what
and with it terror. Trembling, the girl came into the outhouse. Her legs were barely holding her up. Gretchen was a big woman, and very strong. She took the girl under the armpits, picked her up, and lowered her into the mess. Soon enough, the task was done.Gretchen nodded with satisfaction. “If anyone starts to raise the lid,” she commanded the four girls, “lower your heads and press against the sides, as far out of sight as possible. Never mind the spiders.”
To Annalise: “And make sure you cover the baby’s mouth if he starts to cry or scream.”
Annalise’s eyes were wide. “What if . . . ?” She took a little breath through pinched nostrils. “I can’t cover his face for very long. He’ll suffocate.”
Gretchen shook her head. “If they open the lid, it won’t be for more than a second or two. Not as stinky as that is. As for the other—”
Gretchen’s face was blank. “There will be so much noise up here that no one will hear a baby.”
It was time. Only half of Gretchen’s mind had been on the sounds of the battle, but that half now surged to the fore. The other side is winning. They will be here soon.
Quickly, almost violently, she seized the lid and wrestled it back over the latrine. The only opening in the wooden cover was a squat-hole, too small to allow any light to enter the cavity below. The four girls and the baby hidden within were quite invisible.
Satisfied that she had done what she could for them, Gretchen left the outhouse and wrestled the door back into place. Then she