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ONE grey morning the first snow began to fall in the Valley of the Moomins. It fell softly and quietly, and in a few hours everything was white.
Moomintroll stood on his doorstep and watched the valley nestle beneath its winter blanket. 'Tonight,' he thought, 'we shall settle down for our long winter's sleep.' (All Moomintrolls go to sleep about November. This is a good idea, too, if you don't like the cold and the long winter darkness....)
...Then everyone crept into his bed and, making a cosy nest for himself, pulled hiss blanket over his ears and thought of something nice. But Moomintroll sighed a little and said:
'I'm afraid we shall waste an awful lot of time'
'Don't worry,' answered Snufkin, 'we shall have wonderful dreams, and when we wake up it'll be spring.'
'Mm-m,' mumbled Moomintroll sleepily, but he had already drifted away into a hazy dream world.
Outside the snow fell, thick and soft. It already covered the steps and hung heavily from the roofs and eaves. Soon Moominhouse would be nothing but a big, round, snowball. The clocks stopped ticking one by one. Winter had come.
- From Finn Family Moomintroll, by Tove Jansson.
Why can't I hibernate? I really don't want to wait another month or so until spring. It helps to keep the curtains down, so I can't see the snow... |
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