18.12.02 (amended)

At the end of another day, in th equiet off the alleyways, the side streets, and in the ginnels - and in the most lonesome and empty rooms of the houses - the universe unwinds. The noise is like the all the conversations you've ever heard, all the sounds of the day, slowly being reversed, out and in again, the sound of a giant's great slumber. You mustn't wake the giant, for he needs his rest
Some forget this. And when it happens, the giant deals with interruptions - say, the child who wonders about his parents' house after they have gone to sleep - with quiet efficiency.