Chasing the Light by Jesse Blackadder

Author:Jesse Blackadder
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2013-03-13T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 25

The safety rope tightened around Lillemor’s waist as her foot scrabbled against the wall. For a moment she thought she was falling and the fright jolted her, until she realised it was just the oil sliding under her soles. She turned so her headlamp sent its beam down into the depths of the fuel tank. She saw headlamps flashing below and several turned up towards her. Four men were working on the tank floor with brooms, buckets and shovels.

‘Hello!’ she called. ‘How’s it going down there?’

‘Couldn’t be better, missus,’ one of them called up.

The first mate, Atle, was coming down beside her on a rope, his face drawing level with hers. ‘Are you all right?’

The glare of his headlamp blinded her for a few seconds. ‘I thought the factory ship stank,’ Lillemor said. ‘But this is lethal.’

‘Gives you a hell of a hangover.’ Atle drew level with her and let out a yell to the men lowering him down.

Lillemor jumped as the sound echoed around the tank. His descent halted and they hung at the same height, each clipped to the heavy rope, one foot jammed into a loop at the bottom.

‘Can we go to the bottom?’ Lillemor asked.

He shook his head. ‘There’s six inches of fuel sludge down there. The fumes are terrible and you’ll never get it off your shoes.’

He called up to the top: ‘Is Mrs Christensen on the way down?’

Shouts came in reply and Lillemor could see a large basket descending. Ingrid had refused to get into the tank on a rope, but Lillemor convinced her to be lowered down. In a few more moments she drew level with them and the winch stopped. She was gripping the edges of the basket, but she smiled at Lillemor.

‘Isn’t this something?’ Lillemor asked.

Ingrid nodded. ‘So how does it work, Mr Tang?’

‘It has to be spotless before we can put whale oil into it,’ he said, his voice booming off the walls. ‘There’s not much time after getting the fuel out, so we do shifts round the clock. It takes a dozen of us about three days with a steam hose and scrapers to get the fuel off the ceiling and walls of the tank. Those chaps down the bottom are cleaning up what’s left with shovels and buckets, and then we’ll give it a final steam and hose out.’

‘So a cigarette is out of the question?’ Lillemor laughed.

He didn’t join in. ‘Not a good idea.’

‘I’d like to go up now,’ Ingrid said. ‘I’m getting a headache.’

He called to the men above and Ingrid’s basket started to rise.

‘When will you be finished with this one?’ Lillemor asked. ‘I’d love to walk around the bottom.’

‘You’re a funny one, Mrs Rachlew. Most men don’t even like that. Should be done by tonight if all goes well.’

‘Excellent.’ She could see he was nervous having them in the tank. ‘I suppose we’d best go up then.’

As she neared the surface of the tank and sunlight flooded down on her, Lillemor thought she’d talk to Ingrid about encouraging Mathilde outdoors.

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