The Lost Steps

Following a night filled with arguments, Mouche feels sick. The narrator does not know whether she is really sick or pretending, and he thinks she likely doesn’t know either, as she tends to believe her own lies. As they travel from the capital into the wilderness, the narrator describes the journey as the beginning of “a phase of Discovery” (78), hinting at an awakening to new experiences and insights.

On their ascent in a rickety bus, they encounter a nearly deceased Indigenous woman (her name is later to be revealed as Rosario). Revived by molasses, she clutches the narrator, pleading not to be allowed to die again. Later, the bus pauses in a small village, where Mouche continues to complain of sickness while the narrator grows increasingly fascinated with Rosario, captivated by her connection to the natural world and the richness of her culture. Just as he is about to express his admiration, she abruptly ends their interaction with a simple goodnight.

The narrator hears Beethoven’s “Symphony no. 9” playing on the radio, linking his current mixed feelings about the music to his formative years. He recalls his father, a German classical musician whose career was uprooted due to World War I, leading the family to move to the Antilles, where the narrator was born.