Terry loved walking in the woods at the end of his street. He and his best friend Aaron spent much of every day there during the
summer. They had built a fort in a tree with strong limbs where they could climb and be above high above the ground. From those branches, they had sighted the nest of a great horned owl. They carved their initials into the trunk. They decorated their fort with shells and bones they found on their adventures. Terry particularly loved watching the sunset from his branch about 15 feet up.
In August, the two boys stayed out late in acknowledgment that the summer would soon be over. Though they were walking on familiar paths, it was a new moon and quite dark. They were recounting some of their summer adventures and didn’t notice the spider web, and Terry plunged right into it. He reacted immediately and started flailing his arms, trying to brush the web away from his face and screaming.
Poor Aaron didn’t know what to make of it because he didn’t see the spider web either. At first, he thought Terry was making it up, but it went on long enough that he started to get scared himself. Eventually, Aaron started screaming, “What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”
After 30 seconds or so, Terry succeeded in getting the web off his head and hands. He put his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath.
“What happened?” Aaron asked.
“There was a spider web across the path, and I walked right into it,” Terry answered. He was still breathing heavily.
“Man, I nearly wet my pants,” Aaron said. “I couldn’t figure out what was going on. You looked like you were fighting a ghost!”
“That’s what it felt like,” Terry answered. “I couldn’t see it, but I could feel it, and it was freaking me out. It’s your turn to walk in front.”
“We’ve got 30 more minutes of walking through the woods,” Aaron said. “There could be a lot spider webs. I guarantee that if I walk into one I will wet my pants.”
Terry laughed. He looked around on the ground and picked up a little branch that had fallen. He handed it to Aaron. “Wave this out in front of you, and it will break the spider webs so you don’t have to. We won’t be bothered anymore.”
26
Which words best describe the mood of the opening paragraph?
A.
cheerful and happy
B.
daring and adventurous
C.
angry and resentful
D.
jubilant and sentimental
