I rushed down the hundred steps as fast as I could, but taking great care because I’d never descended a staircase before, and I was afraid of falling, then I ran along the corridor to find myself faced with the problem of carrying the huge pots, the carrots and meat, and also the water. I realised that I’d have to make several trips and that it was probably more than I could manage. Half an hour earlier, I’d been so excited that I’d raced up without feeling in the least tired, but now I was short of breath, I felt giddy and my legs were trembling. I reckoned I’d have to make one trip to start with, and so I heaped the meat into a pot. I was halfway up when I met Anthea on her way down.

‘I didn’t think you’d manage all on your own.’

‘You’re right, it’s too much. Besides, we only thought of the pots and the meat and vegetables, but we also need water, to drink and for cooking, and the plates.’

‘And we have to make a fire. Up there, they’re gathering stones and twigs, but how will we light it?’

We decided that we’d take up the things I’d already assembled and then we’d explore the rooms.

Later, we thought a great deal about what we’d discovered, but once again, we never came up with a coherent explanation. There were no sleeping quarters for the guards, nor were there any beds, which Anthea found surprising. So they didn’t sleep there? Did they leave every evening and come back in the morning? Where did they go?

‘They vanished in eleven minutes,’ muttered Anthea. ‘And we’ve found no trace of them. I’m not sure an ordinary helicopter can go that fast.’

The drawers contained various tools: hammers, nails, screwdrivers, all of which I had to learn to use, as well as knives and hatchets that would come in very useful. Anthea was thrilled to find four big rucksacks, and she explained what they were used for. Then I showed her a pile of little boxes. They contained matches, which solved the problem of how to light a fire. But, most importantly, we discovered vast stores of food. First it was stacks of cans that made Anthea shout for joy; she read the labels and recited the names of the dishes with an enthusiasm that made me laugh: sauerkraut, baked beans, pâté and vegetables I’d never tasted. Then we opened the door of a cold store full of frozen meat and poultry, as well as sacks of carrots, leeks, celery and turnips. So we’d have no trouble surviving.

‘I can’t work out how long all this will last, but even with forty of us, it looks to me as if there’s enough to keep us going for years.’

She named everything she saw and my head was soon in a whirl from all I’d learned. She would have gone on exploring for hours, but I told her we had to get back to the others, who were waiting for us. We returned with meat, cans, lots of potatoes and matches. The women kindled the twigs stacked up between large stones.