They drew closer to the tavern and dropped the ladder to the ground. Ludwig looked up at the nearest window.
“This,” he said, “is more difficult than it looks. How are we to get this to stand on end?”
“Brute force,” said Cyn. She struggled to lift her end up over her head, but to no avail. Soon she was sitting, staring at the ladder with a look that could curdle cheese.
“Problem?” called out Sigwulf.
Having observed their situation, the man had wandered over, and now he stood, looking at them both.
“It’s too heavy,” said Cyn. “How are we gonna get it against the wall?”
“What we need,” said Sigwulf, “is a pole with a crook in it. A branch would do, providing it’s the right length.”
“How will that help?” asked Ludwig.
“Simple. You lift up your end, then we use the pole to push it hig
