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.
