After what seemed an eternity I reached the top.

“I’m at the top, Queenie,” I called back down. “I’m going to try to push up the grille.”

As soon as I looked at it, I realized that this was going to be an impossible task. The grille was in the middle, a long stretch from where I was. I could just about reach the edge of it, but I couldn’t push it with any strength at all, stretched out like that. I fought back tears of frustration. I cleared as much snow as I could from the grille and tried to look out. All I could see were blank stone walls. Not a friendly door or window in sight. Surely someone would come this way eventually. The question was how long I could hold on before my frozen hands stopped obeying me.

“Help!” I called again. “Au secours!” Drat. I wished I knew the word for help in German, as this area used to be part of the Hapsburg Empire and many of the peasants spoke that language.

Suddenly I heard heavy breathing above me and a face peered down at me. I looked up hopefully, only to find it was a long snout covered in gray fur. It was hard to tell, from this angle, whether it was a dog or a wolf.

“Good dog, good boy,” I said.

The lip lifted in a snarl.

“That’s right,” I said, suddenly realizing, “go ahead and bark. Woof woof.”

I flicked snow at it, making it step back. I even stuck my fingers through recklessly and waggled them. It cocked its head suspiciously but it didn’t bark. Then in desperation I started to sing. I’m not the world’s best singer and my singing once made the dogs at home start to howl. “Speed, bonny boat, like a bird on the wing,” I sang. “The Skye Boat Song,” one of my favorites.

“Are you all right, miss?” Queenie shouted.

“Just singing,” I called back down. “Join in.”

“I don’t know it.”

“Then sing something you know.”

“At the same time as you?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

We sang. She, I believe, was singing “If you were the only girl in the world” while I continued with “The Skye Boat Song.” It sounded terrible. At last the dog put his head back and howled. The song echoed up from the well and the howl echoed from those walls.

Then I heard a human voice, cursing the dog.

“Help!” I called. “Get me out.”

A face appeared on the limits of my vision. The woman gasped, crossed herself and went to back away.

“Get help!” I shouted after her in English and French. “English princess.”