basked in her warmth. I felt... safe.
After a few minutes of silence, she pulled back a bit again to look at me with a reassuring smile. I felt so close to her at that moment. Then she looked at my lips. I bit my lip and looked at hers. We started leaning in, and I could feel her breath, hot on my face... then we almost jumped out of our skins when someone pounded loudly on the elevator doors below.
June was calling out loudly, “Zil? Stems?”
We started laughing uncontrollably as we looked at each other. I know I had regret on my face as I turned to look at the floor and yelled, “We're stuck between floors June. The power is off.”
There was a pause and then her voice took on an incredulous tone, “Why didn't you just use the manual crank then?”
The whosie whatsit?
I called out, “The what?”
We looked around the ancient elevator and at a circular device below the emergency phone that looked like a large drum with a handle on it and a button above it.
I heard someone chuckle, it was deeper than June's and it was honey dipped, must have been Eliza. June explained, “This is an old manual crank, traction, Otis Elevator from the nineteen twenties. They retrofitted it with and electric motor but the hand controls still work according to the caretaker who told me when we were looking to buy the building.”
I grabbed the handle and gave it an experimental crank and nothing happened. I said, “You were misinformed, it doesn't do anything.”
She sounded like she was an instructor, teaching a lesson to a dense student as she droned out, “There should be a large button. That's the deadman's switch. It uncouples the crank in case of, well in case the operator drops dead... so the elevator doesn't come crashing down. You have to hold it in as you crank. The button runs on the emergency battery.”
I exchanged crooked smiles with Jen, then I shrugged and pushed the button in, I heard a clank in the drum then pulled on the crank with all my strength, to my surprise, it only took a moderate effort and the elevator moved up a few inches.
I cocked an eyebrow at a surprised looking Jen, She chuckled as I let go of the controls and she called down, “Just how do you know all of this J-Dub?”
It was my turn to chuckle as I explained, “Because she's June, duh. I stopped asking a long time ago how she knows things or gets things done.”
I took a deep breath and smiled at her and asked, “Going down?” Then I held the button and started cranking the other way. The elevator started moving smoothly but slowly down.
Jen laid a hand on my arm and shook her head and whispered, “Not yet.”
I stopped and she smiled sadly and showed me my face in her compact. Ewww! Great running mascara Batman! I looked awful. Like an extra on the set of the Crow, or Bladerunner.
She helped clean me up and I reapplied. I put my arms to my side and cocked my hip in a silly pinup pose. She chuckled and said, “Better.”
I nodded a thanks then went about developing my biceps as I hand cranked the elevator to the ground floor. When we stopped, I called out, “Ding!”
Then June said from the other side, “Now past the cage you'll see a little metal scissor bar across the door. There should be a foot press at the base of the bar. Push that down to release the doors.”
I looked down, and sure enough, I saw it. I pushed my toe through the cage and pressed it down with a little effort. There was a click and the doors opened an inch, then Vanessa shoved the doors open and stood there holding them as she said, “Hi.” We shook our heads at her as we smiled hugely then opened the cage and stepped out under Van's arms.
Our three rescuers looked into the elevator before Vanessa let the door close. I handed out hugz like candy, then I grinned sheepishly and explained, “Apparently the elevator is on the same circuit as the sound room. The workers flipped that breaker
After a few minutes of silence, she pulled back a bit again to look at me with a reassuring smile. I felt so close to her at that moment. Then she looked at my lips. I bit my lip and looked at hers. We started leaning in, and I could feel her breath, hot on my face... then we almost jumped out of our skins when someone pounded loudly on the elevator doors below.
June was calling out loudly, “Zil? Stems?”
We started laughing uncontrollably as we looked at each other. I know I had regret on my face as I turned to look at the floor and yelled, “We're stuck between floors June. The power is off.”
There was a pause and then her voice took on an incredulous tone, “Why didn't you just use the manual crank then?”
The whosie whatsit?
I called out, “The what?”
We looked around the ancient elevator and at a circular device below the emergency phone that looked like a large drum with a handle on it and a button above it.
I heard someone chuckle, it was deeper than June's and it was honey dipped, must have been Eliza. June explained, “This is an old manual crank, traction, Otis Elevator from the nineteen twenties. They retrofitted it with and electric motor but the hand controls still work according to the caretaker who told me when we were looking to buy the building.”
I grabbed the handle and gave it an experimental crank and nothing happened. I said, “You were misinformed, it doesn't do anything.”
She sounded like she was an instructor, teaching a lesson to a dense student as she droned out, “There should be a large button. That's the deadman's switch. It uncouples the crank in case of, well in case the operator drops dead... so the elevator doesn't come crashing down. You have to hold it in as you crank. The button runs on the emergency battery.”
I exchanged crooked smiles with Jen, then I shrugged and pushed the button in, I heard a clank in the drum then pulled on the crank with all my strength, to my surprise, it only took a moderate effort and the elevator moved up a few inches.
I cocked an eyebrow at a surprised looking Jen, She chuckled as I let go of the controls and she called down, “Just how do you know all of this J-Dub?”
It was my turn to chuckle as I explained, “Because she's June, duh. I stopped asking a long time ago how she knows things or gets things done.”
I took a deep breath and smiled at her and asked, “Going down?” Then I held the button and started cranking the other way. The elevator started moving smoothly but slowly down.
Jen laid a hand on my arm and shook her head and whispered, “Not yet.”
I stopped and she smiled sadly and showed me my face in her compact. Ewww! Great running mascara Batman! I looked awful. Like an extra on the set of the Crow, or Bladerunner.
She helped clean me up and I reapplied. I put my arms to my side and cocked my hip in a silly pinup pose. She chuckled and said, “Better.”
I nodded a thanks then went about developing my biceps as I hand cranked the elevator to the ground floor. When we stopped, I called out, “Ding!”
Then June said from the other side, “Now past the cage you'll see a little metal scissor bar across the door. There should be a foot press at the base of the bar. Push that down to release the doors.”
I looked down, and sure enough, I saw it. I pushed my toe through the cage and pressed it down with a little effort. There was a click and the doors opened an inch, then Vanessa shoved the doors open and stood there holding them as she said, “Hi.” We shook our heads at her as we smiled hugely then opened the cage and stepped out under Van's arms.
Our three rescuers looked into the elevator before Vanessa let the door close. I handed out hugz like candy, then I grinned sheepishly and explained, “Apparently the elevator is on the same circuit as the sound room. The workers flipped that breaker
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