swamp. Beneath them they glimpsed dark creatures that swam out and in between the roots of the trees, there was a splashing and a ducking, and the mist came stealing over them.
Suddenly the small creature said: 'I want to go home now!'
'Don't be afraid, small creature,' said Moomintroll in a quavering voice. 'We'll sing something cheerful and...'
At that very moment their tulip went out and it was completely dark. And from the darkness they heard a hissing, and felt the water-lily leaf swaying. 'Quick, quick!' cried Moominmamma. 'The Great Serpent is coming!'
They stuck their tails in deeper, and paddled with all their might so that the water gushed at the prow.
Now they could see the Serpent swimming behind them. It looked nasty, and its eyes were cruel and yellow.
They paddled as hard as they could, but it kept gaining on them, and was already opening its mouth, with its long, quivering tongue. Moomintroll put his hands in front of his eyes and cried: 'Mamma!' and then he waited to be eaten.
But nothing happened. Then he looked cautiously between his fingers. Something very remarkable had happened. Their tulip was glowing again, it had opened all its petals and in the midst of them stood a girl with bright blue hair that reached all the way down to her feet.
Brighter and brighter glowed the tulip. The Serpent began to blink, and suddenly it turned right round with an angry hissing and slid down into the mud.
Moomintroll, his mother and the small creature were so agitated and surprised that for a long time they were unable to say anything.
At last Moominmamma said solemnly: 'Thank you very much for your help, miss.' And Moomintroll bowed more deeply than he had ever done before, for the blue-haired girl was the most beautiful he had seen in all his life.
'Were you inside the tulip all the time?' asked the small creature, shyly. 'It's my house,' she said. 'You may call me Tulippa.'
And so they paddled slowly over to the other side of the swamp. Here the ferns were thick, and below them Moominmamma made a nest in the moss for them to sleep in. Moomintroll lay close to his mother, listening to the song of the frogs out on the swamp. The night was full of strange, desolate sounds, and it was a long time before he fell asleep.
Next morning Tulippa led the way for them, and her blue hair shone like the brightest ultra-violet lamp.
The path climbed steeper and steeper, and at last the mountain rose straight up, so high that they could not see where it ended.
'I expect there's sunshine up there,' the small creature said, longingly. 'I'm so dreadfully cold.'
'So am I,' said Moomintroll. And then he sneezed.
'What did I tell you?' said his mother. 'Now you've got a cold. Please sit here while I make a fire.' And then she gathered together an enormous heap of dry branches and lit it with a spark from Tulippa's blue hair. They sat, all four of them, looking into the fire while Moominmamma told them stories. She told them about what it was like when she was young, when moomintrolls did not need to travel through fearsome forests and swamps in order to find a place to live in.
In those days they lived together with the house-trolls in the houses of human beings, mostly behind their stoves. 'Some of us still live there now,' said Moominmamma. 'But only where people still have stoves. We don't like central heating.'
'Did the people know we were there?' asked Moomintroll.
'Some of them did,' said his mother. 'They felt us mostly as a cold draught in the backs of their necks sometimes - when they were alone.'
'Tell us something about Moominpappa,' asked Moomintroll.
'He was an unusual Moomintroll,' said his mother, thoughtfully and sadly. 'He was always wanting to move, from one stove to the next. He was never happy where he was. And then he disappeared - took off with the Hattifatteners, those little wanderers.'
'What sort of folk are they?' asked the small creature.
'Little troll-creatures,' explained Moominmamma.
Suddenly the small creature said: 'I want to go home now!'
'Don't be afraid, small creature,' said Moomintroll in a quavering voice. 'We'll sing something cheerful and...'
At that very moment their tulip went out and it was completely dark. And from the darkness they heard a hissing, and felt the water-lily leaf swaying. 'Quick, quick!' cried Moominmamma. 'The Great Serpent is coming!'
They stuck their tails in deeper, and paddled with all their might so that the water gushed at the prow.
Now they could see the Serpent swimming behind them. It looked nasty, and its eyes were cruel and yellow.
They paddled as hard as they could, but it kept gaining on them, and was already opening its mouth, with its long, quivering tongue. Moomintroll put his hands in front of his eyes and cried: 'Mamma!' and then he waited to be eaten.
But nothing happened. Then he looked cautiously between his fingers. Something very remarkable had happened. Their tulip was glowing again, it had opened all its petals and in the midst of them stood a girl with bright blue hair that reached all the way down to her feet.
Brighter and brighter glowed the tulip. The Serpent began to blink, and suddenly it turned right round with an angry hissing and slid down into the mud.
Moomintroll, his mother and the small creature were so agitated and surprised that for a long time they were unable to say anything.
At last Moominmamma said solemnly: 'Thank you very much for your help, miss.' And Moomintroll bowed more deeply than he had ever done before, for the blue-haired girl was the most beautiful he had seen in all his life.
'Were you inside the tulip all the time?' asked the small creature, shyly. 'It's my house,' she said. 'You may call me Tulippa.'
And so they paddled slowly over to the other side of the swamp. Here the ferns were thick, and below them Moominmamma made a nest in the moss for them to sleep in. Moomintroll lay close to his mother, listening to the song of the frogs out on the swamp. The night was full of strange, desolate sounds, and it was a long time before he fell asleep.
Next morning Tulippa led the way for them, and her blue hair shone like the brightest ultra-violet lamp.
The path climbed steeper and steeper, and at last the mountain rose straight up, so high that they could not see where it ended.
'I expect there's sunshine up there,' the small creature said, longingly. 'I'm so dreadfully cold.'
'So am I,' said Moomintroll. And then he sneezed.
'What did I tell you?' said his mother. 'Now you've got a cold. Please sit here while I make a fire.' And then she gathered together an enormous heap of dry branches and lit it with a spark from Tulippa's blue hair. They sat, all four of them, looking into the fire while Moominmamma told them stories. She told them about what it was like when she was young, when moomintrolls did not need to travel through fearsome forests and swamps in order to find a place to live in.
In those days they lived together with the house-trolls in the houses of human beings, mostly behind their stoves. 'Some of us still live there now,' said Moominmamma. 'But only where people still have stoves. We don't like central heating.'
'Did the people know we were there?' asked Moomintroll.
'Some of them did,' said his mother. 'They felt us mostly as a cold draught in the backs of their necks sometimes - when they were alone.'
'Tell us something about Moominpappa,' asked Moomintroll.
'He was an unusual Moomintroll,' said his mother, thoughtfully and sadly. 'He was always wanting to move, from one stove to the next. He was never happy where he was. And then he disappeared - took off with the Hattifatteners, those little wanderers.'
'What sort of folk are they?' asked the small creature.
'Little troll-creatures,' explained Moominmamma.
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