All summer and autumn, an elderly woman installed sharp wooden stakes on the roof of her house: everyone was convinced the old lady had gone mad… until winter came 

For several weeks in a row, the old woman climbed onto the roof every single day and installed “sharp wooden stakes.” There were more and more of them. The roof looked strange and even frightening. At first, people in the village just watched, then they began to whisper.

— Have you seen her house?

— I have. Ever since her husband died, it seems she’s completely lost her mind…

The neighbors were sure of it: something was wrong with the woman. Her husband had died a year earlier, she was left alone, barely spoke to anyone. And now — this.

The rumors grew with each passing day. Some said she was protecting herself from evil spirits. Others were convinced it was some kind of strange renovation. And the “boldest” even spread talk that the old woman had “started a sect right in her own home.”

— A normal person would never put something like that on their roof, — people whispered outside the store.

— Everything is sharp, like a trap. It’s scary even to look at.

But few people knew how much effort she put into this work. She chose every stake herself. The wood — only dry. She sharpened them carefully, at the right angle. She installed them slowly, checking that everything was secure. She knew the roof by heart — where it was weak, where it needed reinforcement.

Sometimes someone couldn’t take it anymore and asked her directly:

— Why are you doing this? Are you afraid of someone?

She lifted her eyes and calmly replied:

— This is my protection.

— Protection from whom? — people didn’t understand.

— From what is coming.

She explained nothing more.

And then “winter came,” and all the neighbors finally understood why the old woman had worked on the roof all summer and autumn  The continuation of the story can be found in the first comment 

First, it started to snow. Then the wind came. A wind so strong it bent the trees to the ground. People didn’t sleep at night — roofs creaked, fences fell, and in some places the wind tore off roofing sheets.

And that was when the neighbors saw something that left them in shock.

When the storm subsided, they walked through the village to assess the damage. Many roofs were damaged. Hers — not a single board had been torn off.

The stakes had absorbed the impact. The wind crashed against them, lost its force, and was redirected upward. The roof remained intact.

Later, it became clear: the old woman knew exactly what she was doing. The previous winter, a powerful wind had nearly destroyed her house. At that time, her husband was still alive. It was he who told her about this construction — an old method of protection against hurricanes that had once been used in this area.

She simply remembered his words and did exactly as he had taught her.

And only then did people realize: there was not a single drop of madness in that strange roof.