Yolanda made a small knot in her belt, tying one of the bottles in close to her waist. The other she tucked between her breasts. She needed both hands free to make it safely back up the steep stairs. Against the heat of her body, the bottle steamed in wisps of evaporation.

The effort of going down into the cellar had worn her out. She rested a moment and blew out the lantern. She looked up through the opening above her head and sighed. She was no longer a young woman. She started back up the rough stones.