We Begin Where Infinity Ends
Novelette 9,270 words Recommended by 4 award/anthology sources
"Atop a ladder was Naeto, reaching for the lights. The lights flickered as his touch neared. Down below, Gozi held the ladder, rooting it to the ground. A small breeze came, and the ladder tilted, and the ladder swayed, but Naeto did not waver. Gozi was down there—Naeto knew the ladder would steady."
Quasar links out; the story lives on Clarkesworld, where the author gets the click.