In November, the snow briefly stopped.
The heavy snow had begun in late October, descending with tremendous force. It had occasionally paused, but never for very long.
Whenever the snow stopped, the children ran outside to play simple games, throwing snowballs and building snowmen.
When the snow fell thick and fast, the weather grew far too cold for them to play outside.
On the eleventh day of November, the snow stopped once more.
This time, when the children came outside, they unexpectedly discovered that the snow on the roads was already as thick, packed, and slick as in previous years. Building snowmen seemed rather dull now, so the children's skiing games officially began ahead of the actual ski competition.
At first, only a few children took part, but soon it became a joyous celebration involving them all.
This wave of enthusiasm arose before every skiing event, serving as a warm-up initiated by the children.
Some athletes competing in the event gradually joined the warm-up as well. They trained in small groups and organized friendly matches while taking care to avoid injury. For a time, the area around Snow City bustled with activity.
November eleventh was one of the rare, brilliantly clear days since the heavy snow had begun.
The sun, which had not properly shown itself for a long time, emerged from the hazy veil that usually shrouded it. It suddenly appeared in the azure sky, gazing down at the earth and scattering rays of bright but mild sunlight.
It shone without offering any warmth, but even that was a rare act of generosity.
A few white clouds drifted lazily past it before the wind swept them away without a trace.
Clear winter days lacked spring's warmth, summer's passion, and autumn's bleakness. Instead, they possessed a cool indifference beneath pale