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Tove Jansson - little trolls and a big flood. Tove Jansson: Little Trolls and a Big Flood

Tove Jansson - little trolls and a big flood. Tove Jansson: Little Trolls and a Big Flood

22.04.2019

SMÅTROLLEN OCH DEN STORA ÖVERSVÄMNINGEN

LLC Publishing Group Azbuka-Atticus, 2016

AZBUKA® publishing house

It must have been after dinner sometime at the end of August. Moomintroll and his mother came to the most remote thicket of a dense forest. Dead silence reigned among the trees and it was so twilight, as if twilight had already come. Everywhere, here and there, giant flowers grew, shining with their own light, like flickering bulbs, and in the very depths of the forest thicket, among the shadows, some small pale green dots moved.

“Fireflies,” said Moomintroll's mother.

But they didn't have time to stop to get a good look at the insects. In fact, Moomintroll and his mother were walking through the forest in search of a cozy and warm place where they could build a house to climb there when winter came. Moomin trolls absolutely cannot stand the cold, so the house should have been ready at the latest in October.

“Hardly,” she said, “but maybe we should go a little faster. However, we are so small that, I hope, they will not even notice us in case of danger.

Suddenly, Moomintroll grabbed his mother tightly by the paw. He was so scared that his tail became sticky.

- Look! he whispered.

Two eyes peered at them from the shadows behind the tree.

Mom was scared at first - yes, yes, and she too - but then she reassured her son:

It must be a very small animal. Wait, I'll shine. You see, in the dark everything seems scarier than it really is.

And she plucked one of the big flower bulbs and lit up the shadow behind the tree. They saw that there really was a very small animal sitting there, and it looked quite friendly and a little scared.

- Here you see! Mom said.

- Who you are? asked the animal.

- I am Moomintroll, - answered Moomin, who had already managed to become brave again. - And this is my mother. Hope we didn't disturb you.

(It can be seen that Moomintroll's mother taught him to be polite.)

“Please don’t worry,” the animal replied. - I was sitting here in a terrible melancholy and so wanted to meet someone. Are you in a hurry?

“Very much,” answered Moomin's mother. We are just looking for a good, sunny place to build a house there. But maybe you want to come with us?!

– Still would I don't want! - exclaimed a small animal and immediately jumped up to them. “I got lost in the forest and didn’t think I would ever see the sun again!”

And now the three of them went on, taking with them a huge tulip to light the way. However, the darkness all around grew more and more dense. The flowers under the trees no longer glowed so brightly, and in the end the very last of them died out. Black water shimmered dimly ahead, and the air became heavy and cold.

- Horrible! said the little animal. - It's a swamp. I'm afraid to go there.

Why not? - asked Moomin's mother.

“Because the Big Serpent lives there,” answered the small animal very quietly, looking around timidly.

- Nonsense! - Moomintroll grinned, wanting to show how brave he is. “We are so small that they probably won’t notice us. How can we find the sun if we are afraid to cross the swamp? Let's go!

“Just not very far,” said the little animal.

- And be careful. Here you act at your own risk, - said my mother.

And so they began to jump from bump to bump as quietly as possible. Around them something bubbled and whispered in the black mud, but as long as the tulip burned like a light bulb, they felt calm. Once Moomintroll slipped and almost fell, but at the very last moment, his mother picked him up.

And, pulling out a pair of dry socks for her son from her bag, she transferred him and the little animal to a large round leaf of a white water lily. All three, with their tails in the water like oars, began to row, swimming forward through the swamp. Some blackish creatures flashed under them, scurrying back and forth between the roots of the trees. They splashed and dived, and over them slowly, stealthily, the fog crept. Suddenly the little animal said:

- I want to go home!

At the same moment, their tulip went out and it became completely dark.

And from the pitch darkness came some hiss, and they felt how the leaf of the water lily swayed.

- Faster Faster! - Moomintroll's mother screamed. - It's the Big Serpent swimming!

Putting their tails deeper into the water, they began to row with all their might - so that water rushed violently around the bow of their boat. And then they saw a furious Serpent swimming after them, with fierce golden-yellow eyes.

They rowed with all their strength, but he overtook them and already opened his mouth with a long fluttering tongue. Moomintroll covered his eyes with his hands, shouted: “Mom!” - and froze in anticipation that he was about to be eaten.

But nothing like that happened. Then he cautiously looked between his fingers. In fact, something amazing happened. Their tulip lit up again, it opened all its petals, and in the very middle of the flower stood a girl with bright blue flowing hair that reached her toes.

The tulip shone brighter and brighter. The serpent blinked and, suddenly turning, hissing angrily, slid down into the mud.

Moomintroll, his mother and the little animal were so excited and surprised that for a long time they could not utter a word.

Finally, Moomintroll's mother solemnly said:

Thank you so much for your help, lovely lady!

And Moomintroll bowed lower than always, because he had never seen anyone more beautiful than a girl with blue hair in his life.

- Do you always live in a tulip? the little animal asked shyly.

“This is my house,” she replied. - You can call me Tulippa.

And they began to row slowly, swimming across to the other side of the swamp. There were ferns growing in a dense wall, and under them my mother made a nest for them in the moss so that everyone could sleep. Moomintroll was lying next to his mother, listening to the croaking of frogs in the swamp. The night was full of loneliness and some strange sounds, and he could not sleep for a long time.

The next morning, Tulippa was already walking in front, her blue hair glowing like the brightest fluorescent lamp. The road climbed higher and higher, and at last they faced a steep, precipitous mountain, so high that no end was in sight.

Tove Jansson

Little trolls and a big flood

Moomin-troll and Moomin-mother meet a small animal

Most likely it happened one afternoon towards the end of August. Moomintroll and his mother wandered into the very thicket of the forest. It was quiet, quiet and twilight reigned, as if evening had already come. Gigantic flowers bloomed here and there and glowed with a strange light, as if light bulbs were screwed into them. Some indistinct shadows swayed a little further away, and among them incomprehensible, pale green dots moved.

These are fireflies, - Moominmamma guessed.

But Moomintroll and his mother definitely did not have time to come closer and take a closer look. They were preoccupied with finding a suitable warm place where it would be worth building a house in which they could comfortably spend the winter. Moomin trolls do not tolerate cold at all, so the house should be ready by October at the latest. They moved on, more and more plunging into silence and darkness. Moomintroll felt somehow uneasy, and he asked his mother in a whisper if there were any dangerous animals here.

Hardly, - Mom answered, - but, in any case, it’s not bad if we add a step. However, don't worry: we are so small that if anyone appears here, it is unlikely that he will notice us.

Suddenly, Moomintroll grabbed his mother tightly by the paw.

Look! he said in fear.

From behind the trunk of a tree, in the wavering shadow, two eyes stared at them.

Moomin-mother was also frightened, but only at the first moment. Then she said soothingly:

Yes, it's a very small animal. Wait, I'll shine. You know that in the dark everything always seems scarier than it really is.

She plucked a large flower, in which, as it were, a light bulb was burning, and illuminated the darkness. There, in the shade behind a tree, a very small animal indeed sat. He looked quite friendly, maybe even a little scared.

Well, you see for yourself, - said Moominmamma.

Who you are? - asked the little animal.

I am Moomintroll, - Moomintroll introduced himself, regaining his courage. - And this is my mother. Hope we didn't disturb you.

(You can see right away that Moominmamma taught him how to be a suave Moomin.)

No, not at all, - the little animal responded. - I was sitting here in great sadness, because I was very lonely. I really wanted someone to be here. Are you in a hurry?

Extremely, - answered Moominmamma. - We are busy looking for a good sunny place to build a house there for the winter. Maybe you'd like to come with us?

Is that what I don't want? - exclaimed a small animal with heat and jumped up. “I got lost in the woods and thought I would never see the sunlight again.

The three of them continued their search, taking a large tulip with them to light the way. Around them, the darkness thickened more and more, the flowers grew paler and paler, and soon died out altogether. Black water glistened ahead, and the air became damp, heavy, and cool.

How terrible! - said a small animal, as it turned out, named Sniff. - There's a swamp. I won't go further. I'm afraid.

What are you afraid of? - asked Moomin-mother.

How not to be afraid, - Sniff answered trembling. - There lives a terrible Big Snake.

Nonsense, - said Moomintroll, not wanting to show that he was scared too. - We are very small, the Big Snake will not notice us. And how will we get to the sun if we are afraid to cross the swamp? Come on, let's go ahead.

Well, perhaps I'll go with you a little, - Sniff agreed timidly.

Be careful, Moominmamma warned. - Here you have to go at your own risk.

And they began to jump as carefully as possible from bump to bump. And around in the black mud something frighteningly bubbled and moved, but the tulip continued to light their way, and in its good light they felt calm. Once Moomintroll slipped and almost fell into the swamp slurry, but at the last moment Moominmamma managed to grab his paw.

She took a pair of dry stockings for her son from her bag and dragged him and Sniff onto a wide leaf of a water lily. All three lowered their tails into the water and began to row with them, like oars. Under their "boat" some dark creatures flashed by, swimming back and forth between the flooded tree roots. Clouds of thick fog rolled over the boat.

Suddenly Sniff spoke plaintively:

I want to go home.

Don't be frightened, little animal, - Moomintroll began to console him, although his voice trembled slightly. - Now we'll sing something funny and ...

Before he had time to say all this, as at the same moment the tulip suddenly went out and complete darkness reigned. Just then, a vicious hissing sounded out of the darkness, and they felt the leaf of the water lily sway beneath them violently.

Row harder, said Moominmamma. - It's the Big Snake coming!

They lowered their tails deeper into the water and began to row with all their might. The water churned up ahead, as if the prow of a real ship was cutting through it. And then they saw that the Big Snake was swimming after them and its yellow evil eyes gleamed in the darkness.

Tulippa appears

They rowed with the last of their strength, but the Serpent overtook them. She has already opened her mouth with a long, trembling tongue.

Mother! - Moomintroll screamed in fear and covered his face with his paws in the expectation that he was about to be swallowed.

But nothing like that happened. Then he opened his eyes and carefully looked between his fingers. And something amazing happened. Their tulip lit up again. All the petals of his beautiful corolla opened, and among them was a girl with long blue hair that reached her toes. The tulip shone brighter and brighter. Its light blinded the Serpent, and, blinking her eyes, hissed angrily and plunged into the dark swamp silt, from where she had so suddenly appeared. Moomintroll, Moominmamma and the little animal Sniff were so amazed that for some time they could not utter a word.

Finally, Moominmamma solemnly said:

Thank you so much for helping us, beautiful lady!

And Moomintroll bowed low, lower than usual, because he had never met a more beautiful girl in his life.

Do you always live in a tulip? Sniff dared to ask.

SMÅTROLLEN OCH DEN STORA ÖVERSVÄMNINGEN

It was the war winter of 1939. All work arose; trying to draw seemed pointless.

It is probably not surprising that I suddenly wanted to write something, starting with the word "Once upon a time ...". To write, let's be honest, a fairy tale, but I justified myself with the fact that there would be no princes, princesses and small children in it - instead of them, I chose an angry creature as characters, which I usually drew instead of a signature, and called him Moomintroll.

The unfinished fairy tale was forgotten until 1945, when a friend told me that a children's book could come out of this - "fill in, illustrate, maybe they will take it."

It seemed to me that the title should include Moomintroll and his search for his father - by analogy with the search for Captain Grant - but the publisher insisted on "little trolls" to make it clearer to readers.

This story was tangibly influenced by my favorite books from my childhood - a little Jules Verne, a little Collodi (a girl with blue hair) and all sorts of others. But why not?

Anyway, it was my very first happy ending!

One evening, probably at the end of August, Moomintroll and his mother wandered into the farthest corner of a large forest. It was very quiet, and under the trees there were such thick shadows, as if twilight had already come. Huge flowers swayed and shone here and there like lamps, and cold greenish points ran from place to place in the thick shadow.

“Fireflies,” said Moomin's mother, but there was no time to stop and look at the fireflies closer. The fact is that Moomintroll and his mother were looking for a warmer and more comfortable place - a suitable place to build a house and hide in it when winter comes. Moomin trolls cannot stand the cold, so the house had to be acquired no later than October.

“It’s unlikely,” my mother answered, “but still, it would be better for us to hurry. Even if there is someone dangerous here, I hope you and I are so small that he simply will not notice us.

Suddenly, Moomintroll grabbed his mother by the hand.

- Look! - Moomintroll was so frightened that even his tail stood up straight.

From behind the tree, from the darkness, two eyes were looking at them.

At first, my mother was also frightened, but then she spoke soothingly:

- It's a small animal. Wait, now I'll shine on him. You know, in the dark everything seems scarier than it really is.

Mom plucked a large flower lamp and brought it to the shade. And there really sat a very small animal, not at all angry in appearance and as frightened as they themselves.

“You see,” Mom said.

- Who are you? the animal asked.

“I am Moomintroll,” said Moomintroll, growing bolder again. - And this is my mother. We didn't bother you?

(As you can see, his mother taught him good manners.)

“Not at all,” the animal replied. – I just felt a little sad, and I will be glad of the company. Are you in a hurry?

“Yes,” Mom said. – You see, we are looking for a good sunny meadow to build a house. But maybe you want to come with us?

– You still ask! - and the animal jumped up to them. “I got lost and thought I would never see the sun again!”

And they went on three of them and took with them a large tulip to light the way. But the darkness grew thicker all around, the flowers shone from under the trees ever weaker, and finally went out completely. Dark water gleamed ahead, and the air became cold and heavy.

“Well, no,” said the animal. - It's a swamp. Keep in mind, I will not climb into the swamp.

- And why? Mom asked.

“The Serpent lives there,” said the animal, looking around warily.

“Pfft,” Moomintroll said fearlessly. “Yes, we are so small that she won’t even notice us. How are we going to get back to the sun if we sit here and be afraid? Just follow us.

“Okay, I’ll go a little more,” the animal agreed. - But if anything, it's all your fault!

Trying to step as quietly as possible, they stepped from bump to bump. Something whispered and bubbled in the black liquid around, but the tulip lamp shone, and it was not scary with it. Once Moomintroll stumbled and almost fell into the mud, his mother barely had time to catch him.

“We need a boat here,” Mom said. “Your feet are completely wet. So you'll get sick, it's clear as day.

She took out a pair of dry Moomin socks from her bag and put him, and then the little animal, on a large round leaf of a water lily. All three of them lowered their tails into the water and buried them through the swamp. Some shadows loomed below, then swam under the roots of trees, then appeared again, splashed, dived, fog swirled around.

- I want to go home! - suddenly said the animal.

And then the tulip suddenly went out, and it became dark, dark. There was a hiss from the darkness, the leaf of the water lily swayed harder.

“Hurry, hurry,” Mom said. - It's the Snakes!

They dipped their tails even deeper and thrashed them with all their might, so that the water ahead churned. Now they clearly saw the Snake - she was catching up with them with a hiss. She had an unkind look and gloomy yellow eyes.

They rowed with all their might, but the snake was getting closer, it had already opened its mouth and stuck out a long tongue. Moomintroll closed his eyes with his paws, shouted "mama" and prepared to be eaten.

But nothing happened. Then he cautiously looked out from under his paws. Something incredible has happened. Their tulip lit up again, opened its petals, and inside was a girl with blue-blue hair that reached her knees.

The tulip was getting brighter. The snake blinked and suddenly, with an angry hiss, curled up and sank into the swamp slush.

Moomintroll, his mother and the little animal were so surprised and confused that for a long time they could not utter a word.

Finally, Moomintroll's mother politely said:

“Thank you very much for your help, dear lady.

Moomintroll bowed low, low, because he had never seen such beautiful girls.

Page 1 of 3

Fireflies, - said Moomin's mother.

But they didn't have time to stop to get a good look at the insects.

In fact, Moomintroll and his mother were walking through the forest in search of a cozy and warm place where they could build a house to climb there when winter came. Moomin trolls absolutely cannot stand the cold, so the house should have been ready at the latest in October.

Hardly,” she replied, “but maybe we should go a little faster. However, we are so small that, I hope, they will not even notice us in case of danger.

Suddenly, Moomintroll grabbed his mother tightly by the paw. He was so scared that his tail became sticky.

Look! he whispered.

Two eyes peered at them from the shadows behind the tree.

Mom was scared at first, yes, yes, and she too, but then she reassured her son:

It must be a very small animal. Wait, I'll shine. You see, in the dark everything seems scarier than it actually is.

And she plucked one of the big flower bulbs and lit up the shadow behind the tree. They saw that there really was a very small animal sitting there, and it looked quite friendly and a little scared.

Here you see! Mom said.

Who you are? - asked the animal.

I am Moomin-troll, - answered Moomin-troll, who had already managed to become brave again. - And this is my mother. Hope we didn't disturb you.

(It can be seen that Mymi-troll's mother taught him to be polite.)

Please don't worry, the animal replied. - I was sitting here in a terrible melancholy and so wanted to meet someone. Are you in a hurry?

Very much, - answered Moomin's mother. - We are just looking for a good, sunny place to build a house there. But maybe you want to come with us?!

I wouldn't want to! - exclaimed a small animal and immediately jumped up to them. - I got lost in the forest and didn't think I'd ever see the sun again!

- Horrible! said the little animal. - It's a swamp. I'm afraid to go there.

Why? - asked Moomin's mother.

And because the Big Snake lives there, - the small animal answered very quietly, looking around timidly.

Nonsense! - Moomintroll grinned, wanting to show how brave he is. - We are so small that they probably won't notice us. How can we find the sun if we are afraid to cross the swamp? Let's go!

Only not very far, - said a small animal.

And be careful. Here you act at your own risk, - said my mother.

And so they, as quietly as possible, began to jump from bump to bump. Around them something bubbled and whispered in the black mud, but as long as the tulip burned like a light bulb, they felt calm. Once Moomintroll slipped and almost fell, but at the very last moment, his mother picked him up.

I want to go home!

At the same moment their tulip went out and it became completely dark.

And from the pitch darkness came some hiss, and they felt how the leaf of the water lily swayed.

Faster Faster! - Moomintroll's mother screamed. - It's the Big Serpent swimming!

Putting their tails deeper into the water, they began to row with all their might, so that water rushed violently around the bow of their boat. And then they saw a furious Serpent swimming after them, with fierce golden-yellow eyes.

The tulip shone brighter and brighter. The serpent blinked and, suddenly turning, hissing angrily, slid down into the mud.

Moomintroll, his mother and the little animal were so excited and surprised that for a long time they could not utter a word.

Finally, Moomintroll's mother solemnly said:

Thank you so much for your help, lovely lady!

And Moomintroll bowed lower than always, because he had never seen anyone more beautiful than a girl with blue hair in his life.

Do you live in a tulip all the time? - shyly asked a small animal.

This is my house, she replied. - You can call me Tulippa.

There, at the top, perhaps, the sun, - the little animal said dreamily and melancholy. - I'm so terribly cold.

Me too, - picked up Moomintroll. And sneezed.

That's what I thought, - mum was upset. - Now you have a cold. Kindly sit here while I light the fire.

Dragging a gigantic heap of dry branches, she ignited them with a spark from Tulippa's blue hair. All four of them sat looking into the fire while Moomintroll's mother told them different stories. She talked about how, when she was little, the Moomins did not have to wander through the gloomy forests and swamps in search of a place to live.

At that time, the Moomin trolls lived with people at home, mostly behind stoves.

Some of us still live there, - said Moomin's mother. - Of course, where there are still stoves. But where there is steam heating, we do not get along.

Did people know that you huddle behind stoves? - asked Moomintroll.

Someone knew, - said my mother. - Left alone in the house, they felt our presence, when sometimes a draft blew their necks.

Tell me something about dad, - asked Moomintroll.

It was an extraordinary Moomintroll, - mum said thoughtfully and sadly. - He always wanted to run somewhere and move from one stove to another. He never got along anywhere. And then he disappeared - he went on a journey with the hattifnatts, these little wanderers.

And what kind of people is this? asked the little animal.

Such small magical little animals, - explained Moomin's mother. - Most of them are invisible. Sometimes they settle under the floorboards of people, and you can hear how they sneak there in the evenings, when everything is quiet in the house. But more often they roam the world, not stopping anywhere, not caring about anything.

You can never tell whether a hattifnatt is cheerful or angry, sad or surprised. I'm pretty sure he doesn't have any feelings at all.

And what, has dad become a hatifatt now? - asked Moomintroll.

No, of course not! Mom answered. “Isn’t it clear that they tricked him into taking him with them?”

If only we could meet him one day! Tulippa exclaimed. Would he be happy, right?

Of course, - answered Moomin's mother. “But that probably won’t happen.

And she wept so bitterly that all the others began to sob with her. While weeping, they remembered many other, also very sad things, and then they wept even more.

Tulippa faded with grief, and her face became completely dull. They had been weeping for quite some time, when they suddenly heard a voice that asked sternly:

Why are you howling down there?

They abruptly stopped crying and began to look around, but could not find the one who spoke to them. But then, from the mountain slope, dangling in all directions, a rope ladder began to descend. And high above, some elderly gentleman stuck his head out of a door in the rock.

Well?! he shouted again.

Excuse me, - Tulippa said and curtsied. “You see, dear sir, everything is really very sad. Moomintroll's dad has disappeared somewhere, and we are freezing and cannot cross this mountain to find the sun, and we have nowhere to live.

That's how! said the old gentleman. “Then you can all come up to me. You can't imagine better than my sunshine.

Climbing the rope ladder was quite difficult, especially for Moomintroll and his mother, because they had such short legs!

Now wipe your paws,” the elderly gentleman ordered them, pulling up the ladder after them.

Then he carefully locked the door so that no danger could seep into the mountain. Everyone climbed onto the escalator, which drove with them right into the bowels of the mountain.

Are you sure you can rely on this gentleman? whispered the little animal. Remember that you are acting at your own risk here.

And the animal, cowering, hid behind the back of Moomin's mother. Then a bright light hit their eyes, and the escalator drove straight into the most amazing area. They opened a wonderful landscape. The trees sparkled with colors and burst with unprecedented fruits and flowers, and beneath them, dazzling white snow-covered lawns stretched in the grass.

Hello! - Moomintroll exclaimed and ran to make a snowball.

Be careful, it's cold! Mom screamed at him.

But, plunging his hands into the snow, he realized that it was not snow at all, but glass. And the green grass that cracked under his paws was made of fine sugar yarn. Everywhere along and across, at random, multi-colored streams flowed through the meadows, foaming and murmuring over the golden sand of the bottom.

Green Lemonade! - shouted a small animal, leaning towards the stream to drink. - It's not water, it's lemonade!

Moomintroll's mother went straight to a completely white stream, because she always loved milk very much. (Most Moomins do this, at least when they get a little older.) Tulippa ran from one tree to another, picking up armfuls full of caramels and chocolate bars. And as soon as she picked at least one of the sparkling fruits, a new one immediately grew in its place. Forgetting all their sorrows, they ran farther and farther into the depths of the enchanted garden. The elderly gentleman slowly followed them and seemed to be very pleased.

I did all this myself,” he said. - And the sun too.

And when they carefully looked at the sun, they noticed that it was not really real, but just a huge lamp with a fringe of gilded paper.

That's how! - disappointedly said a small animal. “I thought it was the real sun.” Now I see that it shines a little artificially.

Nothing can be done, it didn’t work out better, - the elderly gentleman was upset. “But are you satisfied with the garden?”

Of course, of course, - blurted out Moomintroll, who was just busy eating small pebbles (although they were made from marzipans).

If you want to stay here, I will build you a house from a tall cake, - said the elderly gentleman. “Sometimes I get bored being alone.

It would be very nice of you, - said Moomin's mother, - but if you are not offended, we may have to continue on our way. We're just about to build ourselves a home where the real sun shines.

No, let's stay here! - Moomintroll, a small animal and Tulippa shouted in one voice.

Okay, okay, kids, - Moomin's mother reassured them. - You'll see it there.

And she lay down to sleep under a tree on which chocolates grew. Waking up, she heard terrible plaintive moans and immediately realized that it was her Moomintroll who had a stomach ache (this happened to him quite often). From everything that Moomintroll ate, his tummy swelled up, became completely round and hurt terribly. Next to him sat a small animal, whose teeth ached from all the caramels he had eaten, and moaned even louder than Moomintroll.

Moomintroll's mother did not scold, but, pulling out two different powders from her bag, gave everyone the one he needed. And then she asked the elderly gentleman if he had any pool with delicious hot porridge.

No, unfortunately not, he replied. - But there is one with whipped cream, and one with marmalade.

Hmm, mum chuckled. “Now you can see for yourself that they need real hot food. Where is Tulippa?

She says she can't sleep because the sun never sets, the old gentleman said sadly. How sad that you don't like me!

We will return, - Moomin's mother consoled him. But we need to get out into the fresh air.

And taking the paws of Moomintroll and a small animal, she called Tulippa.

Maybe you'd better use the slide for skiing, - the elderly gentleman politely suggested. - It runs diagonally across the mountain and goes straight to the sun.

Yes, thank you, - said Moomin's mother. - Then bye!

Goodbye then, - Tulippa also said goodbye.

(Moomintroll and the little animal could not say anything, because they were terribly sick.)

Well, as you wish, - the elderly gentleman answered.

And they rushed down the slide with dizzying speed. And when they came out from the other side of the mountain, their head was spinning and they sat on the ground for a long time, coming to their senses. And then they started looking around.

Fireflies, - said Moomin's mother.

But they didn't have time to stop to get a good look at the insects.

Hardly,” she replied, “but maybe we should go a little faster. However, we are so small that, I hope, they will not even notice us in case of danger.

Suddenly, Moomintroll grabbed his mother tightly by the paw. He was so scared that his tail became sticky.

Look! he whispered.

Two eyes peered at them from the shadows behind the tree.

Mom was scared at first, yes, yes, and she too, but then she reassured her son:

It must be a very small animal. Wait, I'll shine. You see, in the dark everything seems scarier than it actually is.

And she plucked one of the big flower bulbs and lit up the shadow behind the tree. They saw that there really was a very small animal sitting there, and it looked quite friendly and a little scared.

Here you see! Mom said.

Who you are? - asked the animal.

I am Moomin-troll, - answered Moomin-troll, who had already managed to become brave again. - And this is my mother. Hope we didn't disturb you.

(It can be seen that Mymi-troll's mother taught him to be polite.)

Please don't worry, the animal replied. - I was sitting here in a terrible melancholy and so wanted to meet someone. Are you in a hurry?

Very much, - answered Moomin's mother. - We are just looking for a good, sunny place to build a house there. But maybe you want to come with us?!

I wouldn't want to! - exclaimed a small animal and immediately jumped up to them. - I got lost in the forest and didn't think I'd ever see the sun again!

Horrible! said the little animal. - It's a swamp. I'm afraid to go there.

Why? - asked Moomin's mother.

And because the Big Snake lives there, - the small animal answered very quietly, looking around timidly.

Nonsense! - Moomintroll grinned, wanting to show how brave he is. - We are so small that they probably won't notice us. How can we find the sun if we are afraid to cross the swamp? Let's go!

Only not very far, - said a small animal.

And be careful. Here you act at your own risk, - said my mother.

I want to go home!

At the same moment their tulip went out and it became completely dark.

And from the pitch darkness came some hiss, and they felt how the leaf of the water lily swayed.

Faster Faster! - Moomintroll's mother screamed. - It's the Big Serpent swimming!

The tulip shone brighter and brighter. The serpent blinked and, suddenly turning, hissing angrily, slid down into the mud.

Moomintroll, his mother and the little animal were so excited and surprised that for a long time they could not utter a word.