28 August 2027
Saturday. One year since the Melbourne lab opened on Collins Street. I baked a cake. I ate the cake. The anniversary was otherwise quiet, if you do not count Gerald, and nobody ever counts Gerald.
Melbourne is the snuggest of the labs and, I am told, the one with the most weather outside it. Survivors come in damp and go out damp, though for different reasons.
A survivor in a wheelchair has asked me about the Melbourne lab, and I must be honest, which is a scientist’s first duty: I cannot confirm it. The Sydney lab takes one wheelchair per session. Northbridge cannot take one at all. For Melbourne, the staff on the phone will give a straight answer before you book, and I would much rather you rang them than trusted me.
The Melbourne staff also have an email address, which they answer, which is more than can be said for mine. Everything sent to me comes to the storeroom, where I file it under biscuits.
Happy birthday, Melbourne lab. Gerald sends his regards. They are mostly growls.
— Dr Morrow, Storeroom B
