Free Moominvalley in November by Tove Jansson Page B

every time the thunder was heard the Creature grew and lost a bit more of its shyness. It was fairly big now and had changed a lot, it had opened its mouth and had shown its teeth. One evening in the yellow light of sunset the Creature leant over the water and saw its own white teeth for the first time. It opened its mouth and yawned, then snapped its mouth shut and gnashed its teeth a bit, and thought: I don't need anyone now, I've got teeth.
    In the end Toft didn't dare make the Creature any bigger. He made all the pictures vanish, but the thunder continued to rumble over the sea and Toft could feel that the Creature was now growing on its own.
    Toft found it difficult to go to sleep at night without first telling something to himself because he'd been doing it for so long. He read and read in his book and understood less and less. Now they were talking about what the Creature looked like inside, and it was boring.
    One evening Fillyjonk tapped on the box-room door, opened it cautiously and said: 'Hallo there!'
    Toft looked up from his book and waited.
    The big Fillyjonk sat down on the floor beside him, put her head on one side and said: 'What are you reading?'

    'A book,' Toft answered.
    Fillyjonk took a deep breath and took the plunge: 'It isn't always easy to be small arid not have a mummy, is it?'
    Toft hid himself in his chair. He felt ashamed of her and didn't answer.
    Fillyjonk reached out her paw and then drew it back. She said very sincerely: 'Yesterday evening I suddenly thought of you. What is your name again?'
    'Toft,' said Toft.
    'Toft,' Fillyjonk repeated. 'A lovely name.' She desperately searched for words and wished she knew a little more about children and liked them. In the end she said: 'Are you warm enough? Are you all right here?'
    'Yes, thank you,' said Toft.
    Fillyjonk tried to look straight into his eyes and asked imploringly: 'Are you really sure?'
    Toft drew back a bit, she smelt of fear. Hastily he said: 'A blanket, perhaps.'
    Fillyjonk got up immediately. 'And you shall have one,' she exclaimed. 'Just wait, it won't take a minute...' He heard her running down the stairs and coming back again. She had a blanket with her.
    'Thank you very much,' Toft said, and bowed. 'It's a very good blanket.'
    Fillyjonk smiled. 'Oh, don't mention it!' she said. 'Moominmamma would have done the same.' She dropped the blanket on the floor, hesitated a little, and then went away.
    Toft folded the blanket up as neatly as he could and put it at the back of the shelf, he crept into the roach-net and tried to go on reading. It was no good. He understood less and less, and read the same sentence many times over without knowing what he was reading. In the end he put the book down, blew out his candle and went out.
    It was difficult to find the crystal ball. He walked the wrong way, floundering around among the tree-trunks as if the garden was a strange place to him. At last the crystal ball appeared out of the darkness, but its blue light had gone out and it was full of fog, thick dark fog which was hardly any lighter than the night itself. Inside the magic ball the fog quickly floated past, disappeared, was sucked in, and went round and round, more and more fog in deep, darkening spirals.
    Toft walked along the river and passed Moominpappa's tobacco bed. He stepped in under the spruce-trees by the big pool, the withered reeds rustled on all sides and his shoes sank into the boggy ground.
    'Are you there?' he called softly. 'Little Nummulite, how are you?'
    Then the Creature growled at him from the darkness.
    Horror-stricken, Toft rushed blindly away, stumbling and falling and dragging himself up again until he reached the tent. It shone like a calm green light in the night. Inside Snufkin was playing softly to himself.
    'It's me,' Toft whispered. He went inside the tent, where he'd never been before. It smelt nice inside - of pipe-tobacco and earth. Beside the sleeping-bag was a candle on a sugar box and the floor was