
Vorspiel
Wer von Lenggries an der Isar aufwärts wandert
Zu was brauchst denn du dös viele Wasser?
Als Friedl vom Heustadl zurückkehrte
Eine Weile war Stille
Das Grau der ersten Dämmerung
Als die Sterne funkelten
Modei trat aus der Tür
Anderen Tages, am Sonntag
Als Friedl die Hütte umschritten hatte
A cold December night drapes the Alpine village of Lenggries in silence, the snow‑capped peaks cutting sharply against a deep, star‑spangled sky. The only sound is the relentless rush of the Isar and the occasional bark of a locked‑out dog, while a lone night‑watcher, Veri, trudges through the drifts in his fur‑lined coat and spiked staff. He pauses at a modest farmhouse, knocking insistently on a frosted window until a weary girl finally opens a crack, her voice barely rising above the wind.
Veri’s routine is a mix of duty and melancholy, his nightly chant once echoing from the village tower now forbidden by a recent edict. Beneath the stark beauty of the winter landscape, a subtle tension builds—what hidden dangers might the darkness conceal, and how will the watchman’s solitary vigil shape the lives of those he passes? The story unfolds with a quiet, rustic charm, inviting listeners to step into a world where every creak of wood and whisper of wind hints at deeper secrets waiting to emerge.
Language
de
Duration
~6 hours (355K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2021-01-29
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1855–1920
Best known for vivid Alpine tales full of mountain life, local tradition, and drama, this German writer reached a huge audience in his lifetime. His stories proved enduringly popular and were adapted for the screen again and again.
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