Chapter 9 – Leave the Sky a Way Through

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Episode summary

When the damaged main gear jams, the valley relies on the smaller bypass and its chain of signals. Neri keeps her place while the uncollected front passes downstream.

Transcript

Page 1

1. At dusk Eda checks the empty lower path and raises her single flag upright from the stone landing.

Eda: "Lower point clear. Ready."

2. At her separate exposed stone post Neri relays the upright flag towards the ridge. The natural front approaches.

Neri: "Ready below. Passing it on."

3. Varo opens the large main release gear by one small step. Ilen watches the closed collector branch.

Varo: "First step. Keep collection closed."

4. Ilen checks the empty collection vessels beside the isolated branch shutter.

Ilen: "Nothing held back for tonight's delivery."

Page 2

1. Neri waits at her exposed flag post as the first breeze reaches her scarf; the lower flag remains distant.

Neri: "The air is here. I wait for hers."

2. Eda feels the air reach the lower landing and deliberately dips her single flag, curved motion marks indicating two dips.

Eda: "Air received. Two dips."

3. Neri relays the two deliberate flag dips towards Varo, staying at her station.

Neri: "Received below."

4. Varo starts one further small movement of the main release gear after the acknowledgement.

Varo: "Then the next step. Slowly."

Page 3

1. Close view of the damaged main wooden gear: a worn tooth catches against a warped brace. Varo stops with hands clear.

Varo: "It has caught. No more force."

2. Ilen raises a stop flag horizontally across her chest beside the jammed main mechanism.

Ilen: "Hold every point."

3. Neri holds her flag horizontally across her chest at the separate exposed station.

Neri: "Stop below. Keep the path clear."

4. Eda answers with her own horizontal flag from the stone landing, safely beside the temporary handrail.

Eda: "Stopped. We are clear."

Page 4

1. Varo points from the jammed main gear to the separate vertical wooden hand-bypass wheel, visibly connected to a smaller air channel.

Varo: "The hand bypass is still free."

2. Ilen stands beside the closed collector shutter and empty vessels, with the delivery ledger under her arm.

Ilen: "We leave the whole collection uncaught."

3. A runner brings the delivery ledger to Neri's exposed stone post. Neri keeps her flag in hand.

Runner: "The missed load ends your contract."

4. Neri answers the runner without leaving her signal station; the storm mass looms behind the ridge.

Neri: "Record it. Keep the sky moving."

Page 5

1. Eda raises her flag upright again at the lower landing, with workers clear of the path.

Eda: "Ready for the smaller opening."

2. Neri relays the upright flag, watching both the lower post and the ridge.

Neri: "Lower point ready."

3. Varo turns the independent vertical wooden bypass wheel one marked notch. The jammed main gear remains untouched.

Varo: "One notch. Then their answer."

4. A runner waits beside Ilen and the ledger as both watch the distant relay flag, no timer used as permission.

Ilen: "We wait for the signal."

Page 6

1. Low cloud rolls between Neri's exposed station and the lower landing, hiding Eda. Neri holds her single pole horizontally across her chest.

Neri: "Lost sight. Stop."

2. Varo halts with both hands away from the vertical bypass wheel, leaving its existing small setting unchanged.

Varo: "Holding here. No further turn."

3. A runner reaches Ilen by the ridge office, carrying Eda's report from the stone detour.

Runner: "Air has reached the mill. Eda is safe."

4. Cloud thins and Neri sees Eda deliberately dip the flag twice below. Neri stays at her own exposed station.

Neri: "I see her answer now."

Page 7

1. In early night the natural front reaches the valley. Eda stands under the mill eave as its cloth sails begin to turn in the wind.

Eda: "The mill has wind."

2. Natural rain from broad dark clouds falls across surviving seed rows and neighbouring dead beds; no jars are present.

Eda: "And the rain came with the front."

3. At the ridge the jammed main gear stands beside the working small bypass; Varo watches the downstream relay before a further measured adjustment.

Varo: "One answered step at a time."

4. Neri stands soaked at the exposed stone post, relaying the two-dip acknowledgement through light rain; the lower flag remains visible.

Neri: "Received below. Passing it on."

Page 8

1. Night rain runs over the empty broken timber crossing, cordoned off; the longer stone route and temporary handrail remain in use.

Eda: "The crossing stays shut."

2. Ilen writes the night's result beside empty collection vessels and the closed collector shutter.

Ilen: "No collection. Wind and rain reached below."

3. A runner takes over the exposed flag station from Neri after a careful handover, both holding their separate single poles still.

Runner: "I have the lower point."

4. Neri sits exhausted on a dry step under an eave while the relay flag remains visible outside and the valley mill turns.

Neri: "Then I can rest."