“What do you think they are doing with us?” Little Tessa’s voice shook even in a whisper as she looked up at her elderly companion.

“Well, back when my grandfather was alive, he used to work in a mine. It went deep underground and many passages were no bigger than you.” He took the time to make eye contact with the shivering wide-eyed girl to reassure her. “They used to carry birdcages with them just like this one, only smaller and with a canary inside.”

“Why?”

“Well the bird would chirp and sing merrily even in the darkest hole.”

“To cheer them up?”

“Until they stopped singing. The bird would be overcome by terrible gasses in a passage before the men because it was smaller and breathed faster. The men then knew the passage was too dangerous for them to go on.”

“So, are we canaries for the giants?”

“I’m afraid so.”