The wheel after bedtime

Original fiction extract.

We had put the hamster’s cage in the spare room because Dad said the kitchen would be too busy. After bedtime, the wheel began. The night had acquired a drummer who knew only one very determined rhythm. Through the wall, I heard the quick rattle stop, wait, then begin again with renewed confidence. Dad opened his door at the same time as I opened mine. We stood in the corridor listening. The hamster continued, unaware that its small private exercise had called a meeting of the household.

Choose one example from the extract and explain how the writer uses language to suggest the sound of the hamster’s wheel at night. Use your own words in your explanation.