HEIDI as told by Grandmama

Heidi woke from her first night in Grandfather’s hut, wondering where she was. Suddenly, she remembered what had happened the day before. Looking out the window, she viewed the valley and the surrounding mountains. Jumping up with delight, she ran downstairs and out the front door.

With wide eyes and her hands over her mouth, she exhaled these words, “Oh, my! Good morning! Am I dreaming? I am so hungry! Where are the goats?” Heidi talked non-stop, like a chatter box. Coming back inside, Grandfather gave her a full bowl of milk, which she drank while holding it with both hands. She ate toasted cheese and bread until she was full.

“Would you like to go with Peter to the high meadow today?” asked Grandfather. With that, the child let out a sound of great delight. “Heidi, you better wash up, so that the sun won’t laugh at you for being dirty!” exclaimed Grandfather.

She laughed, as she realized that she really did need to clean her face, arms and feet. Near the front door a little wooden tub of water welcomed the warm sun. “What fun this is,” thought Heidi. She splashed and scrubbed her face and arms so much that she was flushed red. She was convinced that she did not want the sun to laugh at her.

Meantime, Grandfather gathered the buckets with which to milk the goats. “Hurry up, Heidi, and finish bathing. Come with me, so that you can watch me milk the goats,” he called to her. As soon as Heidi got to the goat shed, he began the process.

“Schwanli gives the best milk. It is naturally sweet and creamy,” said Grandfather. “Her milk will make your bones strong and your skin healthy. Heidi, you may drink as much as you wish.” And he added, “Barli’s milk is used for making Swiss cheese. Someday, I will teach you how to make cheese.”

Soon a whistle shrilled its song into the air. Peter was coming up the footpath with all the goats from Dorfli. As he neared the hut, Grandfather called out, “Goatherd, come here. Heidi is going to go with you to the high meadow today. Bring your haversack.”

Grandfather gathered a small wooden bowl, a large piece of bread and a big chunk of cheese to place in Peter’s bag. The boy stood in awe of the large amount of food. He was often hungry for something in addition to the goat’s milk. “Peter, when you get to the high meadow, milk Schwanli and give Heidi two full bowls of milk. See to it that she gets enough to eat. And don’t let her fall into the ravine near the cliff!” exclaimed Grandfather. Sometimes he sounded gruff towards Peter.

The two children started up the Alm to the high meadow. Heidi felt so free that she shouted and jumped for joy, like the little goats. The sun was smiling brightly on the green grass, causing the little flowers to reach up between the leaves. Each flower turned its face toward the sun to capture the rays of light. Spinning around, she shouted with delight upon seeing so many beautiful colors of purple, pink, yellow and blue spread across the field. At once Heidi began to fill her little apron with every type of flower. There were so many that it seemed as if a rainbow covered the ground.

Flowers in the high meadows of the Swiss Alps are known for their nutritional value. Some of the names of the wild flowers are Prunella, Gentian, Rockrose, Primrose and Bluebell. Their fragrances were sweet and pure and filled the air.

When Heidi’s apron was full, she plopped down on the ground and sat as if in a trance. The beauty of the meadow, surrounded by high peaks, was almost more than she could bear. Taking a deep breath, she lay her head down. Closing her eyes, Heidi became unaware that Peter had continued on without her.

“Heidi, come! We must go higher! The pasture at the base of the steep rock has even better flowers. Come on!” said Peter, impatiently, from above. Up they climbed until they reached the high meadow. Tired from the hike, the children lay down in the tall grasses filled with flowers and herbs. Looking up, they saw many clouds. Some of the clouds looked like faces of animals. The children talked about the shapes that they saw. Soon Peter fell asleep. Many of the goats were resting, too. As Heidi lay looking all around her, she felt very content. It was so quiet. Once in a while she could hear the wind give a slight puff on the flower petals. All of a sudden, the biggest bird that Heidi had ever seen came flying over and screamed a loud croaking sound.

“Peter, wake up! See the bird? Why does he scream? Where does he live? Can we follow him?” asked Heidi. Peter was a bit annoyed from being awakened out of a dream. Her questions seemed to go on and on.

“It’s called a Robber Bird. And, no, we can’t follow him!” he answered. Realizing that he must protect the goats from the bird, he gave a loud whistle to warn the goats of possible danger. All of them ran toward Peter.

Soon, Heidi forgot about the bird and the flowers. She began to ask Peter to tell her the names of the little goats. It did not take her long to know each one of them by their name and by their actions. Turk was a big bully goat. He often used his horns to butt the other goats. Distelfinck was little but very adventurous and brave. Schneehopli (Snowflake) was a young, white goat, who was now without her mother and did not like it very much. She seemed to be timid and cried when things were not going her way.