27 The Pyre
By JohnB
You all stand around the pyre respectfuly, as Madelyn conducts the service and Rolf lights the Blaze. Even Smilo, with a bit of help from Callum and Peter, managed to get out of bed in time to pay his respects to the departed.
Rolf aplies the flaming torch to the pyre, it takes a while to catch and then gutters slightly before the fire takes. It seems an age before the fire sets properly though, and you are waiting for perhaps 20 minutes before the fire starts to burn properly along the length of the pyre. Another 10 minutes or so and the heat is getting intense and you can smell burning and singing hair and flesh, a little later and it is too hot to stand too close to the pyre, and you need to move away.
From lighting, the pyre takes about 4 hours to consume the body and most of the wood. Another hour and the wood is reduced to glowing embers, and another 2 hours before the embers turn to ash with the occasional hot area.
So seven hours after the pyre is lit there is nothing left of Aenis, except for a pile of ash with the odd scrap of melted silver, in the bottom of a shallow pit ready for burying.
For the hours until the pyre is transformed into ash, Rolf stands vigil. At the last, the sun riding heavy in the afternoon side of the sky, Rolf begins work to fill in the shallow pit. Filling the hole proves far less effort than digging it originally. When the work is done, Rolf turns his attention to a healthy helping of dinner.
Pyre
By Jim
who plays Smilo Hairfoot
The hobbit isn't used to funeral pyres and it shows as he covers his nose with his sleeve. "That wud put you off yer dinner, that wud." Noticing the sharp looks he quickly adds, "no offense."
But when the fire burned low, and breakfast was served, it seemed that it didn't affect the hobbit's appetite at all.
Elsbeth remains silent, alone with her thoughts. For quite some time she simply sits and watches, her lips occasionally moving in prayer. For all her bubbly energy, she remains quiet and attentive.
After a time she goes into the woods to collect some roots and any other food she can find. The pig might be good for some, but the young woman is afraid she'll starve to death before this trek is completed if she doesn't find her own fresh foodstuffs!
Peter stands quietly for about 15 minutes and then nods towards Madelyn and Rolf, and then moves back to the round house. He wonders idly what they should do with the Doghead, as he catches sight of the bedraggled and wekened captive.
Once back to the rounghouse Peter sets a complicated box like structure, made with various pieces of stone and wood, balanced precariously over the fire. Inside the box he places strips of pork meat.
Peter than joins Elsabeth in scouring the countryside for edible plants. Ande then sets some of the pork and vegetables to cook slowly and make a stew for a meal later in the day.
Carefully tending the fire, through out the day produces not only the meal, but a collection of smoked pork that will last longer than either the cooked or raw meats.
Wild food
By JohnB
Peter and Elbeth's search produces quite a collection of onions, some of which are of the small wild variety that grow in this area, although there are also some larger ones that appear to be cultivated. They also find green beans growing wild in amongst the gorse.
They also find the normal collection of odds and ends that they would expect to find at this time of the year.