he path once more, she picked her way through vaguely familiar
landmarks till she came to two bare oblong mounds of earth. THEY DO
LOOK LIKE GRAVES. She fumbled about the edge of one till she found the
handle. It took all her strength to lift it, and the thick red earth
on top did not move. She slid her way into the opening and lay in the
shallow hole, the lid thudding to above her.

She felt for the dead-blanket, covered the length of her body with it
and shivered in the darkness. The cutting whir of a search-ship
overhead sounded dully around her. She clutched together like a child,
hardly daring to breathe. But the ship passed over and was gone.

She was alone.

*

The night had come and though she could not see it she could feel it.
The air that tricked in from the breathing hole was cold and wet,
chilling her. She turned and wrestled the dead-blanket from her,
reached up and tried to push back the lid.

It would not move, and for a moment she panicked. Then placing both
hands together, she pushed with everything she had. The earth above
her buckled, cracked and gave way. She forced her way out. She stood
up, brushed away the clay-like dirt, and looked around her.

All was dark and silent. There was no moon, but through scattered
openings in the interlacing canopy a few stars shone dimly. Her eyes
already accustomed to the dark, she worked her way slowly back to the
path, then turned to the right. Still there was no sound and she
walked, tentatively at first, and stopping to look around her many
times, then with greater confidence on toward the hills. She picked a
light, strong shaft from among the many that lay fallen by the way.
Its curved length felt reassuring in her hands. She still felt great
loss, but no longer any fear. The hours in the grave had not been
wasted.

The grade became steeper, and she found she was topping the first
shallow hill. The way led down from it and then up again, more steeply
than before. The smooth stones became larger and more numerous.

At length she felt she must rest, and sitting on a cold stone, suddenly
realized that for all her newfound courage, she had no clear idea where
she was trying to go. Beyond vague references to 'people in the
hills', Eric's instructions ended here. Through chattering teeth she
hugged her shoulders, lowered her head and tried not to cry. ERIC.

Again she rose and looked about her, stamping her feet to try to keep
w