 Three days and two nights after running away Jorg finally found his way back to the little cottage in the woods. He was filthy from head to foot; his knees had worn through his breeches and his shirt was torn where he had caught it on thorns and brambles. Jorg's fingers strayed to the neck of the leather waterskin strapped across his chest. It had been given to him by an elderly man in Olive Grove, and had kept him well-supplied on his way back to the Kingswood.
The boy stood on tip-toes to peer into the cottage through one of the downstairs. Svea seemed to be the only one there. She was lying on the sofa wrapped in a blanket, and even in the gloom he could see the dark circles under her eyes. Relieved she was alone, Jorg scrambled back to the front step and knocked timidly on the door. The speed of Svea's response had been remarkable and he soon found himself being pulled into a smothering hug.
"I'm sorry," he muttered into her shoulder gathering up her shirt in his fists and closing his eyes; for the first time since he had run away, he felt safe.
"Um...Svea..." Jorg ventured after a while, "I'm hungry."
Jorg sat contentedly in the hot bath with curls of steam rising around him. The water was slowly washing the dirt from his skin. He didn't usually like baths and had no problem with being dirty, but he did like it when Svea made a fuss and looked after him. His nanny was cooking bacon in the kitchen; Jorg could hear it sizzling and the salty smell drifted in through the open door. Svea always made sure he washed with the door open so she could keep an eye on him and Nana kept popping in and out to check he hadn't drowned. Jorg giggled as his stomach gave an audible rumble and patted at it under the water; it wouldn't be long now, he could hear Svea cutting the bread buns in half.
He was distracted from the thought of supper when a fountain of water rose up out of the bath and splashed him in the face. Spluttering, Jorg threw his arms up to protect his face and pressed his back up against the wall of the bath. When the stream of water stopped he peeked out from behind his hands. The water which surrounded him had started to bubble as if it were boiling, but the temperature hadn't changed.
"Svea!" Jorg shouted as the bubbles stopped and another fountain erupted just above the big toe of his left food. "Svea! There's something wrong with the water!" When the second fountain died away the water began to move again, back and forth, back and forth just like the ocean. "Svea, you have to come look. I think the sea found my bath!"
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