Bambi: A Tragedy

by Minty Fresh

(Part I)

 

PROLOGUE

The meeting was called to order at 10pm. The chairwoman stood before the assembled members and shouted for quiet. Fifty-something people reluctantly winded down their conversations and began to listen. There was a tangible excitement in the air, which encouraged those present to be rowdy, but also made them eager to hear the latest news. Once the chairwoman had begun her speech, all stood in rapt attention. She continued: "…as you've no doubt heard by now, our sisters in the New City have successfully infiltrated the famous Del Sato labour camp and are already smuggling men over the state border. The bravery of these great women is beyond my powers of speech to describe. Truly, we must be in awe of them! But we all have our part to play, sisters. I have asked that some may be brought here, to our organisation. I am sure that all of you would hide a man if need be. But needs are sisters, and needs must. Who amongst you will take the burden? Not for one man, but for half of humanity! Are you willing?"

A great cry came up from the crowd: "Yes!"

"Are you able?"

"Yes!"

"I am proud sisters, truly proud. Our fight is a long one. We are few, the government is strong and blinds our people with misinformation, but we are right! In days to come…"

At the back of the crowd, one woman began to lose interest. Rhetoric was rhetoric and it all sounded the same to her. A junior member of the organisation, she was the short side of middle height, with a mop of auburn hair upon her head. Her face was round and quite handsome but, despite her youth, worry lines round her eyes pierced through a demeanour that was otherwise relaxed and easy going. She gazed round the room feeling faintly sick. In the background, in the shadows, stood men who had been 'freed' in the manner she was hearing described. Some were large with broad shoulders and a leathery physique, twisted by hard labour. Others were smaller, softer, plucked from domestic prisons and state whorehouses. One in particular caught her eye, he was also domestic; essentially a sex toy, but for the very wealthy. Extensive cosmetic surgery had given him a feminine form; tits, arse and face, whilst retaining his essential manhood. It was a new trend, brought about by technology and inevitable, she thought, in a social order that simultaneously encouraged and forbade lesbianism.

This was a digression, however. What had really annoyed her was how these 'free men' were treated: Ignored, ordered about, allowed no role in their own liberation! Old habits die hard she supposed, but it wasn't good enough. None of it was good enough; the menial office job, the dank, smelly flat, trying to save enough money for a licence to bear children – never mind a man of her own! Not good enough, she repeated to herself and then, shaking her head, she turned and left the room.

 

ONE

"Bambi darling, would you come and meet our guest."

The gorgeous she-male appeared in the doorway, his long, voluminous blonde hair cascading over the shoulders of a red shortie kimono. His beaming smile and demure posture were at the same time natural, from the practice he'd had forced upon him, and nervous, for visitors to his mistresses' home were rare indeed. His heart wore a mixture of excitement and gravity as he slowly and deliberately began to mince toward the centre of the living room, one heeled foot placed gracefully in front of the other, his cock straining safely against its tight restraints. He arrived at his destination, inside the circle of four women, three of them his masters, the fourth a stranger. He performed a twirl, his hair lifting slightly from his shoulders before swinging gently in his face as he came to a stop facing Lara, their honoured guest. He fixed his hair with a brief wiggle of the head and shoulders, then curtseyed sweetly, batting his long, false lashes at Lara, before kneeling in front of where she was seated and holding out his hand, limp-wristed.

"Welcome to our home ma'am" he said, looking upward. Lara took hold of the proffered limb with reserve. She looked carefully over the heavily made up face, with its fixed empty smile and wide eyes, which tried to catch and hold her own. It was a face as eager as it was reluctant.

"I do hope you enjoy your stay with us" Bambi continued, "if there is anything I can get you, or do for you, please don't hesitate to ask."

Lara remained impassively holding his hand. Bambi's heart beat faster as he felt the gaze of his three mistresses upon him. He knew they would be evaluating every nuance of his performance.

"I must say" he persevered, "you are a most handsome lady. You must be very successful, if you don't mind me saying so."

"And you are a most beautiful boy" said Lara suddenly. "And your house is simply stunning. You keep it very well." She stroked the side of his head, feeling a palpable sense of relief seep through him.

"Thank you" he said, his forced smile melting into a flattered girlie giggle. "I try my best."

Lara released the grip on his hand with a tight smile. Bambi was unsure what to do next, but was swiftly rescued by Catherine, one of his Mistresses.

"Take a seat Bambi love, so we can finish our discussion."

Bambi turned and walked to the corner of the room. For a few moments his face was hidden from all those present and it turned from its habitual smile to one of perplexed concern. Lara didn't seem at all pleased with him. What had he done wrong? He didn't want to be punished again; he'd been doing so well lately. He swallowed these feelings down as he turned to sit in his place. A cushioned footstool stood in front of an old fireplace, now purely decorative. Seated with his legs together and swung behind him, it had the effect of framing him, as if for a photograph. A soft spotlight stood above, illuminating him against the dimly lit room. He placed his hands in his lap and raised his head, as he'd been trained to, shielding his eyes from the light with his lashes. Holding this pose for the next half hour, he wondered over and over what he'd done. What never occurred to him was that Lara was not displeased with him at all. In fact, she had been seething with jealousy. For Lara was not one of Catherine's friends, but a business rival.

 

TWO

Bambi awoke to the sound of his alarm. He gently released himself from Marian's embrace and moved to the side of her bed. The alarm emanated from the earpiece he wore every night and he removed it and switched it off. Marian's alarm would not wake her for another hour. Putting on last night's negligee and a pair of heeled slippers, he sauntered lazily into the bathroom to shower. Emerging some fifteen minutes later, a towel wrapped around his hair, he reflected on how pleasant this time he had in the morning was, not having to watch how he behaved, or what he said. Nevertheless, he continued to move as if on a catwalk and never considered walking anywhere without one of his many pairs of heels, so engrained were these ideals of beauty to his self-esteem. Impulsively, he stopped and raised his arms into body builder's pose, as if showing off his biceps, fists clenched. The look on his face was more pout than grimace, and he let out a small laugh, caught like a hiccup, before wandering into his room to choose something to wear.

Eventually, he picked out a knee length strapless number, with petticoats, in a pale pink: It was practical enough for housework and showed of his titties nicely. There was a matching pair of shoes, of course, and he sat on the chair at his vanity to put them on. This was the only seat in the room. All the other furniture was directly connected to dressing; a wardrobe, vanity, drawers for underwear, bars for corsetry. There was not even a bed, Bambi being expected to sleep with a mistress every night, only a padded box where he'd be put to sleep had he been naughty.

None of this seemed unusual to Bambi. After his long formative years at the finishing school, his life here seemed one of luxury, even freedom. His mind wandered back there, and he thought of one of the tutors; an impossibly tall lady called Miss Larch. She was an incredibly patient and kind woman who would turn at the slightest sign of cheek or insolence into a creature of incredible ferocity, fixing him to the spot with her gaze, which even now sent a shiver down his spine.

"What did you mean by that?" she would growl.

"Nothing… I..."

"Look at me when you talk to me!" Meeting her stare fearfully, he would reply:

"I'm sorry, I just thought…" At this point Miss Larch would raise her eyebrows and that would be all.

"Why do we teach you etiquette, Bambi?"

"Because I am rare and precious and must learn to act like something rare and precious. Someday someone will come and take care of me because I am so rare and precious."

This mantra, which he had so often been made to repeat, was something he now believed wholeheartedly.

Breaking out of his reverie, Bambi looked up at the clock. Gosh, he thought, if I don't hurry with my make-up, breakfast will be late!

 

THREE

Bambi lived with his three mistresses; Catherine, Marian and Simone. All three were quite successful in their various fields and could therefore afford to keep him. Their house was large and spacious, and there was much to do around it. Also, it was the norm for one or more of them to be working from home any given day and Bambi would be at their beck and call. Sometimes all three women would be busy in the house and Bambi would find himself dizzily scurrying from one room to the next, fetching and carrying, preparing snacks and drinks, whilst trying to finish the day's housework. Most of their requests would be quite specious, something even Bambi was able to comprehend, but he enjoyed the attention, and the thanks he got afterwards. And of course, his Mistresses loved ordering him about. Today, however, would be a little different.

"Bambi love" said Catherine, "I want you to go upstairs and dress for an outing." He turned from the sink, where he was washing up after breakfast.

"An outing, ma'am?"

"That's right honey. We've all got to be at the office till late this afternoon, so I'm taking you to work with me."

"Oh that would be just wonderful!" he replied, beaming, "I just hope I won't be too much of a bother to you."

"Of course you won't be" said Catherine with indulgence. "You're a good dolly. And it won't do to have you left alone all day; it's not good for you."

"Thank you ma'am" he said, and faltered, a slightly worried look appearing on his face.

"Finish the washing up first dear, but hurry, I don't want to be late."

"Oh yes!" said Bambi, giggling at himself, "I'll be as quick as I can."

Thirty minutes later, Bambi was waiting at the door dressed in his 'office suit'. Far from being annoyed at having to wait whilst Catherine read the paper, he was proud to be ready in such good time. Over the tight corset Simone had laced him into, he wore a low cut vest with ruffles round the neckline, matching pencil skirt and jacket, in pink of course, a heart shaped pendant, big earrings and a pink pill box hat, which didn't so much sit on his head, but balance on it. There was a small bag for his make up which he clutched in both hands.

"Are you ready Bambi?" said Catherine, finally rousing herself.

"Yes ma'am!" said Bambi, as if there might have been some doubt.

"We shall be walking to the office today."

"The weather is lovely this morning, isn't it ma'am?"

"It certainly is. Now hush dear, we're in public."

It was a half mile or so to Catherine's office, a distance which seemed enormous to Bambi, who had never been allowed outside unaccompanied. It was not simply a matter of perception; his shoes had 4" heels, the corset restricted his breath and his hat required his head to be kept still and upright as he walked. How embarrassing it would be if it fell off! He minced along the wide, stone-paved sidewalk, one hand on his waist, Catherine holding him by the crock of the elbow, the other arm kept straight, his palm pointed downwards, swinging gently back and forth with his bag resting over the back of his wrist. They made a leisurely pace, walking abreast of each other, without speaking. Bambi's wide eyes moved comfortably from one sight to next, drawing confidence from his mistress beside him. He never ceased to be amazed at the grandeur of the world outside. The large, white fronted houses, open well kept parks, the wide straight boulevards with the motor cars speeding from one place to the next, and the sky! Blue with an intensity more real than the solid objects beneath it, interrupted by lumps of pristine cotton wool. His smile had a genuine joy behind it as his gaze fell upon a young businesswoman dressed, like Catherine, in a conservative grey suit. She smiled, somewhat shyly, at Bambi who responded with a little wave and a giggle. Catherine didn't mind in the least.

As they approached the commercial district, Bambi noticed groups of workmen walking past, along the edge of the road. Dressed in overalls, their backs hunched, weighed down by heavy tools, they shuffled by quietly whilst Bambi tried his utmost to ignore them. Filthy, smelly and bestial he thought them; he was glad there were so few about and that he didn't have to share the pavement with them. The streets became more crowded as they approached Catherine's office, and the women became better dressed and more confident. Bambi found himself dizzily fluttering himself at all manner of subtle nods and glances, some no doubt imagined. Better too friendly than not enough, thought Bambi. After all he was on parade!

Rounding the last corner, the two of them were brought to an abrupt halt by a shout from behind them.

"Oi! Cathers!"

Catherine turned her head and shouted out in surprise

"Oh my God! Bessie! Fancy meeting you here!"

Bambi adroitly turned with his mistress, switching his bag from one hand to the other to maintain his pose, and allowed Catherine to take his arm, as before, and lead him to the newcomer.

"How are you Bessie?" said Catherine, "I haven't seen you in ages."

"Very well thank you mate. You look like you're doing well. You've got yourself a dolly I see."

"Yes, this is Bambi."

He offered Bessie his hand and curtseyed. Bessie barely looked at him and continued to Catherine:

"I suppose you must be close to a directorship by the look of you. I must say I'm rather envious. My career's going nowhere. The company's in a spot of bother and it's a struggle to even stand still."

"Well I did warn you about going into law."

"I've got a passion for it Cathers, that's what you never understood about me. I love the work, even now."

"I'm glad old chum. I hope things pick up. Look dear, I'm sorry but I've got to be going. Taking this sweetums out with me has made me rather late. We must catch up soon."

"Yes definitely. In fact I've got some hot gossip about old Higgins you'll want to hear."

"Nothing to nasty I hope."

The two women laughed as one.

"I'll see you soon Bessie."

"Yes. Bye Cathers."

Bessie turned away paying no attention to Bambi, who'd stretched out his arm as a farewell. Seeing Bambi a little upset, Catherine gave him a reassuring pat on his ass and whispered:

"You've been very good all morning darling, I'm really proud of you."

Bambi glowed inwardly with pleasure. He was happy with himself again. They turned and finished the rest of their journey.

 

FOUR

Once inside the office, Bambi's outward disposition changed. He wore a serious expression on his face, and he held his bag tight to his chest in both hands. No longer walking beside Catherine, he followed her meekly through the maze of corridors, eyes down, though his head remained proudly upright. Catherine stopped often to speak to colleagues and Bambi waited silently behind her, ignored by all. He always felt guilty and furtive when people discussed business in front of him and he tried not to listen, waiting frantically for the sanctuary of Catherine's office.

Once there, Catherine invited him to remove his hat and jacket and sit down. This done he immediately went for his bag and began to inspect and then touch up his make up. Catherine had begun to work already and he knew better than to disturb her, so he adopted his best pose and sat still. Eventually, Catherine said she had to attend to business elsewhere and he was to wait here. She was gone for some time and Bambi became slightly annoyed that he had been left with nothing to do. He decided, after much deliberation, to have a tidy up. Unfortunately, there was little to be done, Catherine being a very tidy person anyway. As the task became ridiculous, Bambi began looking inside Catherine's desk, nominally for things to clean, but with a furtive curiosity that made him nervous as he went from one drawer to the next. The door opened.

"Hello?"

The shock was so great, Bambi almost fainted. His breath strained against the corset and lost. He collapsed in ungainly fashion into Catherine's swivel chair.

"Are you alright?"

The approaching stranger, concerned as she was, only served to heighten Bambi's panic as he worried over his appearance and what she might say to Catherine. Small, rapid breaths came out in squeaks as he froze to the spot.

"I'm going to get you a glass of water" she said.

When she returned, Bambi was sitting bolt upright with a pleasant smile on his face.

"Hello there" he said sweetly, "how may I help you?"

"Here, drink some of this."

"Thank you" said Bambi, taking the smallest of sips. "It's very nice."

"It's water" said the stranger, with some perplexity. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Oh fine… I'm just fine!" Bambi couldn't bring himself to mention what had just happened, the shame of it brought a conviction that he would be rebuked and even punished should he draw attention to it.

"I'm sorry I startled you."

Bambi paused to understand this comment, then blushed to the roots of his hair. Becoming bashful, he looked down his right shoulder and murmured "that's alright"

Speaking very gently now, the stranger said "my name's Lisa. What's yours?"

"Bambi" he said, slowly moving his face back towards hers.

"Did you come here with Catherine?"

"Yes." Facing her again, Bambi was struck by Lisa's stare, which seemed to project her outside of herself. Her face was intelligent but caring, and attractive too, despite the worry lines around her young, intent eyes.

"How long has she been gone?"

After a slow calculation, Bambi said "Two hours."

"She left you all alone for that long?"

Not knowing quite what she meant, he answered "Yes."

"Aren't you bored?"

Bambi reacted as if this were an accusation. "No! Of course not."

"I'd be bored" said Lisa, with a smile. Understanding this was a joke, Bambi let out a little giggle. "I've brought this for Catherine" she continued, putting a folder on the desk. "Would you tell her it's from accounts please."

"Of course ma'am" said Bambi, back to his most professional.

"OK. Well, you take care Bambi. Maybe I'll see you again some time."

"Goodbye… Lisa."

She smiled at him, without formality, as she turned and left the room.

 

FIVE

The following week there were two bad incidents in Bambi's household. The first when Marian told him to fetch a glass of water, whilst Bambi was in the middle of stacking plates, he let out a tut of annoyance, and slammed the plates down on the side. For this, he was immediately pulled up and reprimanded, then later was spanked and put to bed in his little box. The second came when Simone summoned him, in typically curt fashion, to give her a good tonguing. At this Bambi simply broke down and cried and wouldn't stop. Simone tried to cajole him out of it with cracks about how he looked and sounded, before turning to threats, but he just went on and on until all three women were crouched in a circle around him. They stroked his hair and shoulders and spoke tenderly, Simone even apologized for saying he looked ugly. Finally, with a swallow, he stopped.

"What's wrong darling?" said Catherine, leaning forward.

Sobs broke out from him again as he tried to answer. "I don't know… I don't know…"

"There must be something love. We've never seen you like this before. Just tell us, please."

"I don't know" he cried, "I just… I can't… I don't know… Please leave me alone."

"We only want to help you" put in Marian. "We hate seeing you like this."

Bambi opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't. Catherine continued: "Maybe it's best if you get a good nights sleep, yes?" Bambi nodded his head. "And then we can talk about it tomorrow, OK? Try and think what it is that's bothering you darling, so we can help. Then we can fix you and we'll have the happy, smiling, beautiful Bambi back again, won't we?" Bambi did not answer. "Won't we?"

At this Bambi broke down into tears again. His three mistresses looked at each other, bemused. They took him to his room and helped him undress. Putting him to bed, in his box, they kissed him goodnight and said they hoped he'd feel better tomorrow. Then, with heavy hearts and perplexed minds, they closed the lid.

Alone in the dark, Bambi wondered what was happening to him. He felt awful and couldn't understand why, but he certainly didn't want to be "fixed". Once he had calmed down, he thought of Lisa, as he had done often the past week. He knew he couldn't tell anyone, but he needed to see her again.

 

SIX

The following morning, over the breakfast table, Catherine asked Bambi what had been wrong with him. Bambi had lied to his mistresses before, substituting a 'no' for a 'yes' on occasion. But today he drew upon resources within him he never knew existed. He complained that they didn't treat him nicely enough; they were no longer polite and would bark orders at him carelessly. They would enter rooms and speak to him without even looking his way, after all the time he spends on his appearance. They no longer complimented his food, or his cleaning. They were treating him like some ugly old drudge and he hated it. Such was the strong feeling he put into his speech, his mistresses were completely convinced – they had never heard him speak for so long. Catherine spoke for them all:

"Very well Bambi. We'll try to be nicer from now on and we'll put all this silliness behind us, OK?"

"Yes ma'am, I'm sorry. I didn't want to do this. It's just…"

Seeing tears well in Bambi's eyes once more, Catherine quickly interrupted. "It's all right darling. We don't blame you for this, do we ladies?" The others agreed. "Now if you're ready darling, would you be so kind as to prepare breakfast?"

Standing over the stove, his back to the room, Bambi smiled to himself. An inner pride, like a warm meal, rose then settled within him. Going about his duties that day, he took huge pleasure from the sugar coated way he was asked to do things and the great effort all put in to thank and compliment him. These compliments would often become something like poems; to his beauty, grace and special competence, and even when these became sarcastic, it didn't matter. The effort was still there, and each time an effort was expended, it was that most taboo of things to Bambi's psyche: A victory.

However, the novelty soon wore off and his most pressing concern remained. How to find Lisa. He had no practical idea how to go about it. In his reveries he thought about running away to find her, but he was afraid to go out alone, knew none of the local geography, could not read maps and had no money. He hoped Catherine would take him to her office again, but as the weeks rolled by, nothing came of this. Indeed, he was never allowed out of the house, even being left alone all day instead of being taken out. Maybe Catherine suspected something? Eventually, Bambi was reduced to standing forlornly by the window, whenever he was alone, watching the street, hoping she would appear.

Then one day, the miracle happened. With the house empty, and him at the window, Lisa not only walked by, but stopped outside the house to talk to someone! Bambi stood gaping for a while, then pinched himself and moved to action. Terribly flustered, he paced randomly around the house. What was he to do? What was he going to say? How did he look? Suddenly afraid Lisa would leave, he ran straight upstairs for the key to the front door. He was supposed to be safely locked up inside, but he'd known where the spare key was hidden for some time now, and it took him no time to fetch it. He paused at the door and peeked outside. She was still in the same place, chatting to a stranger. Caution took hold of Bambi as he remembered that this behaviour was strictly forbidden. He couldn't just march up into the middle of their conversation. He would have to wait until they said goodbye and catch Lisa as she was leaving. He stood with his hand on the door handle. Simone was due back very soon and he'd be in huge trouble if she caught him talking to a stranger. The tension made him sick to the stomach and he struggled to control his breathing. Outside, they talked for what seemed like aeons. Bambi felt like crying. Then, the stranger gave Lisa a pat on the arm and walked away. Like a coiled spring, Bambi came out the door. Leaving it open, he walked briskly up the drive toward Lisa, who was unhurriedly strolling away. Bambi kicked himself when he realised he had no bag for the keys, he'd have to just hold them. I feel such a fool, he thought. At that moment, Lisa spotted him. She surveyed his hesitant, expectant smile curiously then, with a flash of recognition, returned it.

"Hello there! It's Bambi isn't it? I met you at work."

"Yes" answered Bambi, suddenly unsure of what to say. "That's right." He reached where Lisa was standing and took a deep breath of satisfaction, as one does having reached the top of a hill.

The two of them stood there looking at each other for a moment. Then Lisa continued: "So this is your house then?"

"Yes, I live here…" There was another awkward pause before Bambi blundered on. "It's so lucky you came by here. I was so hoping to see you again…" He stuttered to another stop. "I mean… I really enjoyed meeting you that time… I was going to try and find you but I haven't been allowed out you see and er…" Running out of steam again he moved his gaze downward from Lisa's. He noticed he was sweating. Nasty, dirty thing to do he thought.

"I enjoyed our chat too" broke in Lisa. "I was wondering if I'd see you again. How are you anyway?"

"Oh, I'm fine" said Bambi automatically then, more thoughtfully, added: "Well, I've been a bit bored. Stuck in the house all the time. I wish I could go out once in a while. I know I'm not supposed to and it'll spoil me, but I… I'm just so bored."

Both were remembering their previous conversation. "We could go for a little walk now if you like; I know Catherine won't be back for a few hours."

"I can't" said Bambi, with too much emphasis. "Simone's due back any minute. In fact, I should be going in. If she catches me, she'll punish me badly."

"Simone? Is she a mistress of yours?"

Strangely, Bambi was embarrassed to hear the word mistress. "Yes. And there's Marian as well."

Three of them, thought Lisa. So that's how Catherine affords him. "OK Bambi, I don't want you to get in trouble. I tell you what; I'll make a point of coming by here whenever I can. If you're alone, give me a wave and I'll come to the door."

"Really?" said Bambi, with undisguised delight.

Lisa wore a laid back smile as she explained: "Yes babe. I really like you. And I want to see you again." Bambi stood and gaped as Lisa blew him a kiss and started to walk away. She turned as she left and said: "Take care. I'll see you soon."

Bambi wore a face of exaggerated glumness as he watched her leave. He whispered a squeaky "Bye" and went back inside. Having closed the door, he leaned back against it and, clasping his hands to his chest, looked up at the ceiling and let out a deep, deep breath. Before he knew it he was skipping and twirling around the house laughing merrily to himself. He was brought to an abrupt halt by the opening of the front door. By the time Simone entered the dining room, Bambi was standing by a cupboard, going over it with a feather duster.

"The house is looking very nice today, Bambi" she said as she came in.

"Thank you very much ma'am" he replied, knowing he'd done next to nothing whilst she'd been out.

Once Simone had left the room, a small, twisted smile came to Bambi's face. For he now had a new entry in his emotional lexicon: Contempt.

 

SEVEN

"Bambi darling, could you make me a cup of coffee?"

"Have you finished the laundry, dolly?

"Aatchoo! Fetch me some tissues will you dear?"

"You've finished making the beds? Then why don't you do some baking? Some muffins would be lovely."

It was a busy day in Bambi's household. Catherine, Marian and Simone were scattered around the house, in front of their laptops. Their constant demands sent Bambi scampering frantically from one room to the next in his high heeled house sandals trying to keep up. He wore a powder blue knee length dress, with a bell shaped skirt, puffed sleeves and a floral print sash round his waist. There was a matching blue bow on top of his head and a pearl necklace and earrings as accessories. A frilly apron hung ready on the kitchen door, for his mistresses insisted that he didn't present himself to them in "working attire," yet would reprimand him should they spot any blemish upon his clothing. Consequently he was forever tying and untying the thing from himself, a task which Bambi now found just stupid.

It had been a turbulent and trying few weeks since Bambi had last seen Lisa, and he felt almost at his patient's end. He had continued to go about his duties properly, keeping and enjoying his secret, but he had become weary of it all. The joy he had always felt in submission to his keepers had faded and now felt quite empty, whilst his tasks had become tedious and sometimes seemed pathetic, as the apron did. He had wanted to rebel but had become afraid at the thought. He would be tied and beaten, deprived of any comforts, they would inflict all manner of cruelty upon him and expect him to thank them afterward. Worst of all, they might take him to the doctor and make him forget everything he'd experienced recently. The terror he felt when he realised this had hit him like a revelation, but when he reflected on it, he couldn't remember ever feeling any different. He spent that night awake, trying to work out what had changed.

"Oh, Bambi!" shouted Marian. "I've got to pop out. Would you get my coat?"

Removing his apron for the umpteenth time, Bambi rushed to the closet to gather Marian's raincoat, then carried it to the front door and slipped it onto her waiting arms.

"Thank you very much sweetie" she said.

"You're welcome ma'am" he replied, "It's such a shame you have to go out in this weather."

"It can't be helped dear" she said, leaving. "Bye."

Bambi had opened the door for her and now stood in it, waving her goodbye. This was not one of Bambi's proscribed duties and Marian turned and looked surprised. Sweet, she thought and waved back. Once she'd turned away, Bambi started furtively looking up and down the street. Silently, he prayed that Lisa had not forgotten him.

  

  

  

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