The Sad Story of Gumbi Was Here

The Sad Story of Gumbi Was Here

by Leah Leslie
December 2010


“Finally I’m almost home.”

I see the stop. Maybe ten seconds away. I count, “one… two… three… four…five… six… seven… eight…nine…. Ten.” And I’m here.

My didi and I walk home. We start to run. I am at the gate. The gate is blue and has lilies. I open the door. All of the dogs were there.

Wait. Three dogs. One dog was missing.

I knew right away it was Gumbi. I said, “Gumbi! Gumbi!” I waited a while. She didn’t come. She normally comes. So I ran around the house.

I asked the didi, “Where’s Gumbi?” in Nepali.

“I don’t know,” she said. So I got worried.

My mom came home. I said, “Do you know where Gumbi is?”, but she didn’t reply. And she went to the house.

So I said to my dog, ”do you know where she is.”

Well, she wouldn’t answer.

I tried to get my mind off Gumbi, and so I played tug ‘o war. I held the rope and I pulled it. So did my dog, Sanu kali, she was strong. I tell you strong!

One day later my mom said Gumbi died.

I felt like I had no purpose to the world because she was everything for me. I was so shocked, I cried.

And she also said “A leopard took her.”

I felt sad. I mean, really sad. No dog could ever replace her.

For two days everything I saw reminded me of something of her. I was so sad that my thoughts were going faster than ever. I didn’t even know what to say to my mom.

But Gumbi was here.

It is nearly like the book 'Mick Harte Was Here' by Barbara Park...