William Sansom's short story 'The Vertical Ladder' follows the protagonist, Flegg, who accepts a dare from friends to climb a vertical ladder up the side of a massive gasometer. Initially driven by social pressure and a desire to impress a girl, Flegg's ascent quickly transforms from a display of bravado into a nightmare of physical and psychological terror. As he climbs higher, the familiar world below recedes, and he becomes increasingly isolated in a hostile industrial environment. The narrative meticulously details his sensory experience of vertigo, culminating in a paralyzing realization of his precarious position between the safety of the ground and the terrifying height above.
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