Question

Almond was the only other person on this side of the mountain. After our initial fight, we had agreed to go our separate ways with no contact. But this storm was coming fast and I knew he wasn’t prepared. I hadn’t seen him chopping wood in the past few days or gathering food from the trees. It had also been so long since I had seen him down by the stream collecting water.

I tightened my scarf around my face and trudged on. I could barely make out the glow of his window as I neared his cottage. When I finally made it to the front step, I knocked loudly on the door. There was no response. I knocked harder and harder, calling to him until he opened the door.

When the door opened, I almost didn’t recognize him. He had two furs around him and his face was red and puffy.

“Almond?” I asked. He sneezed and took a step back, letting me inside.

“I’m sick,” he announced. I looked around the cabin, taking in the mess. His log pile was nearly empty and all of his cabinets were open and bare. “What are you doing here?” he asked, gruffly.

I motioned to the cart I had wheeled inside with me. It was filled to the brim with all of the supplies we would need to make it through the worst of the snowstorm. When he saw what was inside, his expression softened. “But if you don’t need me, I can-” I started for the door.

“No! No! Thank you so much for coming!” I said. I took a seat at his table. We spent the rest of the afternoon catching up—all past disagreements forgotten.

Which sentence best states the theme of the story?

Exploration requires taking risks, for better or worse.

Power can be used for good or abused.

One can only truly rely on themselves.

Forgiveness is powerful.

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

Forgiveness is powerful.