Free Tales From Moominvalley by Tove Jansson Page A

'You'll never have a face of your own until you've learned to fight. Believe me.'
    'Yes, of course,' Ninny replied, cautiously backing away.
    *
    There was no further turn for the better.
    At last they stopped trying to teach Ninny to play. She didn't like funny stories either. She never laughed at the right places. She never laughed at all, in fact. This had a depressing effect on the person who told the story. And she was left alone to herself.
    Days went by, and Ninny was still without a face.



They became accustomed to seeing her pink dress marching along behind Moominmamma. As soon as Moominmamma stopped, the silver bell also stopped, and when she continued her way the bell began tinkling again. A bit above the dress a big rose-pink bow was bobbing in thin air.
    Moominmamma continued to treat Ninny with Granny's medicine, but nothing further happened. So after some time she stopped the treatment, thinking that many people had managed all right before without a head, and besides perhaps Ninny wasn't very good-looking.
    Now everyone could imagine for himself what she looked like, and this can often brighten up a relationship.
    One day the family went off through the wood down to the beach. They were going to pull the boat up for winter. Ninny came tinkling behind as usual, but when they came in view of the sea she suddenly stopped. Then she lay down on her stomach in the sand and started to whine.
    'What's come over Ninny? Is she frightened?' asked Moominpappa.
    'Perhaps she hasn't seen the sea before,' Moominmamma said. She stooped and exchanged a few whispering words with Ninny. Then she straightened up again and said:
    'No, it's the first time. Ninny thinks the sea's too big.'
    'Of all the silly kids,' little My started, but Moominmamma gave her a severe look and said: 'Don't be a silly kid yourself. Now let's pull the boat ashore.'
    They went out on the landing-stage to the bathing hut where Too-ticky lived, and knocked at the door.
    'Hullo,' Too-ticky said, 'how's the invisible child?'
    'There's only her snout left,' Moominpappa replied. 'At the moment she's a bit startled but it'll pass over. Can you lend us a hand with the boat?'
    'Certainly,' Too-ticky said.
    While the boat was pulled ashore and turned keel upwards Ninny had padded down to the water's edge and was standing immobile on the wet sand. They left her alone.

    Moominmamma sat down on the landing-stage and looked down into the water. 'Dear me, how cold it looks,' she said. And then she yawned a bit and added that nothing exciting had happened for weeks.
    Moominpappa gave Moomintroll a wink, pulled a horrible face and started to steal up to Moominmamma from behind.
    Of course he didn't really think of pushing her in the water as he had done many times when she was young. Perhaps he didn't even want to startle her, but just to amuse the kids a little.
    But before he reached her a sharp cry was heard, a pink streak of lightning shot over the landing-stage and Moominpappa let out a scream and dropped his hat into the water. Ninny had sunk her small invisible teeth in Moominpappa's tail, and they were sharp.
    'Good work!' cried My. 'I couldn't have done it better myself!'
    Ninny was standing on the landing-stage. She had a small, snub-nosed, angry face below a red tangle of hair. She was hissing at Moominpappa like a cat.
    'Don't you dare push her into the big horrible sea!' she cried.
    'I see her, I see her!' shouted Moomintroll. 'She's sweet!'
    'Sweet my eye,' said Moominpappa, inspecting his bitten tail. 'She's the silliest, nastiest, badly-brought-uppest child I've ever seen, with or without a head.'

    He knelt down on the landing-stage and tried to fish for his hat with a stick. And in some mysterious way he managed to tip himself over, and tumbled in on his head.
    He came up at once, standing safely on the bottom, with his snout above water and his ears filled with mud.
    'Oh dear!' Ninny was shouting. 'Oh, how great! Oh, how funny!'
    The landing-stage