Page 222 of Circle of Days
Joia realized with astonishment that this required the crossbar to be lifted up in the air. This had never been done with the uprights. From the raising of the stone up from the ground in Stony Valley, to sliding it off the sled and into its hole in the ground at the Monument, some part of the stone had always rested on the ground or on the sled. But now the crossbar was to rise straight up.
The volunteers were instructed to take hold of the grab lines. They came eagerly, unsure of what they were doing but proud to be part of the big event.
On Joia’s command they pulled the ropes taut, but no harder, while Seft and some of the cleverhands adjusted the position of the giant at the other end.
Seft and Tem went up the pole and stood on the platform. Joia worried about their safety. It was a long way to fall.
There was tension in the air as the big moment approached.
Seft nodded to Joia, and she said: “Take the strain…”
The ropes tightened all along their route. The pointed feet on the ends of the giant’s legs sank into the earth.
“And now… heave!”
The crossbar rocked on its sled.
“And more… heave!”
Joia stared at the bottom of the crossbar. Was it rising?
“And again… heave!”
Suddenly Joia could see light between crossbar and sled. “It’s coming!” she yelled. “Come on, heave!”
With painful slowness the great stone rose. It also swung forward until its front end touched the side of the upright with a deep thud like the sound of a felled tree hitting the ground. Joia wondered whether Seft had foreseen this, and feared that the crossbar might knock the upright over; but the upright was firmly grounded and did not move.
The crowd was silent, rapt. The only sound was the panting of the volunteers. Slowly the crossbar came up until its front end scraped over the edge of the upright.
Now comes the really hard part, Joia thought, letting the crossbar down in exactly the right place.
The great stone inched over the uprights. Seft, on the platform, knelt down to look at the sockets on the underside of the crossbar. If all his calculations were right, the crossbar should sink down with its sockets embracing the domed pegs in a perfect match.
Seft lifted his arm and yelled: “Stop! Hold position!”
The volunteers relaxed slightly and the crossbar stopped moving.
Seft yelled: “One more pull!”
They pulled again, and a moment later he yelled: “Stop!”
The crossbar now lay across the tops of the two uprights. Still peering underneath, Seft shouted: “Slowly, slowly, ease the ropes.”
The crossbar sank down. There was a scraping sound: the pegs and holes were not exactly in line. But the crossbar jerked sideways by the width of a thumb, and then sank down until it rested flat on the uprights with no gap.
The pegs were in the sockets.
The crossbar lay with its edges perfectly aligned with the edges of the upright stones.
Seft has done it, Joia thought jubilantly. He’s triumphed again.
The exhausted volunteers dropped their grab lines and rubbed their sore hands.
The crowd began to cheer.
Seft leaped from his platform onto the crossbar and stood upright, holding his arms up in a victory gesture he had learned from Joia; and the cheering turned into a roar of triumph.
“We did it!” Seft yelled. “We all did it!”
