Bambi Part 2: Bedtime Story

Dear ones,

Our next adventure continues tonight with part two of Bambi!

This is a reading of the original story of Bambi, written by Felix Salten in 1923. This is the story that was eventually adapted for the movie of the same name. It is a beautiful story with many lessons, wonderful imagery and friendships.

This is part two of a thirteen-part series. You can find all the recordings of Bambi on my profile, in the playlist titled 'Bambi'.

Enjoy dear ones.

Transcript

Hello,

Dear one,

And welcome to today's reading of Bambi,

Part two.

Chapter Three Deep in among the trees was a place that belonged to Bambi's mother.

It lay only a few steps from the narrow path used by the deer as they made their way through the wood,

But it was nearly impossible to find for anyone who did not know where the little gap through the dense bushes was.

It was only a narrow space,

So narrow that it only just had room for Bambi and his mother to fit in,

And it was so low that when Bambi's mother stood up,

Her head would be in among the twigs and branches.

Hazel bushes,

Gorse and dogwood all grew here,

Tangled in among each other,

And the little sunlight that came down through the forest canopy would be caught by them so that it never reached as far as the ground.

This was the room where Bambi came into the world,

And this was where he and his mother made their home.

Now his mother lay asleep,

Pressed down on the ground.

Bambi had slept a little too,

But now he had become quite lively.

He stood up and looked around.

Here,

Deep in the woods,

It was shadowy.

It was almost dark.

The wood could be heard gently rustling.

Here and there the tits chirruped.

Here and there was the bright laughter of a woodpecker,

Or the cheerless bark of a crow.

All else near and far was quiet.

Only the air became warm in the heat of midday,

And even that could be heard if you listened carefully.

Here,

In the woods,

It was humid and sweltering.

Bambi looked down at his mother.

Are you asleep?

No,

His mother was not sleeping.

She had woken up straight away when Bambi had stood up.

What are we going to do now?

Bambi asked.

Nothing,

His mother answered.

We're going to stay where we are.

Just lie down like a good child and go to sleep.

But Bambi did not feel like sleeping.

Come on,

He begged.

Let's go on to the meadow.

His mother raised her head.

To the meadow.

Now,

To the meadow.

She sounded so astonished and full of alarm that Bambi became quite frightened.

Can't we go to the meadow now,

Then?

He asked.

No,

Came his mother's answer,

And it sounded quite conclusive.

No,

That isn't possible right now.

Why not?

Asked Bambi,

As he became aware that there was something very strange going on here.

He became more afraid,

But at the same time,

He felt the urge to learn about everything.

Why can't we go into the meadow now?

You'll learn all about that later,

When you're a little bit older,

His mother assured him.

Bambi was insistent.

Why won't you tell me now?

Later,

His mother repeated.

You're still just a little child,

She continued,

And you don't talk about things like this with little children.

She had become very serious.

Now,

On the meadow.

I just don't want to think of it in broad daylight.

But when we went on the meadow,

Bambi objected,

It was broad daylight then,

Too.

That was different,

His mother explained.

That was early in the morning.

Can you only go there early in the morning,

Then?

Bambi had become too inquisitive.

His mother remained patient.

Only early in the morning,

Or late in the evening,

Or at night.

And not in the daytime,

Never.

His mother hesitated.

Yes,

She said at last.

Sometimes,

There are some of us who go out there in the daytime,

Too.

Sometimes.

But that's under special conditions.

I can't really explain it to you.

You're still too little.

Some go out there,

But then they put themselves in great danger.

What is it that's dangerous for them?

By now,

Bambi was very excited.

But his mother did not want to explain it straight away.

They are in danger.

Listen,

My child,

These are things that you won't be able to grasp yet.

Bambi thought he would be able to understand anything,

But he could not understand why his mother did not want to give him more details.

But he said nothing.

This is the way we have to live,

His mother went on.

All of us.

Even if we love the daytime,

And children are especially fond of the daytime.

We have to live like this.

We just have to accept it.

We can only move about from the evening until the morning.

Can you understand that?

Yes.

Now,

My child,

That's why we have to stay here,

Where we are now.

This is where we are safe.

That's all there is to it.

So,

Lie down again and go to sleep.

But Bambi did not want to lie down again.

What makes us safe where we are now?

He asked.

Because all the bushes are watching over us.

Because the twigs on the bushes rustle.

Because the rough brushwood on the ground cracks and gives us warning.

Because the dead leaves from last year lie on the ground and rustle to give us a sign.

Because the jays are there,

The magpies too.

They keep watch over us.

And that's how we know there's somebody coming a long time before they reach us.

What's that?

Bambi inquired.

The dead leaves from last year.

Come and sit beside me,

Said his mother.

I'll tell you all about it.

Bambi gladly went and sat beside her and snuggled in close while she explained to him that the trees do not stay green all the time,

That the sunshine and the lovely warmth go away.

Then it gets cold.

The leaves turn yellow because of the frost.

They go brown and red,

And one by one they fall off the trees so that they and the bushes reach their naked branches to the sky and look completely forlorn.

But the dead leaves lie on the ground,

And when they're disturbed by someone's foot,

They rustle.

There's someone coming.

Oh,

They're very good,

These dead leaves from last year.

They do us a good service by being so eager and by keeping watch the way they do.

And now,

In the middle of summer,

There are still lots of them hidden under the things growing on the ground,

And they warn about any danger long before it gets near.

Bambi pressed close against his mother.

He forgot all about the meadow.

It was so cozy to sit here and listen to what his mother told him.

Then,

When his mother stopped speaking,

He thought about what she had said.

He thought it was very nice of the good old leaves to watch over them so carefully,

Even though they were dead and had been frozen and had gone through so many things already.

He tried to think about the danger that his mother kept talking about.

What could it actually be?

But all that thinking tired him out.

It was all quiet around him.

All you could hear was the heat of the air.

And he went to sleep.

Chapter Four One evening,

When he went back out onto the meadow with his mother,

He thought he knew by now about everything that could be seen or heard there.

But it turned out that he still did not know as much as he thought.

At first,

Everything was the same as his first time there.

His mother allowed Bambi to play tag with him.

He ran round in circles,

And the wide open space,

The lofty sky,

And the freedom of the air were all so exhilarating that he rushed about with joy.

After a time,

He noticed that his mother was standing still.

He stopped suddenly as he was turning,

So suddenly that his four legs were spread wide apart.

He jumped high into the air,

So that his sudden halt would be more dignified.

And now he was standing properly.

His mother,

A little way away,

Seemed to be talking with someone,

But he could not make out in the long grass who that could be.

Curious,

Bambi went closer.

There,

In the tangle of grass stems,

Close in to his mother,

There were two long ears twitching.

They were greyish-brown,

And the black stripes on them made them look quite pretty.

Bambi hesitated,

But his mother said to him,

Come here,

Bambi,

This is our friend the Hare.

Come on then,

Let him see you.

Bambi went up to her straight away.

There sat the Hare,

And very honest he looked.

His long ears rose in powerful grandeur high above his head,

And then they fell back down and hung limply as if they had suddenly been transformed into something weak.

When Bambi saw the Hare's whiskers,

Which extended stiff and straight all around his mouth,

He began to think about them.

But he had noticed that the Hare had a very gently face.

All his features seemed to indicate a good nature,

And his big round eyes looked modestly out at the world.

He really did look like a friend,

This Hare.

The thoughts that had flickered through Bambi's head disappeared immediately.

Remarkably enough,

And just as quickly,

He even lost all the respect that he had felt at first.

Good evening,

Young sir,

Said the Hare with carefully chosen politeness.

Bambi merely nodded good evening back to him.

He did not know why,

But all he did was nod.

Very friendly,

Very nicely,

Though perhaps a little condescending.

There was no other way he could do it.

Perhaps it was something he was born with.

What a handsome young prince,

Said the Hare to Bambi's mother.

He looked at Bambi carefully,

As he raised one of his ears high into the air,

And then,

Soon after,

The other ear,

And then soon after again,

Both of them.

And sometimes he would let them drop suddenly,

And hang limply.

Bambi did not like this.

This gesture seemed to be saying,

No,

Not worth it.

The Hare continued gently to examine Bambi with his big,

Round eyes.

His nose and his mouth,

Surrounded by its magnificent whiskers,

Were in continual movement,

Like the way someone's nose and lips will twitch when he is trying hard not to sneeze.

Bambi could not help laughing,

And the Hare immediately,

And with good will,

Joined in with the laughter,

Only his eyes became more thoughtful.

I congratulate you,

He said to Bambi's mother.

I sincerely congratulate you on having a son like this.

He will be a majestic prince one day.

Yes,

You can see it at first glance.

He raised himself upright,

And now sat erect on his back legs,

Which astonished Bambi immensely.

After he had had a good look all around,

His ears erect,

And his nose moving vigorously,

He sat politely back down on all fours.

Please give my regards to the Honourable Gentleman.

I have many different things to do this evening.

Please give them my humble regards.

He turned around and hopped away,

His ears pressed down on his shoulders.

Goodbye,

Called Bambi to him as he went.

His mother smiled.

He is a good Hare,

So simple and so modest.

It's not easy for him in this world either,

And there was sympathy in her words.

Bambi walked around a little,

Allowing his mother to eat her food.

He hoped he would come across them who he had met earlier,

And would also have liked to make some new acquaintances.

It was not entirely sure to him what he was missing,

But he always felt like he was waiting for something.

Suddenly,

He heard a gentle rustling from far across the meadow,

And felt slight,

Rapid knocking on the ground.

He looked up.

Over where the woods began,

There was something that flitted through the grass.

Oh,

No,

There were two of them.

Bambi glanced at his mother,

But she did not seem to be worried about anything,

And had her head deep in the grass.

But at the other side of the meadow,

There was something rushing around in circles,

Just as he had been doing himself earlier on.

Bambi was so astonished that he leapt backwards,

As if he meant to run away.

His mother noticed him,

And raised her head.

What's the matter?

She called.

But Bambi was speechless.

He could find no words,

And merely stammered.

There!

His mother looked in that direction.

Oh,

I see,

She said.

That's my cousin,

And you're right,

She has a little child too.

Oh,

No,

She has two.

Bambi stood and stared.

Over there he could now see a figure.

A figure that looked just like his mother.

He had not noticed her before.

Now he could see two things that continued moving in circles in the grass,

But only their red backs could be seen,

Thin red stripes.

Come on,

Said his mother,

Let's go over to them,

You'll have some company there.

Bambi wanted to run there,

But his mother only walked slowly,

Looking all around her with each step.

So Bambi held himself back.

He was very excited though,

And very impatient.

His mother continued speaking.

I thought we'd come across Ina again sometime.

Now,

Where's she hiding?

I knew she had a child too,

That was easy to guess.

But two children?

They had long been spotted by the others,

Who were now coming toward them.

Bambi had to say hello to his aunt,

But he had eyes only for the children.

His aunt was very friendly.

Yes,

She said to him,

Now that's Gobo and that's Feline,

You can all play together anytime you like.

The children stood stiffly,

Without moving,

And stared at each other.

Gobo close beside Feline,

And Bambi in front of them.

None of them moved,

They all stood and gaped.

Go on then,

Said Bambi's mother,

We'll soon all be friends.

What a nice looking child,

Ina responded,

Really very nice indeed.

So strong,

And with such good posture.

Yes,

It's alright,

His mother said modestly.

But Ina,

You've got two children.

Yes,

That's what happens now and again,

Ina explained.

But you do know my dear,

I've had many children before.

Bambi is my first,

Said his mother.

Well,

You see,

Ina reassured her,

It might be different for you too the next time.

The children were still standing there,

And watching each other.

None of them said a word.

Feline suddenly jumped and dashed away.

The whole thing had become too boring for her.

In an instant,

Bambi ran after her,

And Gobo did the same.

They rushed around in semi-circles,

They turned round as quick as a flash,

They tumbled over each other,

They chased each other up and down.

It was such wonderful fun.

When they suddenly stopped,

A little short of breath,

They were all good friends with each other.

They began to talk.

Bambi told them about how he had spoken with the good little grasshopper and the whiting.

Have you been talking with the shiny beetle too?

Asked Feline.

No,

Bambi had never spoken with the shiny beetle.

He did not know him at all.

He did not know who it might be.

I often talk with him,

Feline explained,

Slightly boastfully.

I was told off by the J,

Said Bambi.

Really?

Asked Gobo in amazement.

The J was as cheeky with you as that.

Gobo was often in amazement at things,

And he was exceptionally modest.

Then,

He added,

The hedgehog pricked me in the nose.

But he only mentioned that in passing,

As it were.

Who is the hedgehog?

Bambi asked cheerfully.

It felt so wonderful to be standing there,

To have friends,

And to be hearing so many exciting things.

The hedgehog is a terrible creature,

Exclaimed Feline,

Covered in big spikes all over his body,

And he's very spiteful too.

Do you really think he's spiteful?

Asked Gobo.

He never does any harm to anyone.

What?

Retorted Feline quickly.

Didn't he prick you in the nose then?

Oh,

That was only because I wanted to talk to him.

And it was only a little prick.

It didn't hurt very much,

Gobo said.

Bambi went closer to Gobo.

Why did he not want to talk to you?

He never wants to talk to anyone,

Feline put in.

As soon as anyone gets near him,

He rolls up into a ball,

With his spikes sticking out in every direction.

Our mother tells us he's one of those people who don't want to have anything to do with the world.

Perhaps he's just afraid,

Thought Gobo.

But Feline understood it better.

Mother says you shouldn't have anything to do with people like that.

Bambi suddenly asked Gobo.

Do you know what it is?

This,

This danger?

Now the other two also became serious,

And the three of them put their heads together.

Gobo thought about it.

He made a real effort to work out as he could see that Bambi was very curious about the answer.

The danger.

That's something very bad.

Yes,

Bambi insisted.

Yes,

Something very bad.

But what?

All three of them shuddered at the horror of it.

Feline suddenly called out loudly.

The danger is,

When you have to run away from it.

And she jumped away.

She didn't want to stay there and feel afraid.

Bambi and Gobo jumped straight after her.

They started to play again and tumbled about in the green and rustling silk of the meadow,

Where they soon forgot about that serious question.

After a while,

They stopped and stood close to each other as they had before and began to chat.

They looked over to their mothers.

They,

Too,

Were happily close to each other,

Eating a little and holding a gentle conversation.

Auntie Ina lifted her head and called over to her children.

Gobo,

Feline,

We've got to go soon.

And Bambi's mother warned him,

Too.

Come on,

Bambi,

It's time to go.

Oh,

Not yet,

Feline begged crossly.

Just a little bit longer.

Bambi begged,

Too.

Oh,

Please,

Let's stay longer.

It's so nice here.

And Gobo quietly repeated what they had said.

It's so nice here.

Just a little bit longer.

The three of them spoke at the same time.

Ina looked at Bambi's mother.

There,

What did I tell you?

They've already become inseparable.

Then,

Something else happened,

And it was something much bigger than all the other things that Bambi had experienced that day.

A thumping and a stamping coming out of the woods could be felt all through ground.

Branches of trees cracked,

Twigs rustled,

And before anyone could even prick up his ears,

It broke its way out of the thicket.

One of them with a rustling and a banging,

The other in a great rush behind him.

They ran forward like a storm wind,

Completed a broad arch across the meadow,

Disappeared back into the woods where they could be heard galloping.

They hurtled once more out of the thicket,

And then they suddenly stopped and stood quietly,

Twenty paces apart from each other.

Bambi looked at them and did not move.

They looked a little like his mother and auntie Ina,

But on their heads there was a glittering crown of antlers made of brown pearls and bright white prongs.

Bambi could not move.

He looked at one and then at the other.

One of them was smaller than the other,

And his crown was less developed too,

But the other had a beauty that gave him an air of authority.

He held his head high and his crown was even higher.

It sparkled from the darkness into the light.

It was adorned with the majesty of many black and brown pearls,

And the long white tips glittered.

Oh!

Exclaimed Feline in amazement.

Gobo repeated her quietly.

Bambi,

Though,

Said nothing at all.

He was captivated and silent.

The two of them now began to move,

Getting further apart from each other as they went,

Each of them to a different side of the meadow,

And there they went slowly back into the woods.

The majestic figure came up quite close to the children,

Bambi's mother and auntie Ina.

His step showed a quiet glory.

He held his noble head up high like a king and dignified no one with as much as a glance.

The children did not dare to breathe until he had disappeared back into the thicket.

They looked around,

Trying to see him,

But just at that moment the green doors of the wood closed behind him.

Feline was the first to break the silence.

Who was that?

She exclaimed,

But her little arrogant voice had a quake in it.

In a voice that could hardly be heard,

Gobo repeated her.

Who was that?

Bambi was silent.

Auntie Ina said joyfully,

Those were your fathers.

Nothing else was said and the group moved apart.

Auntie Ina went with her children into the nearest patch of undergrowth.

That was the way they always went.

Bambi and his mother had to go right across the meadow to the oak tree to get to the route they usually took.

For a long time he remained silent until finally he asked,

Did they not see us?

His mother understood what he meant and replied,

Of course they saw us,

They see everything.

Bambi felt shy and did not dare to ask any more questions,

But the wish to do so overcame his shyness.

Why?

He began and then he was silent again.

His mother helped him.

What is it you want to say my child?

Why didn't they stay with us?

They don't stay with us,

His mother answered,

Only now and then.

Why didn't they speak to us?

His mother said,

They don't speak to us anymore,

Only now and then.

We have to wait till they come and then we have to wait till they talk to us if they want to.

Bambi became cross and asked,

Will my father speak to me?

Of course he will my child,

His mother promised him.

When you are grown up he will speak to you and sometimes he will let you be with him.

In silence Bambi went closer to his mother,

His mind filled with thoughts about the appearance of his father.

He's so beautiful,

He thought and then again,

So beautiful.

His mother seemed able to read his mind and she said,

If you are still alive my child,

If you are clever and avoid danger,

You'll be as strong and as beautiful as your father and you'll carry a crown on your head just like his.

Bambi took a deep breath,

His heart became big with happiness and anticipation.

Reviews

Such a beautiful story and you tell it so well. Thank you.