Chapter Text
Little My was taking a nap under a rhododendron when a strange person in a green suit hurried past from Moominhouse..
“Hey! Who the heck are you?” she said, jumping from beneath the bush. “I bet you’re going to that stupid party that I was banned from, but how do you know the Moomins, huh?!”
He flinched at her voice and stopped for a moment, “Nothing. Nobody, I mean.” He tugged up his collar to try to hide his face a bit more since he hadn’t yet put on the mask, but nothing gets past Little My.
After a few moments she realized it and gasped. “Snufkin! It is you, I don’t believe it! Look at you!” she laughed.
Snufkin sighed in exasperation and turned to her. “So what, Little My? I can do what I like, even if it means going to a stuck up Fillyjonk party.” he said. “What of it?”
“I just never imagined!” She said. “Usually your kind of parties involve loud music and wild dancing, bonfires, mead...not fancy suits and hors d’oeuvres.”
“I have my reasons.” he said, and put on the mask. “And I don’t want to be recognized just yet, so keep it to yourself.”
“Listen, I don’t care. I just know I want to see the look on Ms. Fillyjonk’s face when she realizes it’s you! Let me sneak in with you!”
Snufkin groaned. “Fine, but hurry up, I’m already late enough as it is.”
Snufkin hurried the rest of the way to the party, wondering how anyone could manage on a regular basis in formal shoes instead of comfy old boots. Little My was hot on his heels. When they approached the party venue, she took to running through the undergrowth instead. Snufkin collected the last of his courage and knocked on the door. Ms. Fillyjonk answered almost immediately.
“Hm? Who are you?” she asked.
“That would ruin the point of the mask, wouldn’t it?” he answered. “You invited me, that much I can assure you.”
“I see.” Ms. Fillyjonk said. “It’s not a masquerade ball, but I suppose it’s not against the rules...you’re sure you were invited? Can I get a hint?”
“When the night has barely started?” he said. “Wouldn’t that spoil the mystery?”
“Oh, hohoho...very well, mystery guest! Please, come in!” she laughed.
Snufkin stepped inside the ballroom. Most people were milling about, chatting, sipping wine and punch. First thing he did was weave through the crowd until he found a window. He opened it, letting the warm summer night air in, and looked around for Little My. Her head popped out from the ferns a few yards off, and he covertly waved to her. In seconds she was climbing over the window sill.
“Stay hidden, alright? The buffet has a long tablecloth that reaches the floor, I’m sure you’ll find it very comfortable under there.” He told her. She nodded, still in stealth mode, and hurried off.
He returned to the crowd. So far, this party seemed a bit boring. He caught sight of Moomin, Snorkmaiden and Sniff at a small table. No one was dancing and he knew why; he could tell the music was incomplete. When he found the string quartet the reason became obvious, it was just a string trio and one empty chair. They were trying their best to get along without the first violinist, but it was clear that a key element of the composition was lost.
Snufkin walked up behind the cellist, and ask where they’d gone. “She’s not here yet, obviously…” the cellist responded, apparently quite annoyed, partially due to Snufkin’s own nosiness he was sure. He shrugged it off and walked to the empty seat on the other side of the quartet. The violin case was under the seat; they must have transported the instruments all together.
When he removed the instrument from the case, the other violinist whispered “Do you play?” he sounded a bit more desperate for the help.
“Not the violin, no.” he said. “But it won’t take me too long.”
The violist and cellist looked nervous, but momentarily stopped to give him time to warm up. The pause in the music turned a few heads, and a few more when people realized that someone had taken up the missing seat. Snufkin fiddled around a bit to find a few key notes and familiarize himself with the instrument. After only a few minutes he felt he knew enough to follow the sheet music, and they began. He had a few mistakes at the start but was only getting better as he played, and for his first time on the violin he had to feel proud of himself. A violin was nothing like a harmonica, of course.
Snorkmaiden and Moomin were the first onto the dance floor. Snufkin smiled watching them dance together, and slowly more and more people joined in pairs. The party was finally picking up, and Ms. Fillyjonk looked delighted. Snufkin was feeling quite confident now, even adding his own flairs to the music where he saw fit. The mask was helping. He had no trouble performing of course, he did it all the time with his harmonica, but this was in a different atmosphere. The thought of people like Ms. Fillyjonk seeing him now, dressed up in this fancy new suit, he could just hear their words… “Is that really Snufkin?!” They would say. “Doesn’t he live in a tent?” “So much for his distaste for ‘material things’, ha! Goes to show you that anyone can be trained to a proper lifestyle.”
It wasn’t so much the fanciness and formality that bothered him, but rather when people seemed to believe they were somehow better and smarter than him because of their money and etiquette. Not everyone thought this way, but Ms. Fillyjonk certainly seemed to.
They made it through the entire song when a lady approached them from the crowd; the violinist! She apologized for being late, explaining that she had actually arrived a few minutes ago but didn’t want to interrupt the song. Snufkin gave back her violin, and the quartet picked up again.
Moomin and Snorkmaiden had returned to their table for a break, where Sniff was still wolfing down tarts and crostini and deviled eggs. Still feeling confident from his successful performance, Snufkin approached them, and offered his hand to Moomin.
“May I have this dance, Moomintroll?” he asked.
The three of them were shocked, especially Moomin, who was nervously muttering and looking to his friends for guidance. Finally with an urging nudge from Snorkmaiden, Moomin hopped off his seat and took the mystery musician’s hand onto the dancefloor.
Neither of them were particularly good at dancing, especially ballroom dancing, but they managed fine. Moomin was still timid and shy, so Snufkin spoke while they were dancing. “Do you know who I am, Moomin?”
Moomin shook his head. “No, but I liked your song! I have a friend who loves music, I bet he would have enjoyed it too.”
Snufkin giggled. “Do you, now? Were you thinking of him while you danced with Snorkmaiden?”
Moomin blushed and glanced away.
“That’s alright.” Snufkin said. “Are you wishing he was here, too?”
“Well, of course…” Moomin muttered. “But he doesn’t like parties like these; he told me to go without him.”
“Well, what if I told you that he was here this whole time?”
“H-he is?” Moomin gasped. He glanced around the room for a moment before his eyes fell back on his dance partner. “...Snufkin?” he whispered.
Snufkin smiled. “Hi, Moomin.”
Moomin’s eyes lit up in joy and wonder; he broke the rhythm of the dance for a bit as he was overwhelmed with excitement. “Snufkin!” he said again, barely containing his happiness. “You’re here, you made it! Look at you, you...you look amazing!”
“Thank you!” Snufkin laughed. “I thought it might be fun to do something different, a bit out of the ordinary for me. And I thought it would make you happy, too. That’s why I came.”
“Oh, it did! It made me very happy!” Moomin said.
When the song ended they finished their dance and bowed politely to each other. Moomin looked around the room again. “Did you tell Ms Fillyjonk? I bet that would really rattle her!”
“No, I didn’t think it was so important…” Snufkin said. “I’m mostly just here for you, Moomin.”
“What do you mean? After all the things she said about you, I think it would be fun to rub it in her face!” Moomin said. “Her party is only a success because of you, you got the crowd warmed up before they died of boredom. She’ll be very embarrassed!”
It was true, the guests were still happily dancing and the mood was much more energetic than when Snufkin had first arrived. “Perhaps...I don’t think I have anything to prove to her, but yes, maybe it would be fun!” he said.
They found Ms Fillyjonk by the buffet where she was busily trying to restock and rearrange the elaborate hors d’oeuvres. Moomin cleared his throat as they approached. In his most gentlemanly tone, he greeted her. “Good evening, Ms. Fillyjonk. I’d like to introduce you to my friend, here.”
“Oh, yes! The mystery guest!” She said, wiping her hands on a cloth napkin and giving them her full attention. She seemed to be under the impression that he must be someone very important, now. “Thank you kindly for filling in for the first violinist until she arrived, you’re very skilled artist! A concert virtuoso, perhaps? Where do you play, primarily?”
“Mostly by the river.” Snufkin answered.
“Yes, of course, of course!” she said “Paris, oui? La Seine?”
“No, I mean the creek by Moominhouse, where my tent is set up.” he said.
“Ohh, yes I see, I-” she stopped. “Er, pardon me?”
“You mean you don’t recognize him, Ms. Fillyjonk?” Moomin laughed. “You said that you would welcome him, and you certainly did!”
Snufkin pulled his mask up, revealing his full face, before returning it to position. Fillyjonk gasped.
“W-well!” she stammered. “I...I simply didn’t recognize you b-because, you’re not all covered in mud and filth this time! I-I…” she paused, embarrassed, then a smug look crossed her face. She picked up a wine class and tapped it with silver spoon a few times, making a chime that captured the party’s attention.
“Excuse me, esteemed guests!” she said. “I’m sure you’re all very curious about our special mystery substitute musician this evening! After all it’s not every day that someone arrives to a party in a mask, it’s bound to cause some wonder, I’m sure!”
“Ms. Fillyjonk, I don’t want-” Snufkin began, but she interrupted him.
“I’m sure you’ll all be amazed to learn his identity, it’s none other than the valley’s own wandering vagrant, Snufkin!”
They heard a few murmurs from the crowd, “Oh, is it really?” “I see it now, it’s really him.” “I didn’t know he played the violin, too.” “Who’s Snufkin?”
Snufkin felt his cheeks getting hot. Moomin stepped between the two to provide him some relief. “Stop it, Ms Fillyjonk, he wanted to go in secret!”
“Well, he should be glad!” Ms Fillyjonk continued, very proud of herself. “Now everyone knows that he can be a gentleman if he just puts a little effort in! He’s not a lost cause after all!”
Snufkin noticed the table begin to shift. No, not the table, the tablecloth. It was sliding down, and he saw a pair of tiny hands clutching the bottom hem, slowly and steadily pulling. Ms Fillyjonk was too occupied with exposing Snufkin that she didn’t notice, but a few party guests had diverted their attention from her to the table. No one said anything, it was rude to interrupt.
“It just goes to show you that anyone can be trained to a proper lifesty-EEP!” She yelped at the sound of silverware clattering on the tiles, but by the time she could turn around, it was too late. The whole setting crashed to the ground, the food, the plates, the wine and the punch, all smashed and splattered to the floor.
Everyone stared in disbelief for a moment, then from across the room, Sniff shouted “FIVE SECOND RULE!” and dashed to the front to gather as many of the spilled appetizers he could grab. Little My jumped out from underneath the table like a cockroach, Fillyjonk screamed at her presence.
“That’s what you get for leaving me out! No one stops Little My from a good time!” She shouted, and went to pick up a few desserts before making a break for it.
The string quartet didn’t miss a beat and picked the music back up; a much more energetic and upbeat tune. Some guests returned to dancing and laughing. Ms Fillyjonk was paralyzed with shock. Snufkin and Moomin shrugged, then gathered the corners of the now stained and soiled tablecloth to carry it out and whatever was left on it. As Snufkin helped to drag out their makeshift sack of food, he looked up at the hostess and said. “Your party is an utter mess. I’m afraid I won’t attend next year, you’ll have to find a way to get on without me.”
Snufkin, Moomin, Sniff, Snorkmaiden and Little My left the party in hysterics, running as fast as they could with their stolen snacks before Fillyjonk could come to her senses and try to stop them. They carried the tablecloth all the way back to Moominhouse.
Moominmamma and Moominpappa were just about to leave the house. Mamma’s outfit took a bit longer to finish than she had anticipated; she probably would have completed it in time had Snufkin’s suit not taken priority. They knew they would be fashionably late, but it was better than being a no show, they decided. As they walked down the path to the bridge, they heard the excited and mischievous laughter of Moomin and all his friends, approaching with a tablecloth weighed down with an entire party’s worth of food.
“Little My found her way back into the party, it seems.” Moominpappa sighed.
“Don’t worry, we already picked out the broken bits!” Sniff said.
“Some of the tarts got a little soaked with punch, but I think that makes them tastier!” Snorkmaiden laughed.
Moominmamma blinked at the heap of food as they five of them set the cloth on the ground. She turned to Moomin and Snufkin, who had taken off his mask long ago. “Well.” she said. “How did the party go?”
“It was fantastic!” Moomin said. “I couldn’t imagine a fancy dress party being so fun. If last years was anything like this one, I’m sorry I didn’t go!”
“Oh, last year’s was a lot like this one.” Little My smirked. “Next year’s will be too, if I have anything to say about it.”
“Yes, something tells me that we might all be banned, next year.” Snufkin said. “Not just Little My.”
“Oh dear, Ms Fillyjonk will be upset.” She sighed, but sat down at the edge of the tablecloth. “But anyway, I think a formal picnic sounds just as fun, and so close to home as well! I suppose things always work out for the best.” She picked up a plate from the pile and dished up a serving of messed up hors d’oeuvres.