Emma K. Thomas

“It was like walking into an enormous oven with the heat full on. The trees hung limp and motionless, while the comet burned so brightly that you couldn’t look at it. Moomintroll ran across the sand and into the wood, shouting at the top of his voice: ‘Ahoy! Silk-monkey! Where are you? Silk-monkey!’…

He gave one last yell, and this time, to his joy a faint sound came back in reply. He put his paws to his mouth and called again, and the answer came nearer and nearer. A moment later the silk-monkey swung down from a tree in front of him. ‘Well, well,’ she chattered, ‘fancy meeting you. I was just wondering…’ ‘We haven’t time to talk now,’ interrupted Moomintroll. ‘Just follow me to the cave as quickly as you can, otherwise something terrible will happen to us.’

Moominmamma was waiting outside the cave, and when she caught sight of them she started waving her arms and shouting: ‘Quickly children! Run! Run!’ They scrambled wildly up the rock, and Moominmamma caught hold of them and pushed them through the opening in front of her. ‘Oh! thank goodness!’ gasped the Snork Maiden, and she slowly began to get her normal colour back, because she had been pink with worry for the last twenty minutes. ‘You got back in time – my own Moomintroll!’

Then they all heard a dreadful sound outside – a great hissing roar.”

From Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson.

Published by Puffin Books.