The Fickle Winds of Autumn

Kira’s body thumped down on a hard, uneven surface before her whirring, scrambled mind had time to react.

Her raw hands stung and absorbed the jolting impact; her knees throbbed and stabbed from their raking slide down the cavern wall.

She unwound her tangled limbs from the ungainly heap and lay motionless; her grateful lungs gasped down the happy air.

Well, at least she had found the floor!

Her landing had not exactly been graceful, but she had made it through the lacerating jaws of that crevice and was still alive.

She flexed her torn and weary arms and legs and reassured herself that she hadn’t been seriously injured.

She fought back an irresistible urge to laugh.

She was free!

Her legs and arms and body might be sore, but she could move them in any direction she wanted without the intimidating, restrictive rock to shackle and bind her into position.

She rolled her neck - her head and cheeks were unhampered by the insidious pressure - the sound of her own breath no longer hammered back into her oppressed face.

A flurry of hope rippled through her.

This cavern could be a way out?

Perhaps the long, cramped days of despairing dark would soon be over?

Her nostrils delighted in their new freedom; she breathed deeply again.

The air was not fresh - but it was not the stale, immovable atmosphere of the tunnel either. In subtle moments, her nose caught a faint glimpse of odour - something high and thin and unpleasant - but after the endless, trapped dejection of the tunnel, even this veiled, musty scent was a welcome break from the dark monotony.

She strained her ears against the thud of her own heart - a shadowy rustling sound seemed to crinkle occasionally in the far distance - but after the tired days, snared by the echoes of the mountainous rock, she could no longer be sure if this was the dim sound of wind or water - or just the desperate, rushing noise of her own hope.

Her jaded body wanted to remain on the stubborn stone floor - to rest and breath and recover - but her companions were certain to be worried about her - she should at least let them know she was alive.

Her bleary legs did not feel trustworthy; she leant on the cavern wall and wobbled up to her feet; the thankful blood flowed down into her limbs; she stretched her back and shoulders and felt for the crack that she had just slid out from.

She stooped to shoulder height and called hoarsely into the dark gap.

“Ellis! Ellis! Can you hear me?”

A muffled, muted noise came back to her - she could not distinguish any words, but from the tone and timbre, it was definitely the comforting voice of her companion.

Her shoulders relaxed; she smiled; she was not alone.

“I’m alive! I’m safe!” she said. “And I think there’s a much larger cave back here.”

Some dulled, strangled words strained back to her.

“Can I get through?” they seemed to say.

Her bruised body still held to the resentful, squashed trauma of the numbing rock.

Would her companions be able to get through such a tight squeeze?

But her unwilling frame had dragged and scooped out a quantity of loose debris - she had hollowed out the gap and widened it.

“It was a bit of a squeeze,” she shouted, “but you might make it.”

She pressed her ear into the crevice.

“All right - I’ll try - wait for me there!” Ellis called.

Kira’s jittery excitement told her to stand patiently for Ellis to emerge through the narrow fissure, but her aching legs forced her to sit back down.

Ellis would be here soon - she would not be alone in the unfeeling dark - Aldwyn would get through next - they would explore the cavern together - there was certain to be an exit somewhere.

She stood and leant against the wall by the opening; faint scrabbling sounds grew closer and reassured her.

“I’m just through here, Ellis!” she said. “You’re nearly there - just keep going!”

“Yes, I’m fine,” he called back.

His voice was nearer now and the words were clearly distinguishable.

She sat down and stretched her legs out before her; she revelled in the cheerful sensation of movement and freedom; she rotated her shoulders; her neck clicked gratefully into position.

The scrabbling sounds above her got closer - Ellis would be through soon. She stood to help him.

“I’m here, Ellis!” she said - there was no need to raise her voice now.

She reached her arms back into the fissure and groped along the floor.

Her wandering fingers happily stumbled into something warm and human in the dark, abrasive loneliness; she latched on to Ellis’s hands and felt the pressure of her grip returned.

“I think I’m stuck!” he said. “You’ll have to pull!”

Kira leaned back slowly and took a step away from the crevice; her arms and shoulders stretched and strained.

She sensed his body shift in the tunnel and stepped back cautiously again - determined to haul her friend out of the crushing rock, but concerned her clumsy actions might hurt him.

Her weary arms heaved.

“Ow!” Ellis shouted. “Stop! Stop!”

She paused but still clasped his hands. His weight moved and agitated in the narrow fissure.

“All right - try again,” he said.

Kira stepped back; the floor behind her was uneven and littered with loose stones; she took steady care not to stumble or trip and hurt Ellis.

Another step; her taut, heaving hands slid back over the rough lip of the crevice, into the cavern.

Ellis was nearly through!

His tense body wriggled and squirmed; she hauled and walked resolutely backwards.

“My elbows are out!” he said. “Keep going!”

Kira heaved and strained against his weight; his arms twisted and shook as he wrestled through the opening.

“Wait! Stop!” he said. “My shoulders are stuck!”

Kira paused and reflected - she had noticed how much broader men’s shoulders were than her own, and had often thought this bulky strength must be an advantage - she had never considered that it might also prove a hindrance - perhaps Ellis would not have been able to stretch through into the Refectory hatchway either?

“Just let me rest here a little before one final push,” said Ellis.

“Yes - that last bit is definitely the tightest and worst,” said Kira. “But don’t worry - you’re nearly through.”

“I don’t think I can get out straight on,” Ellis said. “I’ll need to try and get one shoulder through at a time - just pull my right arm first.”

Kira released his left hand and gripped his right firmly in both of hers.

“Ready?” she said.

“Let’s try,” Ellis replied.

Kira leant back and heaved on Ellis’s arm.

He groaned in the blank darkness; his body twisted and writhed; her tired fingers clasped and strained. His body shifted and eased towards her.

“Keep pulling! It’s working!” he gasped at her.

She dug in with determined feet and tilted all her weight back. His arm slid out further.

“That’s it!” Ellis panted. “Now the other arm.”

Kira groped for his other hand and grasped it tightly. She pulled it towards her; his body scraped through the dense rock in response to her efforts.

“Just a little more!” Ellis encouraged.

Kira stepped back and hauled again.

“That’s it! My head’s out now!” said Ellis. “I think I can lever myself out from here.”

Kira sank to the floor and rested her hands on her knees; her body trembled from its exertions; her lungs gasped down the restoring air.

Ellis’s boots rasped and scraped clear of the crevice; he groaned as he rumbled down the rocky wall; the echo of his landing thud bounced around the impenetrable darkness.

A relieved contentment eased through her - Ellis was out, and she was no longer forced to bare the relentless, menacing gloom alone.

She sensed the comfort of his meagre body-warmth as he sat down near to her.

“Oh, my neck!” he coughed. “I didn’t think I’d get through that last little section - but at least we can stretch out a bit here.”

“Yes, isn’t it wonderful - after so long in that tunnel.”

“I’d better let Aldwyn know I’m through, and it’s safe for him to follow.”

His boots crunched on the debris as he struggled to his feet.

“Aldwyn! I’m through! You can start now!” he shouted.

Dull, distant fragments of Aldwyn’s voice broke the thick silence of the cavern.

Ellis clattered back down beside her.

“Careful!” she said. “You nearly stood on me then!”

She drew her knees up and rested her chin on them; her fatigued muscles trembled in their dark exhaustion.

Surely this cavern must lead somewhere?

Surely there must be an exit not too far from here?

It certainly felt as if they had been descending all this time in the tunnel.

Perhaps they were already down from the mountains?

Perhaps there was a house and food nearby?

“Is it me,” Ellis asked, “or did you just hear that too?”

“That sort of rustling sound?” she replied. “Yes, I keep thinking I could hear it since I got here - but it comes and goes, so I don’t think it’s a waterfall - it’s not steady enough for that - I keep hoping it’s a blustery wind outside and we might be somewhere near an exit.”

“Yes, let’s hope so.” He sniffed the air loudly. “But what’s that smell?”

“I don’t know - but if there’s a new and different smell in here then that’s another reason to hope we might be near an exit of some sort - but, to be honest, anything would be better than another day spent on our hands and knees crawling through that awful tunnel - at least from here, we should be able to stand up and talk to each other.”

The scrabbling scrape of boots on rough stone, accompanied by Aldwyn’s grumpy baritone, filtered through from the crevice.

Ellis stood and spoke to encourage him.

Kira shivered as she hugged her knees - it had not been easy for her to slither through the unnerving, grasping darkness - it would be so much more difficult for someone of Aldwyn’s size.

But at least he had the luxury of knowing that there was an exit of some sort - that there was hope at the end of the unrelenting pinch-point.

“I’ve got your hands,” Ellis said. “Hold on - I’m going to pull you.”

The gritty echoes of Ellis’s footsteps scratched around the cavern.

His thick, straining breath gasped out and bounced to the far, dark walls.

“Well, thank goodness for that!” said Aldwyn’s familiar voice from the wall behind her. “I didn’t think my head would ever get through there! At least I can breathe and hear you properly now.”

“You’re heavier than you look, Aldwyn!” said Ellis.

“Perhaps,” Aldwyn replied. “But it isn’t my weight that’s the problem - it’s my size against the friction of these rocks - it’s going to be a mighty squeeze to get all of me through this little gap.”

“Let me just rest a little,” Ellis said, “then we’ll try again. Kira, I’m not sure I can manage this on my own - I think you’ll have to help.”

The weary soreness in Kira’s legs did not want her to stand.

“Well, you had to get your shoulders through one arm at a time - have you tried that yet?” she asked.

“It’s not my shoulders that are stuck - it’s … all the rest of me,” Aldwyn replied.

Kira forced herself to her reluctant feet and fumbled for Aldwyn’s arm.

“Ready?” Ellis said. “Pull!”

Kira leant back and strained; she tried to stride away from the wall, but Aldwyn’s arm refuse to budge and held her in place.

Ellis grunted and heaved next to her.

“Try kicking your legs more, Aldwyn,” he panted.

“What is it you think I’m doing here?” Aldwyn replied.

“Then it seems you’re completely stuck,” Ellis said.

“What about your tunic?” Kira suggested. “It is quite thick - perhaps if we could get that off, you might have more room to wriggle through?”

“Yes,” Ellis agreed, “it is rather a thick garment.”

“Well of course,” said Aldwyn, “it’s autumn - obviously I’m going to wear a thick tunic at this time of year!”

“And you can put it straight back on as soon as you’re through,” said Kira.

“And it’s not as if we’ll be able to see anything in this dark,” Ellis added.

“Very well then,” Aldwyn agreed. “If you each pull at a sleeve, you should be able to get it off and over my head.”

Kira grasped at the rough cloth and tugged. The coarse material stretched, then slid up Aldwyn’s arm. She pulled, slowly, steadily, and gathered the garment to her.

Aldwyn wriggled and shifted his weight to release the compressed folds.

A piercing rip rang out next to her.

“Oops! Sorry, Aldwyn!” said Ellis.

Kira paused, then pulled the garment once more. The tunic jerked and slid suddenly as it slipped clear of the crevice; she gathered up its full weight as it cleared Aldwyn’s head.

“Right,” said Ellis, “let’s try again - grab a hand each and pull.”

Kira braced her feet into the ground; she heaved at Aldwyn’s arm. Ellis gasped and strained beside her.

Aldwyn’s body twisted and writhed; he groaned and puffed.

“Ow! No! No! Stop!” he said. “It’s no use - I’m stuck - you’ll have to leave me here - I can’t get through!”