. Gobo was just about to go out onto the meadow.
“Stay here with us,” said Bambi. “It’ll soon be broad daylight, no-one
goes out into the open at this time.”
“Ridiculous,” Gobo mocked. “If no-one goes ... I go.”
He strode away, Marena followed him.
Bambi and Faline stayed where they were. “Come on!” said Bambi angrily
to Faline. “Come on! He can just do what he wants.” They wanted to go
on. Then outside, from the other side of the meadow, came the screech
of the jay, loud and foreboding.
Bambi turned suddenly round and ran after Gobo. He caught up with him
and Marena just before they had reached the oak tree.
“Do you hear that?” he called to him.
“Hear what?” asked Gobo in puzzlement.
The jay at the other side of the meadow screeched again.
“Can you really not hear it?” Bambi repeated.
“No,” said Gobo calmly.
“That means danger!” Bambi insisted.
Now a magpie appeared, chattering as he went, and immediately after
there was another one and then, just as promptly, a third. At the same
time the jay screeched once again, and the crows gave signals from
high in the air.
Faline began to implore them too. “Don’t go out there, Gobo! It’s
dangerous!”
Even Marena now began to urge him. “Stay here! For my sake stay here
today ... it’s dangerous!”
Gobo stood there and grinned in embarrassment. “Danger! Danger! Why
should I be bothered about that?”
The danger of the moment gave Bambi an idea. “At least let Marena go
out first, then we’ll know ...”
He had not finished speaking before Marena had already slipped out
there.
All three stood there and looked at her. Bambi and Faline held their
breath, Gobo was openly patient, as if he wanted to let the others
have their foolish way.
They watched as Marena walked, step by step, onto the meadow, slowly,
her head raised high, her legs hesitant. She looked round and smelt
the air on every side.
She suddenly turned round, as quick as lightning, a high leap and, as
if blown in by a storm, she was back in the thicket. “He ... He’s
there ...” she whispered in a voice that was choking in horror. Her
whole body was shaking. “I ... I... saw ... Him ... He ... is
... there ...” she stammered, “up there ... He’s standing there ... by
the alder tree ...”
“Let’s get away from here!” Bambi called. “Now, let’s get away!”
“Come away!” Faline implored them. And Marena, who by now was barely
able to speak, whispered, “Please Gobo, I beg of you, come away with
us ... I beg of you ...”
But Gobo remained calm. “Run away then, run away as far as you can?”
he said, “I’m not stopping you am I. If He’s there I’ll go over and
say hello.”
There was nothing that could have held Gobo back.
They stayed where they were and watched him as he went out onto the
meadow. They stayed behind because his immense confidence had a kind
of power over them and at the same time held their terror for Him in
its place. They were unable to move from the spot.
Gobo stood out in the open on the meadow and looked around to find the
alder. Now he seemed to have found it, now he seemed to have glimpsed
Him. Then the thunder-crack sounded.
The sound threw Gobo into the air, he suddenly turned round and,
leaping as fast as he could, flew back into the thicket.
When he arrived they were still standing there, unable to move because
of their horror. They heard the whistling of his breath, he did not
stop but hurled himself forward in unthinking leaps. They turned to
him, surrounded him, and gave themselves up to full flight.
But very soon Gobo collapsed.
Marena immediately stood still, close beside him. Bambi and Faline
were a little further away, ready to flee at any time.
Gobo’s flank had been torn open and he lay there with his bloody
innards protruding. He made a dull movement of turning and raising his
head.
“Marena ...” he said with some effort, “Marena ... He didn’t recognize
me ...” His voice broke off.
From the bushes between them and the meadow, there came an uproarious
noise showing no thought of any need to be careful.
Marena lowered her head down to Gobo. “He’s coming!” she whispered
urgently. “Gobo ... He’s coming ... can’t you stand up and come with
me ...?”
Gobo, once again, weakly turned his head and raised it. His legs
twitched violently but he continued to lie where he was.
With a clattering and a cracking and a loud rustling the bushes
divided and He entered.
Marena could see him from a short distance. She slowly crept back,
disappeared behind the undergrowth, and hurried to join Bambi and
Faline.
She turned around once more and there she saw Him as He bent down over
the fallen Gobo and took hold of him.
Then she heard Gobo’s pitiful scream of death.