Chapter Six

Summary

• The protagonist and his friend's bond grows closer. They spend their days swimming, climbing trees, racing, tumbling, and playing made-up games.
• Though the protagonist was formerly consumed by fear and dread, he now experiences a joy so intense that it feels like freedom.
• The protagonist learns to enjoy losing to his friend due to the pleasure of watching him win.
• The protagonist confesses to his friend about killing a boy, leading to a discussion about strategies he could have used to avoid punishment and exile. The protagonist realizes that it was his lack of cunning, rather than the killing itself, that upset his father and led to his punishment.
• The protagonist and his friend are often invited to join in councils and dinners with kings and are treated respectfully. The protagonist prefers to remain silent, just observing the others.
• The protagonist's friend often visits his mother, a sea-nymph, and comes back smelling of the sea. His mother invites the protagonist for a nighttime meet-up by the sea where she declares that he "will be dead soon enough."
• The protagonist spends time reflecting on the sea-nymph's words. He reflects on her wish for her son, his friend, to become a god and fears that his own death is approaching.
• When questioned by the protagonist, the friend reveals that he is unsure whether he wants to become a god, as his mother wants. They laugh at the idea of the protagonist becoming a god.
• The chapter ends with the two boys deciding to eat figs from the kitchen and racing there, returning to their carefree youthful games.