One afternoon, Gren 1) (put) a drawing on the table. It 2) (show) how several ropes could lift something heavy.

While he 3) (explain) his idea, one of the others 4) (interrupt) him.

‘It works on paper. But how do we know it can lift something real?’

The students 5) (start) arguing about what they could use for the test.

While they 6) (talk), Ollen suddenly 7) (look) out of the window. In the yard below, a servant 8) (clean) the rector’s carriage.

Ollen 9) (point) at it.

‘Why not that?’

For a moment, nobody spoke.

That evening, eighteen students 1) (meet) in the yard after dark. They had brought ropes, Gren’s drawing and a few tools.

A cold wind 2) (blow) across the yard while they 3) (tie) the first ropes to the carriage. Gugo kept rubbing his hands together because he was cold.

They had almost finished when a guard 4) (come) around the corner.

As he 5) (walk) towards them, everyone stopped working.

The guard looked at the carriage, then at the ropes.

Ollen 6) (pick) up Gren’s drawing.

‘Evening,’ he 7) (say). ‘Geometry practice.’

The guard 8) (look) at him for a few seconds, then walked away.

Nobody moved until he disappeared.

As soon as the guard 1) (leave), the students got back to work.

Some of them 2) (climb) the tower while the others stayed with the carriage below. Gren checked the ropes one last time.

When everything was ready, Ollen gave the signal.

At first, nothing happened.

Then, while the students below 3) (pull), one of the carriage wheels 4) (leave) the ground.

A second wheel followed.

The carriage 5) (rise) slowly when one of the ropes suddenly 6) (move) out of place.

‘Stop!’

Everyone froze.

Gren 7) (fix) the rope, and a minute later they 8) (start) again.

This time the carriage kept moving upwards.

By sunrise, the carriage was on top of the tower.

The tired students 1) (leave) the yard before the academy woke up.

A few hours later, students and teachers 2) (cross) the yard on their way to lessons when somebody 3) (shout), ‘Look up!’

At that moment, the rector 4) (ride) through the gate.

He 5) (look) up too and 6) (stop).

His carriage was sitting on top of the tower.

While the whole yard 7) (stare) at it in silence, somebody at the back of the crowd 8) (start) to laugh.

A second person joined in.

Within a few seconds, half the yard was laughing.