Chapter Text
Moomin woke up to the sound of the rain pattering on his window. Yawning, he stretched his limbs. He blinked a few times, trying to orient himself. Rain…Moomin peered outside. There was nothing but green grass all around.
It was springtime.
“Yippie!” Moomin shouted, leaping out of bed. Springtime meant Snufkin! He raced downstairs. This year, Snufkin had specifically promised to be back right on the first day of spring. Moomin rummaged around the house, ripping off the furniture covers. Where was that umbrella?
Moominpappa and Moominmamma slowly trudged down the stairs. “Mamma, Pappa!” Moomin shouted. “Do you remember where we put the umbrella last Autumn? I want to go wait for Snufkin!”
“Well, you see Moomin…” Moominpappa sheepishly held out his clock. “I don’t think Snufkin will be coming for awhile yet.”
“What?” Moomin paused his searching to glance at the clock. The hand pointed to winter. Winter ? “But there’s no snow on the ground!” Moomin protested, as if that could change the clock’s results.
“It looks like spring came early this year.” Moominmamma said, “earlier than Snufkin probably would’ve expected.”
“Oh.” Moomin felt his tail droop.
“I’m sure he’ll be here soon enough.” Moominmamma reassured her son. “Now, do you want something to eat? I was thinking about making some stew.”
“Sure Mamma!” Moomin answered cheerfully. He was still sad that he wouldn’t be seeing Snufkin for awhile yet, but Moominmamma’s cooking always cheered him up.
Moominpappa and Moomin cleaned the kitchen and the living room while Moominmamma tended to her Hibernation-ending stew, a recipe passed down from her grandmother’s cookbook. Just before everyone sat down to eat, there was a knock on the door.
“That must be Mumble with Little My.” Moominpappa got up from the table.
“Make sure to invite Mumble in too.” Moominmamma reminded Moominpappa. “I have plenty of stew.”
“Of course dear!” Moominpappa opened the door. “Hello Mumb-Inspector?”
The Inspector was standing on the porch, holding a black umbrella at his side. “Ah, I see that you’re all awake!”
“Why, hello Inspector!” Moominpappa greeted him. “What brings you here?”
“Would you like some stew?” Moominmamma asked.
“As much as I’d like some, I need to warn the rest of the valley first.” The Inspector sighed.
“Warn the valley?” Moomin asked. “Warn them about what?”
“The water levels are quite high right now,” the inspector said, “as I’m sure you’ve all noticed by now. I’m just going door-to-door right now to make sure everyone’s done hibernating, just in case it starts to flood.”
“My goodness!” Moominmamma exclaimed.
“Will it be bad?” Moomin asked fearfully.
“According to Mr. Hemulen’s weather forecast, the heaviest rains are going down south, so we should escape the worst of it.” The Inspector explained. “However, Mr. Hemulen is still expecting some flooding around here, so I figured I should warn everyone. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Moominpappa said.
“Well, I need to go visit Mumble’s house next.” The inspector opened his umbrella. “You all stay safe now.”
“You too Inspector!” Moominpappa waved as the inspector went back out into the rain.
“Snufkin’s down south.” Moomin whispered.
“I’m sure he’ll be alright.” Moominmamma poured some stew for Moomin.
“Your mother’s right.” Moominpappa agreed. “Snufkin is an experienced traveler. He’ll be fine.”
Moomin remembered the last time he saw Snufkin. The two of them had been on the bridge. The first flakes of snow were just starting to fall.
“Winter’s early this year.” Moomin traced his foot back and forth.
“I know.” Snufkin had sounded almost apologetic.
“It’s not your fault!” Moomin consoled him. “You need to leave before the snow traps you here, you said so yourself!”
“I did.” Snufkin fidgeted with the straps on his pack. “I should get going then.”
“Goodbye Snufkin!” Moomin waved. “I’ll see you next spring!”
“I’ll be there on the first day! I promise!” Snufkin waved back. “No matter what!”
“I’ll be waiting!” Moomin replayed Snufkin’s last words in his head. No matter what ...that seemed rather ominous to him. No matter what , Snufkin had said.
Would the flood force him to break his promise?
Moomin snapped back to the present.
“I know I shouldn’t be worried,” he sighed, “but I just have this awful feeling that he’s going to be in trouble. I know it doesn’t make any sense.”
“It’s alright to be worried.” Moominmamma rubbed Moomin’s back. “I worry every time Snufkin leaves for the winter. But I know he’ll come back. He always does.”
“If I’m honest, I’m a little worried too.” Moominpappa admitted. “However, I know Snufkin will be careful, and that his experience will serve him well. He’ll be back before too long, I’m sure.”
“You guys are right.” Moomin stirred his stew, trying to be optimistic. “Snufkin will be back soon. He always comes back.”
Even though he was doing his best, Moomin still couldn’t shake off a sense of foreboding. What if something had happened to Snufkin?
The inn was crowded, unusually so for this time of year. Snufkin normally wouldn’t take shelter in such places, but an elderly hemulen had seen him hiking and had offered to buy him coffee and some bread in exchange for some conversation. Snufkin had obliged; he needed a rest anyway. But the hemulen was being a bit more pushy than the mumrik was comfortable with. He kept on pressing for answers about his parents and his upbringing. Snufkin managed to dodge those questions so far, but was happy to tell him about his friends back in Moominvalley. The hemulen seemed surprised that the Moomins let Snufkin wander around on his own all winter. Snufkin was sure that the hemulen was judging them, viewing Snufkin as a child needing coddling, instead of an experienced traveler with many winters under his belt. It was a common misconception that most people that he met had, especially elderly hemulens.
Now the elderly hemulen was pestering Snufkin about his travel plans.
“Are you sure leaving now is the best idea?” the elderly hemulen asked, anxiously stirring his coffee.
“I’ll be fine, Topias.” Snufkin gestured at the map in front of him. “If I leave now, I’ll be at Deer Valley before the flooding gets too bad.” Snufkin traced the path between the inn and the next town over. “Then I’ll go over this path here, and I should be in Moominvalley by the end of next week.”
“I admire your enthusiasm, but I think it might be best to wait until the weather clears.” Topias gestured to a brown square on Snufkin’s map. “Do you know what that is?”
“The Overpass Dam.” Snufkin told him, doing his best not to sound too annoyed. “I travel this road a lot, I know about it.”
“Right.” Topias nodded. “Are you aware of how much water the dam holds?”
“Isn’t the Overpass Dam the largest dam in this part of the woods?” Snufkin asked.
“Why, you’re correct!” Topias sounded surprised. “It holds the water for the entirety of Dam Valley…”
Snufkin snickered.
“Really?” The hemulen sighed.
“My apologies.” Snufkin managed to compose himself. While he hated swearing, he did enjoy words that sounded like cursing. Conversations about Dam Valley and the like always felt like he was getting away with something that he shouldn’t, and he liked that feeling.
“I feel like you’re not taking me seriously.” Topias peered at Snufkin through his spectacles.
“Oh, I am!” Snufkin promised. It wasn’t his fault that Dam Valley had such a funny name.
“Anyway.” The hemulen cleared his throat. “I’m sure you’re aware that if that dam goes, that underpass is going to be instantly flooded, and any travellers caught in the waves aren’t going to fair well.”
“Hm…” Snufkin frowned. “From what I’ve heard, that dam hasn’t broke in years.”
“That may be,” Topias agreed, “but this winter was an unusually high snowfall, it’s been super warm this last week which made the snow melt fast, and now with the rains...I don’t know. That dam’s withstood worse, but there’s still more for it to deal with than normal. And considering its age...I just have a feeling in my bones. You know what I mean? It might be best to wait.”
Snufkin leaned back in his chair and sipped his coffee. He knew the value of gut instincts;they had saved him many times over during his travels. Maybe he should stay.
But he had made a promise to Moomin, and he intended to keep it.
“This town is prone to flooding, right?” Snufkin asked.
“Yes.” The hemulen confirmed. “They’re well prepared for it though, from what I’ve managed to gather. They have enough boats for the entire town.”
“And at the rate the rain is going, the pass between here and Deer Valley will be inaccessible by tomorrow, right?”
“Most likely, yes.” Topias nodded. “It should clear within a week though.”
Snufkin pursed his lips. He didn’t have a week. Not if he wanted to make it back in time. “Deer Valley is at a higher elevation.” Snufkin tapped his map. “If I made it there tonight, it would be a safe place to wait out any flooding. And the gorge never floods. Spring is coming soon. Waiting here would take too long. And besides, Moominvalley won’t be as badly flooded as we’re about to be here.”
“I know you made a promise to your friend,” Topias took out a white handkerchief and started to clean his glasses, “but your plan has an awful lot of ‘ifs’ in it. If you make it tonight...” the hemulen increased the speed of his cleaning, “...if the pass doesn’t flood too bad, if there isn’t more flooding waiting for you in Moominvalley, if the dam doesn’t break…”
“Topias, calm down!” Snufkin held up his paw. “You have valid concerns, and I’ve thought about them, I promise!”
“Are you sure?” Topias put his glasses back on. “Are you really, really, really sure?”
“I’m sure.” Snufkin reassured him, trying to hold back a sigh. “If I’m wrong and the pass becomes too flooded to travel safely, I can just climb a tree and wait it out. I have plenty of food.” Snufkin tapped his pack.
“Well...” Topias crossed his arms, “have you considered the possibility of hypothermia if you have to stay in that tree for a long time?”
“Um...yes.” Snufkin actually hadn’t thought about hypothermia, but he was relatively certain that he could make it to Deer Valley before the flooding got too bad. He was certain that the hemulen was just overthinking things.
“And if that dam goes…”
“The dam isn’t going to go.” Snufkin snapped. He took a few deep breaths. In, out. In, out. “I appreciate your concern for me, but I’ve made my decision. I’m going to go now, before the rain gets to bad, and take my chances.”
“Snufkin,” the hemulen pleaded, “I know sometimes as travelers, we take risks. But I feel like this is an unnecessary one. I’m sure your friends will understand if you’re a week late.”
Snufkin could still see Moomin’s face when they said goodbye. Moomin had been smiling and had sent him off with a wave, but Snufkin had seen the tears pooling in his eyes. Even though Moomin had always been supportive of Snufkin’s nomadic ways, the mumrik knew how much Moomin missed him, and how much it hurt Moomin when he left. The year Snufkin had been delayed by a cold, Teety-Woo had told him that Moomin had stayed up all winter waiting for him. According to Snorkmaiden, Moomin had even gone out to look for him, even though he was suffering through a cold of his own, just because Snufkin was late.
Snufkin had no doubt that Moomin would understand. But he couldn’t get Moomin’s face out of his mind. Moomin would be heartbroken if he didn’t return on time. Moomin had to put up with a lot, being best friends with a vagabond like him. The least he could do was keep the promise he had made to be back right on the first day of spring, and not a day later.
“You’ve been very nice to me, nicer than most strangers that I meet.” Snufkin finished his coffee. “However, I’ve made my decision. I should really get going.”
“Alright then.” Topias sighed heavily. “At least promise me that if the water gets too high you’ll turn back.”
“I will.” Snufkin slung his pack over his shoulders.
“Snufkin,” Topias stuck out his paw, “may the Bobble watch over you.”
Snufkin couldn’t quite figure it out, but something about the elderly hemulen’s tone shot shivers down his spine. Cautiously, he accepted Topias’s goodbye. “May the Bobble watch over you too.”
The hemulen’s grip lasted too long for Snufkin’s liking. He pulled his paw away. “I’ll be fine.” Snufkin gave Topias a friendly wave before setting off into the night.
The first part of the trip went pretty smoothly. The water only covered the bottom of Snufkin’s feet. Topias was worrying too much , Snufkin thought to himself. He had left plenty of time to get to Deer Valley before things got too bad.
Soon, the water was past his ankles. A little bit higher than Snufkin was used to traveling through, but still navigable. The sky darkened, but Snufkin just pulled out his lantern. It was no big deal.
When the water level crept to his knees, Snufkin started to have second thoughts. Maybe I should go back , he thought, sloshing through the muck. He could barely see, even with the help of the lantern. To be honest, he wasn’t even sure he was on the path anymore. Snufkin peered into the din, trying to figure out where exactly he was.
Thump!
“Ow!” Snufkin rubbed his thigh. A small pile of branches had been swept into him. Snufkin pushed them away. Okay, so this wasn’t one of my better decisions , he thought to himself. He raised the lantern again. There was a trail marker up ahead. He drug his feet through the water. It was getting harder and harder to move too. He’d soon have to find shelter, even if he decided to turn back.
Boom!
For a minute, Snufkin thought the noise was thunder. Then he felt the vibrations in his feet.
It couldn’t be…
A loud rushing sound filled his ears, almost like a waterfall.
There were no waterfalls on his map.
Snufkin raced for the nearest tree, gripped the lantern with his teeth, and began to climb.