The tower platform

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

From the square, the clock-tower platform looked no higher than the roofs around it. Up the narrow stair, Joel discovered that roofs were a long way from the ground. He had come to help replace a damaged clock hand. His master passed the tool bag through the hatch and told him to keep both feet on the boards.

The boards ended beside a low rail. Wind moved between the openings and lifted Joel’s coat. He tried to look at the clock face instead of the street, but the figures below kept appearing at the edge of his sight. When his master asked for a spanner, Joel could not remember which pocket contained it. The bag’s familiar weight had become an obstruction.

His master clipped the bag to a hook and asked Joel to sit while he named each tool. The task grew smaller. Joel handed over the spanner, then a pin and a cloth. The repaired hand moved into place. He rose only when the bag was closed and the hatch opened behind him.

Down in the square, the clock looked ordinary again. Joel could recognise the new hand but no one else stopped to admire it. His master said they would climb next week to check the fastening. Joel wished the job were finished, yet asked whether the bag could use the same hook. The height had not become harmless. He had found one way to work within it.

“Joel’s growing ability to cope with fear is shown more convincingly than a sudden loss of fear would be.”

Evaluate how successfully the writer presents this idea. Support your judgement with detailed references to the passage.