Konsk: The Great Takeover of the Place

15 The Great Escape

or “Flighty Deer Fucks Off Fast.” (Learner: martial arts move 46b)

The value of creating barriers and divisions (such as fences) that run along or close to contours cannot be overemphasised. Such barriers intercept the flow of materials downslope, soil and leaf litter, for example. Livestock walking the fence line will generate linear depressions, in effect swales, which will slow down run-off and infiltrate water into the soils. When integrated with paths and tracks access and movement of materials becomes easy with hand operated, simple machines (such as the wheeled barrow).

from Konsk; appendices, Barriers and Divisions.

Trueman backed away from the window in horror. He was familiar with this sort of thing from films; the honest scientist diligently pursuing valuable research hunted by the ignorant, torch wielding mob. More knocking at the doorway.

He turned desperately to the window on the other side of the room. There was no glass but it was still far too small for him to squeeze through and the walls looked half a metre thick, of plastered stone. With a growing feeling of fear mixed with frustration he hit the wall by the window, hard enough to make the knuckles sting. He shook the hand, annoyed at this foolish loss of control but the plaster had given!

With the strong fingers he tore some chunks away. There appeared to be just a relatively thin coating over something like straw! Suddenly excited he ripped away with the mighty hands, hauling huge hanks of material out of the wall and breaking away slabs of plaster until the window was a greatly enlarged, ragged hole.

Behind him he heard the shouts suddenly increasing in tempo and ferocity and the knocking at the door became an insistent banging.

The new body did not hesitate, it dived head-first through the opening and performed a forward roll, coming to rest crouched against the low wall surrounding the building. Slightly dazed by the body's independent actions and risking a peek over the wall he could see a track then a hedge. There seemed to be no one on this side of the structure and a reassuring darkness beyond the hedge .

He began to scramble awkwardly over the wall, then the fear spurred the body into action and it crossed the track in two easy bounds, vaulted the low hedge and knelt in the shadows beyond. Trueman could see little other than some low trees and shrubs immediately before him. He paused only a moment before deciding that downhill was generally easiest and set off at a lope, ducking below the overhanging branches.

He allowed himself some satisfaction at the ease with which he had escaped his captors but this didn’t last long as loud shouts arose from behind him. The area of trees and shrubs ended in a thick hedge that ran along the contour. He managed to scramble through, not very quietly, picking up the odd scratch and some twigs in his hair.

On the other side of the hedge was another narrow track or path, only a metre or so wide. It too followed the contour and its lower edge was fenced. The track was appealing, an easy, level route across the slope but it curved quickly from view in both directions making it nigh on impossible to be forewarned of the approach of others. The fence, then, and downwards, he decided.

The fence proved more challenging than he had expected, mainly because a keen gardener type had decided to use it as trellis for various clambering plants, some of which possessed impressive thorns.

Sucking a pricked thumb he alighted on the other side and found himself moving through a rather scrubby area with lots of spiky bushes looming up to head height. Through tripping up several times he found that dead branches appeared to have been arranged in low piles running across the slope, as though purposefully placed to be awkward for the lonely traveller. In the growing gloom they became increasingly difficult to make out and he went headlong on more than one occasion.

Next was another division, again cutting across the slope, following the contour. He was getting a bit tired of this; perhaps downhill was not such a good idea after all. This barrier was more substantial, a type of woven branch construction, not unlike the poor attempts at sheep hurdles that the biker, Spicer, had constructed. It was all the more difficult to surmount as the whole structure had either been designed to lean uphill, towards him, or was falling down.

Tumbling from the summit he bruised himself on what seemed to be a path or track made of planks, laid not across the way, as he would have expected with a board-walk, but along. It was narrow, only about half a metre wide, he estimated. The down-slope edge was another woven construction and, as with its opposite number, sloped away from the track or path. Baffled he knelt to examine the boarded surface. It appeared to have grooves in it, made either during construction or through use.

Again he considered sticking to the easy path, giving it a bit more thought this time in light of his minor injuries. He was on a bend and though it would be difficult to see other users it was getting progressively darker and he didn’t like the idea of further challenging obstacles if he continued his descent. Besides, examining the sloping, woven wall that bounded the lower side of the path on the outside of the bend revealed it to be an even more substantial structure with bundles of softer material fastened to it.

On the point of deciding to accept the path and choosing which direction to head in, he heard or felt a dull vibration and then a scream. Peering wildly along the path to his left he made out bright points of lights flickering beyond the bend. There were more shouts and a long shriek. The lights appeared to be moving along the path, or track, in his direction, quite rapidly. Very rapidly.

The body made the decision for him and with one bound he found himself perched on the top of the down-slope barrier, contemplating what felt like at least a three or even four metre drop into the dark shadow under trees on presumably more sloping hillside.

The contemplative period was brief as the wild shouts rushed towards him, accompanied by a rattle and roar and that annoying shrieking. It reminded him of his young daughter Catti playing with the goat, Niben, indeed, a most annoying sound. On the other hand, it might also be the sound emitted by an ignorant, torch-bearing mob, thirsting for blood.

He wasn’t sure who made the decision, himself or the body, not that it mattered. Fortunately he didn’t try to do much and the body landed cleanly of its own accord and immediately collapsed to one side then rolled to shed more kinetic energy.

As he tumbled over and over several times he admired the way the arms had curved upward both to protect the head and provide him with a more circular form of movement. It did seem to be going on rather a long time though and he had just begun worrying about sudden drops, quarries or other forms of precipice when the arms and legs stretched suddenly outward to slap the ground and he found himself lying face down, spread-eagled but thankfully absolutely motionless.

Above him the lights flashed briefly, apparently hurtling past and finally fading into the distance. A few shouts rolled down to him and one last shriek then it became very quiet. Baffled, he picked himself up and after testing each limb decided that the body had not suffered any major damage.

Not wishing to remain still he moved on, finding that this latest section of hillside was steep and thickly wooded with low, multi stemmed trees. He had been extremely lucky to have rolled through a relatively clear area and avoided a back breaking impact. Now at least the many slender trunks afforded him ample handholds as he lowered himself downwards.

Just as the slope began to ease without having become a precipice he came upon yet another contour barrier, a thick hedge with accumulated leaf litter and other organic matter piled up along its foot.

“Dammit!” He cursed, excusing the admittedly rather mild emotional outburst as sheer exasperation. Still, there was nothing for it but to continue on his chosen course.

The obstacle was dense and it was now so dark that he could make out very little. Steeling the body against sharp thorns he squeezed into the hedge and was relieved to find it more open within. Parting the outer branches he stepped forward and down into nothing and was suddenly, shockingly and totally immersed in water.

Fortunately it was only chest deep and he came up coughing and spluttering and flopped onto the far bank, rubbing to clear water from the eyes and gasping. His first thought was of whether someone had seen him but when he took a look around, it was too dark to see anything anyway. It was quite possible that someone had heard the loud splash that still seemed to resonate in the ear drums of the new body.

“Dammit!” He repeated, with more feeling this time. “Dammit! Dammit!”

He clambered out onto the down-slope bank, dripping and found himself on yet another contour track, this one wider than the others, as if designed or adapted to take vehicles. It had a pale surface, possibly of rolled gravel, that he could just make out in the gloom and he decided he had had enough of downhill travel and would go with the flow, so to speak, whatever the risk. He could at least lower himself back into the water to hide if he should meet anyone.

The waterway beside him was silent but by inserting his hand into the cold liquid he thought he could just detect a slow movement. That would do for a direction, he thought and turning to follow the current, began to walk carefully along what he hoped was the centre of the track.

As his confidence grew he moved into an easy lope and soon found that the light clothing had dried upon the powerful new body. He kept up this effortless pace for a count of 1000 paces before slowing as the blacker bulk of taller trees appeared against the by now dark sky.

He thought that the new body could go on for a considerable time yet, even all night but he needed to stop to think. Some sleep would probably be useful as well, it being way past his normal bedtime at the farm. He did miss his cocoa.

Fumbling almost blindly into the trees he found what he thought was a suitable place a short distance below the track, under low conifer branches. There was a soft bed of dry needles and he positioned himself with his back to the trunk and tried to slow his breathing.

Sitting thus, in the darkness, there was nothing to distract him from the visual disturbances. The excitement and physical activity had started off a rash of red lights that danced across the top of his vision. No amount of rubbing of the eyes or shaking of the head seemed to make any difference to their parade. Frustrated, he stopped trying to ignore them and instead tried to look at them.

And quite suddenly, the dancing coloured dots leaped into focus, resolving into indicator lights and actual words. Trueman realised with a shock, that he was looking at a Heads Up Display, playing in real time, apparently inside the eyelids of the new body.

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Some explanations are offered below to help the reader who wishes to look a little deeper.

The first area Trueman crosses is an orchard of hard and soft fruits, conveiniently located near to the dwelling areas. The apple trees are coppiced in rotation thus producing both fruit and timber, the timber used mainly for smoking other foods to preserve them.

The second area, slightly steeper, is planted with gorse, a nitrogen fixer and soil conditioner. Due to its flammable nature, this is harvested regularly and ground to make a useful animal fodder containing just over half the protein value of oats. Brash has been laid across the slope to further restrict the movement of materials downhill.

More information about gorse can be found on my web site, here.

The third and steepest part of the hillside is given over to coppice hazel and short rotation willow, the willow mainly for biomass, the hazel for woven panels used in dwelling construction.

The spaces between contour barriers can be used for livestock which will tend to move along the slope thus minimising possible erosion from movement up and down steep hillsides. The cantrefi cooperate over regional landscapes, allowing contour barriers and visions to be extended along valley sides, providing opportunities for herders to move livestock easily within corridors over considerable distances. The barriers are often planted with fodder crops which can be cut and tossed into these linear fields for the animals.

The water way is a canal which flows in the opposite direction to the river in the valley bottom, so allowing small craft to make the return journey after delivering goods down stream. This is achieved by beginning the waterway from a higher point in the landscape than the river and engineering a very slight fall (say 1:500) upstream. A lock is used to raise craft from the river harbour to the waterway.

A narrow boat would have provided Trueman with slow transport inland, however, another form of vehicle is already awaiting him.

The purpose of the narrow, boarded path with high barriers to either side, leaning outward from the path and all the shrieks, squeals, vibrations, shouts and rapid progress of lights and presumably people, is left as a puzzle to the reader but youthful methods of transportation might be considered.