“The men collect auk eggs in spring, climbing down from the top, attached to ropes.”
The very thought of it made my head spin. It appeared too steep to climb. I could see no obvious footholds.
“You need a head for heights. It’s not for everyone,” Helka admitted.
“And you?”
“I prefer not to.” She looked up at the whirling seabirds. A gannet dived not far off, emerging with a silver fish in its long beak. “The life of the chicks is precarious enough without us eating those eggs.”
The tide was with us, taking us out towards the open sea, although the wind blew inland.
“The fishing boats go out in all but the worst weather. Mine too, although only as far as the mouth of the fjord. Beyond that, the waves are too strong.” She patted the side proudly and pointed to the net folded at our feet. “You throw it out and let the wind take your sail, then pull it in afterwards.”
“As easy as that?”
“You’ll see.” Helka nodded for me to take up the net. We fastened it to the rear of the boat before casting it a good distance behind. ‘Now, we move the tiller and turn the boat so the wind is behind us. Our net will swell out as we move through the water, and the fish will be trapped inside.’
We spent the next few hours sailing back and forth, letting the wind carry us, the net filling with four or five fish each time, until we had quite a haul.
When Helka turned us back, she took us close to the cliffs, that I might peer into the caves. The opening of one was lower than the rest, and wider.
“I used to hide here when I was younger. There’s a flat space, where it’s possible to sit or lie down, and you can take a small boat right inside if you bring down the mast. You can tie it there, out of sight.”
She steered us closer still, being careful to avoid the jagged rocks on either side of the entrance, where the waves splashed and split.
“Did you have cause to hide very often?”
“No more often than my brothers.” Her lips twitched in a smile. “But not even Eirik knew where I went. It’s good, sometimes, to have a secret place.”
I conjured an image of the three of them as children, Helka playing with her brothers as I had with the boys of my own village. I suspected their rivalry had incited her desire for supremacy with bow and arrow, with sword, and upon horseback. I thought back to Gunnolf’s marking of me with blood from the hare. He would have been a greedy sibling, hungry to take ascendancy; he would have thought it his due, as the oldest.
There was a rising in the wind, sending the gulls wheeling from the ledges above, to glide white upon the air. “I had something similar,” I mused. “Part of the woods where the other children didn’t like to go, and a particular tree I’d climb. One of the branches was wide enough to curl upon. I stayed there all night once. I’d forgotten to shut in the chickens, and the fox came and killed all but two of them.”
“You were punished?” asked Helka.
“My grandmother smacked me, and I ran away.”
“And how long did you stay hidden?”
“Only until the next day. I came home ravenous and was given three bowls of soup, with another clout for making my grandmother worry!”
“Ah!” declared Helka, “I was better prepared. I used to keep food in the cave, in a leather bag, and a bottle of mead.”
I raised my eyebrows. How wonderful it would’ve been to have known Helka when I was growing up.
“I was a clever girl, yes?” She smiled in satisfaction, and I nudged her playfully.
“I still store some things there. We never know what may come… and a hiding place can be useful.” Her face was serious again. “Although I’m beginning to think I should stop running away from what frightens me.”
Her thoughts were evidently no longer upon childish things and I wondered what it was that Helka feared. She’d tell me, I supposed, when she had a mind to do so.
“If ever I need to hide, I’ll come here.”
“Except that I shall know where to find you.” Helka smiled. “Not such a good hiding place!”
“But I shan’t mind if you find me.” I squeezed her arm. “I’ll be waiting, knowing that you’ll come and make everything all right again.”
“Always, Elswyth, if it’s in my power,” Helka promised.
