The night was alive. So thickly was the snow falling that, brushing against a human face in its descent, it resembled the fur of a great beast. The f… - Brian Aldiss

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The night was alive. So thickly was the snow falling that, brushing against a human face in its descent, it resembled the fur of a great beast. The fur was less cold than suffocating: it occupied space normally taken up by air and sound. But when the sledge stopped, the staid brazen tongue of a bell could be distantly heard.