Coffee for Two

Chapter 7: What to do

   The day passed by in a whirlwind rush of coffee orders and dish washing. Moomin could hardly believe it was closing time, flipping the sign to let patrons know the shop was closed for the day. Snorkmaiden huffed, scrubbing at a particularly sticky stain on the underside of one of the tables. "Oh my! How messy, how could someone spill something underneath!" Little My snorted, and returned with "Must had to be a real knucklehead!"
   "Oh Little My, you know its rude to call people that," scolded Moomin, tucking away coffee mugs into the cupboard. "Rude schmude, let's talk about your little crush!" exclaimed My. "W-well what is there to talk about!" retorted Moomin, feeling himself flush at the thought of Snufkin. Today he thought he saw him, about to call out to the mumrik when he realized that the tall pointed hat he saw wasn't quite the right shade of green. He felt his heart sink, wondering when his longing heart will be relieved of its ache.
  Tap tap! Little My rapped on one of the tables. "So, you gonna sneak out and find him?" Moomin's ears shot up at the suggestion. "No! Moomin, you wouldn't!" said Snorkmaiden, abandoning the stain and staring expectantly at him. "It's dangerous out there, and you don't even know where he is! And Little My, don't put such thoughts in his head!" At that, My stuck her tongue out at Snorkmaiden, who tossed her head and let out a hmph! Moomin shuffled his feet, thinking about it. Oh, he could prove to Snufkin that he could be a traveler! But Snorkmaiden was right in one aspect, how would he know where Snufkin went? He could, technically ask along the way if anyone had seen a handsome mumrik with a tall green hat. Yes, that would do! Glancing up at Snorkmaiden, who had started pushing the chairs back into order, Moomintroll sighed. "I won't lie to you, Snorkmaiden, but I think I must go see him. I won't leave now, I'll do it when he's closer to coming back, so maybe I can meet him on the way!" She paused, looking over to her dear friend. She crossed the room, stopping right in front of him and placed her paws on each of his shoulders. "I know I can't stop you, but oh Moomin! You must be careful, I don't know what we would do if something happened to you!" Placing his paw on hers, he nodded. "I won't let anyone's worries come true, I promise."
   With that, the three wordlessly finished closing, the heavy weight of Moomin's impending journey hanging over their heads. Even My seemed disconcerted by it, unbelieving that her idea actually stuck with Moomin and that he would go through with it. As they entered the Moomin house, Moominmama came upon them all deep in their own thoughts. "Oh my! Today was quite busy wasn't it, my dears? Let's sit out and have some cold cider, shall we?" she said, mistaking their solemness as fatigue from the day's work. They all glanced at each other, and nodded happily, always ready for some cider.
    The next three days passed in agonizing anticipation for Moomin, each day mounting with anxiety for his trip. It made his work sloppy and unfocused, leading to some bickering between him and Little My, who blew raspberries at him every single time. All day he spent thinking of the exhilaration of leaving home all on his lonesome, seeing all the sights the valley and beyond has to offer, as well as meeting his beloved Snufkin. But the nagging thought of his parent's disappointments chased after him. Perhaps they would be less disappointed and more worried, but that did little to ease his spirit. Knowing that Moominmama and Moominpapa would love him no matter what did calm him, though in turn it made his heart squeeze with the thought of his abandonment of his dear parents. Well, only for a day or two.
   Night fell, and Snorkmaiden pressed her forehead against Moomin's as a farewell before departing to her home. As Moomin climbed the stairs to his bedroom, he heard a "psst!". Little My appeared behind him, holding something behind her back. "Here, take it. I know you don't have to heart to really hurt anything seriously, so have this baton." She pulled out a crudely made wooden baton, which looked a bit more like a cross between a baseball bat and a bludgeon. "You can give someone a good whack if they're bothering you, or just for fun," claimed Little My, passing it off to him. "I..wow Little My, thank you," replied Moomin, smiling at her unlikely gesture. "Yeah yeah whatever, just don't lose it." With that Little My yawned and turned away, looking for a little nook to sleep in. Moomin entered his bedroom, softly shutting the door behind him. He pulled his pack from underneath his bed, which had been stuffed with a sleeping bag, rations, a jug of water, and some flint and steel. His trusty pocket knife was nestled in its own little pocket of its own in the bag. Strapping the baton on, he pushed the whole bag back underneath his bed. He would depart early tomorrow, before the sun rose and before his parents would discover his empty bed, still warm. Moomin snuggled under the sheets, gazing at his ceiling and imagining seeing Snufkin's surprised face before drifting off into a restful slumber.