Summary
Analysis
The refugees wait on the bank for the ice to refreeze. Emilia is beginning to go into labor—she has cramping and pressure in her abdomen—but she keeps it secret. She tries to think of August. She does not reveal to the group that she does not know how to swim.
Emilia refuses to admit that she is suffering because she doesn’t want to inconvenience her group. She tries to use her fantasy of August to help her power through the pain.