Little Gems - The Moomins by Tove Jansson

Little Gems -The Moomins by Tove Jansson

The houseboat had been painted by Muddler although Hodgkins was not completely sure of the colour he had chosen. Now they had to get the boat afloat as it was on dry land and the water had receded some distance. At first they tried to push the boat but it would not move. The lazy Joxter having been removed from the boat lay on the grass nearby. Hodgkins thought about the problem, if the boat cannot go to the river, then the river must come to the boat. He went to get help from Edward the Booble. They raised the anchor and prepared the ship for sailing.

Edward was a huge dragon like creature who liked comfort and today was his day for a bath. Hodgkins told Edward of the soft sand that he may find near the boat in the river. Edward did not, at first believe Hodgkins as he anted to bathe in the sea. He was so big that he referred to the young Moomin and Hodgkins as sand fleas. Edward, however, was not the brightest light on the tree. He did as Hodgkins suggested and sat down in the river near the boat. The massive bulk of Edward caused the waters to rise and this floated the boat out into the deep waters. Edward did not, however, find soft sand in the river. Instead he found rough sharp pebbles and stones and was not very happy about it. Moominpappa was concerned that Edward was angry but Hodgkins explained that it did not matter as they would not be returning to this part of the world again. The boat sailed off into the distance leaving behind an angry Edward.

Hodgkins and Moominpappa had left Muddler behind but quick thinking by the Joxter (who was also on board) caught Muddler and his cauldron home in the fishing net. Everyone was now on board and safely looking forward to the voyage ahead.

Moominpappa now stopped the reading of his memoirs and told the others present that he had written a poem about the encounter and that he would read it to them next time. Sniff thought Muddler reminded him of his father and Snufkin thought Joxter sounded like his father. Moomintroll wanted to know what happened next but Moominpappa said that it was time to water the plants in the garden.

Moomintroll to the rescue

Moominpappa decided that it was time for another account of his memoirs. The other Moomins gathered round the table lamp as Moominpappa opened the book.

The boat under the command of Hodgkins had sailed into a deep and lonely looking bay. Joxter did not like the look of the place as it was dark and little spooky. Muddler dropped anchor and then they heard the noise of the Groke approaching. She was singing her hunting song and seemed to be pursuing someone in the distance. The air around the boat became very cold as the Groke came closer and the group finally managed to see an intended victim running over the hills towards the water.

The Groke's intended victim came closer to the water to avoid capture and Moominpappa did not hesitate. He jumped into the water in order to attempt a rescue. He told the victim to leap into a cauldron he had taken with him. The person did not think twice and leaped into the cauldron. Something cold nearly caught the tail of Moominpappa but he did not stop to look back. The Groke had been denied its victim who turned out to be the Lady Hemulen - the strict Orphanage Governess. Moominpappa could not believe his misfortune

Instead of thanking them she instantly started to clean up the deck and issue orders about how things should be run aboard the ship. The Muddler was crying and she told him to shut up, clean his teeth and go to bed. In fact she sent all of them to bed. The next morning it was even worse, she was ordering them all around including the Joxter even before they had finished breakfast. Suddenly on the horizon the group saw a small creature which turned out to be a Nibling. There were dozens of them and they were heading for the boat. They all came on board and instantly targeted the lady Hemulen. She tried to fend them off but there were too many. She fell into the waters followed by the Niblings. With a loud scream she disappeared and the boat continued on its way. None of the group went after her and we do not really know what happened to her.

Bedtime now said Moominmamma, you'll have to get the next episode tomorrow. Moomintroll wished he had exciting adventures like his father.

The Moomins - Main Page	The Winter Bonfire	Return of the Sun	Ancestor	Healthy Hemulen
	Sorry Oo	Sorry Oo and the Wolves	The Great Thaw	The Fillyjonk
	Catastrophe	Moomintroll & the Dragon	Moomintroll's Pet	Memoirs
	The Orphan	Hodgkins & the Soldier	Edward the Booble	Moomintroll to the rescue