[Envinyatar]

Readying the equipment

Zimzi returned to hanging up the cottage curtains on the clothesline. She had made some small greeting to the two men who’d come to help with the downed trees, then left Derufin to get down to the business of clearing away the wood. ‘T’wil be thirsty work for them,’ she thought seeing how the sun had now come out fully. ‘I’ll just fetch them a couple of buckets of water from the well, and perhaps a few little sweet-cakes to tide them over until supper.’ She pinned the last of the curtains to the line and stowed her basket on the cottage porch. Taking one of her smaller handbaskets, she went to the Inn kitchen.

Derufin had taken the men to the Inn’s large tool shed to pick out the equipment they might need. Axes, saws, splitting mauls, tarps, ropes, and some large saw-horses. The trio piled these into a small handwagon and made off for the work site, along with Sweet William one of the Inn’s large workhorses.

‘I’m glad you’ve come to lend a hand, good sirs,’ Derufin said as they walked along. He looked them both over and chuckled. ‘But tell me, how did Cook manage to get you to volunteer?’