Read Online Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson - Free Book Online
Authors: Tove Jansson
Tags: Fiction, General, Fantasy, Juvenile Nonfiction, Classics, Action & Adventure, Family, Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy & Magic, Nature & the Natural World, Seasons, Concepts, winter, Moomins (Fictitious Characters), Environment, Surprise
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away. They wanted him to tumble into abysses. There was only one thing to do. He had to be warned against the Lonely Mountains. But cautiously. So that he wouldn't know that people wanted to get rid of him.
Salome the Little Creep lay awake all the night, pondering. Her small head wasn't accustomed to important thoughts like these, and towards morning she was fast asleep. She slept over morning coffee and dinner, and no one even remembered her existence.
*
After breakfast Moomintroll went up to the skiing slope.
'Hello!' cried the Hemulen. 'Fun to see you here! May I teach you a very simple little turn that's not dangerous in the least?'
'Thanks, not today,' said Moomintroll, feeling a big beast. 'I just passed by for a chat.'
'That's great,' said the Hemulen. 'You're not very chatty, none of you, I've noticed. You always seem to be in a hurry and going off somewhere or other.'
Moomintroll cast him a quick look, but the Hemulen looked simply interested and beaming as usual. Moomintroll took a deep breath and said: 'I happen to know that there are some really wonderful hills in the Lonely Mountains.'
'Are there really?' said the Hemulen.
Oh, yes! Enormous!' Moomintroll continued, nervously. 'The most colossal ups and downs.'
'Ought to give them a try,' said the Hemulen. 'But that's far away. If 'I'm off to the Lonely Mountains we mightn't meet again this side of spring. And that'd be a pity, wouldn't it?'
'Of course,' Moomintroll replied untruthfully, blushing strongly.
'But really, it's quite an idea,' the Hemulen mused on. ' That would be outdoor life indeed! The log-fire in the evenings, and new mountain tops to conquer every morning! Long ravine slopes, untouched snow, crisp and rustling under the rushing skis...'
The Hemulen lapsed into day-dreams. 'You're really a splendid pal to take such interest in my skiing,' he said thankfully after a while.
Moomintroll stared at him. And then he broke out: 'But they're dangerous hills!'
'Not to me,' said the Hemulen calmly. 'Kind of you to warn me, but I really love hills. The bigger the better.'
'But they're impossible!' cried Moomintroll, beside himself now. 'Nothing but steep precipices that don't even hold any snow! I told you wrong, I told you wrong! I remember now that somebody told me that it's quite impossible to ski there!'
'Are you sure?' said the Hemulen wonderingly.
'Believe me,' implored Moomintroll. 'Please, won't you stay with us instead? Besides, I've thought about learning to ski...'
'Well, in that case,' said the Hemulen. 'If you really want me to stay.'
After his conversation with the Hemulen, Moomintroll was far too upset to go home. Instead he wandered down to the shore and strolled along it. He made a large detour around the bathing-house.
He felt more and more unburdened as he walked along. In the end he was nearly exhilarated. He started to whistle and kicked a lump of ice with great skill along his path. And then it slowly started to snow.
It was the first snow-fall since before New Year, and Moomintroll was greatly surprised.
One flake after the other landed on his warm snout and melted away. He caught several in his paw to admire them for a fleeting moment, he looked towards the sky and saw them sinking down straight at him, more and more, softer and lighter than bird's down.
'Oh, it's like this,' thought Moomintroll. 'I believed it simply formed on the ground somehow.'
The air was milder. There was nothing in sight except falling snow, and Moomintroll was caught by the same
kind of excitement he used to feel at times when he was wading out for a swim. He threw off his bath-gown, and himself headlong in to a snowdrift.
'So that's winter too!' he thought. 'You can even like it!'
*
At dusk Salome the Little Creep awoke with an anxious feeling of being late for something. Then she remembered the Hemulen.
She jumped down from the chest of drawers, first to a chair and then to the floor. The drawing-room was empty. Everybody had
Salome the Little Creep lay awake all the night, pondering. Her small head wasn't accustomed to important thoughts like these, and towards morning she was fast asleep. She slept over morning coffee and dinner, and no one even remembered her existence.
*
After breakfast Moomintroll went up to the skiing slope.
'Hello!' cried the Hemulen. 'Fun to see you here! May I teach you a very simple little turn that's not dangerous in the least?'
'Thanks, not today,' said Moomintroll, feeling a big beast. 'I just passed by for a chat.'
'That's great,' said the Hemulen. 'You're not very chatty, none of you, I've noticed. You always seem to be in a hurry and going off somewhere or other.'
Moomintroll cast him a quick look, but the Hemulen looked simply interested and beaming as usual. Moomintroll took a deep breath and said: 'I happen to know that there are some really wonderful hills in the Lonely Mountains.'
'Are there really?' said the Hemulen.
Oh, yes! Enormous!' Moomintroll continued, nervously. 'The most colossal ups and downs.'
'Ought to give them a try,' said the Hemulen. 'But that's far away. If 'I'm off to the Lonely Mountains we mightn't meet again this side of spring. And that'd be a pity, wouldn't it?'
'Of course,' Moomintroll replied untruthfully, blushing strongly.
'But really, it's quite an idea,' the Hemulen mused on. ' That would be outdoor life indeed! The log-fire in the evenings, and new mountain tops to conquer every morning! Long ravine slopes, untouched snow, crisp and rustling under the rushing skis...'
The Hemulen lapsed into day-dreams. 'You're really a splendid pal to take such interest in my skiing,' he said thankfully after a while.
Moomintroll stared at him. And then he broke out: 'But they're dangerous hills!'
'Not to me,' said the Hemulen calmly. 'Kind of you to warn me, but I really love hills. The bigger the better.'
'But they're impossible!' cried Moomintroll, beside himself now. 'Nothing but steep precipices that don't even hold any snow! I told you wrong, I told you wrong! I remember now that somebody told me that it's quite impossible to ski there!'
'Are you sure?' said the Hemulen wonderingly.
'Believe me,' implored Moomintroll. 'Please, won't you stay with us instead? Besides, I've thought about learning to ski...'
'Well, in that case,' said the Hemulen. 'If you really want me to stay.'
After his conversation with the Hemulen, Moomintroll was far too upset to go home. Instead he wandered down to the shore and strolled along it. He made a large detour around the bathing-house.
He felt more and more unburdened as he walked along. In the end he was nearly exhilarated. He started to whistle and kicked a lump of ice with great skill along his path. And then it slowly started to snow.
It was the first snow-fall since before New Year, and Moomintroll was greatly surprised.
One flake after the other landed on his warm snout and melted away. He caught several in his paw to admire them for a fleeting moment, he looked towards the sky and saw them sinking down straight at him, more and more, softer and lighter than bird's down.
'Oh, it's like this,' thought Moomintroll. 'I believed it simply formed on the ground somehow.'
The air was milder. There was nothing in sight except falling snow, and Moomintroll was caught by the same
kind of excitement he used to feel at times when he was wading out for a swim. He threw off his bath-gown, and himself headlong in to a snowdrift.
'So that's winter too!' he thought. 'You can even like it!'
*
At dusk Salome the Little Creep awoke with an anxious feeling of being late for something. Then she remembered the Hemulen.
She jumped down from the chest of drawers, first to a chair and then to the floor. The drawing-room was empty. Everybody had
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