Chapter 19: The loss of a child

With breakfast over, our two guests departed, leaving Marjorie and myself standing in the doorway of the cabin waving our goodbyes. Now we were alone again. Just our own little family and I had to get this place back into working order.

Using a shorter saw I set about the pine logs that had been left over from the cabin building and cut them up into lengths.

One of the tools I had also picked up. (In fact two of them) was an adze. And I set about squaring up lengths for posts. I wanted twelve of them for the experimental building I had in mind. I can see why the traditional boat builders preferred this tool; if you were careful not to cut your feet it really trimmed the timber. The chips were soon flying from the timber. Marjorie was collecting the chips to burn on the fire.

Soon I had the posts all the same size (well nearly) and using the saw and the adze I cut tenon joints on both ends to create a box frame.

Where we had had the old bath placed I levelled off the ground and placed some of the stones we had previously collected to make a foundation. On these I laid the first square. It was eight feet square. I was going to use the same method of attaching the timbers as I had the cabin by treenails. So I bored the holes and drove the wooden pins home. These posts were about four inches square. I continued until I had a hollow cube erected. I was very surprised that I had managed to do all this in one day.

"What are you trying to build?" Asked Marjorie.

"It will be a surprise, please just wait it is something I have had revolving in my head for some time. I am sure you will like it once completed," I tried to reassure her.

The ritual of the bathing in the tub had to continue, as we had no other way of washing so far. One of the difficulties had been getting the water. As first we had to break the ice to get to the water.

Hild was still not feeling well and was complaining of pain in her lower abdomen, and complaining of feeling cold. So we used the cot, which was still in the living area. Got her into a sleeping-bag, which was a lot warmer than lying in the bed and she was closer to the fire.

Hild said she wasn't hungry, and that was strange in itself, for she usually had a good appetite.

"I think it is her pregnancy and I know nothing about that matter, maybe you could get her mother and bring her here," Marjorie said.

"I had never thought of that if she still feels bad in the morning I will go and fetch her in the truck. It will be a lot faster than walking and I can bring her back in that."

"That would be nice, if you could bring my mother here," Hild said.

"No matter what, tomorrow I will fetch your mother," I told her.

"Marjorie, I want you to bring all your shotguns from the truck and store them in the wardrobe. In fact we will go now and bring them all in," I told her.

We then went and loaded ourselves with all the weapons and ammunition she had stored in the truck and brought them indoors. It was then that I saw that she had some Rottweil 3" magnum solid slug shells, which I had missed seeing the previous evening.

"What are you proposing to stop with these slugs an elephant?" I asked her

"Oh! You never know there may be a big animal to kill and that will bring it down," she answered.

"To be sure, and some," I replied.

We got Hild comfy and we left to the bedroom.

Our lovemaking that night was so slow and easy, it was the first time ever I had shared a bed with Marjorie alone. She was all over me, and that lovely bottom of hers was just heaven. The scent she wore just seemed to cling to every part of her body. Why can't all women smell as she? I suppose it is just some women's body odour complement scent and others don't.

Twice during the night I got up, to check on Hild, and made sure the fire was burning. I sat with her and held her hand, but there wasn't much else I could do. She appreciated me sitting with her. I gave her a long kiss and told her she would be all right. I hoped so, as I wanted nothing to happen to her. I loved this woman very much, and told her so many times that night.

Early the next morning I woke Marjorie and told her I was off to get Eadburg and would be back I hoped before noon.

I got into the truck and soon had it started, and made my way south. I had been correct about the access and I made excellent progress. In twenty minutes I had arrived at the clearing. It had taken us three hours to walk previously.

There was no movement at all. I got down off the truck and called out their names. From a little hut smaller than the structure I was building, came the three people, they looked awful. I walked over and looked inside. They must have all been huddled together with all their sleeping furs wrapped round them. The structure was open hatch, and the wind was blowing through it.

"Collect all your furs and you are to come with me," I told them.

"The goats are in the woods, what will we do about them," Northhelm weakly protested.

"Stuff them, they will survive we will collect them later," I told him.

They then collected all their possessions and, very cautiously approached the truck, which was growling away.

"I am sorry there is not enough room in the front, but you will be out of the wind in the back if you sit close up to the cab," I told them.

They were that weak with the cold that I had to help them up on to the tray. They did as I told them and they went and sat with their backs to the boarding behind the cab.

I then turned and made my return to our cabin.

Marjorie was surprised to see me. I had returned in less than an hour.

"Why have you returned?" she asked

"I've been there and back; I have the three of them in the back of the truck. They are weak with the cold, and I would say hunger," I told her while getting down from the truck.

We both went to the back and helped them down. It took longer than it should as you could see the amazement on their faces as they saw the semi's parked in the clearing alongside the cabin.

We got them into the warm cabin and sat them down on chairs around the fire to thaw out. Their eyes couldn't stop looking around the room. "How do you get it so warm in here and you have no hole in the roof for the smoke to escape. Where does the smoke go?" Said Northhelm eventually.

"Don't you worry about that, we will help you build a home like this and you will be warm too. Firstly we are going to get you something to eat. But I want Eadburg to look at Hild she is not feeling well," I told them.

I didn't need to tell Eadburg to tend Hild, she was already by her daughter's side and tending her. "It is close to her time, and I think there is a complication," She told us.

"You leave her to Sae and me and we will make her well again," She continued.

The quickest way to provide a meal was to open a Ration Pack, which Marjorie was already doing. Marjorie was also frying slices of pork from the wild pig that Wiferth had killed that we left hanging outside frozen.

We got them sitting around the table and they were completely lost, as Marjorie had served their meals on plates, with a knife and fork setting. We had to tell them to eat any way they wanted. They ignored the cutlery and scoffed the food with their bare, dirty grimy hands. Marjorie had served some up for us too, and they stared at us eating ours with fork and knife.

"Don't worry we will show you how to use these items later, you just eat," I told them.

"I don't think that you should go back to your old home. You help me and I will build a home for you that will be warm in winter, and keep you dry when it rains. We will build a village here, fell the trees, plant crops, and life will be a lit easier than where you are. What do you say?" I asked them.

"If you will have us, we will help you in any way we can," He replied.