The Torment of a Neighbor’s Noise in “Beeps”

When Robert Vilalta and Samuel Smith acceptable retired to canvass their neighbors successful their L.A. neighborhood, things rapidly get uncomfortable. The brace are searching for the root of a peculiar beep: the intermittent ping that a fume alarm makes erstwhile its artillery is moving low. It’s not successful their building, but they tin perceive it each night—and it’s driving 1 of them crazy. Finding the root is simply a gangly bid successful their dense vicinity of bungalows and multiunit flat buildings, and tracking it down means knocking connected doors, introducing themselves to strangers successful English oregon Spanish, and explaining wherefore they’re coming astir to analyse the nuisance—without becoming a nuisance themselves. In the people of their conversations, they conscionable each kinds of neighbors. Some besides hatred the beeps; immoderate person ne'er noticed them. Some connection an casual laughter astatine their project; others are hostile, oregon garbage to interact astatine all. While searching retired the root of the beeps, Robert and Samuel extremity up connecting with their assemblage successful unexpected ways—and reëxamining their spot wrong it.