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17. The Works
Compare the records printed in this story.
| Record or observation | Floor count | Immediate consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Lift sheet | 19 | Names the rescue unauthorized |
| Measures card | 23 | Engineer turns it face down; Sava turns it back |
| Crew lift log | 23 | Driver records the floor in the unpaid shared log |
| Fence notice | 19 | Unchanged when he leaves |
| Driver's evening count | 23 lit floors | He counts again |
The count matters because the cage must rise beyond 19 to reach the men; competing documents do not make their rescue merely notional.
Actions follow narrative order; the deduction is the engineer's recorded penalty.
- The engineer's denial
- Nobody above 19, despite the voice over the radio
- Finger against the glass
- He points above the cage and says it is too low
- The cage raised
- Three men come down, one with an injured foot
- Adverse lift sheet
- 19; unauthorized lift; 3 hours' pay deducted
- The driver signs
- The engineer acknowledges descent, not the disputed height
Relationships
- The engineer's denial → Finger against the glass: driver demands a location
- Finger against the glass → The cage raised: driver raises the cage
- The cage raised → Adverse lift sheet: engineer records penalty
- Adverse lift sheet → The driver signs: signature follows
Three men return to the ground, while the driver loses three hours' pay. The rescue does not force the record to acknowledge its height.
Sava contests one jurisdiction and does not take up the driver's next request.
| Official or professional act | Limit of the act | |
|---|---|---|
| Engineer | Claims attendance and records 19 | Saw the cage return but refuses the driver's account |
| Sava | Asserts height and restores his 23 card face up | Does not witness the pay deduction |
| Driver | Adds 23 to the workers' log | Still signs the adverse sheet |
| Workers' log | Carries years of floors in their own hands | No protection from amendment or reprisal is guaranteed |
A competing card is limited help. Sava's motives for withholding witness remain unstated.