“There was chalk, rain and rain all around. The November evening quarreled with both autumn and winter, who should kill pedestrians. Fountains of dirty slurry from under cars spat at the people like autumn, and a blizzard of wet snow whipped passers-by like winter. People at the bus stop huddled in a corner, but even there there was no escape from the fighting elements and from the Schumachers. Buses and minibuses are extinct. The aquarium of the stop, covered with icy mud, could no longer accommodate those who wanted to leave...”