Suddenly his expression turned to alarm. He sprinted toward us. For a moment I had an absurd vision of myself on the cover of one of Gran's old romance novels, where the damsel wilts into the arms of one half-dressed beefy guy while another stands by,casting her longing looks. Oh, the horrible choices a girl must make! I wished I'd had a moment to clean up. I was still covered in dried river muck, twine, and grass, like I'd been tarred and feathered. Then Anubis pushed past me and gripped Walt's shoulders. Well…that was unexpected.
The scene's tension escalates when a character suddenly shows alarm and rushes towards the narrator. This moment captures a vivid and somewhat humorous mental image of the narrator imagining herself as a romantic heroine caught in a dramatic situation, feeling out of place and disheveled. With dried river muck and twine clinging to her, she reflects on the comedic predicament of feeling unprepared and unattractive amidst an unexpected romantic encounter.
The arrival of Anubis adds a twist to the moment, as he asserts himself by grabbing Walt's shoulders, shifting the focus away from the narrator's inner thoughts. This action surprises the narrator and suggests an intriguing development in the narrative, where unexpected dynamics and relationships play out. The interplay of humor and tension sets the stage for further unfolding drama in the story.
