A single latex glove

Findings, for the record: the specimen is most commonly observed in one of two habitats, either folded flat inside a cardboard dispenser box mounted beside the counter, sterile and paired with several hundred others of identical size, or alone on asphalt, in a parking lot or gutter, in a state the Committee can only describe as fallen. The transition between these habitats is rarely witnessed directly. A staff member draws it from the box, uses it briefly, and disposes of it correctly in the overwhelming majority of cases; the minority of cases produce the parking lot specimen, and the Committee has not reached consensus on the mechanism, though theories were discussed and none were unanimous. The glove itself, examined closely, shows a faint powder residue on the interior surface and a slight discoloration where fingers were, a memory of a hand it no longer holds. Its five digits deflate at different rates depending on wind and humidity, the thumb typically first. Members of the Committee who walk to work report sighting an average of one loose glove per week, a figure one member called suspiciously stable across seasons and streets, prompting a brief and inconclusive debate about whether gloves are dropped or shed. The matter has been tabled. The dispenser box, for its part, continues to produce specimens without apparent concern for where they end up.

The Committee on Ordinary Objects