Thus nature and culture confront each other in the city, in a permanent symbolic and real battle, the outcome of which is hard to predict for those witnessing it. Mostly they seem to choose the side of culture – but we should not jump to conclusions, it seems more likely that they are divided over the matter, that the visible, external battle mirrors a battle within.  Séva showed this clearly enough. He was reading the paper, and happened across an item that fascinated him, so he read it aloud to me: it was about a hurricane on Kamchátka, which wrecked havoc with lots of little villages. "It just blew them to the devil! Roofs and people and cars and fishermen and boats!" With considerable satisfaction he added: "That's nature for you, eh?!"