8.

Moomin was frustrated. Not only had he not been allowed to see Snufkin, as it appeared: Snufkin didn't even want to see him. At least if he was to believe Little My's account. Moominmamma was apparently fine, so why not him? Deep down he knew it was silly, but he felt let down and… well, embarrassed. Now the others would probably think of him as not being so close to Snufkin after all. He could read those thoughts on their faces. He saw the question they all asked themselves: why hadn't Snufkin asked for Moomin?

His best friend could be quite a mystery at times and in this particular moment, that angered him. There was no need for Snufkin to be mysterious about this, he thought to himself. He would have to find out eventually anyway, that is, if they'd get anywhere with anything. And he wanted to help Snufkin. He wanted that more than anything, but how could he, if Snufkin wouldn't let him?

On the other hand, a small voice told him the entire thing was pretty understandable. Moominmamma had said that Snufkin simply wasn't fit enough for more visitors too soon, while Little My had promptly told Moomin later that her brother feared he should lose whatever remained of his dignity if he were to see Moomin. Moomin wasn't sure what to make of that, but he could almost understand it. It wasn't as if he'd want to throw away his dignity in front of Snufkin either. Or Snorkmaiden. Actually, that would be a nightmare. Nevertheless, he still thought it stupid. Dignity wasn't a priority now, he reasoned, and he wasn't going to think any different of the vagabond simply for being sick while locked in.

It was getting quite chilly in the hall and that inspector were really taking his time in finding the safety guard. The big clock on the wall told them they had been waiting for nearly three hours now. Three hours since Little My and Moominmamma returned from the cells. In lowered voices, so as to not let the fillyjonk hear too much, Moominmamma and Little My had told them about the meeting with Snufkin; about his worrying state and what little he had told them. Little My were the one to inform about the latter. She recounted what Snufkin had told her about the true series of events at the major's party and after being caught. Even if it was quite obvious by now that something had gone wrong, they were still shocked to hear Little My's tale. If she bit the inspector green and blue, Moomin wouldn't blame her. Actually he might even cheer her on. She sat there, perched upon the armrest of Moominmamma's chair and stared intently towards the main door. Without doubt she waited for the constable to arrive so she could bite him. Moomin couldn't help but think there was something in her eyes; a knowledge. A knowledge she hadn't yet shared with them. Something Snufkin had said to her, perhaps and she had chosen not to pass on the word. For whatever reason Moomin couldn't possibly know, but it seemed to further fuel her rage towards the inspector, because she glared at the door, waiting like a hungry tiger for an antelope.

Moomin's chair was uncomfortable. He sat close to Moominpappa and tried to absorb some of the older troll's warmth. Moomin's short legs itched with impatience. He wondered if it was just as cold in Snufkin's cell. Moominmamma had told him about the extra blankets though, so hopefully he would be alright. Moomin huffed. "Alright" was of course an exaggeration. Of course he wasn't. And Moomin wished he could be there and comfort him. He imagined what it would be like for him, all alone and ill in a cold cell. Just the thought made him want to cry. No matter how hard he tried, the image wouldn't go away.

"How old is Snufkin?"

The inspector looked up all of suddenly after a while of silence.

"I mean, I don't think it's legal to punish an underage person with a two year-sentence. If he still counts as a child in the eyes of the law, they'll have to let him go."

They stared at each other.

"I'm actually not sure", said Moominmamma after a moment of confused silence. "I have always looked upon him as a child, but his actual age… Come to think of it, I really don't know."

"Yes, that is a tricky one", Moominpappa agreed. "I've always thought that he looks like a child but acts very much like a grown-up, which certainly doesn't help in this case. My, do you know your brother's age?"

Little My shrugged at the question.

"No. When you have as many siblings as I, it's impossible to keep track of when they were all born. He's a couple of years younger than me and he's definitely older than Moomin, but that's all I can say for certain."

"I'm not even sure he knows himself", Moomin added with a deep sigh. "I mean, as far as I know we've never celebrated his birthday and it doesn't appear to be something he's too keen on doing either. And he was abandoned at a very young age, with none to tell him how old he was, so really, why would he know?"

"You're right, son", said Moominpappa. "It's very likely he doesn't know. But right now, it would be of great advantage to us if we did. My, do you know if Mymble keeps track of her children's birth? If she takes notes of them or something the like?"

Little My sent him a doubtful glance.

"Well, I think she does nowadays, but I don't think she was so careful with those kind of things back when me and Snufkin were born. After all, he disappeared and from what I remember, she hardly seemed to notice…"

"He was abandoned!" Moomin growled. "Your mother abandoned him!"

"He was too quiet!" Little My shouted back. "Hardly anyone noticed him!"

"Neither did you, I suppose?"

Little My went quiet. She glared at Moomin and Moomin immediately regretted his words. What had happened in the past wasn't her fault.

"There, there, don't fight!" Moominmamma raised her voice for maybe the first time in years. "We all want Snufkin back and that's what counts right now. The past is in the past, don't spend all of your energy dwelling on that."

Moomin looked down at the floor, ashamed.

"You're right mamma. I'm sorry, My. It wasn't your doing. What happened, I mean."

Little My didn't say anything, but she stopped glaring and instead turned her face to the door again. But this time she didn't look like the animal waiting for its prey. She just looked sad and bitter, which made Moomin feel even more guilty.

"I truly am sorry", he repeated.

"Yes, yes, I know. It's alright."

Moomin didn't believe her.

"Uhm…" the inspector cleared his throat. He looked terribly awkward. It would have been funny, had the circumstances been less dire. "Couldn't we send word to Mymble and ask her about Snufkin's birth?"

"I suppose we could," Moominpappa said. "Although it would take a few days before it reaches her and I don't think she owns a phone... But yes, that might be a good idea, or what do you think, dear?" He turned to Moominmamma, who nodded.

"We have to do anything we can."

She opened her handbag and soon found a piece of paper and a pencil. On that she wrote:

Dear Mymble,

I'm sorry to inform you that your son, Snufkin, has been imprisoned in a city named River Town. The whole of our family came here as soon as we could and we think something has gone wrong. Therefore, we would be very grateful to you if you could send us a note of when Snufkin was born. You see, we need to know his age.

Yours sincerely/

Moominmamma and family.

P.S. Please reply to: River Town Prison

"There", she said, satisfied and neatly folded the short letter in her paws. "I'll send this as soon as that constable are back and we've heard the guard's account."

"If he ever comes back!" Moomin rolled his eyes and slumped back in his chair, but just then, in that exact moment, there was a clicking and clanging as heavy doors swung open and there he was, the city inspector in the company of a slightly smaller hemulen.

"Why is it that all these law-people are always hemulens?"mumbled Little My. She bared her teeth just a bit, and Moominmamma, sensing what was coming, grabbed her arm and held her back.

The pair came to stand in front of them.

"This is the guard who witnessed the assault at the major's garden party", the inspector informed them. The guard offered them a slight bow of the head.

"Good evening", he greeted. He looked stiff and formal and his face expression were more or less blank. A little scary, Moomin thought.

They all took their seats again and the guard began his tale, which turned out to be very similar to the one of the inspector's. Almost too familiar. Moomin and Little My shared looks.:

They've talked this through.

Of course, the inspector hadn't been there until the fire broke out, but their accounts were still very much the same.

"...and then I heard someone scream and when I turned around, I saw the old hemulen lady, completely soaked, and close to her were this mumrik who held an empty glass. I approached them and asked her what was going on, and when she told me that he had thrown his drink at her, I thought it best to see him out. I said as much to him, but he refused and kicked me…"

"You're lying!" growled Little My growled. She bared her teeth again and Moominmamma quickly grabbed her arm. "He kicked himself free because you threatened to put him in a orphanage!"

"Quiet, My!" hushed Moominmamma. "This is not the right-"

"But it's true!"

The guard and the inspector fixed their stern gazes upon her.

"Young lady, that is a very serious accusation", the inspector warned her.

Little My didn't look intimidated in the least.

"Is it? In that case, I'd like you to see me proven wrong."

Moomin stared at her. At certain times she could be so admirable, he'll give her that. Even the guard and the inspector seemed to agree on that to some extent. They both sat there, dumbfounded by Little My's courage for an entire minute before Moominmamma were the first to break the silence:

"My, I think we should hear the guard out anyway", she said gently. She turned to the two hemulens.

"Please, go on."

The confusion on the guard's face as he struggled to get back on track with his story was actually quite amusing. Especially on a face that had looked so blank before.

"Very well, uhm… Where was I? Oh, yes! When he ran away, I hurried after him as fast as I could, though with the pain after being kicked, I must admit it was rather difficult. And with the crowds! It turned out to be easy for him to hide among them, so I called out for the other guards to join me. Chaos erupted. All guards shouted: 'catch him!' and the crowds broke apart as we plowed through them. When I finally got a clear sight of him again, he turned over one of the cressets, which put the whole lawn on fire. The flames spread quickly and I had to focus on getting everyone safe instead of running after the culprit. Fortunately, a guest saw him running in the direction of the forest and when the fire brigade and police arrived, that guest told the inspector here."

"Yes", the inspector agreed. "We searched the whole night. In the end we were starting to think that he had managed to get away, but then, miracle of miracles, he appeared under a bush!"

"I see."

The Moominvalley inspector put a paw to his chin and looked thoughtfully at his former colleague. "And if I may ask, none of you asked the boy about his age?"

"Uhm, I thought he looked old enough to be punished", the guard twittered honestly, but Little My snorted.

"You thought he looked young enough to be in an orphanage."

"Well, he certainly was young!"

The inspector from Moominvalley tilted his head.

"Is that a confession? I mean, is My right? Did you say he ought to be in an orphanage? Because if that's the case, why didn't you tell the inspector here about that?"

"No, no, no!" The guard held up his paws in defence. "That's not what I meant! What I meant was that he simply looked young, not young enough to be in an orphanage! Or maybe… but not at a closer look. I changed my mind then."

"You did?" said Moominmamma, feigning her true suspicion. "And why is that?"

"It was hard to deduce his age! But when I saw him up close and in daylight, when we found him under the bush, I thought he looked older."

"Old enough to be punished with two years?" asked Moominvalley inspector.

"Yes", the city inspector confirmed. "I expect you are aware of the rules. Any individual above fifteen can be punished, and I very much doubt that this particular individual is under fifteen of age."

For a short moment, a hint of defeat showed in the faces of the Moomin family. That was right, they had to admit. Snufkin was unlikely to be under fifteen. He could be anywhere between fourteen to twenty. They really had no idea. Different species aged differently too, making their ages even harder to deduce. The closest they had to go by was Little My, and she certainly looked very young for her age. Though she was an exception among her kind. Most mymbles grew.

But still, if Snufkin wasn't underage, that meant that these people actually had the right to lock him up. Although not on false charges, of course.

"Again, why didn't you ask him?" said Little My.

"I did, as a matter of fact, but he wouldn't answer me", said the inspector. Little My studied him under her hard stare.

"Not entirely sure I believe you…" she muttered.

"He wasn't very keen on telling us anything", the inspector went on. "His name, for example. We didn't know that until you showed up."

Little My gave a huff.

"Why would he tell you that when you labeled him with a number?"

The inspector glared at her, and Moominmamma caught the tense moment to intervene:

"Very well, at least you know now, inspector. And we'll find out Snufkin's age soon enough, I'm sure. I'm going to post a letter to his mother and request a birth certificate."

At this, the inspector suddenly turned a little pale.

"Oh, uhm… I see. But why aren't his mother here with you now then, if I may ask?"

"I'm afraid they don't have much to do with one another these days", Moominmamma calmly explained. "And she has so many children to care for."

"I understand."

They all looked at each other for a short, confused moment, before the Moominvalley inspector suddenly rose from his chair and brushed the dust off his knees.

"Very well, then. After a lot of thinking I have now finally decided to re-open this case against Snufkin, and I intend to start tomorrow morning."

Moomin couldn't hide his gratitude. That was probably the best decision their inspector had ever made, he thought. His eyes, so tired with worried before, lit up once again as his entire soul were filled with this new glimmer of hope.

"I think I should start with interviewing Snufkin himself", the inspector went on. "Could you have him ready for that at eight o'clock? Is that alright with you?"

The other inspector nodded slowly.

"Yes, that is... suitable. I'll be here by then to show you to the interrogation rooms."

"Good, thank you."

The meeting was over. The guard from the major's garden left first. Moominpappa asked the city inspector if he by any chance knew of a nice place close by where they could set up camp and the inspector recommended a spot just outside the forest. Before they left, Moominmamma ushered the same inspector aside.

"I still have two questions. I wonder if you might show us where you found Snufkin? Apparently his hat fell off when you did and we plan to go and look for it. That hat is very precious to him, you see."

"I see", the inspector sounded positively annoyed. "And yes, I suppose I could, but not today. It's too late and it will get dark soon. I'll show you tomorrow."

Moominmamma looked disappointed, but thanked him nonetheless. She then went on to quietly ask about the rest of Snufkin's belongings.

"Do you keep them somewhere?"

The inspector's eyes narrowed slightly. He placed his large hemulen paws to his sides in a confident gesture.

"You really do think you will be able to free him, don't you?"

Moominmamma were quick to reassure him that that was not the case at all. In the corner of her eye she could just make out her son and Little My watching her carefully. They were just as concerned as her.

"I only wish to know. He seemed distressed about it, that's why I'm asking."

"Ah… I see. Very well, the backpack with its contents, except for the food, we stored aside among the other belongings of our prisoners. Those clothes on the other hand were in such a bad shape that I saw no reason to keep them."

"You mean… You mean you threw them away?"

She heard Moomin and Little My gasp in unison.

The inspector looked at her, obviously confused as to why some pieces of ragged clothes would upset her so.

"Yes, we did", he said. "Why, once he is free he can easily buy some new clothes. It's not the first time we've done that."

"No, I expect it's not", said Moominmamma. She sighed in moment of temporary defeat.

"Alright then, I suppose there isn't much more we can do right now then. Come on, my dears, let's go and post this letter."

She turned around and joined her waiting children by the big doors. The inspector made sure they were let out through the gates before he nodded his goodbye and returned inside.

Moomin accompanied Moominmamma into town to post the letter to Mymble, while Little My and the inspector helped Moominpappa set up camp in the outskirts of the forest. They wanted to be as close to the prison as was acceptable.

"Maybe I've should have sent Pappa with this instead", Moominmamma said as they caught sight of what looked like a shopping street. "I won't dare to think of Pappa's cooking and probably he would neither, so now everybody will have to wait until we get back."

"Yes, but that's fine with me", Moomin assured her. "And besides, I'm not that hungry."

How could he be? The only thing he could think of was Snufkin, alone and ill in his cell and how much he wanted him out and with them. Moominmamma seemed to read his thoughts, because she took his paw and squeezed it tightly.

"Nor am I, truth be told. But we need to eat regardless, I'm afraid. It's been a very long day and Snufkin will have no use for us unless we have the strength to fight for him."

"I want him out now, mamma. You told me he was sick. And what about his clothes? What's he going to wear?"

Moomin felt so helpless and he hated it. The fact that Snufkin didn't even want his help didn't make it at all better.

Moominmamma stopped. She let go of his hand, but turned to face him. Her brown, kind eyes came to meet his. They had the colour of hot chocolate on a cold, rainy day.

"We'll take him home with us, I promise", she said and Moomin wanted to believe her, but…

"How can you know? What if they decide that they won't let him go? That they'll keep him whatever we say?"

"They can't keep him whatever we say. Personally I think the way they've obviously mistreated him could be quite enough a reason for us to win. As far as prisons go, I've never known them to have the right to do things like that to their inmates."

Moomin winced and felt the anger rising up inside him again. Little My had been quite clear about what she had seen in that cell. Yes, he thought bitterly. Mamma must be right about that.

They found a post box and slipped the letter in, then went back towards the prison and their waiting cart. When they got there, Moominpappa had lit a fire and Moominmamma immediately set to prepare some light supper. None of them had much of an appetite that evening, but Moominmamma had been right to insist that they still had to eat. She made them a simple cabbage soup and also picked up a loaf of bread from the big basked and a bottle of strawberry lemonade from last year. Little My assisted her in cutting the bread into pieces while Moomin waited aimlessly by the fire. Moominpappa fetched them some blankets since the evening were turning a bit cold. They would need to cover themselves properly while sleeping later.

They gathered in a circle around the fire and ate, mostly under silence. The hot soup was good, as everything was that was made by Moominmamma and the chilly breezes sent through the trees behind them made it all the more appreciated.

Moomin couldn't sleep. He lay beside Moominmamma, who in turn lay nex to Pappa. In Mamma's sewing basket slept Little My and the inspector with just a bit of distance from the rest of them, stretched out in a corner.

Moomin felt as if he had tried every sleeping position there was. He wasn't cold. The thick blankets and the closeness to Mamma made sure of that. Yet sleep would not come. He had far too important things to go through, over and over again. In particular there was one thing bothering him and it was, peculiarly enough that strange look of knowledge on My's face back at the prison. he had thought he had forgot it, but obviously not, for now it came back to him and wouldn't go away. He wondered what could have made her so fueled with anger. What was it that she wasn't telling them?

In a desperate attempt to get at least a tiny piece of mind, he drew himself across the wooden floor towards the sewing basket.

"My?"

Carefully he reached out a paw and shook her shoulder. One didn't like to wake up Little My like this. She usually didn't respond well and he knew there was a chance he would get a fresh new bite now.

But luckily, she seemed too groggy for that. Instead she just muttered something inaudible and slowly turned to face him.

"What's the matter? I'm trying to sleep, you fool."

"Well, I can't sleep", said Moomin.

"Sorry for you. But I will. Goodnight."

She turned her back on him again, but Moomin touched her shoulder once more.

"Stop it", she mumbled.

"There's something I must ask you", Moomin whispered, getting more eager by each second.

"Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

"No, I need to know now."

"Okay, what is it then?" She uttered a big yawn and stretched her small arms.

"Ehm…" He realized now, that he wasn't entirely sure how to put this. After all, it had merely been a bad feeling. "It was the way you looked after you had told us about your meeting with Snufkin", he went on finally. "I, well… I feel as if you left something out. Something important."

There was a momentarily silence, and then Little My said, short and clear and slightly irritated:

"I did not."

"Are you sure?" Moomin was certain he had seen something strange in her face back at the prison, but he couldn't put his finger on what it might have been.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now, please, go back to sleep!"

Moomin sighed and slowly made it back to his mattress. Little My had made it quite clear that the discussion was over. Still, he didn't know what to think. He didn't know if he believed her. With no more answers whatsoever, he eventually settled into a fitful rest.

In the basket however, Little My had pretended to lose contact with the world as soon as she looked away from Moomin. She cursed herself for being so careless about letting her feelings show. Because she had actually left something out. A thought. A certain suspicion. And obviously it had been clear on her face.

The look on Snufkin's face when she asked him about the clothes. She couldn't seem to get that out of her head. That look of utter humiliation and the way he curled in on himself protectively. It made her shiver and twist uncomfortably. Snufkin hadn't said anything. Of course he hadn't and unless he permitted her to do so, she wouldn't either.