ready by sharing a two-pint carton of scrumpy and rolling the last of the tobacco into as many cigarettes as it would stretch.
‘Seven each.’ Sonny nodded to herself. ‘Plenty and don’t go offerin them to nobody.’
‘Like who? I don’t know anybody.’
‘You’ll see. Smoke um sneaky so you don’t get asked.’
They stepped out into the hard-bitten twilight and listened to the singing that spiked and carried on the wind and they followed it down to the party.
‘We’ll sit high so nobody can see the booze. You need to be sneaky with that as well.’
‘Don’t worry, I’ll drink it quick enough.’
‘Thought Methodists dint drink.’
Ennor ignored her and held on to the rucksack that was pinned to Sonny’s back and she followed her into the black-and-white night. ‘What we celebratin anyway?’
‘The shortest day.’
‘Why’s that worth celebratin?’
‘I dunno, it’s pagan or somethin. You can stop with the questions now, you’re borin me.’ She sped up and Ennor nearly fell and she shouted for her to slow down because she couldn’t see through the falling snow.
‘I can’t. The bag’s dictatin.’
The two girls slipped and slid down the hill into the crowd and they fell laughing head over heels to the ground.
Ennor lay for a moment and turned to watch the flames of the fire lick and snip at the dancing feet and she felt its warmth soak into her veins.
Sonny was shouting something to her and she realised she was still holding on to the bag and this made her laugh even more.
‘Get up!’ Sonny pulled her to her feet and she shouted above the noise of singing and drums to follow her.
‘We need to find a high point away from everyone. Stop draggin your heels.’
They climbed the other side of the scoop of land that surrounded the stone circle and the gigantic fire within and sat on a bumped slab of granite and dug their boots into the ground.
‘Scrumpy or beer?’
‘Scrumpy.’
Sonny opened the rucksack between her knees and she glanced about to check for eyes and then asked Ennor what was wrong with the beer.
‘Nothin, just a bit soapy.’
‘Beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to homebrew. Anyway the boys are only makin scrumpy now cus of the apples we bin storin.’
She passed one of the plastic milk cartons to Ennor and watched her drink.
‘It tastes like summer.’ She smiled. ‘Summer and heaven all squished into one.’
Sonny laughed and took the bottle and drank without swallowing.
The dancers had joined hands in the dip below and they circled the fire as one and Ennor asked if Sonny was related to everyone.
‘Not all. The pagans and the travellers are from down west. More their thing than ours all this worship crap but a party is a party, init?’
‘What about them other fires?’ Ennor pointed towards the horizon at the small jewels of dancing flames flashing out in the countryside below.
‘Wait a minute.’ Sonny reached into the black leather bumbag she wore strapped around her waist and she produced a compact telescope.
‘What’s that?’
‘What you think it is?’ She crouched behind Ennor and rested the telescope on her shoulder and told her to hold steady.
‘Maybe it’s other pagans?’
‘Shut up, would you? I’m tryin to focus here. Ah, got the buggers.’
‘What is it?’
‘Cars, burnin cars on the edge of the village. I’m guessin somethin must be goin down.’
‘What kind of somethin?’
‘The crazy kind. People are goin mad roundabout with the hunger and the cold, I swear they are.’ She passed the telescope to Ennor and sat back down. ‘Guess I should tell me dad.’
Ennor looked through the lens and she walked it from one fire to the next and back and counted them one to five. ‘There’s five cars burnin. Why burn five cars?’
‘Useless I spose. Int bin no petrol or fuel oil for two months or thereabouts. Don’t you listen to the news?’
She took the telescope off Ennor and stuffed it into the bumbag and
‘Seven each.’ Sonny nodded to herself. ‘Plenty and don’t go offerin them to nobody.’
‘Like who? I don’t know anybody.’
‘You’ll see. Smoke um sneaky so you don’t get asked.’
They stepped out into the hard-bitten twilight and listened to the singing that spiked and carried on the wind and they followed it down to the party.
‘We’ll sit high so nobody can see the booze. You need to be sneaky with that as well.’
‘Don’t worry, I’ll drink it quick enough.’
‘Thought Methodists dint drink.’
Ennor ignored her and held on to the rucksack that was pinned to Sonny’s back and she followed her into the black-and-white night. ‘What we celebratin anyway?’
‘The shortest day.’
‘Why’s that worth celebratin?’
‘I dunno, it’s pagan or somethin. You can stop with the questions now, you’re borin me.’ She sped up and Ennor nearly fell and she shouted for her to slow down because she couldn’t see through the falling snow.
‘I can’t. The bag’s dictatin.’
The two girls slipped and slid down the hill into the crowd and they fell laughing head over heels to the ground.
Ennor lay for a moment and turned to watch the flames of the fire lick and snip at the dancing feet and she felt its warmth soak into her veins.
Sonny was shouting something to her and she realised she was still holding on to the bag and this made her laugh even more.
‘Get up!’ Sonny pulled her to her feet and she shouted above the noise of singing and drums to follow her.
‘We need to find a high point away from everyone. Stop draggin your heels.’
They climbed the other side of the scoop of land that surrounded the stone circle and the gigantic fire within and sat on a bumped slab of granite and dug their boots into the ground.
‘Scrumpy or beer?’
‘Scrumpy.’
Sonny opened the rucksack between her knees and she glanced about to check for eyes and then asked Ennor what was wrong with the beer.
‘Nothin, just a bit soapy.’
‘Beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to homebrew. Anyway the boys are only makin scrumpy now cus of the apples we bin storin.’
She passed one of the plastic milk cartons to Ennor and watched her drink.
‘It tastes like summer.’ She smiled. ‘Summer and heaven all squished into one.’
Sonny laughed and took the bottle and drank without swallowing.
The dancers had joined hands in the dip below and they circled the fire as one and Ennor asked if Sonny was related to everyone.
‘Not all. The pagans and the travellers are from down west. More their thing than ours all this worship crap but a party is a party, init?’
‘What about them other fires?’ Ennor pointed towards the horizon at the small jewels of dancing flames flashing out in the countryside below.
‘Wait a minute.’ Sonny reached into the black leather bumbag she wore strapped around her waist and she produced a compact telescope.
‘What’s that?’
‘What you think it is?’ She crouched behind Ennor and rested the telescope on her shoulder and told her to hold steady.
‘Maybe it’s other pagans?’
‘Shut up, would you? I’m tryin to focus here. Ah, got the buggers.’
‘What is it?’
‘Cars, burnin cars on the edge of the village. I’m guessin somethin must be goin down.’
‘What kind of somethin?’
‘The crazy kind. People are goin mad roundabout with the hunger and the cold, I swear they are.’ She passed the telescope to Ennor and sat back down. ‘Guess I should tell me dad.’
Ennor looked through the lens and she walked it from one fire to the next and back and counted them one to five. ‘There’s five cars burnin. Why burn five cars?’
‘Useless I spose. Int bin no petrol or fuel oil for two months or thereabouts. Don’t you listen to the news?’
She took the telescope off Ennor and stuffed it into the bumbag and
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