A t the bus stop, the milling crowd suddenly contracts on cue as the bus pulls in.
People shuffle with tiny steps toward the door, then crush aggressively through the opening.
The faces in the bus windows are passive, almost indifferent, as the bus carries them away. The sun rises slowly, as though held in place by the thick chill in the air. On Lenin Square, a giant pink granite statue of the leader faces east, greeting the dawning of a new day.