“Do you know him?” asked Snufkin.

  “Ye-es,” said Moomintroll. “I know him very well!”

  He was really enjoying this new game. He thought that it was very funny and he was very good at it.

  “How do you know Moomintroll?” asked Snorkmaiden.

  “We were born at the same time,” said Moomintroll, laughing. “But he’s very naughty, you know!”

  “Don’t talk about Moomintroll like that!” said Snorkmaiden, angrily. “He’s the best Moomin in the world.”

  “Is that true?” he said. “Well, I think that he’s a terrible Moomin.”

  When she heard this, Snorkmaiden began to cry.

  “Go away,” said Sniff. “Or we’ll have to sit on your head.”

  “All right, all right,” Moomintroll said. “It’s only a game. But I’m very happy that you think that I’m the best Moomin in the world.”

  “But we don’t!” shouted Sniff. “Take away this ugly king. He says terrible things about our Moomintroll.”

  And Sniff and Snufkin jumped on top of Moomintroll. He was too surprised and could not stop them. Then, Moominmamma came out of the house.

  “What are you doing there, children?” she cried. “Stop fighting!”

  “Mother!” Moomintroll cried. “They started it. It wasn’t me. There are two of them and I’m only one.”

  “Yes, that is true,” said Moominmamma. “But who are you, my little creature?”

  “Oh, please stop this terrible game,” cried Moomintroll. “It isn’t funny any more. I am Moomintroll, and you are my mother. And that is all!”

  “You aren’t Moomintroll,” said Snorkmaiden. “He has beautiful little ears, but yours are huge!”

  Moomintroll felt his ears. They were huge. This was very strange!

  “But I am Moomintroll!” he cried. “It is me!”

  “Moomintroll has a nice little tail, but yours is huge, like a big brush,” said Sniff.

  And, oh dear, it was true! Moomintroll felt behind him with his paw.

  “And your eyes are like soup plates,” said Snufkin. “Moomintroll’s eyes are small and kind!”

  “Doesn’t anyone know that this is me?” Moomintroll asked. “Look at me, Mother. You must know your own Moomintroll.”

  Moominmamma looked at him. She looked into his frightened eyes for a very long time, and then she said, quietly, “Yes, you are my Moomintroll.”

  And then he began to change. His ears, eyes and tail got smaller, and his nose and stomach grew. He looked like Moomintroll again.

  “It’s all right now, my dear,” said Moominmamma. “I will always know you.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Berry juice

  Later, Sniff asked Moomintroll, “How did you change? What did you do?”

  “I don’t know,” said Moomintroll. “I didn’t do anything and I didn’t say any dangerous words. I just hid under that hat – it’s a bin now.”

  “You hid under the hat?” asked Sniff.

  “Y-yes,” said Moomintroll, and they both thought for a long time.

  Suddenly, they shouted, “The hat is magic!”

  “We should tell the others!” said Moomintroll.

  They found Moominpappa and Moominmamma and told them about the hat.

  “That hat is very dangerous,” said Moominpappa. “We must throw it in the river.”

  So, the Moomin family and their friends took the hat and threw it in the river. They watched it float away.

  “Goodbye, magic hat,” said Moominmamma.

  “The clouds were fun,” said Moomintroll, sadly. “I didn’t like changing into that strange creature but I liked the clouds.”

  ————

  That night, Moomintroll could not sleep. He lay in his bed and looked out at the light June night. Sometimes, he could hear the noises of small creatures outside and the air was sweet with the smell of flowers.

  Snufkin was not back yet. On nights like this, he liked to go for walks and play his mouth-organ. But Moomintroll could not hear his songs and he felt sad. In the summer, Snufkin often slept outside. Maybe he was looking for a place to sleep? Suddenly, Moomintroll heard a whistle. He knew that the whistle meant, “Secrets!” He stopped feeling sad and went to the window. Snufkin was waiting under the rope ladder. Moomintroll climbed down feeling excited.

  “Can you keep a secret?” Snufkin asked.

  “Yes!” said Moomintroll.

  “The hat floated down the river, but it’s stopped on a sandbank. Do you want to see it?”

  “Yes!” said Moomintroll again, and the two friends walked down to the river.

  “The hat is doing magic things again. Look! The river water is turning red,” said Snufkin. “I think that we should go and get the hat because lots of creatures live in the river. They will be very frightened if they see this terrible water.”

  “Yes, you’re right!” said Moomintroll.

  “The hat is over there,” Snufkin said. “Look at the dark water. Can you see?”

  “Not really,” said Moomintroll. “I can’t see at night like you.”

  “How are we going to get the hat?” said Snufkin, looking at the river.

  “I can swim quite well if the water isn’t too cold,” said Moomintroll.

  “Are you sure?” asked Snufkin.

  “Yes, of course!” replied Moomintroll.

  “Don’t put your foot in the hat,” said Snufkin. “Hold it with your paw.”

  Moomintroll got into the warm summer water and started swimming. The river was fast and he felt a bit frightened. Then, he saw the sandbank and there was something black on it. He swam closer and soon he felt sand under his feet. He stood up on the sandbank. Dark water was coming out of the hat and into the river. Moomintroll touched the dark water with his paw and then put it in his mouth.

  “Oh!” he said. “It’s berry juice!”

  “Have you got the hat?” shouted Snufkin.

  “Oh, yes!” Moomintroll shouted. And he swam across the river with his tail round the hat. But it was difficult swimming with a heavy hat behind him and, when he arrived back, he was quite tired.

  “Here it is,” he said.

  “Fine!” said Snufkin. “But what should we do with it?”

  “Well, I think that we should keep it,” said Moomintroll. “It makes berry juice. Think about it. We can have berry juice all the time! And maybe we will see those little clouds again, too.”

  So, they decided to take the hat home. Snufkin carried the hat and Moomintroll followed him. But, suddenly, Snufkin stopped.

  “What is it?” asked Moomintroll.

  “I can see birds!” cried Snufkin. “There are three little yellow birds on the bridge, but it is the middle of the night. How strange!”

  “I’m not a bird,” said the nearest one. “I’m a fish!”

  “Yes! We are fishes, all three of us!” said his friend.

  “It’s that hat again,” said Snufkin. “I’m sure that those three little fishes were swimming in it. The hat has changed them. Let’s go! We must find a safe place for it at home.”

  Moomintroll stayed close behind Snufkin while they walked through the forest. He could hear noises and sometimes he could see small eyes behind the trees.

  “It’s a beautiful night!” said a voice behind them.

  “Yes, it is,” Moomintroll replied and he felt a bit frightened when a small creature went past him.

  It was starting to get lighter. There was a light blue glow over the sea and the sky. Morning was here.

  Snufkin and Moomintroll carried the Hobgoblin’s Hat home.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The cave

  It was nearly the end of July, and it was very hot in Moominvalley. The trees looked tired and the river was thin and brown. Moomintroll and his friends felt tired and hot.

  “Mother!” said Moomintroll. “We don’t like this weather. Find us something to do!”

  “Can you go to the cave for a few days?” said Moominmamma. “It’s cooler there by the sea and you can swim all day.”

  “Can we sleep in the cave, too?” Moomintroll asked, excitedly.

  “Of course,” said Moominmamma. “I’ll get some food ready for you. You can take some pancakes.”

  So, Moomintroll, Snufkin, Sniff, Snorkmaiden and the Hemulen went to the cave. It was very exciting to stay there. They put a lamp in the middle of the floor, and they made beds in the sand. They ate some of their pancakes and Snufkin played his mouth-organ. Everyone felt happy. The red glow from the sun filled the cave for a while and then it started to get dark.

  “Shall I tell you a terrible story?” Snufkin asked.

  “Is it very terrible?” asked the Hemulen.

  “It’s quite terrible,” said Snufkin.

  “OK, you can tell your story,” said the Hemulen, “but I’ll tell you when I get frightened.”

  “Good,” said Snufkin. “It’s a strange story. A bird told it to me. Well, there is a very high mountain at the end of the world. It is very black and you can’t see the bottom of it. You can only see clouds. But there is a house at the very top of the mountain. It is the Hobgoblin’s House, and it looks like this.”

  Snufkin drew a house in the sand.

  “Hasn’t it got any windows?” asked Sniff.

  “No,” said Snufkin, “and it hasn’t got a door or a roof. The Hobgoblin rides on a big black cat called a panther. Every night, they fly out and collect rubies in the Hobgoblin’s Hat.”

  “Rubies!” asked Sniff. “Where does he get them from?”

  “The Hobgoblin can change into anything,” replied Snufkin, “and then he can go anywhere to find rubies. He can go under the ground and even to the bottom of the sea.”

  “What does the Hobgoblin do with all these rubies?” asked Sniff.

  “He doesn’t do anything with them. He just collects them, like the Hemulen collects plants,” said Snufkin.

  “What did you say?” asked the Hemulen.

  “The Hobgoblin has a house full of rubies,” said Snufkin. “There are piles of them everywhere. He has put some of the rubies in the walls and they look like the eyes of wild creatures. The Hobgoblin’s eyes are red, too, and they glow in the dark!”

  “Now I’m nearly frightened,” said the Hemulen.

  “This Hobgoblin is very lucky to have a house full of rubies,” said Sniff.

  “Well, he isn’t very happy,” said Snufkin. “And he won’t be happy until he finds the King’s Ruby. That ruby is nearly as big as the black panther’s head and it glows like fire. The Hobgoblin has looked everywhere for it but he hasn’t found it. He’s on the moon looking for it now.”

  “But is all this true?” asked Sniff.

  “Maybe,” said Snufkin. “But the bird told me more. She thinks that the Hobgoblin had a tall, black hat. He lost it a few months ago.”

  “No!” cried Moomintroll.

  The others made excited noises.

  “What’s that?” asked the Hemulen. “What are you talking about?”

  “The hat,” Sniff told him. “Do you remember the tall, black hat? I found it on top of the mountain in the spring. It’s the Hobgoblin’s Hat!”

  “Oh no! But he might come to Moominvalley to look for his hat!” said Snorkmaiden. “Where is it now?”

  “It’s on the table under the mirror and nobody thinks about it much now,” said Moomintroll. “We must talk to Mother about this. Snufkin, is it a long way to the moon?”

  “Yes, it is quite a long way,” replied Snufkin. “And I’m sure that it will take a long time for the Hobgoblin to look everywhere on the moon.”

  Everyone was quiet. They were all thinking about the black hat on the table under the mirror at home. Suddenly, the Hemulen jumped and said, “Did you hear that? There’s something outside.”

  They all listened. Was it the Hobgoblin’s black panther?

  “It’s only rain,” said Moomintroll. “It has come after many weeks. Let’s go to sleep.”

  And they got into their beds and went to sleep.

  In the morning, the Hemulen woke up suddenly. Rain was coming in through the roof of the cave and his bed was wet.

  “Oh no!” he cried. “Yesterday was too hot and now it’s too wet.”

  Soon, the others woke up. They were cold and wet so they decided to go home. The rain got worse on their way back and they could not see very well. After some time, they arrived back in the garden.

  Suddenly, Snorkmaiden stopped. “We’ve come the wrong way!” she said.

  “No, we haven’t,” said Moomintroll. “Look, there’s the bridge and this is our garden.”

  “Yes, but where’s the house?” asked Snorkmaiden.

  It was very strange. Moominhouse was not there.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The jungle

  Let’s go back to the Moomintroll house earlier that day.

  Moominmamma was happy that it was raining.

  “Now everything in the garden will grow!” she said. “And the family are safe and dry in the cave!”

  She decided to make the house tidier. She started collecting clothes, Moomintroll’s strange stones, bits of wood, and other things. She found some of the Hemulen’s plants on top of the radio. Without thinking, she put the plants in the Hobgoblin’s Hat.

  Then Moominmamma went upstairs to her room and lay on her bed, listening to the rain on the roof. Soon, she went to sleep.

  Then something very strange started happening downstairs. The Hemulen’s plants were growing slowly out of the hat. Then they grew up the walls, through doors, and up the stairs. Flowers and fruits started growing, too, and the house was full of quiet noises. Sometimes, a fruit fell on to the carpet. The noises woke Moominmamma up but she thought that it was only the rain. She went to sleep again.

  Moominpappa was writing his life story in his room upstairs. Suddenly, a blue fruit fell on to his paper.

  “Oh! Moomintroll and Sniff must be home again!” he said, and he turned to look behind him.

  But it was not a person – it was a thick bush. It was full of yellow berries. Next, small blue fruits started falling all around him. There was a huge branch growing slowly near the window. Smaller branches were growing from the branch in all directions.

  “Hello!” shouted Moominpappa. “Wake up, everybody! Come quickly!”

  Moominmamma woke up and she saw that her room was full of small, white flowers.

  “Oh, how beautiful!” she said. “Moomintroll has done this for me for a surprise.”

  “Hello!” shouted Moominpappa again. “Open the door! I can’t get out!”

  But Moominmamma could not open the door because there were too many plants. She looked around. There was a small forest on the stairs, and the living room was like a jungle.

  “Oh!” said Moominmamma. “Of course, it’s that hat again.”

  The plants grew up through the house and out on to the roof. Soon, they covered all of Moominhouse with a thick, green carpet.

  ————

  Moomintroll stood and looked at the green jungle outside Moominhouse. Flowers were opening and fruits were turning from green to yellow, and from yellow to red.

  “The house was here,” said Sniff.

  “It still is. It’s inside that jungle,” said Moomintroll. “But we can’t get in and Pappa and Mamma can’t get out.”

  “This is more hat magic,” thought Snufkin. “It’s beginning to get silly.”

  “Look!” shouted Sniff. “The cellar door is open!”

  “Come quickly!” said Moomintroll. “Let’s go in that way.”

  Moomintroll, Sniff, Snufkin and Snorkmaiden all climbed down into the dark cellar. The Hemulen came last.

  “The door is too small,” he shouted. “I can’t get in!”

  “Stay outside,” said Moomintroll. “You can study the plants on the house!”

  So, the Hemulen stayed outside in the rain and Moomintroll and the others got into the house through the cellar. They could hear loud noises upstairs. Then, there was a cry. Moominpappa was out of his room!

  “Mamma! Pappa!” shouted Moomintroll, going up the cellar stairs. He was happy to see that the door to the house was open. “What has happened?” he cried. “Why is there a jungle here?”

  “Well, dear,” replied Moominmamma, “I think that it must be because of the Hobgoblin’s Hat again. But come up here! I’ve found a berry bush in the cupboard.”

  After that, the children played games in the jungle all afternoon. Everybody had a wonderful time. They forgot about the Hemulen outside in the rain. He was now very wet.

  When evening arrived, it stopped raining. At the same time, something strange started happening to the jungle. It started getting smaller. The fruit fell to the ground and the flowers died. In the garden, the Hemulen watched for a while, and then he pulled at a branch. It was very dry and the Hemulen had an idea. He collected a huge pile of branches and made a fire in the middle of the garden. He sat next to it and soon felt warmer.

  Then the Moomin family and their friends pushed their way out of the house into the garden. They saw the happy and warm Hemulen next to the fire.

  “Let’s put the jungle on the fire,” said Moominpappa.

  And they took all the bits of jungle from the house and threw them on the fire. The fire became huge and everyone in Moominvalley could see it.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Thingumy and Bob

  Early one morning at the beginning of August, Thingumy and Bob arrived in Moominvalley. Thingumy wore a red hat and Bob carried a huge suitcase. Their journey was long and they were tired. They rested for a while near the top of the mountain and looked down over the valley. They could see Moominhouse and smoke.

  “Smoke,” said Thingumy. “I’m hungry.”

  “Foke means smood,” said Bob.

  And they walked down the mountain, talking in their strange language until they arrived at the Moominhouse. Just then, Moominmamma opened the window and shouted, “Coffee!”

  This frightened Thingumy and Bob and they jumped through the open doors of the potato cellar.

 

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