<

SOUND PROOFING
RAEGAN BIRD

As a child Daniel had a bunk bed and a hard time falling asleep. His problem worsened in the summer as the katydids got louder, and became more severe after he heard a statistic about ear canals and insects.

When the sound became too much he would wedge his thumb into the grooves of the popcorn ceiling, flicking the bumps of vermiculite onto the sheets and leaving behind elaborate pathways of overhead highway systems.

Afterwards he would gather the bits of fallen ceiling and drop the pieces into his ears, pressing his fingers inside to impact them deeper—reveling in the pops and crackles until both were fully plugged and he could hear nothing.