The voice in the archive

Text: an original contemporary sound-archive-account-style practice extract.

The archive assistant left me alone with the headphones and a list of recordings. I chose one marked “Harbour, dawn”. At first there was only wind and the clank of a loose sign. Then a voice said, quite clearly, “You can come in now.” I took off the headphones. The room was empty, and the door was still shut.

I read the label again. The recording had been made years before the archive opened, at a place nowhere near this building. I put the headphones back on. The voice returned, smaller beneath the wind, followed by a scrape and a pause. I wondered whether the words had been meant for someone standing beside the recorder. That possibility made the empty chair opposite me feel less empty than it had a moment earlier.

When the assistant came back, I asked whether the recording had been edited. She said she did not know. I thanked her and took the headphones off for the final time. Out in the corridor, I could hear the building’s ordinary ventilation. I waited until the assistant had caught up before walking to the exit.

In this extract, the writer tries to create an atmosphere of unease.

Evaluate how successfully this is achieved. Support your views with detailed reference to the extract.