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BOBO

       The scene is deep in the forests of England around the 18th century. A small cabin owned buy Luden and his young bride Sheena. Smoke is pouring furiously out of the chimney. Through the small window you can see Luden moving feverishly getting hot water from the fire to help his young wife give birth to their first child. She was only 19 years old and had had a hard time with the whole thing being very young and not a strong person. The life here was hard even for the strong. But they had plans on starting a family and Luden earning enough money with his wood working to move into the town someday, even though they both loved the deep forest and being alone there.

       Now there was a problem, the baby was not in the right position to come out and Luden didn't know what to do. Sheena was screaming from the pain. Tears ran down her cheeks as she held Ludens arm tight and didn't want him to go for help. The closest person was over a hour away anyway and there would be no time for that.

       As night sets we see Luden behind the cabin digging a shallow grave to put his frail bride in. The birth had been too much for her weak body but she had left him a beautiful daughter. Now this seemed a small reward for the loss of his only love. Night fell on the small cabin and the baby cried; she was hungry. The crying brought Luden out of his deep sleep startling him to the fact that his love was gone and he now had a daughter, but he had another problem, the baby needed milk. He went out into the woods and came upon a small deer nursing its young doe. He had no choice now. With a sure and keen eye he fired one shoot and the mother fell. He hurried and took as much milk from the body as he could and rushed back to the cabin, the whole way wondering if the doe would survive the loss of the mother, but now his main thought was on his one thing he had left, his daughter. But he ached inside for what he had done. Life was rough and sometimes you had to do things that left you with guilt. The milk was enough to feed the baby tonight and once in the morning but he would have to go to the neighbors and get a goat for the supply he would need. When morning came he wrapped up his daughter, he hadn't even given her a name yet, and the thought of loosing to gain was still too much for him. He grabbed up a small carving of a bear he had been working on for months to give to his bride on their anniversary. It was perfect and had many hours in it. It killed him to get rid of it but he knew Sheena would understand. It was an easy trade for the small goat. His work was well sought after by all those that knew it.

"Luden you can not take that baby back to your cabin", the neighbor's wife spoke, "you can't care for it. Leave her with me and I will care for her."

"No, she is my daughter, I care for my own."

"Yes, and Sheena…you cared for her!"

       Luden raised his huge arm and crashed down on the table, knocked it over and broke the pitcher on it.

"Go now Luden, you are crazy…you always have been, and my wife's mouth is foul. Now leave this house and don't come back and may God have mercy on you and your daughter."

       Luden picked up the bundled baby and the rope tied to the goat and disappeared into the woods.

       As the years passed the young girl grew and was as lovely as her mother. She spent many hours with her father listening to stories about her mother and how beautiful she had been, the forest and all its beauties. Luden was making more wooden items now to keep his mind occupied and not think. He still called the young girl simply "Daughter" not knowing what name to give her. She would go into the woods with her father and watch as he carefully picked only the sick tree to cut for his wood. Every time he cut a tree he would plant a suckling. Daughter asked why he did that. All Luden said was he owed the forest for the deer he had taken and some day he would explain it to her. It was then he looked into her eyes and said to her, "Fawn."

"What father?"

"It is time you have a proper name, one worthy of your mother and the forest she loved, I will name you Fawn."

       As Fawn grew older Luden would spend more time in the forest going deeper and deeper to find his wood and to escape his sorrow. He would make journeys to town and sell his work. He was paid well and always brought something back for Fawn, a ribbon, a book or something special, and flowers for his bride's grave.

"Father can I go with you to town sometime?"

"The people in town are not nice, you should not be there." Luden snapped back.

       He did not want to have her see the fact that he was now know as the crazy man who could work magic with wood but could not stand people. He was asked about the daughter and never answered. Stories that she had died as a baby and such were all around now but he didn't care he took his orders for what was wanted got his supplies and disappeared into the forest.

       This time when he went back through the woods he came upon a large brown bear hungry for food to help feed a single cub she had deep in the woods. The bear was lunging at the cabin door trying to get to the food it smelled inside. Luden filled with fear for Fawn drew his rifle and dropped the mother bear with one sure shot. Again he was crazed with what he had done. Without thinking he drug the body deep into the forest and buried it. Fawn watched and asked, "Why did you kill the bear father? You told me the forest and animals were our friends."
He didn't answer and told her to go and start dinner. That evening he tried to explain to her that sometime you had to do this kind of thing to protect yourself. But when you took from the forest you owed a debt back. That when you take you owe and when it takes it owes. Fawn smiled and put her hand on her father's strong arm and smiled, "Yes father" he looked into her eyes and loved her but could only see his young brides eyes.

       A few days later Luden left early at dawns light and went to spend the day gathering wood. As he left Fawn heard a rustling in the bushes nearby. She knew she had been told not to go away from the cabin but had many times and made friends with many of the small forest animals. Once again breed from the milk of the forest she wandered into the woods she felt such a part of. Not to far away she found a small young brown bear cub. It was lost and hungry. She didn't know it, for she was sheltered from such things, but it was the baby of the bear her father had shot. Now it was hungry and lost and alone. Fawn with no fear held her hand out and the cub came to her and suckled on her finger. She laughed for it tickled. As the cub cried she looked at it and as if she could talk to it she said, "Oh, you are hungry."

       She went to the goat and got some milk and with out knowing it paid back her first debt to the forest. The cub, with its belly full, romped and played, neither knowing anything else except each other as equals. They played all day long and then she took the cub back into the woods, found the cave it lived in, led it in, and then put a big rock to block the passage.

"Stay here now, and I will come back tomorrow morning with more milk."

       As the days passed Luden's insanity ate at his brain more and more. He kept only the respect for the forest and his daughter straight in his thoughts now. He worked day and night in his shed on his crafts. Time was not his friend, happiness a stranger to him. Also as the days passed the cub grew into a full sized 400lb male brown bear. He had known no one but Fawn and saw her as his mother. They would spend many hours together; they had no one but each other and loved their time together. One day as they played, the bear raised to its back legs and while playing made some rumbling noises, "You sound funny bear."

Following in her father's ways she said, "You sound like you are talking, you sound like you are saying BOBO. That will be your name BOBO."

       The two were smart; BOBO knew the smell of Luden coming and would run off into the woods until he knew Luden was gone again.

       This went on for almost two years. Now Fawn was a young lady, she had never known anyplace but the forest or anyone but the animals. BOBO was now a strong full grown brown bear too. One day they wandered the forest as they often did when they heard a snarl, as Fawn turned she saw a large mountain lion coming out of the bushes. Once again the forest caused the animals to have to wonder to find food for their young. This time Fawn was the target. As the cat grew nearer, BOBO twisted his head and showed his teeth. He had never had to fight but seemed to know what to do. The cat lunged and the two rolled and fought in front of Fawn as she stood in awe. BOBO won and scared the cat off, but paid for his victory with some bad cuts from the cats claws.

"BOBO you saved me, but you are hurt. Stay here and I will get some bandages."

       She ran back to the cabin and grabbed the things she needed and mended BOBO's wounds.

"Oh BOBO I love you I don't want to ever loose you."

That evening when Luden came home he asked Fawn, "What have you done with the medicine and bandages?"

Fawn had never lied to her father but could not tell him.
"I don't know father I did not take them, you must have moved them. You know how forgetful you are", she laughed holding her breath hoping he would not question her.

"Daughter you puzzle me, but I must have moved them. I am tired now and am going to sleep."

       A few days had passed and everything seemed to be going well. BOBO healed fine and everything was good. The next morning Fawn had become sick, nothing serious just a cold or some such thing. But she was weak.

"I will stay home daughter with you."

"No father I will be fine."

"Nonsense, I will stay. I am tired anyway and need the rest."

       BOBO came to the edge of the woods and smelled the scent of Luden and stayed away, but the days grew long and he was lonely. Finally Fawn felt better and was up and around. Just in time for Luden missed his time in the forest, and BOBO grew restless.

       Luden gathered up his things and made into the woods, with BOBO nearby watching and waiting. As soon as Luden was out of sight BOBO made his way to the cabin and playfully threw his huge paw at the cabin door. Just as Fawn was going to open it Luden returned for his tools and saw BOBO, he drew his rifle and pulled the trigger. As he was getting old so had his aim weakened and the first shot missed. He reloaded, BOBO turned and started to run for the woods when the second shot rang out. This too missed it's target but hit a metal lamp hanging outside the cabin breaking it. The spark of the shot caused the fuel inside to ignite and spread under the door and into the cabin. Within moments the cabin was aflame.

        Luden fired off one more shot as BOBO ran into the thick forest. He dropped his gun and ran to the cabin, now fully engulfed in flames. "Daughter, daughter!" He could hear her screams from inside the fire. Now driven by fear alone he rushed through the fire and found Fawn had passed out on the floor covered with smoke and flames. He snatched her up and ran through the flames and laid her a safe distance from the fire. Then he took a deep breath and started back to save the only picture he had of his young bride, the years had gotten to him and he was slow now but determined. As Fawn laid pastout from the smoke he ran back in to gather his memories. As he entered the cabin the walls collapsed around him with no chance of him getting free. The forest was owed a debt and had taken its price.

       Hours passed and as Fawn awoke she opened her eyes, confused, only to see BOBO's still lifeless body laying at the edge of the woods. She coughed hard as she was lifted from the ground and held in strong arms. She turned and she saw the cabin was completely destroyed. She remembered as her mind cleared from the smoke. But how could her father be holding her, and BOBO was gone too. She turned her head to see the wide eyes of a young man holding her in his strong arms, "There was smoke and a fire, I was cutting wood in the forest but didn't get here quick enough to save your father. Are you all right?"

Fawn rubbed her eyes she was lost now, "Who are you and where did you come from?"

"I live in the forest alone and work with wood, strange I never knew anyone else was here before."

"What is your name?" Fawn asked.

He replied, "I am called BOBO."

The forest takes and the forest gives. All debts must be paid.