Sleeping

Footsteps in an unfamiliar apartment. Footsteps with sand underneath them. Carefully treading as if not to make too much noise. They are coming from either next door or upstairs.

I turn the light back on to reassess where I am. I spend some time looking at the ceiling. Square around the edge, cornicing very intricate but not flowery more ancient greek influenced. The circle in the middle of the room used to have a candelabra hanging from it, the hook is still there. Electric light was introduced and fed through a drilled hole in the ceiling off-centre at the edge of the central piece. All the rooms are like this with the electric overheads jutting through like they were done yesteday, unfinished and off-centre.

I listen to the road. Cars - familiar but these are spanish sounding ones. They are the same cars but they sound foreign. Or maybe the road sounds foreign. Interspersed with the urgent sound of scooters bombing up and down the street. Very spanish. Boys in t-shirts and shorts but no helmets. Throwing limes at pedestrians.

Its too hot to sleep. Stifling even at 1.00am. The thin white cotton sheet feels heavy on my body. Haven´t had time to acclimatise yet.