The chilly breeze whistled through the trees, snatching up old leaves and tossing them merrily about before dumping them in the swelling drifts of their brethren that seemed to cover the ground like a lumpy mattress. The sun glowed sullenly behind a wall of thick clouds and the air was crisp with last night’s frost. On a small hill by a cottage a man stood, axe in hand, regarding a huge pile of firewood. His hair was only just starting to go grey, and little wrinkles had formed in the corners of his eyes. Steeling himself, he put the first piece of wood on the block and started chopping. Hours later the man stopped for a breather, taking out a loaf of bread and a jug of weak beer to fortify himself with. As he ate, he noticed a familiar figure in the distance. “Hey! Memory man! Don’t just stand there! Come say hello.” The oddly dressed man came ambling up the hill, regarding the woodpile with interest. “That’s quite a lot of wood.” He remarked. “Are you really going to chop all of that up before winter?” “Well, my father always said to make sure you’ve got more wood stored than you really think you’ll need. After all, who knows what will happen next year.” “Will all this really fit in your woodshed, though?” “I’m not sure, really.” The man chuckled. “But here’s hoping.” “Isn’t it a bit much to chop all by yourself, though?” “I suppose, but Ellie and Melody are out visiting relatives in the next town over, and my boy Jake went with them to see his sweetheart. Good girl she is, too. She’ll see him right.” “Still, this is hardly a job for one man. You’d be working until the snows came.” “Oh, it’s not as bad as all that. Jake’ll be back tomorrow, and then he can help out.” “Still, seems a shame for you to be out all alone in the cold like this, especially at your time of life.” “Hah. ‘At your time of life’ he says. You’re older than me by how much, exactly?” “Never you mind that. What I meant is, do you need a hand?” “I could use one to be sure. There’s a basket over there, and the woodshed’s right next to the house. If you carry, I’ll chop.” With a nod the strange man set to work, and for the next few hours the two of them did what they could to stock the woodshed for the winter. By the time the sun set they’d made quite a bit of headway, and it was in a pleasant mood that they bade each other farewell.