The extra stair
Stairwell B has fourteen steps going up and fifteen coming down. Nobody has been hurt. Everybody counts now.
SW-001We look forthe places wherethe world doesn't line up.
Square Wave is a small research company. We find gaps — seams, glitches, rooms that shouldn't fit — write them down carefully, and try not to fall in.
What a gap is
A gap is anywhere reality was stitched a little loosely. Most are harmless. Some are useful. A few are just rude. We keep a list.
If you have to squint to see it, it probably counts.
Vending machine 3
Accepts coins. Returns coins that were never minted. Currently holds two dollars and forty cents of money that does not exist.
SW-002The long hallway
Three percent longer when nobody is looking. Measured with tape, string, and an intern named Pol. Results inconsistent. Intern fine.
SW-00388.2 FM
A station between two stations. Plays the weather, hourly, for a town we have not been able to find. Tomorrow: mild.
SW-004The catalogue
Everything we've logged so far, in the order we noticed it. Statuses change. Sometimes the rows do too.
| No. | Specimen | Where | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| SW-001 | The extra stair | Stairwell B | open count varies |
| SW-002 | Vending machine 3 | Break room | contained unplugged, still humming |
| SW-003 | The long hallway | Floor 2½ | measuring |
| SW-004 | 88.2 FM, weather for nowhere | The car | broadcasting |
| SW-005 | A door that is only there from the outside | Unknown | do not close |
| SW-006 | [misfiled] | — | looking for it |
How we work
- Notice.
Most gaps announce themselves quietly: a draught from a wall, a clock that's right twice a day but not the same twice. We walk slowly and keep a pencil.
- Write it down before it moves.
Measurements, a sketch, who was there, what the light was doing. In ink, on paper. Paper has not yet been affected.
- Put it back where we found it.
We don't collect gaps. We leave them, mark the spot, and check on them now and then to see how they're getting on.
Found one?
Tell us. Describe it plainly, say where it was, and roughly when. Measurements welcome. Photos optional. Please do not enclose the gap.
Write to the field office We read everything. We reply to most of it. If you don't hear back, check the hallway.