alastair macleod 
A Place to Work 

‘from the town below came the sounds of muffled voices, laughter then footsteps echoing in the paved narrow streets. Siesta was over. She could start work.At night, when it was cooler, human energy emerged renewed. During the day it evaporated away with the heat. For the cicadas it seemed the other way round – perhaps they needed the heat to make their sound or, maybe , just maybe, during the heat of the day, they knew nothing else would be moving, making a sound to compete with them’