Bambi

Bambi

My usually inquisitive, noisy dog had stopped dead in his tracks, pricked his ears forward, listening intently. What on earth had made him act so out of character? I drew abreast of him and looked through the trees to a clearing; there, in the dappled sunlight, was a young girl humming to herself, dancing gaily. She was tripping through the leaves with the sunshine making her hair shine gold. She didn’t see us; as I didn’t want to break her moment I put a restraining hand on the dog’s collar and said,

Shhhhhh!!,’ to him softly.

Being very obedient, he sat putting his head on the ground waiting for my next command. She enjoyed the freedom of the woods and had a strange fey quality about her. I thought, she’s so lighthearted, playful ,without a care, she should be called Bambi. The moment was so magical I daren’t move in case I broke the spell. She danced, humming to herself for a few more moments, then picked up the basket she’d abandoned on the ground and ran off laughing. The noise sounded like music to my ears as it was rather like the tinkling of bells.

I had started off my day walking, as usual with my dog, through the woods feeling very relaxed and happy. This apparition had unsettled me and I felt strangely let down when she disappeared. Had I really seen her or was she a figment of my imagination? Perhaps I had been daydreaming. My trusty hound and I walked on. I shook myself, get a grip, you aren’t in your dotage yet, of course she was there. I wonder who she is? I found it difficult to get her out of my mind. I wonder if I’ll see her again. I mused later on in the day.

            The next day I decided to walk again through that wood. I usually vary my route but this time I decided to go to the same place. My dog was being inquisitive as usual, trying to smell all sorts of creatures that had passed that way, occasionally bounding ahead when he thought there may be something more interesting ahead. He stopped again when he came to the clearing, just lay down and whimpered. He seemed strangely reluctant to go on. Today there was no-one there however, I was disappointed. It appeared that he had remembered the strange encounter; he too felt let down by her absence. After some coaxing I managed to get him to resume our walk. I went on into the village thinking that I would ask my friend the grocer if he knew who this lovely creature was. I gave him a good description as I remembered her clearly. He looked at me in surprise and said sadly,

            ‘You are describing the daughter of my friend the herbalist. She used to take her daughter into the woods when she was collecting berries and plants for her remedies. She didn’t go yesterday though and certainly wouldn’t have been on her own. She died yesterday morning of an inexplicable illness about the time you thought you saw her.’

A tingling sensation went down my spine, the hairs standing up on the back of my neck.

I just said in reply,

            ‘How dreadful. Perhaps I had a senior moment.’

            I know what I saw!

© AS Bielby January 2013