Amir unhooked the shutters. It was a wonderful time of day, when the sun started to dip below the city skyline and the daytime crowds started to thin. The great markets of The Jewelled City never slept, there was always someone around, something being traded, something to see, but there were lulls. Lulls like this one at twilight, when all the respectable stallholders had started to close up for the night and the daytime shoppers had dispersed. Later, a tidal wave of noise and passion would arrive carrying crowds of nighttime revellers looking for exotic nightlife and dancing girls. But that wouldn’t be for a few hours yet; there was time for Amir to enjoy the peace.
Uncle Yousuf had gone home over an hour ago, leaving Amir to deal with the last few customers before he closed up the booth
