spirals of heavy , damp air circulated lethargically around the wheels of the pram , spilling in and out of the metal spokes in the wheels , oozing lazily across the ground like an oil spill on the surface of the sea ; other , more energetic , airborne apparitions , seemingly teased the pedestrian progress of the three-wheeled conveyance , a phantasmagoria appearing enticingly in front of the vehicle before vanishing entirely just before the buggy was able to catch up and engulf them beneath its rubber tread .