This is the final chapter of the book and it like all good fairy tales it has a happy ending. Or at least it’s a mostly happy ending - Gobbolino finally finds a safe and loving permanent home - but it’s complicated. He has had to be stripped of some of his witch’s cat magical powers so that he can finally become a kitchen cat. He doesn’t seem to mind, or at least thinks that it’s a fair exchange, but I’m a little bit sad that he’s had to give up the things that make him special in order to be accepted.
I think this goes back to Terry Pratchett’s argument in Witches Abroad that there is not really such a thing as a happy ending. Unless the heroine/heroes/happy couple die immediately after reaching the goal/returning home/getting married it’s not really an ending. And even when the main characters are happy there’s all sorts of collateral damage along the way - what about the families of the mice Gobbolino killed? How long did it take for the Orphange to find a new Cook and was the Porteress overstretched and the children somewhat neglected until they did? How did the Punch and Judy Troupe find a new Dog Toby? And even once they did how much longer did it take for them to escape from the harmful gossip about one of their actors being a witch’s cat?
I think I’m probably oversensitive about a narrative that suggests that becoming more normal is the way to be accepted. Becoming normal isn’t an option for a Queer Autistic Chronically Ill Person but that hasn’t stopped plenty of people suggesting that I try! But Gobbolino is happy to be a Kitchen cat - he never wanted to be a witch’s cat so he doesn’t seem to feel that he has lost anything (apart from the ability to swim and to speak to humans and he doesn’t seem particularly bothered about even those). Maybe a more appropriate equivalent is the procedure I just had to correct a heart defect - the process wasn’t fun but I’m thrilled to have had the troublesome tissue removed. Perhaps all transformations inherently involve some kind of loss but many of them are worth it?

Anyway, i should probably stop discussing what happens in this chapter until I’ve done the nine and three sentence recaps.

9 Sentence Recap
Gobbolino survives the cauldron but is changed
The Hurricane Moutain Witch is angry but Sootica rescues him
She drops him off the broomstick and into a river
Gobbolino finds he can no longer swim
But he is rescued by the MIll children
They are not sure if he is their old Gobbolino but they take him home
Their father checks him for magic and says that he can stay
It turns out that the Brothers regularly visit this farm
Gobbolino contentedly falls asleep at the feet of the farmer’s wife

3 Sentence Recap
Sootica saves the cauldron-transformed Gobbolino
He falls into the same river by the Mill he fell into before
This time he can stay at the Mill-Farm for ever

The first example of love in the chapter is Sootica resucimng Gobbolino from the still angry Hurricane Mountain Witch. She grabs the witch’s broomstick, calls out to him to join her on it and flies him far away from he screaming witch. She obviously loves her brother and feels enough connection with him to save his life even though she still doesn’t approve of him and his desire to be a Kitchen Cat:

“Don’t thank me!” Said Sootica. “You are a disgrace to the family, and I never want to see your face again. But you are my blood-brother after all, and I did not want to see you hurled down the mountainside.”

Gobbolino obviously loves his sister too, even though he disapproves just as much of her vocation. In spite of his extreme fear of heights, the trauma he has just been through and his own uncertain future, he is concerned about Sootica’s safety if/when she returns to the Hurricane Mountain Witch. Fortunately she is able to reassure him that she will be fine.
Sootica’s final act of love is to push the terrified Gobbolino off of the broomstick. He is far too sacred to jump. Pushing him is definitely “tough love” - it isn’t what he wants and she doesn’t sugar coat it with comforting words but it is what is necessary. She knows that he is capable of landing on his feet even if he can’t see that yet - her love shows her that he is stronger than his own image of himself.

The Mill-Fatm children rescue the struggling cat they say in the river into because he is their beloved Gobbolino (he is too far away for them to recognise) but use because he is a living creature in trouble. That is a different kind of love than a personal relationship. It’s beautiful and important.
After they get him out of the river they aren’t sure if he is their Gobbolino or not. It’s not just that the journey has changed him and that he has gotten older - the magic of the cauldron has removed his witch’s cat abilities to swim or speak to humans and has even emphasised the tabby patterns of his fur (though his eyes and paws are unchanged). Their love for Gobbolino is robust enough that it can cope with him having changed. They may be surprised that he can no longer perform his old tricks but they accept that. Even though they decided that he must be the same cat that they used to know their behaviour suggested that they would also have been able to open their hearts to a different kitten. Their love is expensive rather than excluding. (I find the challenge of holding a personal connection kind of love without letting kit become excluding really hard - harder even than maintaining the more abstract love for all fellow creatures which is definition also challenging at times)
Just like in chapters three and four the Farmer acts out of protective love for his family. He checks the rescued cat carefully for potential magic. Unlike the children his love requires drawing firm boundaries. It’s harder for me to accept as love - if he did reject Gobbolino again that would be certainly be unloved me towards a living creature who can’t help what they were born as - but it is a result of his love for his still vulnerably young children to protect them from potential danger. When he can find no trace of magical ability in the cat he decides that it can not be the same Gobbolino. He is able to take the ore obviously loving path of letting the children keep this cat they they have obviously bonded with and begins to open his own heart to building a relationship with him too.

Gobbolino obviously has affection for the Mill-Farm children (and gratitude to them for having rescued him twice) - we aren’t sure if it yet counts as love. He undoubtedly did love the three Brothers (and the baby) and is overjoyed to meet them again as visitors to the farm. They are equally delighted to see him. They seem to have flourished since he left them bonding further with their new parents and with their playmates at the farm but are still able to pick up their old bond with Gobbolino. There is enough love in their lives that they would have coped perfectly well if he had just remained a memory to them but are thrilled be reunited. They ask him Oh where, oh where have you been? And why haven’t you come to see us before? not because they were terribly unhappy without him but because their childish love and trust in him meant that they never considered that he wouldn’t make good on his promise to return to them. Even the baby is distracted from it’s favourite activity of picking dandelions to come and cuddle the long lost cat. As adults they will presumably gain a more realistic understanding of limits and possibilities but hopefully the strength of their love will remain.

Gobbolino finally feels safe and settled. He imagines loving generations of this household - the children’s will grow up and have children of their own (fairy tale happy endings never included things like infertility or even the family deciding to start a new life elsewhere). He is able to be content because although the family members us age and change he sees an unbroken chain of love and belonging stretching out into the future. The Framer seems to be imaging the same but in a more understated and practical way

“There are worse kitchens than this, Gobbolino, and worse home than ours,” said the farmer, filling his pipe. “While there is a fire on the hearth, there’s a place beside it for you, and a saucer of milk and a bit of fish on Sundays. Is that true mother?”
“That’s true, father!” said the farmer‘s wife and Gobbolino purred his gratitude.

—————————-

So that’s the whole book (sorry about the assorted delays) I’ll try to get to the Floralegium and Blessing for this chapter soon. Then i would like to read the About the Author note in a similar way to the chapters and do an overview and whole-book Floralegium.
What do you think of this chapter? Where do you see love in it? What have i missed? And where do you stand on whether this is truly a happy ending?

I should probably start discussing this chapter by saying that I find traditional Punch and Judy shows a bit scary. I don’t like the violence (particularly, even mock, violence toward a baby) and chaos and some of the Old style puppets look grotesque to me. Even though I grew up by the seaside and live in a different seaside town, which is the stereotype location for Punch and Judy shows, they’ve never been a part of my life - for me it’s much more associated with Covent Garden in London. When a family friend’s funeral was held at the Church that’s known as “The Punch and Judy Church” I was actually slightly nervous...
In spite of that I generally like puppets. The Harry Potter Puppet Pals are some of my favourite YouTube videos and I’ve been to live Puppet theatre with various niecelings. Maybe if the storylines were less fixed and alarming I could learn to love Punch and Judy? I can certainly imagine how in a time before television and computers a Punch and Judy Show coming to your town would be really exciting and engaging.
I like that in this chapter Gobbolino who has been nomadic by necessity up to now, joins a group of people travelling for a purpose. It’s nice to see him really enjoying being a professional performer and building on all the times he has informally entertained the different children he has encountered on his adventures.
Openness seems to be Gobbolino’s default state. Even though his bad experiences have dented his optimism a little, he is still always open to the new situations he finds himself in. He throws himself into each new relationship/community and opportunity he finds himself in. He is eager to learn and to get better at whatever job he has taken on. I wish I could have that much of a “beginner’s mind” and openness to new people (even though we see that it doesn’t always work out well for Gobbolino and he is often met with closed-minds)

9 Sentence Recap
Gobbolino walks from village to village to find the Punch and Judy show
When he finds the troupe they are mourning their dead Dog Toby
He joins them playing the dog’s role
He is a great success and the troupe flourishes
Eventually they come to an unfriendly village
The local Crone outs him as a cat - and a Witch’s Cat!
The whole troupe is driven out of the village
Word spreads and no one will watch a show featuring a witch’s cat
Gobbolino leaves the troupe so that they can continue to perform.

3 Sentence Recap
Gobbolino joins the Punch and Judy Show playing Dog Toby
Until he is exposed as a witch’s cat.
Audiences are now too scared to watch, so he leaves the show.

The first example of openness in this chapter is how helpful the passers by are in giving Gobbolino directions to the Punch and Judy Show. Which is a contrast to his experiences in the big town before he literally fell into the Princess’s Palace. There seems to be a code of hospitality and courtesy that supports travel and connection between villages that wasn’t found in the more urban environment. This enables Gobbolino On his Princess-given quest to find the Punch and Judy Show that they watched from the Palace Window.
It’s interesting that although Gobbolino maintains his emotionally open attitude this is the first time that he has had a definite aim in mind, more than the nebulous “find a home”. I think it’s useful to look at how an openness can still be a feature of a more closely focused process as well as a completely open-ended one. The polite openness and cooperation of the various direction givers guides Gobbolino to the Punch and Judy Show.
Probably the biggest example of openness is the members of the Punch and Judy troupe welcoming Gobbolino even when they are grieving for their Dog Toby and in despair for their future. The woman who Gobbolino first speaks to (I assume that she is the Showman’s wife because we don’t hear about non-family troupe members after this - though I guess she could be a grown-up child still working on the show before making her own way in the world) has the open-mindedness not just to make an effort to be friendly while in crisis but also to see the potential for a cat to act the role of a dog. There’s also some talk about Gobbolino’s colouring and I don’t know enough about the conventions of a Punch and Judy shows to know if it’s just that their late Dog Toby was white, where Gobbolino is black which might necessitate changes to his costume etc, or if there is an expectation that a Dog Toby will have a particularly colouring? Anyway a change in species is much more radical!
Dandy, the Showman, takes some time to consider the idea, staring at Gobbolino and obviously considering the pros and cons before saying “well, why not?” He looks petty enough and clever enough, and if we have no Toby we shall be ruined.”. We don’t know if he would be open to the idea of a cat in the role if they had other options - but in this situation he welcomes Gobbolino and clearly and openly spells out his expectations as well as what he will provide the newest member of his troupe ”Will you do you best for us, little cat with the blue eyes, if we give you a home in our company?”
The rest of the Company, Punch, Judy, the Policeman and the Baby, are a little less open to a newcomer. (It’s not actually clear if they are magically alive puppets or human or other animal actors - I’d love to know which but it doesn’t really matter because they are obviously people with thoughts and feelings in the context of the story in the same way that Gobbolino is). Even they have no problem with a cat playing a dog, it’s a mater of interpersonal dynamics At first these were very ready to be jealous of him and to dislike him. Gobbolino soon wins them round with his friendliness and by asking their advice on his performance. Their initial caution doesn’t stop them from opening their hearts to him and them bonding as both a performance troupe and a traveling community.

Gobbolino acted so well and entered into his part so eagerly that there was always a whole capful of silver at the end of the show.
The showman’s children had new shoes, his wife wore bracelets, and the showman himself wore a yellow waistcoat.

Gobbolino and the whole a Punch and Judy troupe thrive. Gobbolino is the star of the show but manages to maintain good relationships with the other performers. After a while he decides to stay as a permanent member of the troupe. he found his new life as pleasant as he could wish for.
He opens his heart to the role of entertainer and is nourished by making his audiences happy. This doesn’t mean that he has closed off his feelings for the people he had bonded with previously

He often wished the little princess could watch his acting. He had secret hopes that one day the showman might find his way to the boarding-school, or to the orphange gates, or even to the nursery of the little brothers, and meanwhile he was very happy

He is able to balance his ongoing love and affection for others with being open to and making new relationships (again this is something that I wish I was better at).
To begin with all of the villages that the Punch and Judy troupe visit are open and welcoming to them. The performers bring joy and the villagers reward them and enable them to keep traveling and performing. The two groups remain separate but interdependent and open to what the other has to give.
Until the come to the unfriendly village - here the only thing that the villagers are open about are their hostility and insults. We don’t know why this is such and unpleasant community - it might be interesting to know more about what else they are open or closed to but that would be another story in a different book. In spite of the initial lack of welcome the Punch and Judy troupe are still open to performing for the small audience that eventually appears. The showman would willingly have left such disagreeable people behind, but being a merry-hearted man himself, he thought he had better do all he could to cheer their misery. I am impressed by the performers' persistence and ability to keep giving in the face of such negativity.
After a stream of insults and catcalls, Granny Dobbin - who is either a witch herself or has a lot of knowledge of witches outs Gobbolino as a witch’s cat. It seems that the unfriendly villagers would have probably complained about a cat playing a dog but grudgingly accepted it. But a witch’s cat is something else. They are, or at least say they are afraid for the safety of their children. Oddly they seem open to the knowledge and opinions of a Granny Dobbin, who they call a witch but are completely hostile to Gobbolino. Is that because they know Granny Dobbin and have grudgingly accepted her as a part of their community? Or will she be their scapegoat again as soon as Gobbolino and the Punch and Judy troupe leave? Or perhaps she has some magical hold over the rest of the villagers and wants to be the only person who can do magic in the neighbourhood? Unlike the rest of the villagers she is prepared to listen to Gobbolino’s ex platoon of how a witch’s cat has needed up in a company of traveling players. Gobbolino trusts her enough to be open with his story because she has knowledge of his wider witch family. And in spite of having stirred up the crowd’s hostility towards him, she belives him and even appears to have some sympathy with his plight

“It’s no good, my poor simpleton!“ She said when he had finished his story. “Nobody will ever keep you for long. Once a witch’s cat always a witch’s cat. You will never find the home of your dreams when your eyes are blue and sparks come out of your whiskers.”

She doesn’t seem to be telling him this out of a desire to hurt him - she believes that it is the truth and wants to be open with him about reality as she sees it. Maybe she even thinks it will make life easier for him if he understands this - she has obviously has her own experience of anti-witch/anti-magic predjudice. This is the potential shadow side of openness with hurtful words and ideas.
The Punch and Judy troupe move on to other villages hoping, once they get away from the crowd of harrowers from the unpleasant village, new audiences will be open to them. But word has spread faster than they can travel. The children in the village where they spend the night have been warned by their parents not to risk watching a Punch and Judy show featuring a witch’s cat. They are obviously at least a little tempted because they stare from the edge of the village green but obey their parents enough not to come closer. Generally children are more open than adults (although not necessarily to things like vegetables!) but they lack much useful knowledge and we are glad when they listen to their carer’s risk assessments. In this case, where the adults are responding from prejudice, we might wish that they didn’t listen but overall we want them to respect adults understanding of risk and danger.
When this scenario repeats itself repeats itself in the next six villages, it is Gobbolino who realises that he has to leave the troupe for it to survive. The Showman takes longer to be open to this unpleasant realisation and cries when he agreed at last. It’s a painful farewell for them all and Gobbolino ends the chapter miserable, musing on the painful realities of being a witch’s cat and afraid for his future. These recurrent traumas are gradually chipping away at his openness and hope.


Once again it’s a miserable end to the chapter but fortunately some one new will be passing by soon to sweep Gobbolino up into a new adventure. I will try to write up the Sacred Imagination and Blessings for this chapter soon and then next time we’ll be looking at Chapter 13 Gobbolino in the Tower through the theme of Shadow.
Please do add your thoughts and a feeling on this chapter and the theme of openness in the comments

I have been really inspired by the HPST Summer Camp - we did Lectio Divina and Floralegia every day and a wide range of other Sacred Reading Practices over the course of the week. I’m excited to apply my new/developed knowledge to Gobbolino. But because Life keeps happening I’ve mostly had Endo pain in the days since the camp ended, which tends to slightly blunt my thinking skills and spoon-levels....
So that’s a far more practical than I planned example of some of the issues with using knowledge after you’ve built it up!
Anyway I mostly like this chapter - Gobbolino gets to explore a new way of life at Sea and to usefully apply some of the knowledge he acquired in the very different situation of his kittenhood in the Witch’s Cave. But of course as it’s not the final chapter of the book it turns out to be yet another temporary home for him....

9 Sentence Recap
Gobbolino ends up by the sea
A sailor boy sees him catching a mouse on the docks
He invites Gobbolino onto the ship the Mary Maud
Gobbolino is popular with the Sailors and great at catching mice
When they are far out to sea a storm starts brewing
Only Gobbolino knows it’s caused by a Sea Witch and how to stop her
He escapes from his cabin, tricks the Sea Witch, jumps onto her shadow and breaks the spell!
The Sailors are confused by what they saw and horrified to learn that Gobbolino is a Witch’s Cat
They refuse to sail with him any more.

3 Sentence Recap
Gobbolino becomes a successful and beloved Ship’s Cat
He argues with a Sea Witch and tricks her into stoping a storm.
The superstitious sailors send him away

Although I said that I mostly like the chapter the start of it is quite sad, it takes much longer than in previous chapters for Gobbolino to find a place to stay - he walks through multiple towns and villages without settling and has mostly negative experiences with the people and creatures he meets. He does get a friendly nod from fellow travellers with no harth to share with him but dogs gave him one look of terror and ran for their lives, yelping madly till they reached their own kennels and cats hissed savagely at him and would not answer the most civil greeting. It seems like Gobbolino is experiencing the worst of not being unknown by the people he meets. In previous chapters there have been plenty of people prepared to welcome a stranger and give him a chance and now there are not. It’s not clear if this is just bad luck or if something has changed? Have these humans and cats and dogs had bad experiences with strangers in the past? Is it because Gobbolino now looks older and more experienced rather than appearing as a cute innocent kitten and people are less likely to give an unknown older cat the benefit of the doubt? Or is the problem that knowledge of the disastrous events of the Cat a Show has spread faster than Gobbolino can walk?
Anyway, at the port Gobbolino’s knowledge and skill at catching mice is what gets him noticed. Johnnie Tar the Sailor Boy sees an excellent mouser and invites Gobbolino onto the Mary Maud. He doesn’t know anything else about Gobbolino but, along with his fellow sailors is prepared, to welcome him into the community of the ship. The sailors seem to be much more accepting of an unknown cat (or human) - as long as they can do their job - than the land based humans and animals were. They are intentionally building a community aboard the Mary Maud which they know will change over time as new sailors come and go rather than relying on the more rigid structures and known relationships of the established land-based towns and villages. To a certain extent Gobbolino (and presumably other members of the crew) can reinvent themselves and create new reputation based on their lives since they can aboard:

the life was so free abd pleasant, the sailors so kind and merry, and the whole atmosphere so full of goodwill and honest charity, that before many days had passed Gobbolino had come to look on the Mary Maud as his own home, and everyone aboard her as his close companions.

He becomes Gobbolino the mouser a valued member of the crew. And he learns many ship-board skills and age-old tales of the seven sea which touchingly he want to remember so that he can share them with the Brothers whenever he is finally able to be with them again.

Then the Sea Witch appears and a sudden shadow came over the sun, and a ripple of wind sent a hundred cats paws chasing down the calm blue sea. Gobbolino appears to be the only person on the Mary Maud with any real knowledge of Witches. Most of the sailors don’t even see her and none of the realise that’s she has caused the oncoming storm. They do have excellent knowledge and skill at dealing with regular storms and do their very best to keep the ship safe and ride out the bad weather. They would probably survive all but the most extreme of normal storms but this supernatural one is too much for them. Only Gobbolino hears the Sea Witch’s gloating song

I’ll send her down, the Mary Maud,
And every man of her aboard,
For not a sailor here can tell
The way to break a witch’s spell!

And only Gobbolino has the knowledge, dredged up from his past in the Witch’s Cave, of how to break this terrible storm spell. He knows that he can save the ship and his beloved companions but they don’t understand that. He has to trick them to take the risk of escaping the cabin that he has been shut in for safety while they use the non-magical knowledge and skill to fruitlessly attempt to escape the storm. He struggles out of their well-meaning attempts to recapture here and manages to climb the mast to talk to the Sea Witch. He appeals to her knowledge of the wider Witch community, and his former place, in it to trick her into letting him on to her broomstick. He has to tell her about his Mother and Sister and the Witch they served for her to acknowledge him as worth saving. Then he betrays the temporary trust he build with her to save the sailors he has genuinely bonded with by jumping not onto the brim but onto her shadow and saying the magic words that will break her spell.

Even when the sea has become calm again and the Mary Maud is safe again, the Crew don’t have the knowledge to correctly interpret what the witnessed Gobbolino doing and saying. Even when they are finally aware that there had been a Sea Witch threatening them all they don’t understand that it was Gobbolino who broke the spell. They could only hear (and understand) Gobbolino’s half of the conversation so they now know that he is a Witch’s Cat and they don’t know that his seeming friendliness towards the Sea Witch was a ploy.They have no way of finding out what the spell breaking words of Fiddlesticks to you, ma’am actual did. It seems like they are able to access that kind of magical knowledge even if they wanted to learn it. It’s not surprising that they are confused and somewhat suspicious. Unfortunately they let their fear and speculation overwhelm what the knowledge they have learned from living and working with Gobbolino on the ship together and the reject him.
The Captain tries to be kind and as fair as possible but as the rest of the sailors refuse to sail with a Gobbolino onboard he has to send Gobbolino away. We learn at the start of the next chapter that the Captain rows Gobbolino ashore himself. And once Gobbolino is safely off of their ship the Sailors cheer and wave and wish him well. There is a confusing dichotomy between their feelings for Gobbolino as an individual and there fears about him as a Witch’s Cat. Would them somehow gaining greater knowledge of Gobbolino’s history manage to resolve that or would their fear always contaminate their relationship? The Captain talks about other ships which will not allow any cats aboard, believing them to be unlucky. The Crew of the Mary Maud is more enlighten than that ... but not enlightened enough to let Gobbolino stay with them. So he is once again homeless and alone in the world.

I think this chapter shows not just the problems caused by incomplete and inaccurate knowledge but also that knowledge alone is not sufficient to build trust and community, There needs to be trust and good will - and experience build up over time. It also shows that having and using knowledge appropriately can be life-changing and even life-saving...

I will do Lectio Divina and Blessing for this chapter later (hopefully tomorrow) and then next time we’ll be looking at Chapter 11 The Little Princess through the theme of Change.
Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter, the theme of knowledge and what I’ve missed in the comments.

So I know my last post discussed how I want to be keeping up with this journal more regularly but then I had several days of headaches and fatigue and couldn’t concentrate enough to write anything coherent. Fatigue is an ongoing part of my life and I have years of experience of managing it. ButI still struggle to know when it would be a good idea to push myself a bit and when I really don’t just need to rest – it’s something that complicates the ideas of rigour and repitition for me
Anyway I’m writing again today (actually partly writing and partly dictating to my tablet because typing is not agreeing with my achy fingers and then having to correct all the times though the dictation software really struggles with my accent and intonation) even though I’m not 100% so I hope what I say makes sense.

As ever I’ll start with a nine sentence recap of what happens in this quite exciting chapter:
Gobbolino walks away from the orphanage
He hears a fast approaching coach
It’s the Lord Mayor’s coach and horses are out of control
Gobbolino hears and then sees that the Brothers are trying to drive it
They tried to swerve and drive upside down into a ditch.
The coach is smashed but fortunately the brothers the baby and the horses are all fine
Gobbolino walks the brothers back to the orphanage fearing the mayor will reject them
Everyone is so relieved that the brothers are safe no one really minds about the coach
The Brothers and Gobbolino are taken to live at the Lord Mayor’s house even though the Lady Mayoress doesn’t like cats

And the three sentence version:
The Brothers steal the Lord Mayor’s coach to chase after Gobbolino
Unsurprisingly they crash it but fortunately are unhurt
The Lord Mayor sends for his second best coach to take them all to their new home

Obviously the biggest example of risk in this chapter is the brother is trying to drive the coach. They are far too small and inexperienced to do it safely. They must know that Driving and keeping the horses under control is a potentially dangerous job but only for an experience grown-up but they try anyway. Even though they obviously know that taking a risk it’s not clear if they realise quite how dangerous their behaviour is – does their inexperience mean they underestimate the skill involved in driving a coach? They are coming from a place of “unconscious incompetence“ and haven’t yet developed enough understanding and skill to be conscious of their incompetence. Children often, understandably, chafe at the many restrictions on their behaviour and choices and coming to understand the reasons for those restrictions is part of the process of maturing sufficiently to be able to do whatever the forbidden thing is. I think if the older brothers had had a more mature and realistic understanding of the risk they were taking in stealing the carriage then they wouldn’t have brought their little baby brother with them. As an adult reading about the Baby swinging in a basket slung from the axle terrifies me but it seems that for the Brother’s being staying together and going off to go Baleno is far more important than their physical safety. And they don’t seem to give any thought for the well-being of the horses.
Another risk that the Brother’s are taking is the risk of being rejected by the Lord Mayor and family because of their bad behaviour and the destruction of a valuable piece of property. It’s not obvious whether that’s something they haven’t thought of at all or if being with Gobbolino is such a priority for them that they’re prepared to give up their chance of a new family.
A definite example of unaware risk-taking is the baby eating dandelions when he lands in the field after the crash. He is too young to have any sense of which plants are safe to eat and which aren’t. Dandelion petals are edible but the latex-y sap In the stems can make you sick. The Baby has no idea about that and the older Brothers don’t seem to have noticed in all the drama and tending to their own bones bruises so it’s just as well that Gobbolino is there to take the dandelions out of the Baby’s mouth.
I think that we see the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress that this reckless escapade of the brothers is a one-off and they aren’t taking delinquent and destructive people into their home and family. They stick by the choice they made to adopt the Brothers, which is admirable. Caring for anybody and inviting them into your life is always a bit of a risk but it’s a risk that is essential for our humanity that we keep on taking it. The Lord Mayor in particular responds well to this risk risky behaviour from the brothers making the effort to reconnect with them and then using it a teachable moment - he’s the first person to hug them when they return and then he explains to them a whole list of the terrible things that could have happened and insists that
When you become my sons you should never, never run into such danger again!”
Which is a much more constructive response than Gobbolino’s anger (although he manages to suppress his anger long enough to check them for injuries and only ”cuffs their ears” when he’s sure they are OK).
Another response to the risk that the brothers took which is interesting is that even the seemingly heartless Cook has been worried about them and has joined the party of concerned adults and children peering anxiously down the road for them. She also responds with anger and harshness after she knows that they are safe and seems much more like her unpleasant self that we met in the previous chapter going to the extreme of suggesting meeting as a punishment. (Which was probably seen as a less unreasonable idea at the time that the book was written than it does now). I can definitely relate to an adult who feels feeling angry when children in their care have done something dangerous (though I obviously wouldn’t threaten them with violence). I do find it heartening that even someone as seemingly uncaring and unpleasant is showing some care and concern for the children who have been in her charge (though I do still feel relieved that she has been dismissed for her previous bad behaviour).
The final risk I see in this chapter is the Lady Mayoresses brave act of generosity in taking in Gobbolino as well as the Brothers even though she ”detested cats. She’s already been generous in opening her home and heart to a family of four children when she originally intended to adopt only one. She doesn’t want to take in a cat and seems to have some kind of phobia or really extreme aversion. But when she sees just how much it matters to the children she is taking responsibility for and particularly to the Baby she is the one that opens the carriage door to let Gobbolino in. She knows that it’s going to be hard for her and she does it anyway. I think that’s an admirable example of risk-taking even though we’ll see in the next chapter just how difficult it is for her and for Gobbolino.

So what examples of risk have I missed? And what other thoughts do you have about this chapter?

I’m really quite tired now and also a bit bemused at how often the dictation software has thought I was saying cabbage instead of carriage! I’ll try to do the Florilegium and Blessings for this chapter soon. And then next time I’ll be looK at Chapter 8: The Lady Mayoress Doesn’t Like Cats through the theme of Self-Awareness

I always struggle with the word vulnerable because (in my accent at least) it's not particularly phonetically spelled. It has helped me learn that it is means easily-wounded and is related to the word vulnerary which is used to describe herbs (etc) that are used to heal wounds. Feeling vulnerable feels a lot like being covered in emotional paper-cuts or having physic skin that is as fragile as tissue paper. Being vulnerable isn't the same as being wounded (although being hurt can make certainly make you more vulnerable in the future) but means that you are likely to be wounded more easily than others or hurt more seriously than some one else would be. There's been a lot of talk during this pandemic about "vulnerable groups" and "the extremely vulnerable" and we can identify factors that make someone vulnerable - things like age and existing illnesses. But being vulnerable to one kind of "wound" (say infection) doesn't necessarily mean we are vulnerable to others (say a tendency to depression) and we all definitely do through periods of being more or less vulnerable in different ways...
It's also useful to think about the protective factors that make us less vulnerable...
In this chapter Gobbolino is vulnerable because he is a kitten among humans and a relative stranger - but somehow like the stereotype of any cat he seems to land on his feet

9 Sentence Recap
The Farmer's Wife and Farmer are horrified by the chaos left by the Hobgoblin
The Farmer threatens to drown Gobbolino
Gobbolino runs away
He comes across a cottage full of crying children
There are three orphan brothers and a baby
They set off together to find a new home
Eventually they come to an orphanage
The Porteress welcomes them in
Gobbolino settles to work in the orphanage kitchen

3 sentence recap
Gobbolino is no longer welcome in the Farmhouse
He meets a family of orphans and they look for a new home together
They all move into an orphange

At the beginning of the chapter we see that Gobbolino is vulnerable to the Farmer's suspicions. We know the damage was caused by the Hobgoblin but initially the Farmer and his Wife don't. It's very understandable that they are angry but they could have asked Gobbolino about what had happened. Maybe they still wouldn't have trusted him after he let the Hobgoblin in? But because of his anger and his pre-existing suspicions the Farmer doesn't even give him a chance and immediately threatens violence. Gobbolino has no choice but to run away, saving his life but leaving him vulnerable to all the dangers of the road.
It's not really surprising in such an overwhelming situation that Gobbolino focuses just on his bad luck at being born a witch's cat rather than taking any responsibility for his poor judgement in letting the Hobgoblin in to the farmhouse. He is being unfairly judged for his difference and what the Farmer has seen of his magic and the consequences of the mistake are so big and so out of his control he isn't able to learn any kind of lesson about how to be a better kitchen cat if he ever gets the chance again.
When he first hears and then sees the orphan brothers he notices their vulnerability and wants to care for them: They were so young and innocent, he felt it his duty to find a father and mother for them as soon as possible. Having a role seems to make him forget his own vulnerability. Having people to look after seems to be good for Gobbolino - he's soon helping them pack, making sure the baby is safe and leading them down the road. Banding together for the journey probably does make both Gobbolino and the brothers a little less vulnerable but it also seems to make Gobbolino forget his own vulnerability and needs - which could be dangerous.
Gobbolino felt he would like nothing better than to stay with these happy-go-lucky children, but if he could first help them to find kind parents and a happy home he did not mind what became of himself
The orphanage is supposed to be - and fortunately is - a sanctuary for the vulnerable. The kind Porteress recognises the needs of both the children and of Gobbolino. She welcomes them in and provides them with shelter, safely and food - making them a lot less vulnerable. But even she recognises that it's not as ideal an environment as a loving, permanent home and hopes to find adoptive parents for the children. I think her commitment to her job must make her quite vulnerable to emotional ups and downs as she finds new families for the children she cares for.
She welcomes and values Gobbolino too - for him the orphanage can be an appropriate long term home. He can demonstrate his excellence at catching mice (I love the detail of him transforming himself into a piece of Stilton!) and help with childcare. It seems like the perfect place for him but even here he is vulnerable to the Cook's bad temper. He's always going to be smaller and less powerful than the humans around him - while the children will grow up and presumably become much less vulnerable (and then possibly more vulnerable again when they are elderly).

Mostly I'm left thinking of vulnerability as a continuum rather than a black and white category, it's even more multi-factoral than I originally thought (so is almost everything I use as a lens to look at the story!). It varies with time and place and circumstances, it can be obvious or more hidden, sudden or ongoing but there are some wounds that we are all vulnerable to and we each have a different combination of vulnerabilities.
Next time (hopefully next week - I'm gradually getting more into a routine again) I will be looking at Chapter 5: Gruel through the theme of Transformation.
As ever I'd love to know you thoughts and observations.

When I was a child I was pretty good at answering the "what do you want to be when you grow up question?" - now I'm not so sure what to say. (if you're wondering when I was tiny I fancied being a ballerina, then from age 5 I planned to be a teacher and from around 11 or so prolly a minister with teacher still a close second). My life doesn't look anything like my expectations then: I'm not working, I've got diagnoses I didn't even know existed as a child (and several chronic illness I really wish I hadn't developed), I live on my own and I don't have children of my own. There are some wonderful aspects of my life now that I couldn't have known about to expect - the Bi Community, all the various Polyamory networks, wider acceptance and understanding of NeuroDiversity the Internet.... I'm much more wary now of letting myself expect things in the longer term - change is the only constant and I'm much more aware of a far wider set of possible life-paths. But up until this last month I did think everyday things like being able to go outside, sitting in a café with an overpriced-but-much-enjoyed latte, seeing friends and being able to touch people ware reasonable expectations. We are all in a world we didn't expect right now and any thoughts about the future are extra uncertain...
Before i look at expectation in this chapter a recap:

9 Sentence Recap:
The Witch and Grimalkin discuss what to do about the kittens.
Usually witch's kittens are apprenticed to other witches.
They take the Gobbolino and Sootica flying in a bag slung over the broomstick.
It's a very wild ride, Gobbolino is terrified - Sootica enjoys it.
Sootica is aprenticed to the first witch they go to.
That Witch rejects Gobbolino and laughs at him
More than 50 other witches also reject Gobbolino.
They throw him back with the toads.
One morning he wakes up to find he's been deserted

3 Sentence Recap:
Sootica goes to train with another Witch.
No witches want Gobbolino.
He is abandoned alone in the cave.

There's obviously an expected life path for a witch's cat - being apprenticed to a different witch than the one who's household you are born with. Sootica gets to follow that path but presumably there are going to be some things that aren't going to go exactly as she expects. Life with the "hideous witch" on the Hurricane Mountains isn't going to be exactly the same as being a kitten with the Witch and Grimalkin. It must be a slightly nerve-wracking time for her even though she's overjoyed about being chosen and so eager to begin learning how to turn people into toads and frogs and other disagreeable objects. It's not made explicit but it seems like the Witch and Grimalkin expect the "Hideous Witch" to take both kittens, they definitely ask her to (she quite refused - would she have take both if Gobbolino had been a conventional looking witch's kitten? Or always chosen just one of the two?).
All of the witches that they visit also obviously have expectations of what a witch's cat should look like. They can't see beyond his white paw and tabby markings. It seems like simple prejudice - we can all think far to easily of examples of people judging by skin colour and other visible differences. And it's quite right for us to expect better than that.
It's not actually clear if in the magical world of the book then looking like a witch's cat always (or at least usually) goes with having the potential to be a good witch's cat? We only know that Sootica looks like a witch;s cat and wants to be one, Gobbolino doesn't look the part and doesn't want to follow that path. So maybe it's not unreasonable for witches judge like that? But it would still be closing themselves off from exploring something new and different. If Gobbolino wanted to be a witch's cat could there have been a way to make that happen? And have there been other black-furred-and-green-eyed kittens who didn't want to be apprenticed to a witch but have been forced to go with their family's expectations for them? (I think a lot of us can easily bring to mind examples of us/loved-ones not fitting in with family expectations).
The Witch and Grimalkin do keep trying to find a witch to train Gobbolino. They must at least start by thinking that it is possible. As more and more witches reject him they must have to slowly reconfigure their expectations to their current reality. That can be a hard and painful process (or sometimes a strange but joyful one!). I wonder at what point they finally stop expecting but are still hoping? and do they even continue for a while after they are no longer even hoping just out of habit and maybe their own expectations of how they should behave?
Finally they do stop and throw Gobbolino back into the corner with the toads. It's so sad to think of him staying there day after day. He does know what to expect there - more fear and unchanging darkness. It's not a situation he should have to get used to but he must do to some extent. And presumably he expects that the Witch and Grimalkin with carry on as before even though they are ignoring him. Maybe that's a comfort or maybe it just reminds him of the kittenhood and companionship that he has now lost? He doesn't expect them to just pack everything up and leave him - but they do.

It's a bit difficult to be focusing on this sad chapter that ends with Gobbolino isolated right now. But it is just the beginning of the book and life is going to change for him. Life will change for us to in time but probably not in the neat structure of a story book.
I'm going to put this chapter's Lectio Divina and Blessings in separate posts because I need to break up my time typing and being in front of a screen. I'll get to them shortly
Please do comment and add your insights.
I had been vaguely planning to post these every Friday or Saturday and I'm already behind schedule - sorry about that. I have almost nothing but free time but I'm still finding it really hard to concentrate and be structured - I think many of us are.
Next week I will be Reading Chapter 3:Gobbolino Finds a Home through the theme of Fear