Wusel the water spirit at Lake Achensee
Many years ago, the people of the Achensee region lived happily. Both on land and on the water, there was bustling, cheerful activity, and many visitors enjoyed boat trips on the lake. But one day, a horrible green monster emerged from Lake Achensee and terrified everyone. Wusel, the water spirit, caused all sorts of mischief, stealing picnic baskets and umbrellas, making people too afraid to venture out onto the lake.
This caught the attention of the little forest fairy MellyBelly, who felt pity for the people. So she and her best friend Bobbix set off to confront the lake monster. When they arrived at Lake Achensee, they went out on the water with the ship's captain.
At first, everything was calm. But suddenly, the wind picked up, and the ship began to rock back and forth on the waves. Without warning, Wusel, the water spirit, rose from the depths with a loud scream, ready to defeat MellyBelly, Bobbix, and the captain. The forest fairy was startled, but didn’t show it. She stood up in front of Wusel and splashed him in the face with her secret elixir - a strong-smelling mixture of black Tiroler Steinöl® (shale oil). Wusel rubbed his eyes and screamed in pain. His hands stuck to the oil, his eyes burned, and he writhed in agony as he pleaded: "Help me! Somebody help me! Get this sticky stuff off my face!"
MellyBelly and Bobbix grinned. "Wusel," they said, "we want to help you - but first you must agree to our conditions! From now on, you won't scare people or steal anything. And above all, you'll be kind to children. Do you promise?" Wusel surrendered and nodded frantically. "I promise! Just get this terrible stuff off my face! I'll do anything you want!" Bobbix took his drink bottle filled with fresh Tirolean spring water and washed the shale oil off Wusel's face. And guess what happened?
The ugly monster transformed! Wusel’s hideous scaly skin, covered in red spots, disappeared. The Tiroler Steinöl® had made his skin beautiful and soft. On this day, the Achensee ship returned to the pier for the first time without being hassled.
From that day on, Wusel became friendly and kind to everyone. He was especially considerate of children and even built the "Wusel lake trail" to entertain them with games and puzzles. To thank Wusel for changing his ways and for all his good deeds afterward, he was made the official Achensee mascot. Since then, every child who participates in the Achensee's children's programme can look forward to receiving a small Wusel pendant for their rucksack.
