Stories of Your Life and Others

This story employs third person limited narration, with consciousness centered on the character of Hillalum, a miner from the ancient civilization of Elam. Hillalum lives in the shadow of the Tower of Babylon, which the townsfolk build in an effort to reach the Vault of Heaven. It takes a month and a half to climb the Tower unburdened. For the bricklayers, the journey takes four months.

Hillalum arrives with his fellow miners to Babylon, where the tower appears to be a never-ending column reaching the vault of the sky. He and his fellow miners are here to dig into the hard heaven, so they can reach the seat of God. The city is already celebrating the completion of the tower, and the Elamites join the festivities before their journey upwards. Lugatum, the puller who will lead the miners for the first four days, envies them, as they will ascend to the top of the tower. Pullers like Lugatum only climb four days’ worth of height, before the next group of pullers take over the climb.

The next day, Hillalum visits the Tower. Its base resembles a huge ziggurat temple, and the Tower itself starts after the second platform.