SMR-7B.pdf

SRM-7B (Specification for the Maintenance of Room 7B)

Last Updated 25 Aug 1926

0. Scope

This document governs the use, observation, and preservation of Room 7B. The room exists on the third floor of a building that is no longer staffed. Access is permitted to a single custodian at a time. The custodian is defined as the person reading this document. Emotional response is neither required nor relevant. Deviations from procedure may occur but are not addressed herein. Meaning, if observed, is incidental. All clauses apply simultaneously. Where contradiction arises, precedence is determined by order of appearance. Where absence arises, it is intentional. Where silence arises, it should be recorded.

1. Description

Room 7B measures eight paces by six paces. The ceiling is intact. One window faces an alley. The glass is unbroken. Light enters at a consistent angle between 14:10 and 14:42 daily, subject to weather. The floor bears a stain resembling a map but matching no known territory. A table stands centered. On the table: a ledger, blank. Against the far wall: a chair missing one felt pad. Sound behaves normally. Time does not.

2. Entry Protocol

Upon entry, note the temperature. Do not adjust it. Close the door without force. If the door resists, do not insist. Wait until resistance ceases. This may take minutes or years. When the door closes, count to seven. Counting establishes sequence. Sequence establishes order. Order establishes compliance. If counting is interrupted, restart. If counting completes early, recount. Upon completion, proceed to the table. Do not sit. Sitting is addressed later. Touch nothing unless instructed. Instruction occurs below.

3. The Ledger

The ledger contains no pages with writing. This is not an error. Open it to any page. The page will be the correct one. Do not attempt to verify correctness. Correctness is assumed. The ledger records occupancy indirectly. When you look away, an entry is made. When you look back, it disappears. This ensures privacy. If you suspect you have read something, close the ledger immediately. Suspicion indicates interference. Interference leads to narrative. Narrative is not permitted under this specification.

4. Observation Cycle

Stand at the table. Face the window. Observe the alley for exactly the length of one held breath. Release breath. Turn ninety degrees left. Observe the chair. Note its imbalance. Do not correct it. Turn ninety degrees left. Observe the stain. Identify three borders. They will not align. Turn ninety degrees left. Observe the door. Confirm it is closed. Repeat the cycle four times. On the fifth, stop facing the window. Stopping creates a margin. Margins are where errors accumulate. Errors are useful only in aggregate.

5. The Chair (Conditional Use)

The chair may be used only if fatigue exceeds tolerance. Tolerance is defined as the point at which standing produces motion in the walls. If walls move, sit. If walls do not move, remain standing. When sitting, do not shift weight. The missing felt pad will scratch the floor. The scratch will align with none of the stain’s borders. This misalignment is acceptable. Sit for no longer than the time it takes to remember another room. If memory persists, stand.

6. Timekeeping

No clocks are permitted. Time is tracked by recurrence. Each repetition of the Observation Cycle constitutes one unit. Units are equal only to themselves. Do not compare units. If you notice daylight changing, record nothing. If you notice no change, record nothing. Recording is reserved for absence, which is handled elsewhere. Should you feel that you have been here before, acknowledge the feeling as a duplicate entry and discard it. Duplication preserves consistency by removing variance.

7. Maintenance

Dust will accumulate. Do not remove it. Dust demonstrates compliance with entropy standards. If an object appears cleaner than before, leave the room immediately and re-enter following Entry Protocol. Cleanliness suggests intervention. Intervention suggests authorship. Authorship is a breach. If you find an object missing, assume it was unnecessary. If you find an object added, assume it was always there. The room’s inventory is complete by definition. Definitions supersede perception.

8. Communication

No messages may be left. No messages may be received. If you hear a voice, classify it as ambient noise. If the voice uses your name, classify the name as a sound. If the sound requests action, compare the request to this document. If included, comply. If excluded, ignore. If the voice persists, reduce attention by narrowing vision to the table’s edge. Edges anchor systems. Centers invite interpretation. Avoid interpretation.

9. Exit Protocol

Approach the door. Place your hand on the handle. Do not turn it yet. Recall the stain’s borders. There were three. There are always three. Turn the handle only after the recall is complete. Open the door fully. Partial openings distort sequence. Step through without looking back. Looking back reorders clauses. Reordering invalidates precedence. Once outside, wait until the door closes on its own. If it does not close, close it gently. Gentleness maintains neutrality.

10. Compliance Review

After exit, do not reflect. Reflection generates surplus meaning. Surplus meaning seeks outlets. Outlets create stories. Stories violate Scope. If asked what occurred, respond: “Procedures were followed.” This statement is sufficient. If asked how you feel, respond: “No deviations noted.” If asked to return, consult this document. Returning is permitted. Returning is expected. Each return is identical. Identity here refers to structure, not experience.

11. Addendum: Absence

If, at any point, you notice that something essential is missing—air, sound, the room itself—consider the absence documented. Documentation requires no action. Absence is the final condition. Under absence, all clauses are fulfilled. The custodian is released. Release is not an event but a resolution. This document ends here. Any continuation is outside scope and therefore void.