Pilpasuo

Pilpasuo is the widest wetland in Oulu and protected by Natura 2000. It has ditches but now people are working to get it back to its virgin state.

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Once upon a time there was a huge wetland which was surrounded by a deep, dark forest. There lived hundreds of birds and animals, others in the moor and others in the woods. But there also lived a bunch of weird creatures that are now forgotten. Nowadays they live only in our stories, or at least we believe so. These creatures are known as the Woodland sprites. They're goblins, fairies, spirits, elves and other small and inconspicuous things and they like to live in peace. So, they lived in the moor and in the woods, in a perfect harmony with nature and animals. Sometimes people came and picked up some berries and mushrooms, but they never disturbed the Woodland sprites and sprites never disturbed them.

One day some men came to the wetland but they weren't after berries. One little elf saw them and got a bad feeling about it, but the days passed by and nothing happened. Little elf forgot it all and lived his life. But then the machines arrived. The machines of doom, like little elf started to call them.

Foxes, squirrels, ducks, black woodpeckers, snakes, frogs and all other birds and animals fled. The machines were destroying wetland and chopping trees down. Little elf ran to the oldests and told them everything he had seen. It was time the Woodland sprites to gather. Long long time ago they did have a leader, but god of Woodland had disappeared and haven't seen since, so now they had to survive on their own. They talked and talked and finally decided that they should fight back and give a hard lesson to people. Young goblins were blood-thirsty but wise oldests said that the blood will not be bled because the sprites aren't as cruel as people.

 

So the Woodlans sprites went to the war. They broke in to the machines and trashed their dashboards and stole their papers. Some animals came back and joined the vengeance. Vipers hissed and bit and curlews shitted on people's heads. Damage wasn't so big but it annoyed men. The sprites shifted the gear. They attacked harder but only in the night when it was gloomy. Wetland itself striked too. The machines which were diging trenches sinked soggy spots and thousands and thousands of mosquitos teased men so hard it was almost impossible to be outside. But it was beavers that made the final touch. Falling trees were too much for men to handle. People gave up and left and finally wetland and its woods were free. Rest of the animals and birds came back and the Woodland sprites had a great feast.

Nowadays people do come to wetland and woods, but only to pick up berries and mushrooms and to hike. People do no harm to the sprites and the sprites let people be too. Nature has its own scars and they're still to be seen. But they'll heal and in the end wetland and deep, dark forest will be the same as it use to be, but nature never forgets.

"Be all and end all."

 (Shakespeare)

- Pykällys