[piosenniel]

Berilac

Berilac and Hedgar peered over the edge of the hill brow, down to the entrance of the cave below. The scrubby shrubs that grew in front of the opening left about a three foot space for them to work in. They had not yet caught fire, but around them the grass and leaves smoldered.

‘It’s a tight squeeze,’ said Hedgar eyeing the width of the baskets they’d brought and the distance from hillside to shrub.

The side of the hill was for the most part hard-packed earth with only a few protruding stones. ‘At least it will be easy for us getting the baskets down,’ returned Berilac, standing up and waving the others near. ‘Alvinac, Everard, and you, Hedgar – take hold of a rope each. And you Andreth, with Mausi – you’ll handle the last rope.’ He put them in position, then secured a rope each to the two handles on each side of the large, deep rectangular baskets.

He and Rosie placed a waterskin each in the bottom of the baskets and a small stack of the linen napkins; then carefully lowered the two baskets just barely over the edge, while the others took up the slack on the rope.

‘Hold tight,’ he instructed the rope holders, as he and Rosie climbed into the baskets, and crouched down. ‘Now lower us down slowly. And you Bettina and Delphina get read to fetch the children out as we send them up.’

The ride was a bumpy one as the basket side caromed off the jutting rocks and bounced against the hillside. As soon as they were down Berilac and Rosie climbed out of the baskets and hastened into the cave with the waterskins and the napkins. The children were easily found, calling out a loud, ‘We’re here!’ amidst coughs and sneezes. Berilac wet the napkins and Rosie tied them round the children’s noses and mouths. Two at a time, they sent them up to the hilltop, helping them into the baskets and telling them to lie very still in the bottom until someone helped them out at the top.

All went well until the last two were to go up. Edmund and Kali dug their heels in stubbornly, saying they would not move until the bunnies went up. ‘Hurry, then,’ said Berilac in an urgent voice. ‘The fire is coming near.’ The cages of bunnies were stacked into the baskets and sent up.

When the baskets returned Berilac ordered Rosie and Kali into one and Edmund into the other. A sharp yank on the ropes and up they went. The wind had picked up and the flames now licked at the bushes in front of the cave entrance. Finding fresh fuel, they leapt up, stretching to touch the bottoms of the retreating baskets.

When Rosie and the boys were helped out, Rosie yelled for Alvinac and Hedgar to lower the basket for Berilac. But Andreth, who had run over to embrace her son, peered over the edge as they made to lower their ropes for the last time. ‘It’s all on fire now,' she yelled back to them, seeing the flames rushing in to hug the edge of the hill. ‘The way is blocked . . .’