A Preliminary Report on
Unexplained Acoustic Phenomena
Beginning earlier this year, staff at the Firm's primary office began reporting a recurring chirping sound of unknown origin. This report summarizes findings to date. The matter remains open.
Background
The first report was filed on a Tuesday. The description on file reads, in full: "chirping, brief, unclear direction." Facilities investigated and found nothing. A second, near-identical report followed later that same week. By the end of the month, the pattern had repeated often enough that staff stopped filing individual reports and began referring to the phenomenon collectively, and without much ceremony, as the crickets.
Observations
Findings are presented in the order they were logged. No pattern connecting them has been established.
Frequency
Chirping occurs at irregular intervals, typically one to three times per day. No correlation with time of day, day of week, or occupancy has been identified.
Physical evidence
No cricket, live or otherwise, has ever been recovered. No droppings, shells, or other insect remains have been found in any location where the sound has been reported.
Location
The sound has been reported in at least four distinct areas of the office, on occasion on the same day. No single point of origin has been triangulated.
Documentation
The chirping has never been captured on camera or in an audio recording, despite several attempts, one of which is detailed in Section Three.
Staff testimony
One staff member reports that the chirping "sounds closer when you stop looking for it." This claim has not been independently verified and is included here for completeness only.
Attempts at resolution
Facilities requested a pest control inspection. The inspector found no evidence of insects, living or dead, and declined to bill for the visit, reportedly "on principle." A motion-triggered recording device was subsequently installed near a suspected source; over eleven days it captured forty minutes of a printer. An informal betting pool was started among staff regarding the chirping's origin. No payouts have been issued, as no theory has been confirmed or ruled out.
Current status
The chirping continues. It is not loud. It is not constant. It is, however, extremely reliable, and has now outlasted two office reorganizations, one facilities contractor, and at least one employee's attempt to simply get used to it. The Firm considers this matter unresolved and will update this report if new information becomes available.
This report is not part of the Firm's regulatory disclosures and should not be relied upon for any purpose.