Winter had descended on the small town in question and it was cold as ice. There were no people on the sidewalks, no cars, even the snow on the streets appeared to be thick and untouched. The banks of the roads were lined with the barks of trees, which were stiff as if they had been frozen while standing fully bare. This was a time when the days had become extremely compressed, and the sun would appear for a very short time before it disappeared back in the depths of the cold.