Chapter Text
Moomintroll woke up to the sound of three short whistles and one long. He immediately threw off the covers, and jumped out of bed. Three whistles, then a long one meant an adventure- and a secret one, at that. He ran to the window and looked down. The spring sun was just beginning to rise over the valley, melting the last of the winter frosts. And more importantly, Snufkin was there, waving from beneath the window.
“I’m coming!” Moomintroll called- then remembered the rest of his family was asleep, and that this was supposed to be a secret adventure, judging by Snufkin’s whistle. He tossed down the rope ladder, and made his way down.
“About time,” Snufkin said, as collected as ever. “I was beginning to grow tired of whistling.”
“How long was I asleep?” Moomintroll asked.
“Long enough. Still coming out of hibernation, aren’t you?”
“No,” Moomintroll said defensively. “I wake up just as early as you do. It’s just that last night… I was having an adventure of my own!”
“Really?” Snufkin asked with interest, and a little concern. “Are you sure you’re not too tired, then? I had quite a daring journey planned, and I wouldn’t want to take you along if you’re not up for it.”
Moomintroll felt a little nervous, but didn’t want to show Snufkin (although he had a feeling he could already tell). “How daring?” he asked.
Snufkin lowered his voice in excitement. “Yesterday,” he said, looking around to make sure nobody was listening, “I was on one of my solitary walks to the Lonely Mountains. The weather was perfect for it. Just a hint of cold left over from winter, and the first rays of spring sunshine. This is the best time to go to the mountains, you know. Anyway, I found a cave there I’d never seen before. I can’t believe I’d missed it, after all this time.”
Moomintroll gulped. “The Lonely Mountains?” he said. “I mean- sounds like a good place to go if you want to be um… lonely.”
“Not lonely, my friend,” Snufkin said. “Just alone. There’s a very important difference. Now, I wanted to explore this cave, but you know, I’ve just come back to the valley. And I remembered how, before I went away, you said that you wanted to come with me on my first adventure of the year.” He seemed very proud of himself. “See? I haven’t forgotten you at all.”
“Oh,” Moomintroll said. “Thanks.” He did not like the thought of exploring an unknown cave in the Lonely Mountains- even with Snufkin. He’d heard tales of monsters in the caves, and witches, and trolls who were much bigger and meaner than any other kind of troll he’d met. Old trolls. Far, far older than his furry ancestors, who lived in houses before the days of central heating.
Snufkin looked at him doubtfully. “If you don’t want to go, that’s all right. I can go another time by myself. We could… look for shells on the beach, I suppose. Or we could pick mushrooms in the woods.” He smiled. “I’m sure there are lots of new spring flowers in the meadow now. It would be nice to see those again.”
Moomintroll would much rather do any of those things- anything was better than a dark, horrible cave in the Lonely Mountains. But Snufkin seemed so eager to go there- and he trusted Moomintroll to go with him on such a mysterious journey! Moomintroll didn’t want to disappoint him- or worse, be the wrong friend to invite on such a special adventure.
He drew himself up as bravely as he could. “That’s all right,” he said. “A terrifying, dangerous, horrible journey… is just what I need to get myself fully awake! Who cares about a bunch of silly old flowers and mushrooms, anyway?” (He said this to sound very bold, but then remembered that Snufkin cared a lot about flowers and mushrooms, and felt a bit bad.) “I mean, why spend our first adventure of the year doing things we’ve already done before?” He hoped that was convincing enough. Moomintroll loved to do things he’d already done before.
“If you say so,” Snufkin said. He hoisted his knapsack onto his shoulders, and grinned. “Right! Be ready in about an hour. I’m already prepared, but I figured you might need a little extra time, since you’re still adjusting. Cheerio, then!” And he turned around as quickly as he’d come, whistling a tune to himself as he walked back to his tent.
“See you,” Moomintroll said, his voice trailing off. His gaze drifted past Snufkin, and towards the silhouettes of the mountains on the horizon. He felt his stomach drop. If only he’d agreed to beach-combing and mushroom-picking!