It was close and dry and dusty in the house of the gods. i have said the magic was gone but that is not true—it had gone from the magic things but it had not gone from the place. i felt the spirits about me, weighing upon me. nor had i ever slept in a dead place before—and yet, tonight, i must sleep there. when i thought of it, my tongue felt dry in my throat, in spite of my wish for knowledge. almost i would have gone down again and faced the dogs, but i did not.

i had not gone through all the rooms when the darkness fell. when it fell, i went back to the big room looking over the city and made fire. there was a place to make fire and a box with wood in it, though i do not think they cooked there. i wrapped myself in a floor-covering and slept in front of the fire—i was very tired.

–“by the waters of babylon,”

stephen vincent benét
which statement best describes how the narrator responds to the conflict?

a) the narrator responds to his fear by staying in the big room to learn more.
b) the narrator responds to the conflict by killing the dogs with the bow and arrow from his father.
c) the narrator responds to his conflict with the spirits by using magic to defeat them.
d) the narrator responds to his fear by burning down the house of the gods, showing that he is no longer afraid.