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“Why, good morning Snufkin!”
Moomintroll’s ears pricked up at the mention of Snufkin’s name, and he looked up from his breakfast. It was a pleasant surprise to see his best friend standing at the door, and considered rushing to see him, but decided that he looked as if he had something important to talk to mamma about.
“It’s rather unusual for you to knock. Did you need something?” he heard Moominmamma continue, seeing her open the front door wider, and kindly gestured for the mumrik to come in, a soft expression on her face.
“Good morning Moominmamma. Yes, I did.” Snufkin replied, his scuffed boots clacking against the wooden floor as he stepped into the warm house.
Moomintroll attempted to greet his friend with a wave, and was rather surprised to see him without his hat, and was even more surprised to see him without his signature coat on. Snufkin had it slung over his arm, and was softly running his fingers over one of the tattered sleeves.
Upon noticing his friend’s widened eyes through the kitchen door, Snufkin shot a gentle smile at him, and then continued:
“I was wondering if I could borrow some clothes-soap if you had any.”
“Clothes-soap?” she questioned, tilting her head in confusion. “Do you mean detergent?”
“Yes. If you have any.” The boy repeated.
She frowned slightly and fiddled with the edge of her apron. “I’m afraid we don’t have any left since our last wash, but we do have some fur-soap that might work. Is it for your coat?” She asked, pointing at the coat in question.
Snufkin nodded. “Would you know if that would work?”
“I don’t see why not! Fur-soap can clean most things. I’ll go get it for you.” She smiled, her paws beginning to pad up the stairs.
“Good morning Snufkin!” Moomin happily exclaimed, running to his best friend once he had heard his mother reach the top of the first flight of stairs. “Are you going to wash your coat today?”
“Yes, I am. It seems like it’s gotten a bit too dirty since we last went out together.”
Moomin’s eyebrows furrowed a little as he recalled Little My having pushed the two of them into a mud-pit yesterday. They had managed to get most of the dirt off in the stream, but it was normal for Snufkin’s coat to have stained a little.
“May I come with you?” He quickly asked.
“I don’t see why not. I don’t think it would be very fun, though.” Snufkin replied, a small smile playing at his mouth, and continuing to fiddle with his coat’s patchy sleeve.
“I don’t mind at all! I would love to just sit and talk for a while.” Moomin smiled back.
Moominmamma came a little shakily back down the stairs, holding a large metal basin in her strong yet soft arms; the soap bottle balanced inside with a few little perfume bottles. Snufkin, hanging his coat over his shoulder, hurried to the bottom of the stairs to help and held his hands out for her to hand the bundle down to him. Moomintroll followed his lead and allowed his mother to place the basin in their hands.
“What’s the basin for, mamma?” Moomin asked.
“Well, you won’t want to scare the fish off by using the fur-soap in the river, because then Snufkin wouldn’t have any supper tonight!”
Snufkin flushed a bit and looked down, embarrassed that he hadn’t thought about that. Moomin found it very endearing.
“Are you going to help Snufkin, Moomintroll?” Mamma asked – Moomin nodded in response, with a bright smile on his fluffy face.
“Well then, you boys have fun,” Mamma started, ushering them out the door “Oh, and do feel welcome to use our washing line if you want, Snufkin.”
“Alright, mamma. Thank you very much.” He nodded back. His hands moved to touch his hat, which he quickly remembered that he didn’t have. The lack of his hat made him feel quite rude, as he wasn’t able to tip it politely in response.
Once the boys had made it outside, Moomintroll pulled away to lay the basin on the grass and gathered the bottles of soap and perfume into his arms. “I’ll carry these, and you can carry the basin. That’ll make things much easier.”
Snufkin folded his coat and placed it inside the basin. “You are such a clever Moomin.” He remarked as he began to drag the basin by its cold handle toward the river.
Moomin flushed invisibly and followed close behind.
“So, where are Little My and Sniff today?” Snufkin asked.
“Oh, pappa took them down to the beach to search for treasure. My is very good at swimming far down, and Sniff is good at spotting shiny things. He’s so good at it that he could be a magpie.” Moomintroll explained. “but mamma didn’t want My swimming so deep on her own since Sniff can’t swim, so she had Pappa go with them.”
“Didn’t you want to go?” Snufkin enquired, meeting Moomintroll’s eyes.
“Not really. To be honest, I’m still annoyed at Little My for yesterday.”
“I didn’t know you were the type to hold a grudge!”
“I’m not, usually, but she really did push my buttons. Quite honestly I’m glad to be getting a break from her.” Moomin frowned.
Snufkin chuckled as he threw his coat onto the grassy bank, dropping his the basin and tidily unfolding the coat. Moomin followed suit and dumped the bottles before Snufkin began to drag the basin down to the river. Moomin rushed to grab the other handle.
“It will be very heavy with all that water in there.”
Snufkin nodded in response, and let him help drag it into the water.
As the two boys were angling the basin to allow a flood of water to rush in, Moomin caught a glimpse of Snufkin’s face in the reflection, and smiled softly. His face was so concentrated, despite only filling a bucket with water. Moomin didn't often get to see much of Snufkin's soft hair, because of his hat always being on his head, save for when he was in very polite company. He also didn't get to see his eyes very often, again because of the brim of his hat always being held low over his face, but his eyes were very pretty indeed. The soft browns mixed very nicely, and the slight droop of his eyelids made him look calm, content and peaceful. His upper eyelashes brushed the top of his cheeks when he blinked in that soft, slow way of his.
"I hear staring is rude."
Brief, yet intense panic set in - Moomin caught Snufkin's eyes meeting his in the reflection, and clumsily rushed to look away.
"Don't worry. I don't see it as rude." Snufkin said, as he sluggishly, yet strongly began to pull his side of the basin back out of the river. Moomintroll cringed and mentally kicked himself.
As Snufkin and Moomin brought the basin to the top of the bank, both dropping quite a lot of water on the way up, Moomin quickly stole another look at Snufkin's face. This time, his cheeks were a little redder, the corner of his eyes a little more creased, and a smile playing at his mouth again.
The two boys sat down and started to prepare everything they needed, Snufkin pointing out which perfumes he didn't like (Almost all of them, save for a peppermint one) and stirring the water, picking out any bits of leaves or bark they saw.
"How much soap do you suppose we're meant to use?" Snufkin asked, turning the bottle in his hands, peeking at the label to see if there would be some sort of instruction.
"I'm not sure. I'd say about a handful," Moomin suggested, offering out his cupped paw, as he knew Snufkin wouldn't like the pure, sticky soap on his hands. "That's how much I use in the bath."
Snufkin, unaware of how viscous the soap was, attempted to pour the opaque bluish liquid into Moomintroll's furry little white paw, but unfortunately misjudged it. Both Moomin and Snufkin's eyes widened as about a bowls-worth of soap came pouring out all over his friend's arm, and stickily drizzling into the water. The little mumrik attempted to quickly re-cap the bottle of soap and put it aside before any more mishaps happened. "I’m very sorry!” He exclaimed, “Can you wash it off in the water?”
Snufkin offered his hands to help scrape some of the soap off, but winced at the sight of the sticky stuff drooling everywhere, and suddenly became a little too afraid to touch Moomin's paws. Moomin pulled his paws a little closer toward himself, so as to not upset Snufkin even more.
“Don’t worry, Snufkin! Now your coat will be extra clean!” Moomin giggled as he began to scrub his paws under the water, successfully removing all of the soap. He also gave the water a bit of a stir to mix in the remaining soap, which caused a few bubbles to form at the top. He noticed out of the corner of his eye how Snufkin watched the swirling water with intrigue, and didn’t stop until Snufkin moved to grab his coat. As Snufkin scrunched the coat up a little, he hesitated.
“Do I just… throw it in?” Snufkin asked holding the coat, his hands hovering, unsure over the basin.
“I suppose. But you need to squash the coat around once it’s in there, so it gets lots of the soap in it.” Moomin replied.
Snufkin looked a little sheepish, and quietly asked, “Is it sticky…?”
Moomintroll smiled, “Not anymore, now that it’s all mixed in.” He even swirled his paw in the water again for emphasis.
Mostly pleased with his reply, Snufkin dropped the coat in the water and timidly submerged it completely with his hands. To his surprise, Moomin was right; the water wasn’t sticky at all. If anything, it was silkier than usual and smelled very sweet. He beamed as he began to knead the coat in the water and enjoyed making the whole thing spread out, and then quickly squishing it back down again. Moomin watched him with warm delight, as it was rare to see Snufkin look this wonderstruck by simple water, or by anything for that matter.
“Would you like to try, Moomin? It’s very fun!” Snufkin grinned, pulling his soaked hands out of the water, shaking them off slightly and gesturing for Moomin to have a go.
It was at that moment that Moomin decided: he loved to see Snufkin smile. Genuinely and wholeheartedly, whenever he saw his friend’s cheeks split into a grin, he felt his heart flip a little, and he very much liked that feeling. He loved seeing Snufkin’s nose crease and seeing the slight squint in his eyes brighten his face, and he wanted to see it more. He never wanted this to end.
Moomintroll plunged his hands into the water, causing a large splash to spill over the sides of the bucket, which in turn soaked Snufkin’s trousers and Moomin’s legs. The two boys chuckled heartily, totally engrossed in this joyous moment. They continued to splash water at one another, every now and then dragging the coat out of the bucket and flinging one end at one another, which caused a spray of the soapy water to fly about, sparkling in the bright sunlight of the late morning. Their laughter grew so loud that they could be heard from the Moominhouse, much to Moominmamma’s delight, as she idly listened in from the kitchen.
“You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you, Snufkin?” Moomin laughed as he flung more water at the mumrik.
“Well, yes! I don’t often get the chance to just… Play!” Snufkin giggled back, wiping away some stray water that was dangerously close to his eye. “Whenever I wash something, I’m just doing it normally in the river, and I’m usually alone.”
“But you like being alone,” Moomin stated.
“Yes, I do, but I mean… I’ve never had the chance to make a chore so much fun. Using the soap was new to me, and you being here really made the experience that much better.” The mumrik responded as he began to wring out the coat, that soft smile playing at his face again as he made strong eye contact with Moomintroll. “Thank you for coming with me today, I’m really grateful.”
Moomintroll smiled and stood up, and then began to pull the heavy full basin toward the top of the bank. “I’m grateful I was allowed to come!” He smiled back.
“What are you doing?” Snufkin questioned, standing up himself and continuing to wring out the soggy coat.
“I’m going to pour this out somewhere other than the river,” Moomin grunted as he struggled with the basin, “so that you can have dinner tonight.”
“I’ll help you.” Snufkin offered, happy that Moomin had remembered about the fish.
Slinging the wet coat over his shoulder once again, he grabbed the other side of the basin and began to pull.
As the two boys grunted and dragged the basin toward the house, Moominmamma was stood on the front porch, a handbell clutched in her paw. “Boys!” she yelled, flinging the bell around to further grab their attention. “Come inside for lunch!”
“Okay, Moominmamma! Just as soon as we’ve poured this away!” Snufkin called back, slightly wincing at the shrill sound of the bell. The boys continued dragging the metal basin toward the washing line. Moomin’s ears pricked as he realised that Snufkin had said he was going to stay for lunch, which was very rare indeed. He always wanted his friend to stay for longer than he did… maybe he felt like they didn’t enjoy his company a lot of the time?
“…You know, Snufkin…” Moomin started, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. “You’re always welcome to come and play with us. You don’t have to be alone all the time if you don’t want to.”
Snufkin’s bright grin faltered. A smaller smile remained, but there was a slight sadness in his face as he looked down. “I know.”
Moomin stopped dragging.
“I mean it, Snufkin!” he exclaimed, rushing to hold onto Snufkin’s shoulder reassuringly. “If you’re ever feeling lonely or upset, you can come and play with us, or even just sit with us. We really do enjoy your company, you know.”
“I know, Moomin. It’s just…” The mumrik stopped. “Never mind. Thank you, Moomin”
At this, Snufkin’s face returned to its usual blank expression. His eyelids drooped, and he had a slight frown. He pulled his shoulder away from Moomin’s paw, and walked away to the washing line, abandoning the basin.
Moomin suddenly felt incredibly guilty. He knew that the mumrik didn’t like being touched unless he knew it was going to happen, but he had done it anyway. It might have hurt him or made him feel awfully upset. Plus, Moomin didn’t need to tell him all of that; it had probably made Snufkin feel uncomfortable - Moomin hated that idea with every bone in his body. It had been such a lovely day, but he had ruined it. He felt tears prick at his eyes, and he shakily clenched his paws.
In a rush of sadness and guilt, Moomin tossed the basin onto its side with a grunt, water rushing out all over the grass, seeping into the dirt and causing a large muddy mess to begin forming. Snufkin jumped and turned to see what had happened, his eyes wide in surprise and worry.
“Are you alright, Moomin? Did you hurt yourself?” Snufkin exclaimed, dropping his coat to the floor and rushing over to Moomintroll. Squelching through the mud puddle without a second thought, he looked into Moomin’s eyes and quickly realised that he was crying. Shock settled in his face, and he hovered his hands before his friend’s snout. “What’s wrong?” he asked, worry seeping into his tone.
“I upset you, and I really didn’t mean to. I just,” Moomin began to choke up a little. ”I just wanted to tell you that I really enjoy your company, but I know y-you don’t like being around too… too many people at a time. I’m really sorry Snufkin, I really am.” Moomin was sobbing at this point, rubbing at his eyes continuously, trying to wipe away tears that wouldn’t stop.
“…May I hug you?” Snufkin asked softly, his hands still hovering near Moomin’s snout.
Moomin, surprised, stared at Snufkin for a moment before nodding and holding his arms out, shaking a little. He felt Snufkin close his bony arms around him, and settled into the hug, tucking his snout between Snufkin’s head and his slightly damp shoulder. He felt a bit cold, but in a pleasant way - like when you turn your pillow over in the middle of the night.
“You didn’t upset me, Moomin, I’m just not very good at explaining things,” Snufkin said, stroking the back of Moomin’s head tenderly.
“But I know you don’t like being touched, and I did it anyway!” Moomin cried, clinging on to his friend’s shirt. “A-and I kept on at you about something you didn’t want to talk about!”
“Shh, It’s alright. You were trying to comfort me,” Snufkin reassured, his voice even softer than before. “It’s okay, I promise.”
Moomin didn’t know what else to say, his mouth hung open slightly. He decided to snuggle further into the hug and tried to focus on how to stop crying without having to let go of Snufkin.
Snufkin held on to Moomin for as long as he needed, gently stroking his fur and softly shushing him – he let go only once Moomin had begun to pull away, but held on to one of his paws, running his thumb across his friend’s fluffy knuckles reassuringly.
“Shall we put your coat up?” Moomin said shakily; a sad lump still clinging to his throat.
“Yes, let’s,” Snufkin replied, a reassuring smile on his face, and began to guide Moomin over to the washing line, picking up his soggy coat along the way.
Holding onto Snufkin’s hand was very new to Moomintroll. His furless palm felt smooth, yet still soft from all the water; his bony fingers having wrinkled a while ago. It really was a lovely feeling, and not just the texture of Snufkin’s little hand, but the emotion behind it. He was holding on to Moomin’s paw in reassurance, and Moomin found it to be a very kind gesture. However, Snufkin eventually did have to let go once they reached the washing line.
“You head on in while I hang this up, Moomin.” Snufkin said, reaching for the clothespins hung up on the line.
Moomin nodded, pulling his paw into himself, and holding it gently with his other paw. It didn’t quite feel the same, but it would have to suffice. He walked up to the front door, and left it open as he stepped inside.
Moominmamma greeted him with a warm grin, stepping out of the kitchen and holding two plates of what looked to be toast in her paws.
“Toast for lunch, mamma?” Moomintroll asked.
“Yes! I know that Snufkin likes toast, but I don’t know if he likes anything else,” she replied, putting the plates on the table with a quiet clatter. “Yours has pumpkin jam, but his only has butter on it - if he wants anything else he can ask.”
“Thank you, Moominmamma,” Snufkin said, startling the two Moomins as he stepped into the house, wiping his still slightly soggy hand on his trouser leg.
The boys sat next to each other at the table across from Mamma. The three of them then let themselves indulge in the nice, warm toast as the sun continued to creep over the sky.
“Oh goodness!” Snufkin suddenly exclaimed, jumping up from the table and running towards the door.
“Whatever is the matter, Snufkin?” Mamma called after him.
“I left my harmonica in my coat pocket!”