Moominsummer Madness by Tove Jansson Read Free Book Online Page A

to play his and Moomintroll's old song, 'All small beasts should have bows in their tails'.



Little My awoke at once and put out her head.
    'I know that one,' she cried. And then she sang in her shrill and gnat-like voice:
    All small beasts should have bows in their tails
    Because now the Hemulens are closing the jails:
    Whomper'll dance to the moon and rejoice.
    Blow your nose, little Misabel, and laugh at the noise!
    Look at the tulips, how happy and bright
    They're shining in morning's wonderful light!
    Slowly, oh, slowly a heavenly night
    Is fading away like an echoing voice!
    'Wherever can you have heard that one?' Snufkin asked in some surprise. 'You sang it nearly right. You're a strange child.'
    'You're dead right there, pal,' said Little My. 'And I've got a secret, too.'
    'A secret?'
    'You bet, a secret. About a thunderstorm that isn't a thunderstorm and a drawing-room that turns about. But I won't tell you more than that!'
    'I've got a secret, too,' said Snufkin. 'In my knapsack. I'll show it to you after a while. Because I'm going to settle an old account I have with a villain!'
    'Big or small?' asked Little My.
    'Small,' said Snufkin.
    'That's good,' said Little My. 'Small villains are much better. They break more easily.'
    She crawled happily down to her angora wool again, and Snufkin continued his walk. He had arrived at a long fence. It was hung with notices at regular intervals:
    ABSOLUTELY NO ADMITTANCE
    The Park Keeper and the Park Wardress lived together, in the park, of course. They had cut and sheared every single one of the trees into round blobs and square cubes, and all the gravel paths were straight as pointers. As soon as any leaf of grass dared to come up it was cut off and had to start struggling over again.
    The lawns were fenced in on all sides, and the fences were hung with notices telling in big black letters that something or other was not allowed.
    Into this horrible park came every day twenty-four small subdued children who had for some reason become forgotten or lost. They were furry woodies who liked the park as little as the sand-box where they were told to play. What they wanted was to climb trees, stand on their heads, run across the lawns...
    Neither the Park Keeper nor the Park Wardress could understand this. They sat watching the woodies, one on each side of the sand-box. What could the little children do?
    *
    To this park came Snufkin with Little My in his pocket. He crept silently along the fence, looking in at his old enemy, the Park Keeper.
    'What are you going to do him?' asked Little My. 'Hang him, boil him, or stuff him?'
    'Scare him!' replied Snufkin and clenched his teeth around the pipe-stem. 'There's only one person in the whole world whom I really dislike, and that's the Park Keeper. I'm going to pull down all his notices about forbidden things.'
    Snufkin now rummaged in his knapsack and pulled out a large paper bag. It was full of small glossy white seeds.
    'What's that?' asked Little My.
    'Hattifattener seed,' answered Snufkin.
    'Oh,' said Little My, astonished. 'Do Hattifatteners come from seeds?'
    'They do,' said Snufkin. 'But the important thing is: only if the seeds are sown on Midsummer Eve.'
    He began throwing handfuls of seed between the fence rails. He crept noiselessly along the whole of the park fence and scattered his seeds everywhere, but was careful to throw them sparsely, so that the Hattifatteners wouldn't have their paws entangled when they came up. When Snufkin's bag was empty he sat down, lit his pipe, and waited.
    The sun was setting, but the evening was warm, and the Hattifatteners began to grow at Once. Here and there on the neatly mowed lawn round white blobs were appearing, like snowball mushrooms.
    'Look at that one,' said Snufkin. 'In a little while it'll have its eyes over the earth.'
    He was right. Very shortly two round eyes appeared beneath the white skull.
    'They're specially electric when new-grown,' explained Snufkin. 'Look now, he's got