Awakened in the middle of the night from a dream about his mother, Brian becomes violently ill from the many berries he has eaten the previous day. He has a flashback in which the image of his mother kissing the man with the short blond hair recurs to him with horrible clarity. Falling back asleep, Brian awakes in the morning, walks down to the lake, and he sees his reflection in the water. Finding his injuries and worn face repulsive, he gives in to his tears and cries in self-pity. His stomach was aching with hunger, and he ate more of the bitter red berries, this time making certain to avoid eating too many. In search of other food he comes upon a raspberry patch, where he spots a bear and stiffens with fear, but soon realizes that the bear does not intend to harm him. Picking many raspberries, he eats some and saves many more for later. With the bear in mind, he keeps his hatchet close by his side and falls asleep.
