Page 181 of Naughty Nelle

CHAPTER 7

My next day at Faraway begins no better than the first. The chirpy birds wake me up too early; the sun attacks me; my caffeine deprivation gives me a headache, and Elzmerelda’s cheerfulness drives me nuts.

At breakfast, we gather fresh eggs in addition to berries. In a nearby shed, Winifred shows me how easy it is take an egg from one of the nesting hens. Trust me, it’s not. The nasty chickens are in constant attack mode. I narrowly escape being their breakfast.

I’m happy to go back to berry picking. I’ve actually gotten better at it. As I’m counting my haul, someone screams in the distance.

It’s Sasperilla, and she’s running toward us faster than any Gingerbread Man can. “Help! A wild beast is after me!”

Out of the clearing leaps a beautiful spotted fawn.

Elzmerelda makes a squinty face. “He’s lost!”

“The poor baby,” says Winifred. “I bet he’s trying to find his mother.”

The animal prances up to us. I admire his lithe body and long, graceful legs.

“Get him away from me!” shrieks Sasperilla, flailing her stick-thin arms.

Elzmerelda tries to calm down her sister. “Sassy, he’s not going to bite you.”

For some reason, the animal is attracted to me. It nuzzles its head up against my body and helps itself to the berries in my basket.

“The poor thing must be starving,” says Winifred. She orders Sasperilla to find some nuts and acorns. More than happy to oblige, Miss Scared and Skinny scurries off.

Watching this gentle creature, I’m transported to my childhood again. I’m dancing barefoot in the street. Passersby notice I have no shoes and throw an extra coin into my tin. I don’t dare tell them that my mother forbid me to wear shoes so they would feel sorry for me and be generous with their alms.

A kind-looking man dressed in regal clothes watches me dance. He must be from a faraway land because he uses words I don’t know. “Bambina, you are destined for greatness.” He tosses a gold coin into my tin. I smile. My mother will be pleased.

Not long after the man strolls away, I feel a warm, wet tickling sensation on my toes. I glance down. At my feet is an adorable brown and white spotted puppy that won’t stop licking me. When he gazes up at me with his big take-me-home eyes, I know he’s mine. I name him Bambi.

Wagging his tail, he follows me home. He’s so cute and smart. When I call out to him, he knows his name and runs up to me. I’m sure my mother will let me keep him because of the gold coin. I’m wrong.

“Jane, how dare you bring home this flea-ridden beast?” she shrieks. “The last thing we need is another mouth to feed!”

To my horror, she kicks the little dog. It whimpers. My poor little Bambi! As I fall to my knees to shield him with my body, a fiery pain rips across my back. I look up only to receive another lashing from my mother, gripping a frayed leather belt laced with my blood. “He’d better be gone when I come back,” she hisses. Emptying the tin with the gold coin, she stomps toward the front door, slamming it behind her as she leaves.

I scoop Bambi up in my arms. He licks my hot, salty tears. I can’t part with him. I cry myself to sleep, with the little pup hidden under my thin woolen blanket, curled up in the crook of my knees.

When I open my eyes in the morning, Bambi’s gone. “He ran away,” says my smirking mother.

Fresh tears sprinkle down my face. Grabbing my tin, I race to the village square where I dance, hoping he’ll be there. I dance all day until my feet bleed. The pup never shows up. Night falls. Hobbling from street to street, I shout out his name until I’m hoarse and cannot take another step. “Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!”

“Do you know someone named Bambi?” asks Elzmerelda, snapping me back to reality.

“Where is he?” I ask.

Winifred eyes me strangely. “Do you mean the deer? Sasperilla came back and scared him off. Remember?”

She must think I’m delusional. Maybe I am losing it.

We begin our morning meditation standing, with our arms raised to the sky.

“Draw in the sunshine,” instructs Fanta.

So, now they’re going to fry our insides. When I die from all this sunshine, they’ll probably find sunspots on my bones.

Surprisingly, the posture brightens my spirits. It makes me stronger. Energized.

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