Summary

The narrator heard the woman call out to him again. She scolded him for being out in “in the dark woods” alone (47). When the narrator asked who she was, she said that she was his mother and that she had been looking for him. She told the narrator that he had gotten lost and must come out of the cold. Finally, the narrator could “clearly see the elderly couple” (48). As they approached him, the narrator did not move. His mother scolded him for “just standing there” (48). He did not understand why what he was doing was wrong, but his mother was pleased when he showed signs of advancing.

The narrator’s mother explained that she and his father had come into the forest to find him because he was alone and they were worried about him. The narrator was unsure if he should...