Im grünen Tann

In the stark, wind‑blown heights of the southern Black Forest, the landscape is a tapestry of skeletal beeches, weather‑worn thatched roofs and a lone wooden crucifix trembling in the gale. The remote village of Hochschür clings to the “tote Bühl,” a desolate plateau where winter arrives early and the elements dominate daily life. Amidst this rugged backdrop stands the dilapidated inn known as the “Dürrer Ast,” its patched roof and paper‑filled windows bearing silent witness to generations of hardy forest folk.

The innkeeper, a stoic man nicknamed “Streitpeterle,” finds his routine disrupted when a letter from his son arrives, bringing news of a new decree that could upend the village’s long‑standing customs. As he wrestles with the implications of legal action in distant Freiburg, the relentless wind seems to echo his inner turmoil. The story captures the tension between enduring tradition and the encroaching forces of change, all set against a vividly described, unforgiving wilderness.