Chapter Text
Since he was very small, Snufkin has always loved the warmth of spring and the sun. He travelled far from home and followed it everywhere he went. Wandering the earth and eventually, he came across new friends in the midst of a comet fall. And with the end of that adventure, Snufkin finds himself staying in Moominvalley with his new found best friend, Moomintroll.
Of course he didn't mind the change of pace, he enjoyed the rest of that year happily with the company of his new friends and the Moomin family. But after a dreadfully long winter, Snufkin wakes up in time for the arrival of spring. He saw Moomintroll still sleeping peacefully in his bed. Outside the frost-covered window, the darkness of the winter still lingers and the sun could hardly be seen. Snufkin opened the window and a cold wind enveloped him. Snufkin was shaken by the cold, but he perched himself on the windowsill and waited for the morning to arrive.The world was still cold and snow covered, but far away, on the feet of the Lonely Mountains, Snufkin saw the sun slowly climb its way into the sky, underneath it, he saw the tiny figure of the Herald of Spring, who disappeared behind the mountains as quickly as they appeared. In moments, The sky and the entire valley seemed to wake up as the light and color returned to the world.
“It’s spring…” Snufkin whispered to himself, overflowing with joy and excitement.
Snufkin climbed down the rope ladder from his and Moomin’s room, uncaring about the lingering cold, he wandered and danced joyfully on the wet earth because it was the first spring morning. He soon arrived on the bridge, watching how the river waters carried away the ice and snow. Snufkin welcomed the spring with his favorite song on his flute, and soon enough Moomintroll awoke and joined him on the bridge. The two greeted each other, and Snufkin continued on playing. The sun was high up in the sky now, and they listened to the sound of the river below them. It was a perfect spring morning, and soon the rest of the world will awaken, and the two of them will be joined with their friends for more adventures.
Despite how lovely Moominvalley is, Snufkin couldn’t help but miss being a wanderer, of his freedom. So in late August, he met with Moomintroll again early in the morning, just like they had on the first morning of Spring. Snufkin had decided that this was the morning he’d leave Moominvalley. The two of them sat together there for a long time, Moomintroll watched the reed boats floating down the river, imagining Snufkin boarding on one of them and setting sail for distant lands.
“When are you going?” Moomintroll asked
“Now - immediately!” said Snufkin.
“Are you staying away long?”
“No, on the first day of spring I shall be here again, whistling under your window - a year goes by so quickly!”
The two of them said their goodbyes, and Moomintroll watched his best friend disappear into the trees, listening closely to the sound of his flute. Sadness began to well in his heart, but the promise of meeting Snufkin again next spring was something he knew he could hold on to.
And so that was how their tradition started, for a few years, Snufkin would return to Moominvalley every spring until the late Summer, he would go on adventures with his friends and leave for the rest of the year to journey on his own. Moomintroll would wait patiently every spring for his friend’s return, and the sorrow of Snufkin’s departure became lighter with each year, as he learned to understand the nature of his best friend.
Until one year, during his return to Moominvalley, Snufkin followed the warmth of spring as he always did. But the closer he got to the valley, the warmth seemed to dissipate, and the snow returned to the trail. Soon enough, Snufkin crossed paths with the sun itself. Laid upon a patch of burnt grass, clearing the surrounding snow, Snufkin couldn’t really process what he was looking at. It seemed like a golden disc, with curved blades affixed to its sides like a pinwheel.
“Oh dear, that’s not good…” Snufkin said to himself.
“If the Spring Herald doesn’t carry the sun to Moominvalley, then Moomintroll would be over-hibernating…”
Snufkin looked around for any sign of the Herald of Spring, he waited for a while, but there was no sign of them anywhere. He called for them but to no response, after what felt like eternity, Snufkin realized there’s no improving the situation. It was only him and the fallen sun, and no Herald to carry it to Moominvalley.
“The sun should be left in the sky… but it’s all the way down here now…” Snufkin decided to try picking up the sun, first with his towel that he rolled onto the snow beforehand, but once he took hold of the golden disc, in a moment, the snow melted away and the disc burnt straight through the towel, and the burning disc’s surface took hold of Snufkin’s paws. Shocked and panicked, Snufkin screamed, without thinking, he quickly hurled it into the sky... To his surprise, the sun stayed afloat, it burst into colorful flames and began to slowly rise into the sky. Snufkin watched as the snow melted away from his surroundings, and the color slowly returned to the world around him. The burning pain in his paws lingered, Snufkin checked on his paws and saw that the sun had left strange marks all over his palms. The pain was still there, but somewhat dulled.
“Well, I suppose that solves it.”
Snufkin carefully leaves, turning around a few times to check if the sun is still steady on its own. When he confirmed it’s safe, he quickened his pace and rushed for Moominvalley.
The whole day, Snufkin felt uneasy, he could see that the sun was now acting as it usually would, shining bright and warmly to the whole world, it’s really springtime, yet right now he couldn’t really enjoy it under the increasingly anxious feeling he’s gotten. His paws are itching- his spring tune! Snufkin realized he almost forgot about it, so he fished out his flute from his bag, and tried to sing his worries away. The tune was nearly complete, Snufkin decided to spend the rest of the day on it, never minding the sun again, for a while, things seemed to go back to normal. Until the evening fell, and while Snufkin was still working on his spring tune, the sun descended from the sky and landed right in front of Snufkin’s path.
“What! How- why-...Why did you fall?” Snufkin cried, to no response.
The sun sat there, flames dimming and slowly extinguishing itself.
“What is wrong with you? You’re supposed to set below the horizon! Don't come back to me!” Snufkin continued, frustrated at this situation. He thought to himself: Where was the Spring Herald? The sun’s misbehaviour is not his responsibility, it was the Herald’s!
So Snufkin decided to take off and leave the sun where it is. Unfortunately the anxious feeling came back to him, the further he ran from the sun, the more his instincts shouted at himself to go back, to take the sun with him. It consumed his mind, it felt like the universe itself was trying to pull Snufkin back. So he did just that.
The anxiety was still there, but it quieted down, Snufkin looked at the sun still laid on the ground, it looked like it was simply made of gold, and it was no longer flaming now that dusk has fallen. Hesitantly, Snufkin poked it, and it didn’t burn. Ever so carefully, he picked up the sun again. And it was like all the anxiety in his mind quieted, and the first thing he could clearly think of, was that he needed to bring the sun to Moominvalley.
Slowly, a realization crept into his mind: that he was now The Herald of Spring.
“Oh dear.” Snufkin simply said, very much at a loss for words.
The Herald of Spring. A name he thought was quite silly, but now it seemed that the earth thought it fit him well. Snufkin pondered this new name bestowed upon him, and what consequences and responsibilities it would bring. He will always arrive at Moominvalley in time for spring, that’s certain. But that means he would have to move along from Moominvalley as soon as summer arrives, and he would miss the summer adventures and lovely autumns with his friends. And he would walk across the earth with the sun, all on his own. The thoughts consumed him with both excitement and sadness. Snufkin decided to go to sleep early, to no surprise, he found it quite difficult.
Very early the next morning, he found the sun once again burning in its place.
“Hey! Don’t do that! You’ll cause a fire!” Snufkin cried, running towards the disc, remembering the burns it left on his paws, Snufkin refrained from picking it up at this state. He remembered about the sun oil he got from a fire spirit many years ago. It was all gone now, but he remembered that he had used some of it to cure his flute. For some reason, he remembered the sort of gut-feeling that he really needed to do it at the time, even though it seemed like a waste. I suppose it was all to prepare for this moment, Snufkin thought. He went to fetch the flute, and used the end of it to scoop up the sun off the ground. To his surprise, the sun propped itself up by the end of his flute, it looked like some glorious pinwheel.
“It’s time to go to Moominvalley.” Snufkin said, holding the flute-sun-pinwheel at arm’s length.
As he walked on, the sun turned and fluttered, being blown by the morning winds, the flames turned into a pleasantly warm spring breeze, and the world around Snufkin grew brighter and more colorful.
“This is the strangest spring I’ve ever had in my life.” Snufkin mused.
The afternoon approaches, and Snufkin arrives at the end of the Lonely Mountains, in the distance, he can see the red roof of the Moominhouse, and a faint smoke was rising from the chimney. Snufkin stopped in his tracks and thought about what would happen next. Seeing Moominvalley again, his heart filled with joy, and a bit of sadness appeared with it, because he knows he won’t be the same again.
And with that, he hoisted the sun up towards the sky, and it ascended into the clouds above. Snufkin’s flute was free again, and he knows what to do with his spring tune.
Music can be heard in Moominvalley again, and soon Moomintroll reunited with his best friend on that same bridge, just like they do every year.