Hinds’ Feet on High Places

Waking in the entrance to a cave, Much-Afraid finds herself wrapped in cloth and smelling of incense and perfume but without any wound or scar from her ordeal upon the altar. There are “no signs of her companions Sorrow and Suffering” (125), and once outside the cave she steps to the river and immerses herself in it: “Never had she experienced anything so delicious and exhilarating. It was like immersing herself in a stream of bubbling life” (125). Stepping out, she feels a greater sense of health than she ever has and notices that her feet have been healed; they are now “‘straight feet,’ perfectly formed” (125). Remembering the promise of the Shepherd in days gone by, she immediately steps back into the water to wash her face, and upon coming up again she notices her reflection in the surface of the water and sees that “the ugly, twisted mouth had vanished and the face she saw reflected back by the water was as relaxed and perfect as the face of a little child” (125-26). For the first time Much-Afraid has stopped thinking about what the future holds for her: “It was enough to be there in that quiet canyon, hidden away high up in the mountains with the river of life flowing beside her, and to rest and recover herself after the long journey” (126).