Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson Page B
Authors: Tove Jansson
Tags: General, Fantasy, Juvenile Nonfiction, Classics, Action & Adventure, Family, Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy & Magic, Moomins (Fictitious Characters), Children's Stories; Swedish, Comets, Swedish Fiction, Misadventures
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bottom, which he had inherited from his aunt. They only had to tie up the neck and the armholes and it made a perfect balloon.
The Hemulen cursed and muttered fiercely, but nobody paid any attention to him, because away on the horizon they could see the real tornado approaching. It looked like a great spiral-shaped cloud, and it came whirling over the forest with a wild howling roar, rooting up the trees and throwing them down like match-sticks.
'Hold on with all your might,' shouted Moomintroll, and they all caught hold of the frill on the Hemulen's dress, and knotted their tails together for safety's sake. The tornado had arrived!
For quite a long time they could neither hear nor see. But the Hemulen's dress lifted them up, higher and higher, and carried them over the moor, over mountain tops and dried up lakes, on and on, and twilight came, and then darkness, before the tornado lost its breath and died. At last they came to rest and found the balloon had hitched itself up in a tall plum tree.
'Well, strike me pink!' exclaimed Moomintroll. 'Are you all still here?'
'I'm here,' said the Hemulen, 'and I wish to point out now, before anything else happens, that I will not join in these childish games in future. If you will fool about like this you must do it without me.'
This time they all felt too exhausted to start explaining everything to the Hemulen again.
'I'm still here, and I've got my looking-glass too,' said the Snork maiden.
'And I've got my hat,' said Snufkin, 'and the mouth-organ.'
'But my exercise book might be anywhere,' said the Snork miserably, 'and I had written down everything that has to be done when a comet comes. Now what are we going to do?'
'Well never mind that now,' said Moomintroll. 'Where's Sniff?'
'Here,' piped a feeble voice, 'if it really is me and not some poor bit of wreckage left over by the storm.'
'It's you all right,' said the Hemulen. 'I'd know your squeak anywhere. And perhaps I could have my dress back now.'
'Why, certainly,' said Moomintroll. 'And thank you for the loan of it.'
The Hemulen grumbled and puffed as he pulled his dress over his head, but luckily he couldn't see in the dark how the tornado had treated it!
They spent the night in the plum tree, very close together, and they were so tired after their journey that they didn't wake up till twelve o'clock the next day.
CHAPTER 11
Which is about a coffee-party, the flight to the cave and the arrival of the comet.
T HE seventh of October was windless and very hot. Moomintroll woke up and gave a huge yawn. Then he shut his mouth with a snap and his eyes opened very wide.
'Do you realize what today is?' he asked.
'The comet!' whispered Sniff.
My goodness, it was big! The red had turned to yellowish-white now, and round it was a circle of dancing flames. The wood seemed to be waiting, breathless... The ants were in their ant hills, the birds in their nests, and every one of the little creeping things of the forest, who had not already left the place, had found somewhere to hide.
'What's the time?' asked Moomintroll.
'Ten past twelve,' answered the Snork.
Nobody said another word. They clambered down the tree and set off as fast as they could towards home.
Only the Hemulen went on making small, angry noises to himself, about the stamps and the ruined dress in turns.
'Be quiet now,' said the Snork.' We have more important things to think about.'
'Do you think the comet will reach Moomin Valley before us?' whispered the Snork maiden.
'We'll get there in time,' said Moomintroll. But he looked worried.
The swarm of grass-hoppers had certainly not been this way, because the wood was green again, and the slope in front of them was white with flowers.
'Would you like a flower to put behind your ear?' asked Moomintroll.
'Good gracious, no!' answered the Snork maiden. 'I'm much too worried to think about things like that.'
Meanwhile Sniff had gone ahead, and suddenly they heard him give a shout of
The Hemulen cursed and muttered fiercely, but nobody paid any attention to him, because away on the horizon they could see the real tornado approaching. It looked like a great spiral-shaped cloud, and it came whirling over the forest with a wild howling roar, rooting up the trees and throwing them down like match-sticks.
'Hold on with all your might,' shouted Moomintroll, and they all caught hold of the frill on the Hemulen's dress, and knotted their tails together for safety's sake. The tornado had arrived!
For quite a long time they could neither hear nor see. But the Hemulen's dress lifted them up, higher and higher, and carried them over the moor, over mountain tops and dried up lakes, on and on, and twilight came, and then darkness, before the tornado lost its breath and died. At last they came to rest and found the balloon had hitched itself up in a tall plum tree.
'Well, strike me pink!' exclaimed Moomintroll. 'Are you all still here?'
'I'm here,' said the Hemulen, 'and I wish to point out now, before anything else happens, that I will not join in these childish games in future. If you will fool about like this you must do it without me.'
This time they all felt too exhausted to start explaining everything to the Hemulen again.
'I'm still here, and I've got my looking-glass too,' said the Snork maiden.
'And I've got my hat,' said Snufkin, 'and the mouth-organ.'
'But my exercise book might be anywhere,' said the Snork miserably, 'and I had written down everything that has to be done when a comet comes. Now what are we going to do?'
'Well never mind that now,' said Moomintroll. 'Where's Sniff?'
'Here,' piped a feeble voice, 'if it really is me and not some poor bit of wreckage left over by the storm.'
'It's you all right,' said the Hemulen. 'I'd know your squeak anywhere. And perhaps I could have my dress back now.'
'Why, certainly,' said Moomintroll. 'And thank you for the loan of it.'
The Hemulen grumbled and puffed as he pulled his dress over his head, but luckily he couldn't see in the dark how the tornado had treated it!
They spent the night in the plum tree, very close together, and they were so tired after their journey that they didn't wake up till twelve o'clock the next day.
CHAPTER 11
Which is about a coffee-party, the flight to the cave and the arrival of the comet.
T HE seventh of October was windless and very hot. Moomintroll woke up and gave a huge yawn. Then he shut his mouth with a snap and his eyes opened very wide.
'Do you realize what today is?' he asked.
'The comet!' whispered Sniff.
My goodness, it was big! The red had turned to yellowish-white now, and round it was a circle of dancing flames. The wood seemed to be waiting, breathless... The ants were in their ant hills, the birds in their nests, and every one of the little creeping things of the forest, who had not already left the place, had found somewhere to hide.
'What's the time?' asked Moomintroll.
'Ten past twelve,' answered the Snork.
Nobody said another word. They clambered down the tree and set off as fast as they could towards home.
Only the Hemulen went on making small, angry noises to himself, about the stamps and the ruined dress in turns.
'Be quiet now,' said the Snork.' We have more important things to think about.'
'Do you think the comet will reach Moomin Valley before us?' whispered the Snork maiden.
'We'll get there in time,' said Moomintroll. But he looked worried.
The swarm of grass-hoppers had certainly not been this way, because the wood was green again, and the slope in front of them was white with flowers.
'Would you like a flower to put behind your ear?' asked Moomintroll.
'Good gracious, no!' answered the Snork maiden. 'I'm much too worried to think about things like that.'
Meanwhile Sniff had gone ahead, and suddenly they heard him give a shout of
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