The Lab

The lab is quiet. If you get past the sound of film canisters shaking and banging on the counter, it's quiet.

If you get past the sound of the dryer door opening, then slamming shut, then humming it's low-pitched, heated hum, it's quiet.

If you get past the tongs dropping on the floor in the developing room, it's quiet.

If you get past the shoes, wet from chemical drippings, squeaking across the floor, it's quiet.

If you get past the print dryer rollers constantly spinning like tires on pavement and it's occasional pop, it's quiet.

If you get past the trickle of water in the print room, it's quiet.

If you get past the students coming to the door asking for the personal opinion you can't give them, it's quiet.

If you get past the friends who crowd in and take up room in the print room while laughing obnoxiously at not-funny jokes, it's quiet.

If you get past the noise, it's quiet.




Tonight the lab is quiet. More quiet than usual. There have only been three people here so far. And none have been here at the same time.

One girl wanted to develop her negative. They didn't come out, so she left disappointed.

One guy wants to try a sepia print. So I mixed the chemicals, cause the entire first floor of Brock to smell like rotten eggs (as this is what sepia toner smells like) and set them out for him. He said he only wanted to do one print.

Another guy came in looking for film. He said he had run out. I don't know how that could be. Everyone got the same number of rolls. He should still have five rolls or so. But he's out. I don't know what to do, so I passed him off to Ruf. He'll fix it.

Now it's quiet again. I think I'm alone again.

I hear the trickle. The hum. The pop. They echo in my ears, and soon I don't know if I hear noise or silence. It's in the background, somewhere. Far away maybe.

The lights are bright, but I can see, so I won't complain. In the print room, the lights are yellow. They cause your eyes to feel wide open. Like you stepped into something just outside of real, but not quite.

I hear the trickle. But it's quiet.