Chapter Text
“Moomin, look what I found!”
The sun shone overhead, heat beating down on Snorkmaiden’s fur. It was the middle of summer, and the two lovebirds had made their way down to the beach to scavenge for seashells. What they found instead was a shipwreck. A small boat laid on its side on the shore, holes in the sides and the sails ripped to shreds. Snorkmaiden and Moomin were combing through the wreckage, as there were various valuables laying about.
Snorkmaiden, with a crown on her head and pearls around her neck, was very pleased with herself. She did find something curious, however. She held up a mirror and showed it to Moomin, who craned over it curiously. It was pure gold with rubies embedded into it.
“It’s a mirror.” Moomin said obviously.
“Oh, I know that. But how nice! I can replace my old one.” Snorkmaiden peered at herself in it and adjusted the pearls around her neck.
“You better not show that to Sniff. He’ll beg you to let him have it.”
“I wonder where he is right now.” Snorkmaiden said absently.
Suddenly, Snorkmaiden wasn’t seeing herself in the mirror anymore. She was looking at Sniff! Shrieking, she threw it a few feet away. It landed dully against the sand.
The two walked over to it and looked into it once again.
There Sniff was, sleeping soundly in his bed. After a few seconds, the picture faded, and it went back to looking like a regular mirror.
Snorkmaiden and Moomin gave each other a look.
“What’s Moominmamma going to make for dinner?”
“Is Snork working on his flying machine right now?”
“Where’s Snufkin?”
“Which pearl necklace looks best on me?”
“Is there any other treasure here that we haven’t found yet?”
With each question, a different picture flashed across the glass. They were besides themselves with excitement.
“Okay, mirror!” Snorkmaiden said, giving Moomin a smile. “Who’s my soulmate? Is it Moomin?”
Much to her disappointment, nothing showed up. She tapped the glass a few times, confused.
“Maybe it’s too hard of a question.” Moomin said.
“Maybe,” Sighed Snorkmaiden, “But you are my soulmate, no matter what this dumb mirror thinks. Right?”
“Right. You’re the queen of Moominvalley, and I am the king.” Moomin leaned forward and kissed Snorkmaiden’s paw, which made her giggle. “Now, come on. There’s more treasure.”
“Alright.”
The two scavenged the rest of the shipwreck and carried back as many things as they could hold in their little arms. They shared their findings with their family and friends, which was exciting for everyone. However, Snorkmaiden hid away the mirror, determined to keep that herself.
Several years passed. The mirror lay on Snorkmaiden’s dresser, and she consulted it as often as she could.
“Which necklace should I wear?”
“Where is Moomin right now?”
“Is Snork angry with me?”
With almost every question, an image appeared. Sometimes it was clear what the mirror meant, but other times, it would respond in cryptic imagery that only made Snorkmaiden frustrated.
As she got older, the questions became more personal.
“Does Moomin love me?”
“Am I not pretty enough?”
Every time she asked a question related to Moomin, it almost always came up blank.
One day, Snorkmaiden slunk into her room, eyes puffy and red. She had waited for two hours for Moomin to show up to their date, and he wasn’t anywhere in sight. Sniffling, she grabbed at her mirror.
“Why doesn’t Moomin love me?”
A picture finally did come up. It showed where Moomin and Snufkin were at this very moment- Laying in the grass and looking at the stars. They were holding hands.
She cried a lot that day, and for the next few days as well. She refused to leave her room, much to Snork’s worry. Her entire body turned as black as coal, and she could only nibble at the food that Snork left at her door.
Her and Moomintroll broke up soon after that. It was to no one’s surprise, but she really wanted it to work. She didn’t know why, she just did.
It was really just an elaborate game of play. As they grew up together, it was similar to playing house. He was the father, and she was the mother. It was only natural, and nobody batted an eye- Not even herself. He was Tarzan, and she was Jane. It’s just how things were. Despite her given role, she always felt a gnawing emptiness inside of her. Even when Moomintroll was attentive and wonderful, she always felt like it wasn’t enough. Something felt wrong. It didn’t feel good. But even so, she had grown attached to her role.
She wanted to find that role again. She met all sorts of different men, pouring her entire soul into them, but it never lasted. She ended up feeling as empty and cold as she did before.
It felt like nobody cared that she was so empty. That she was torturing herself by throwing herself at the feet of others in an attempt to be loved.
Well, almost nobody.
“Again? I told you, he wasn’t any good.” Little My stood on Snorkmaiden’s vanity, reaching over and taking off the other’s pearl necklace. Grabbing a makeup wipe, she began to clean the running mascara off of Snorkmaiden’s face.
“I thought he was the one.” Snorkmaiden sighed. “I really did.”
Little My gave her a look. “You always say that.”
She frowned. “But I really, really did this time.”
“Uh huh.” Little My got all the makeup off and smashed Snorkmaiden’s face between her tiny hands. “There! Good as new. It doesn’t even look like you’ve been crying.”
“I don’t care if it looks like I’ve been crying.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, should I have left the makeup on?” Little My placed her hands on her hips.
“No. Sleeping with makeup on isn’t good for my fur.” Snorkmaiden placed her head in her hands. “This always happens.”
There was a silence. Suddenly, there was a hand against Snorkmaiden’s cheek. She looked up.
“You’ll find him one of these days.” Little My said softly.
Snorkmaiden felt tears welling up in her eyes again. “O-Okay.” She sniffled. “Can you stay the night?”
“Only if you don’t hog the blanket.”
She chuckled, tears streaming down her face. “I’ll try not to.”
Growing up, Snorkmaiden thought that Little My was annoying and crude. My always seemed angry, which often clashed with her gentle nature. But after the breakup with Moomin, she was surprisingly the only person who rushed to her aid. It was raining out, and she showed up at Snorkmaiden’s door completely drenched, with coloring books in one arm and hot chocolate packets in the other. She quickly found out how gentle she could be, at least in private.
She felt strangely at peace with the other girl, which is something she never would’ve thought would happen with Little My.
After another night of dancing, she walked into her room, throwing her necklaces on the dresser. She caught sight of the golden mirror and sighed.
Why not?
Grabbing it, she looked into the glass.
“Who’s my soulmate?”
There was nothing for a moment, but then an image popped up. It showed a field of sunflowers. The flowers were pointed towards the bright sky and drinking up the sun.
This was completely unexpected. She put the mirror down and held her head in her hands, confused.
Flowers? How can I be soulmates with a flower?
She turned her back on the dresser and climbed into bed.
Stupid mirror.