Chapter Text
It had been a lovely summer’s day, in Moomintroll’s expert opinion. Snufkin had been back in Moominvalley for a comfortable few weeks, pitching his tent in the usual spot by the river. The sun had been bright and warm all day, with just the right amount of breeze to ruffle one’s fur and cool one’s body. All of them – Moomintroll, Snufkin and Snorkmaiden, Little My and Sniff – had spent the full day exploring the woods, playing hide-and-seek in the trees (although Moomintroll couldn’t help but think they were – with the exception of Sniff – getting a little big for such games), and foraging for wild raspberries. Moomintroll had picked a lilac and Snorkmaiden had put it behind her ear.
After that, they sat together, talking about the ways they wanted to enjoy the summer. Snorkmaiden brushed her hair, Moomintroll made a wreath of acacia for Snufkin’s hat (although he didn’t say that was what it was for – Snufkin would rather leave if he did), and Little My terrorised Sniff in a relatively friendly manner.
It was almost exactly like the long summer days they spent together as children, with the addition of Little My, of course.
Almost, that is, until –
“My love, shouldn’t we spend a little time just the two of us?” Snorkmaiden asked, taking his arm and looking at him, eyes full of hope.
Oh dear. It seemed like they couldn’t spend any time together lately without Snorkmaiden wanting to inject some romance into the situation. It had started to be a source of dread, especially since he seemed to so rarely get it right. Even when she liked it, it all felt a little awkward, like Moomintroll didn’t know what he was doing.
Still, there were certain ways a gentleman needed to act around a lady, especially a pretty one like Snorkmaiden. He knew from books and Pappa’s stories, and he simply needed a little more practice for it to feel more natural.
“Of course, my darling,” he replied, and searched his brain for all the romantic things they could do just the two of them. “Shall we walk?”
Walks were romantic, he supposed.
Little My, Snufkin, and Sniff were too busy arguing over whether a toadstool is poisonous to notice them slipping off. Moomin couldn’t help but be a little sore over it – he really wanted to see whether Sniff would try eating it, and whether Little My’s knowledge of poisons would win out over Snufkin’s knowledge of foraging.
“Oh, aren’t the woods just beautiful this time of year, Moomin?” Snorkmaiden said, squeezing his paw.
Moomintroll personally thought Snufkin was right. If he said the toadstools were safe, they probably were. After all, Snufkin had spent most of his childhood surviving alone in the wild, and had travelled to many incredible places down south, living off the local land. It was probably a very exciting way to live, and incredibly impressive he managed it so easily. Moomintroll wondered if he would do well, living like that. He had, after all, managed to spend time awake over winter (admittedly with Too-Ticky and his Ancestor’s help), and he was getting bigger and more resourceful.
“You know. I’ve always thought it would be rather lovely to live in the woods.”
Perhaps he could ask Snufkin to show him how to build a real fire and a lean-to. Just basic survival skills, that sort of thing. Of course, he could ask Pappa, but lately he wasn’t quite sure if Pappa was as skilled with adventuring as he acted. No, no, the best thing to do would be to ask Snufkin.
“Little My said you built a house winter before last! For the Mymble and her many children. Do you think you’d be able to build us something like that, one day, my love?”
Perhaps Snufkin would let Moomintroll accompany him on an adventure. Oh, of course, he needed his space, yes, yes, Moomintroll understood and appreciated that very well, but perhaps just a short adventure. Just so Moomintroll could get that experience of living in the wild. And it would be fun to spend that sort of time with Snufkin, it felt like there was rarely a moment just the two of them lately...
“Moomintroll, if you were to build us a little house, do you think we could have it in the woods?”
Perhaps Snufkin would be so impressed with Moomintroll’s natural adventurous spirit, he wouldn’t even feel so inclined to be alone during his winter travels!
“I think I’d rather like to paint it white and pink. What do you think, Moomintroll?”
Perhaps instead of leaving behind just a letter, Snufkin would ask him – well, no, not ask, that was too direct, perhaps he would mention how Moomintroll struggled to sleep during the winter these days, and that being the case, maybe he would be better off joining him down south –
Or, well, perhaps at least he could come to one place with him.
“Moomintroll? Can you imagine us living like that?”
Oh, that would be terribly exciting, but how could he give Snufkin his space and adventure with him as much as he wanted to? Perhaps if they lived together the rest of the year, winter wouldn’t feel quite so harsh…
“Moomintroll! I said, can you see the two of us living together one day?”
“Of course, Snufkin.”
Snorkmaiden released his paw, staring at him. Moomintroll was suddenly brought right back down to earth, weighed down by the knowledge that he was in an incredible amount of trouble.
“Really?” Snorkmaiden snapped. “This again?”
“Snorkmaiden, Snorkmaiden, of course, Snorkmaiden!” Moomintroll shouted, attempting to repair the ship-sinking damage as best he could. “Of course it’s you, my darling, my love, of course! Haha, what did I even say? What a silly slip of the tongue! Both start with similar sounds, you see, dearest, lovely, wow you look very pretty today, didn’t I say?”
Snorkmaiden didn’t even look angry, just disappointed. It is somehow so much worse, it’s outright terrible, and the guilt is enough to turn Moomintroll’s stomach to stone.
“Urgh! It was a slip of the tongue the first time, but –!” Snorkmaiden said. Moomintroll tried to take her paw back, but she backed away, tail lashing and fur beginning to turn wine red around the tips of her ears and snout. Oh dear, oh dear. That was bad. Snorkmaiden hadn’t accidentally changed colour in years.
“Darling, I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. “I’m sure I’ve never done that before.”
“Five times.”
“Well –“
“This season.”
“O -oh, well, perhaps…perhaps I’m becoming ill. Developing a stutter! I shall ask Mamma and –“
Snorkmaiden huffed, and with as much force as she could muster, seized the flower from behind her ear and hurled it into Moomintroll’s face.
“I’m going home!” she said, shouting the last, and then turned on her heel.
“Snorkmaiden, wait!” he cried, but there was no use chasing after Snorkmaiden while she was storming off. Moomintroll knew this through hard-earned experience. He sighed, collapsing to the grass with a moan, resting his arm across his eyes.
Oh woe, oh misery, how difficult it was to be a young Moomin in love! Men and women were simply so different, how could anyone expect to navigate the perilous waters of love! How wonderful the tragedy of it all! How – uh – tragically romantic and…and…
And…so on…and…so forth.
…
Moomintroll found he didn’t enjoy his attempt at melodrama anywhere near as much as he was hoping. He didn’t feel like a Byronic hero who was simply too tortured and complicated to understand the whims of women. Instead he just felt bad in the regular sort of way, which was nowhere near as fun.
He sat up. He hoped that Snorkmaiden at least enjoyed the argument.
“Hahahahahaha! Wow! That was a dee-sas-teeeerrrr!” a strange voice crowed from above.
Moomintroll looked up.
“I mean, really, what was that about?” a strange creature said, lounging on a branch above him. She looked like a fat pink squirrel only with long clear wings like a dragonfly’s. She wore a smock patterned with little flowers, with a large pocket on the stomach, and her accent sounded a little like Too-Ticky’s.
“It’s very rude to eavesdrop, you know,” Moomintroll said sharply.
“Please, it’s not eavesdropping if the entire woods could hear you,” the creature replied, taking to the air with a buzz of her wings. She zipped a little closer to Moomintroll, hovering above his head. “You really are doing the poor girl a disservice, you know. Not to mention what you’re doing to yourself.”
“This is really none of your business, you – who even are you?”
“Oh, just a passer-by,” the creature said with a wave of her paw. “I travel around and enjoy stories from all sorts of creatures. This valley seems to have a great deal of interesting ones. This one is particularly juicy, young Moomintroll, although you are going round and round in circles in it.”
“I’m sure I don’t know what you are talking about,” he said, getting quite frustrated. Was the creature following them around and just listening in on their personal lives? What a rude little animal!
“C’mon, you can’t be totally clueless. You gotta know. At least on some level,” the Passer-by replied, lying on her back in mid-air, paws behind her head as she circled lazily above him.
“I really don’t!” he said, watching her go round and round. “Snorkmaiden and I just…have tiffs now and then, that’s all.”
She tutted.
“Poor Snorkmaiden. You are really being awful by her. And poor Snufkin, as well!”
“W-wait? What?” Moomintroll snapped, something cold coming over him. “What’s Snufkin got do with any of this?”
“It’s awful to him too! You just swapping them back and forth like that, as though they’re just interchangeable!”
“Now that’s quite enough! I, of course, do not think they are interchangeable,” Moomintroll huffed. “I value them both greatly.”
“Hm, hm, hm, doesn’t seem like it from where I’m floating. Seems to me you’re being rotten to both of them,” the Passer-by said, and floating back up to her branch, sitting with one leg crossed over the other, tapping her chin. “You know what? I’ve decided. Something needs to be done.”
The Passer-by dug in her smock and pulled out a black object the shape of a fountain pen. Moomintroll stood, suddenly feeling quite anxious. Whatever that was, he didn’t like the look of it at all.
“Now…what would be a good way to mess with you?” the Passer-by said, expression thoughtful but voice greatly delighted.
“Mess with me?”
“Ah!” the Passer-by said, and began to write in the air in front of her with the pen, ink trailing from the tip, forming funny symbols and letters Moomintroll couldn’t read. Moomintroll’s eyes widened. It wasn’t often one saw someone using magic in the valley, but Moomintroll knew it when he saw it.
“Now, you stop whatever that is! Please, no spells, no curses, I’ll listen to whatever it is you have to say, just don’t –“ Moomintroll began, and was then squirted in the face. He wiped at his face, it came way black – ink.
The Passer-by burst into hysterical laughter, pocketing her pen.
“Hahaha! That should do it! Have fun, little Moomintroll! I’m sure I will!” she said, and then zoomed up into the leaves, vanishing with a swish of her curly tail.
Moomintroll rubbed his eyes, and then looked at the black ink stains all over his paws. His poor lovely fur! This would be a nightmare to clean out – as if the day hadn’t been dreadful enough.
So Moomintroll did what he always did when in distress. He ran home to his mother.
****
“Oh dear, it really is quite the stain” Moominmamma said mildly. “You didn’t run into a squid in the woods, did you?”
“No,” Moomintroll said, as Moominmamma gently dabbed at his stained fur with a damp cloth. “It was some kind of…winged creature. She was even ruder than Little My!”
Moominmamma chuckled.
“Now I’m not sure I believe that’s possible,” she said. “Don’t you worry. My grandmother’s book has an excellent little soap for washing fur. I’ll whip it up and you can go have a nice hot bath and forget all about it.”
“Hmph…” Moomintroll said, wondering if he should talk to his mother about what the Passer-by said that had hurt him so. It seemed like the sort of thing she’d be a sympathetic ear to, and when he was younger he wouldn’t have hesitated for a second.
Now, though, there was something about this particular topic that made him feel rather embarrassed and ashamed. Every time he tried to talk about it, it got all jammed in his throat, like a rough bundle of pine-needles.
He wanted to talk to Mamma about it. He should talk to Mamma about it. He’d been trying, really, but…
Mamma watched him for a second, but Moomintroll found the right words just wouldn’t come. For a second, Moomintroll swore he saw some disappointment flicker across her face, but it was gone as soon as he saw it.
She pressed a kiss to his forehead, stroking his fur with a paw.
“I love you a great deal, dear,” she said, in a tone that Moomintroll didn’t know how to make sense of. “I made a raspberry crumble with what you all brought back today. After your bath, I will warm it up with some fresh cream.”
Moomintroll perked up – Mamma’s fruit crumbles were some of her best desserts.
“I’ll go run the bath now!” he said and rushed up the stairs, the day’s events already quickly forgotten.
Between the hot cocoa, the raspberry crumble, and Sniff’s story of the toadstool he’d safely survived eating, Moomintroll quickly forgot about his argument with Snorkmaiden, as well as tricky little passer-by.
Unknown to him, however, tricky happenings were already afoot.
****
Snorkmaiden woke up in a tent.
This was unusual, as she was certain she had walked back to Snork’s workshop to sleep in her room there. Yet here she was, in a sleeping mat, staring up at the green canvas of a tent.
She sat up and found a large dragonfly sitting on her lap.
Normally, this would be cause enough to scream. At that moment, however, there was nobody around to witness her adorably girlish terror and come rushing into her rescue, so she didn’t see the point. Too sleepy for the fuss, she flicked the dragonfly away.
…With little pink fingers.
Snorkmaiden woke up fully then, looking about her – at the dim lantern, the green smock folded in a rough pile at the foot of the sleeping mat, the mouth-organ and pointed hat laid atop it. She pawed at herself, finding herself much smaller and less furry than before, and her paws then went her head. Instead of her soft, lovely fringe, she found crunchy brown hair that felt like it hadn’t been conditioned in years.
This time, Snorkmaiden really did scream.