The Single Red Light

A darkened examination room of a shipping office at the Liverpool docks at dusk, on a bare oak table a flat round drum lantern about twenty-five centimetres across of brushed silver-grey sheet metal on three slender copper-coloured legs, on its top a plain cream-white ring around a copper knob, a small pointer and a round peephole, two side slide bars with copper grips, beneath it a black lamp socket with a brown cloth cable, from the peephole a single small red light falling on the table, a hand in a navy wool sleeve pushing a copper grip, peaked caps on hooks, beyond the window blue dusk and dark harbour cranes.