The beginning of "The Guest" introduces readers to the protagonist, a schoolmaster named Daru, whose schoolhouse resides onto of a desert plateau and is isolated from the villages beneath it. The story takes place in winter after a three-day blizzard has just past. In the story's opening, the schoolmaster watches as two men climb up the hillside toward the schoolhouse. One man is on horseback, while the other is on foot. The visitors travel slowly through the snow. Daru can see that one of the men knows the region well because he is able to follow the trail up the hillside even though it is covered in snow. As he watches the two travellers, he estimates that it will still be another half-hour before they reach the schoolhouse. He goes back inside to wait for them. His classroom is empty. The blackboard shows the four rivers of France, which were drawn in colored chalk days before. (read more)
