Photo: canesjurij on Pixabay
“I’ll be building what?”
“Holzhausen. Firewood stacks.” Brother Joosep pointed at several rounded structures that looked like hermit huts (and that I had desperately hoped were not accommodation for trekker volunteers).
I didn’t know whether to be happy these weren’t meant as my lodging, or to be terrified at the prospect of having to produce one of those. The contraptions had to be twenty feet tall, and I could not imagine how anyone pulls out a piece of wood without the whole thing toppling on their heads. The mere thought of the Karmic penalty for causing the death of a monk was giving me palpitations.
“Do you need anyone to peel potatoes?” I tried.
The monk grinned. “Brother Ruuben, our cook, has all the hands he requires at the moment. However, we might need you to bring in some wood later. It helps ward off the evening chill.”
Trivia: Holzhausen are a centuries old European method of stacking firewood. Many are about 2 meters tall (6-9 feet), though some – as in the above photo from a Monastery in Estonia – can be upward of 6 meters in height (~ 20 feet). Holzhousen are self-standing structures that are reportedly quick to make and don’t need to be braced. The circular format is not only self-supporting but provides good airflow for split wood to dry quickly. As the wood is stacked, rows are angled down slightly toward the center. This helps drain rain and melted snow and helps support the tapering of the stack.
Na'ama Yehuda 
Very interesting technique! It seems the tourist is a little intimidated or frightened by the woodpiles, in caseshepulls the wrong pick-up stick from the pile. I wish her luck!
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Isn’t it fascinating!? I thought so, too!
Her or him, I wish them luck … 😉
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fascinating one
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Thank you, Lokesh! 🙂
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A really engrossing read.
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Thank you! I didn’t know that much about it myself, and was delighted to learn something new! 🙂
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What a fascinating snippet of knowledge. You used it very well to create your story. I like the MC’s panic at the thought of inadvertently killing a monk!
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🙂 Thank you, Penny! Isn’t it fascinating!? People never fail to amaze me with their creative ingenuity.
As for the Karmic issue … Yeah, I don’t even know what the price of accidentally killing a monk is … 😉
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Very informative, and an entertaining read to boot! thank you
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🙂 Glad you liked it, Violet! Thank you for the comment, too!
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Very cool. Those things look really neat.
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I know!!! They are simply fantastic! Thank you!
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What a fascinating bit of culture you’ve uncovered. Enjoyed the funny and entertaining way you brought it to life. I would have the same fears as your narrator. The last thing I want to be doing is retrieving firewood for those monks!
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Yep. Me three … 😉 I can just SEE myself pulling out the linchpin log … and ….
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Love your choice of photo and the lightly humorous tone. Made me smile
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Yay for smiling–always a good result in my book! 🙂 Isn’t the photo stunning???! I thought it was so good it had to be shared! Thank you for the lovely feedback! Na’ama
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My pleasure!
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Wow, I really like this and learned something about stacking firewood that I had never heard before. Lovely little atmospheric piece, Na’ama, delightful!
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Thank you, Kelvin! I’ve just learned about it myself! 🙂 So it was a way of sharing new knowledge through this piece … Isn’t writing fun!? 🙂
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Tis indeed, Na’ama. 🙂
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🙂
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