Red Exit Sign Reflection on School Lockers

Dim predawn light fills a school corridor in Hongkou, Shanghai, where rows of steel lockers line the wall. A red exit sign casts a soft, crimson glow that reflects across the curved metal surfaces of the locker doors. The projector beam from an adjacent lecture hall spills faintly across the linoleum floor, illuminating the dust settling on the ground. Late spring silence hangs in the empty laboratory space. The institutional calm rests on the cool gray metal, which turns deep burgundy where the light touches. A distorted reflection of the red sign runs along the bottom edge of the nearest locker door.