The Shepherd stays with Much-Afraid and her companions until they reach an abrupt crossroads where he tells her that although he must leave her for now, he will always come to her aid when she calls to him. Much-Afraid, along with Sorrow and Suffering, begins to walk along the Shores of Loneliness with the High Places seeming so close behind her. Since the Shepherd has just left her side, Much-Afraid feels she has never been so lonely. As the days pass, she begins to notice all kinds of beauty, even in the dismal presence of the scorching desert on one side and the grey sea on the other. Much-Afraid realizes that a major change has taken place within her and that she is embarking upon a new era.....
