The night watch

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

Tom had been told to keep the lamp room ready until his father returned. He checked the oil, trimmed the wick and set the tools in a straight row. When the wind struck the tower, he counted the seconds between each gust and the answering rattle of the shutters. There was no reason, he told himself, to look towards the dark stair.

A loose pane shivered in its frame. Tom reached for the wrench, but his hand closed on empty air. He tried again, slower this time, and felt the cold metal against his fingers. From below came a single knock. He stood quite still until the sound was swallowed by the wind.

The lamp burned steadily. Tom bent over the tools and began arranging them once more, though they had not moved. Then he took the wrench and went down two steps. At the landing he paused, listening. He did not call out; instead, he tightened his grip and continued into the darkness.

Analyse how the writer uses language and structure to show Tom’s changing attempts to control his fear and how far each attempt succeeds. Support your answer with references to the passage.