Bambi: Final Chapters 24 And 25

Tonight we read chapters 24 and 25 of the timeless classic, Bambi, by Felix Salten. Tonight's reading concludes our story and ends with Bambi coming full circle in his understanding of life. This audio is perfect for children or adults who want to discover magic or find adventure before a great night's sleep.

Transcript

Bambi by Felix Salton,

Chapter 24 The forest lay once more under snow,

And was silent under its thick,

White coat.

All that could be heard was the calling of the crows.

Only now and then came the anxious croaking of the magpie,

Or the shy,

Gentle twittering conversation of the tits.

Then the frost became harder,

And everything was silent.

Now the coldness made the air itself ring.

One morning,

The deep quiet was torn apart by the barking of dogs.

It was an incessant,

Hurried barking that drove its way quickly through the forest.

A sharp,

Curt,

And belligerent yapping that made him sound insane.

In the chamber,

Under the fallen beech trunk,

Bambi raised his head and looked at the elder who was lying next to him.

The elder answered Bambi's look.

It's nothing.

Nothing that need concern us.

The two of them nonetheless listened.

They lay in their chamber.

They had the old beech trunk as a protective roof over them.

Icy droughts were kept out by the height of the snow,

And the tangle of bushes hid them like a dense grid from any spying eye.

The barking came nearer,

Angry,

Breathless,

Heated.

It could only have been a small dog.

It came even nearer.

Now they could hear the gasping for breath at twice the speed.

And through the angry barking,

They heard a gentle growling,

As if from pain.

Bambi became uneasy,

But the elder again said,

It's nothing that need concern us.

They remained still and quiet in the warmth of their chamber,

Peering out to see what was happening outside.

The rustling and the twigs came even nearer.

Snow fell from the bows as they were suddenly run past.

A dust of snow was kicked up from the ground.

Now it was possible to see who was coming,

Through snow and bushes.

Through roots and twigs they came,

Jumping and creeping and sliding.

The old fox.

Immediately after him,

The dog broke through.

It was a very small dog on short legs.

One of the fox's front legs was broken,

And just above the break his fur was ripped open.

He held the broken leg high up in front of him.

His breath was wheezy,

His eyes were staring far ahead because of his horror and the efforts he was having to make.

He was beside himself with terror and panic,

And he was confused and exhausted.

He swung round in a swiping movement,

Which startled the dog so that he stepped back a few paces.

The fox sat down on his hind legs.

He could go no further.

He held the short foreleg up in a way that was pitiful.

His mouth was open.

Sucking in his cheeks,

He spat at the dog.

He though was not quiet for a moment.

His high,

Shrill voice now became fuller and deeper.

Here,

He shouted.

Here.

Here he is.

Here.

He was not shouting at the fox.

At that moment he was not speaking to him at all,

But was clearly calling to someone else who was still a long way away.

Bambi and the elder were both aware that it was him whom the dog was calling.

The fox knew it too.

Leave me alone,

He began to say.

Leave me alone.

He spoke quietly and imploringly.

He was very dull and disheartened.

No,

No,

No,

The dog threw back at him in a malevolent howl.

I beg of you,

Said the fox.

I can't go any further.

I've had it.

Just let me go.

Let me go home.

At least let me die in peace.

No,

The dog howled.

The fox begged him even harder.

But we're related,

He lamented.

We're almost brothers.

Let me go home.

Let me die among my own folk.

We were almost brothers,

You and me.

No,

The dog said excitedly.

Now the fox sat upright.

His lovely pointed snout sank down,

And he stared the dog right at his face.

In a quite different voice and in control of himself,

Sad and bitter,

He snarled.

Aren't you ashamed of yourself?

You traitor.

No,

No,

No,

The dog yelled.

The fox,

However,

Went on.

You turncoat.

You defector.

His lacerated body became stiffed with hatred and contempt.

You're just his henchman,

He hissed.

You miserable.

You seek us out where he couldn't find us.

You persecute us in places he can't get to.

You turn us in,

And all of us are your relatives.

You turn me in,

And you and I are nearly brothers.

And you just stand there.

Are you not ashamed of yourself?

Suddenly many loud new voices were heard around them.

Traitor,

Called the magpies from the trees.

Henchman,

Screeched the jays.

Miserable,

Squealed the weasel.

Defector,

Spat the polecat.

Shrill hisses and screeches came out from all the trees and bushes,

And from the air came the screeching of the crows.

Henchmen.

All had hurried close.

All had listened to the quarrel from the trees above,

Or from a safe hiding place on the ground.

The disgust expressed by the fox released the old,

Bitter disgust that they all felt,

And the blood steaming inside of them on the snow made them furious,

And made them lose all their reserve.

The dog looked around him.

You,

He called.

What do you want?

What do you know about?

What are you talking about?

All of you belong to him just as I belong to him.

But me?

Well,

I love him.

I pray to him.

I serve him.

But you,

You don't know that he's in charge here.

You're pitiful,

You are.

You can't rebel against him.

He's the almighty.

He's above all of us.

Everything you've come comes from him.

Everything that grows and lives,

It all comes from him.

The dog was shaking in his outrage.

Traitor,

The squirrel screamed.

Yes,

Hissed the fox.

You're a traitor.

Nobody but you.

You're the only one.

They danced about in self-righteous anger.

I'm the only one?

You liar.

Do you think there aren't loads and loads of others who are with him?

The horse,

The cows,

The lamb,

The chickens,

And some of all of you,

All your species.

There are loads who are with him,

Who pray to him and serve him.

Rabble,

Hissed the fox,

Full of boundless contempt.

The dog could not control himself any longer and hurled himself at the fox.

A snarling,

Spitting,

Gasping bundle.

Wild and whirling,

They rolled in the snow,

Snapping at each other.

Hair flew up,

Snow flew up.

But the fox was not able to maintain the fight for long.

After just a few seconds,

He lay there on his back,

Showed his pale belly,

Twitched,

Stretched himself out,

And died.

The dog shook him a few more times,

Then dropped him on the churned up snow,

Stood there with his legs wide apart,

And once more called out in a deep,

Full voice,

There,

There,

There he is.

The others were disgusted and fled away in all directions.

Horrible,

Said Bambi in his chamber to the elder.

Worst of all,

The elder replied,

Is that they believe in what the dog just said.

They believe it.

They live a life full of fear.

They hate him and they hate themselves.

And they kill themselves for his sake.

Chapter 25 There came a break in the cold and a pause in the middle of winter.

The earth drank in the melting snow in great drots,

So that broad stretches of naked earth could be seen everywhere.

The blackbirds were not singing yet,

But when they flew up from the ground where they'd been hunting for worms,

Or when they flapped from tree to tree,

They let out a long,

Shrill,

Cheerful cry,

Which was almost like a bird song.

The woodpecker began to laugh here and there.

Magpies and crows became more chatty.

The tits talked gaily with each other.

And the pheasants,

When they had swung down from the trees where they had been sleeping,

Now remained in one spot for almost as long as they would in the good times.

They would shake their plumage in the morning sunshine and continually burst out with their metallic cry.

On mornings like this,

Bambi would range out further afield than he normally would.

When the sun had barely risen,

He arrived at his chamber under the beech tree.

Over on the other side,

There where he used to live,

There was something moving.

Bambi remained hidden in the undergrowth and watched.

He was right.

Someone of his own species was moving about there,

Seeking out the patches that were free of snow and setting about the early risen grasses.

At first,

Bambi wanted to turn around and go away.

But then he saw that it was Faeleen.

His first urge was to jump forward and call to her.

But he stayed where he was as if rooted to the spot.

It was so long since he had last seen Faeleen.

His heart began to beat hotly.

Faeleen was walking slowly as if she were tired or sad.

She looked like her mother now,

Looked like Aunt Ina.

And when Bambi noticed this,

It was with painful astonishment.

Faeleen raised her head and looked in his direction as if she could feel that he was near.

Again Bambi felt the urge to go toward her.

But again he stayed where he was,

Powerless and lame.

He was unable to move.

He saw that Faeleen had become old and gray.

Gay and audacious little Faeleen,

He thought.

She used to be so beautiful,

So nimble.

His entire childhood suddenly shimmered up in him.

The meadow,

The paths his mother led him along,

The happy games with Gobo and Faeleen.

The good grasshopper and the butterfly.

The struggle with Keras and Rano,

By which he had won Faeleen for himself.

He suddenly felt happy again,

But nonetheless shaken.

Over there,

Faeleen was walking away with her head sunk down to the ground,

Slow,

Tired,

And sad.

At that moment,

Bambi loved her with a gush of tender pity.

He wanted to cross through the hole under the beach trunk,

Which for so long had separated him from her and from others.

Wanted to fetch her back.

To talk to her about the time when they had been children.

Above all,

To talk about the past.

As he thought this,

He watched her as she went on through the bare bushes and finally disappeared from sight.

He stood there for a long time,

Looking in her direction.

A clap of thunder crashed.

Bambi was startled.

That was here,

On this side of the hole.

Not very close,

But here,

On the side where he was.

Another crash of thunder came,

And then another.

Bambi made a few steps deeper back into the thicket,

Where he kept still and listened.

Everything was quiet.

He crept carefully home.

The elder was already there,

But had not gone down into their chamber.

He just stood next to the fallen beach trunk,

As if he'd been waiting.

Where have you been all this time?

He asked,

And he was so serious that Bambi remained silent.

Did you hear that just now?

The elder went on after a pause.

Yes,

Bambi answered,

Three times.

He's in the forest.

Clearly,

The elder nodded and he repeated,

With a strange inflection,

He's in the forest.

We need to go.

Where?

Bambi could not stop himself from asking.

Over there,

Said the elder,

And his voice was heavy.

Over there,

Where he is now.

Bambi was alarmed.

Don't be frightened,

The elder went on.

Come with me now,

And don't be afraid.

I'm glad I've got the chance to take you there and let you see it.

He hesitated and gently added,

Before I go.

Bambi was taken aback at this and stared at the elder.

He suddenly became aware of how frail he looked.

His head was now entirely white.

His face had become very gaunt.

His beautiful eyes had lost their sparkle.

They had taken on a dull green appearance and seemed to be somehow broken.

Bambi and the elder did not go far.

They could feel the first winds of a heavy storm blowing at them.

A storm that was capable of putting so much threat and dread into their hearts.

Bambi stopped,

But the elder carried on walking,

Directly towards the storm.

Bambi hesitantly followed behind him.

The scent of the storm came at them in ever stronger waves and drew them forward.

The elder went straight on.

Thoughts of flight had sprung into Bambi.

He could feel tension in his breast which boiled through his head and all his limbs.

They nearly tore him away from the place.

He stayed strong and continued to walk behind the elder.

Now this malevolent storm had swollen up into something so mighty that there was nothing else it could possibly feel,

So that it was now barely possible to breathe.

There,

Said the elder,

And he stepped to one side.

Two steps away from them,

He lay there on the ground on bent and broken bushes and in churned up snow.

Bambi half suppressed a scream of horror and with a sudden jump he fled as he had already been wishing to do.

He was nearly out of his senses in terror.

Stop,

He heard the elder call.

He looked back and saw that the elder was calmly standing there where he was laying on the ground.

Beside himself in astonishment,

Bambi stepped closer,

Compelled by his obedience,

By his boundless curiosity,

By his quaking anticipation.

Come closer.

Don't be afraid,

The elder said.

He lay there,

His pale,

Uncovered face looking upwards,

His hat a little to the side of him in the snow,

And Bambi,

Who knew nothing about hats,

Thought that the awful head had been struck into two pieces.

The hunter's neck was exposed and showed a wound as if it had been cut through.

It lay open like a little red mouth.

Here we are then,

The elder quietly began.

We're standing right beside him,

And where's the danger now?

We looked down at him as he lay there.

His form,

His limbs,

His hair all seemed to Bambi to be something gruesome but puzzling.

He looked into those broken eyes and stared sightlessly back up at him,

And he did not understand.

Bambi,

The elder continued,

Do you remember what Gobbo said,

What the dog said,

About what everyone believed?

Do you remember?

Bambi was incapable of giving an answer.

You can see him there,

Bambi,

The elder went on.

You can see him lying there like any of us.

Listen to me,

Bambi.

He is not almighty like they say he is.

He is not the source from which everything comes,

Everything that grows and lives.

He is not our superior.

He is beside us,

He is like us,

And just like us he knows fear and need and sorrow.

He can be overcome just like us,

And now he lies helpless on the ground,

Just like us,

Just as you see him now.

They remained silent.

Do you understand me,

Bambi?

The elder asked.

Bambi answered in a whisper,

I think.

Tell me what you think then,

The elder ordered him.

Bambi blushed and quaked and said,

There's something else who is above all of us,

Above us and above him.

The time has come then when I can go,

The elder said.

He turned round and the two of them wandered on for a little while.

At a tall ash tree the elder stopped.

Don't come with me anymore,

Bambi,

He began in a calm voice.

My time is up.

Now I need to find a place for the end.

Bambi was about to say something.

No,

The elder stopped him.

No.

At the time I am now approaching,

Each of us is alone.

Farewell my son.

I have loved you very much.

The summer's day started being hot as soon as the sun had risen.

No wind,

No chill of twilight.

The sun seemed to be more in a hurry that day.

It rose quickly into the sky and broke out its dazzling flames like a dreadful blaze.

The dew on the meadow and the bushes quickly evaporated.

The earth became very dry and crumbly.

In the woods it became quiet before its usual time.

Only the woodpecker could be heard laughing here and there,

And only the pigeons cooed in tireless,

Fervent tenderness.

Deep in the thicket there was a little hidden clearing,

Giving a little free space.

And that is where Bambi was standing.

Around his head a swarm of midges danced and sang in the sunshine.

From the leaves of the hazel bush beside him came a quiet buzzing.

It came closer.

And a big cockchafer flew slowly past him,

Straight through the swarm of midges,

Higher and higher up to the top of the tree,

Where he intended to sleep until evening.

His elegant wing covers stuck out from him,

And his wings were bursting with power.

Did you see him?

The midges asked each other.

That's the elder,

Said one of them,

And the other sang.

All of his relatives are already dead,

But he's still alive.

A couple of very small midges asked,

How long do you think he's going to live?

The other sang their answer.

We don't know.

He's outlived all of his family.

He's very old,

Very old.

Bambi walked on.

The song of midges,

He thought,

Song of midges.

A tender,

Anxious call came through to him.

The voice of somebody of his own species.

Mother!

Mother!

Before they understood what was happening,

Bambi was standing there before them.

Speechless they stared at him.

Your mother does not have the time now,

Bambi told them sternly.

He looked in the little one's eye.

Can't you be by yourself for a while?

The little one and his sister remained silent.

Bambi turned away,

Slipped into the nearest bush and disappeared.

Even before two of them could understand what had happened.

He walked on.

I like that lad,

He thought.

Maybe I'll meet him again when he's a bit bigger.

He walked on.

And the little lass,

He thought.

She's nice too.

That's what Faelene looked like when she was a child.

He walked on and disappeared into the woods.

And that is the end of the story Bambi and our reading this evening.

Until next time,

Sweet dreams.

Reviews

Thank you Hillary. I love everything you share on Insight Timer. You have the perfect, soft voice to fall asleep to. No matter how hard i tried to stay awake I always fall asleep before the end of the chapters. As a child I recall how sad the story was but I still wanted to hear the story again and I hated for it to come to an end. I look forward to more stories from you. Now to see why Insight gives me an error message when i try to donate. Thank you.

Thank you for sharing this powerful story with us! Wikipedia has v interesting info on the themes and perceptions of the novel, it was actually banned in Nazi Germany! I’m eager to see what you choose next….Until next time! All best to you, Hilary!
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