Tove Jansson - Comet in Moominland

Which is about Moomintroll and Sniff following a mysterious path to the sea, pearl-fishing, the discovery of a cave and how the Muskrat avoided catching a cold.

T HE Moomin family had been living for some weeks in the valley where they had found their house after the dreadful flood (which is another story). It was a wonderful valley, full of happy little animals and flowering trees, and there was a clear narrow river that came down from the mountain, looped round Moominhouse and disappeared in the direction of another valley, where no doubt other little animals wondered where it came from.

One morning it was the morning that Moomintrolls pappa finished building a bridge over the river the little animal, Sniff, made a discovery. (There were still plenty of things left for them to discover in the valley.) He was wandering in the forest when he suddenly noticed a path he had never seen before winding mysteriously into the green shadows. Sniff was spellbound and stood gazing at it for several minutes.

Its funny about paths and rivers, he mused. You see them go by, and suddenly you feel upset and want to be somewhere else wherever the path or the river is going perhaps. I shall have to tell Moomintroll about this, and we can explore it together, because it would be a bit risky for me to go alone. Then he carved a secret sign on a tree-trunk with his pen-knife, so that he could find the place again, and thought proudly: Moomintroll will be surprised. And after that he scooted home as fast as he could so as not to be late for lunch.

Moomintroll was just putting up a swing when Sniff got home. He seemed very interested in the mysterious path, and directly after lunch they set off to have a look at it.

Half-way up the hill on their way grew a clump of blue-trees covered with big yellow pears, and of course they couldnt get past that without Sniff deciding that he was hungry.

Wed better only take the windfalls, said Moomintroll, because mamma makes jam from these. But they had to shake the tree a little so that there were some windfalls.

Sniff was very pleased with their haul. You can carry the provisions, he said, because you havent got anything else to do, have you? Im too busy to think about things like that when Im the Path Pioneer.

When they reached the top of the hill they turned and looked down at the valley. Moominhouse was just a blue dot, and the river a narrow ribbon of green: the swing they couldnt see at all. Weve never been such a long way from home before, said Moomintroll, and a little goose-fleshy thrill of excitement came over them at the thought.

Sniff started to snuffle about. He looked at the sun, felt

the direction of the wind, sniffed the air, and in fact behaved in every way like a great Path Pioneer.

It should be somewhere here, he said busily. I made a secret sign with my knife on a plum tree just where it began.

Could it possibly be here? asked Moomintroll pointing to a curly flourish on a tree-trunk on the left.

No! Here it is! screamed Sniff, who had found another curly flourish on a tree-trunk on the right.

At the same time they both caught sight of a third curly flourish on a tree-trunk right in front of them, but it was terribly high up, at least three feet above the ground.

Thats it, Im sure, said Sniff stretching himself. I must be taller than I thought!

Well, strike me pink! exclaimed Moomintroll looking around. There are curly flourishes everywhere! And some of them are nearly a hundred feet up. I think youve found a haunted path, Sniff, and now the spooks are

trying to stop us using it. What do you say to that?

Sniff didnt say anything, but he got very pale about the nose. And at that moment a cackle of spooky laughter broke the silence, and down fell a big blue plum, which nearly hit Moomintroll in the eye. Sniff gave a screech of terror and ran for cover, but Moomintroll was just angry, and had decided to have a look for the enemy when, all of a sudden, he saw who it was. For the first time in his life he was face to face with a silk-monkey!

She was crouching in the fork of a tree: a small, dark, velvety ball. Her face was round and much lighter than the rest of her (about the colour of Sniffs nose when he had washed rather carelessly), and her laugh was ten times bigger than herself,

Stop that horrible cackling! shouted Moomintroll when he saw that she was smaller than he. This is our valley. You can go and laugh somewhere else.

Wretched wretch! muttered Sniff, pretending he hadnt been frightened. But the silk-monkey just hung by her tail and laughed louder than ever. Then she threw some more plums at them and disappeared into the forest with a parting hoot of evil laughter.

Shes running away! screamed Sniff. Come on lets follow her. So off they rushed, scrambling headlong through bushes and brambles under a perfect rain of ripe berries and fircones, while all the little animals underfoot escaped into their holes as quickly as they possibly could.

The silk-monkey swung from tree to tree in front of them; she hadnt enjoyed herself so much for weeks.

Dont you think its ridiculous (puff) to run after a silly little monkey like that, panted Sniff at last. I dont see (puff) that she matters.

Moomintroll agreed to this and they sat down under a tree and pretended to be thinking about something important. The silk-monkey made herself comfortable in the fork of a tree above them and tried to look important too; she was having nearly as much fun as before.

Take no notice of her, whispered Moomintroll. Out loud he said: Good spot this, isnt it Sniff?

Yes. Interesting-looking path too, Sniff answered.

Path, repeated Moomintroll thoughtfully. And then he suddenly noticed where they were. Why, this must be the Mysterious Path, he gasped.

It certainly looked most mysterious. Overhead the branches of the plum-trees, oaks and silver poplars met and formed a dark tunnel which led away into the unknown.

Now we must take this seriously, said Sniff, remembering that he was the Path Pioneer. Ill look for by-paths, and you knock three times if you see anything dangerous.

What shall I knock on? asked Moomintroll.

Whatever you like, said Sniff. Only dont talk. And what have you done with the provisions ? I suppose youve lost them. Oh, dear! Do I have to do everything myself?

Moomintroll wrinkled his forehead dejectedly but did not answer.

So they wandered farther into the green tunnel, Sniff looking for by-paths, Moomintroll looking for dangerous intruders, and the silk-monkey leaping overhead from branch to branch.

The path wound in and out of the trees getting narrower and narrower, until at last it petered out altogether. Moomintroll looked baffled. Well, that seems to be that, he said. It ought to have led to something very special.

They stood still and looked at each other in disappointment. But as they stood a whiff of salt wind blew in their faces and a faint sighing could be heard in the distance.