The sky blew a gale. The sky blew a fury. The wind became a wall sweepingacross the country, a giant stamping on the land. Small trees bent, bigtrees broke. The last leaves of autumn whirred through the air like lostbullets.

The garbage dump by the gravel pits was deserted. The seagulls thatpatrolled it had found shelter somewhere, but it was still full of movement.

The wind tore into the heaps as though it had something particularagainst old detergent boxes and leftover shoes. Tin cans rolled into theruts and clanked miserably, while lighter bits of rubbish flew up andjoined the riot in the sky.

Still the wind burrowed. Papers rustled for a while, then got caught andblasted away.

Finally one piece that had been flapping for hours tears free and fliesup into the booming air. It looks like a large white bird with oblongwings.

Watch it tumble... .

It gets caught on a fence, but very briefly. Half of it tears off, andnow that much lighter, it pinwheels across the furrows of the field beyond... .

It is just gathering speed when a hedge looms up and snaps it out of theair like a fly.

Chapter 1

I. And in that time were StrangeHappenings: the Air moved harshly, theWarmth of the Sky grew Less, on somemornings the tops of puddles grew Hardand Cold.

II. And the nomes said unto one another, What is this Thing?

-From the Book of Nome, Quarries I, v. I-II

"Winter," said Masklin firmly. "It's called winter."

Abbott Gurder frowned at him.

"You never said it would be like this," he said. "It's so cold."

"Call this cold?" said Granny Morkie. "Cold? This ain't cold. You thinkthis is cold? You wait till it gets really cold!" She was enjoying this, Masklin noticed; Granny Morkie always enjoyed doom. "It'll be really coldthen, when it gets cold. You get real frosts, and water comes down out ofthe sky in frozen bits!" She leaned back triumphantly. "What d'you thinkof that, then? Eh?"