Storms.

It had become very hot in Moominvalley. It was the height of summer and the days seemed to be getting hotter and hotter everyday. The sun shined brighter than it had ever did before. There was not a cloud in sight. Rain had not come for a long time, and the lack of the normally boring weather was taking its toll on the valley. The grass had become dry and brown. The plants were droopy and some of their petals were falling off, making them lose their beauty. A lot of the plants have even stopped growing because of the heat. Trees were losing some of their leafs a little too early, each one turning a light shade of brown before gliding to the ground. The ground was completely drained of any liquid. It was harder than solid rock, cracking in most places. Water had become hard to come by. All the residents in Moominvalley has to now be aware of the amount of the water they were using. Wells were becoming shallow from the lack of flowing water and even river was becoming too shallow for anything.
Everyone in Moominvalley, at first, enjoyed the hot weather, however it hadn't rained or showed any signs of cooling down for weeks, and mostly everyone was starting to get fed up of the weather. Anyone who went out of their house for some fresh air could be found sitting in the shade of the trees, keeping the sun off them in an attempt to cool down. Sweat could be seen dripping down every face of anyone in the sun very easily, as plain as the nose on your face. They had abandoned their coats and jackets, just to try to keep the heat from being more unbearable.
Moomin and his friends raced down towards the beach. Since the rest of the valley was almost turning into a desert, they all decided to go to the one place that didn't feel like a hundred degrees. It worked last time Moominvalley was in the middle of a scorching heat wave. The sea was calm, it's waves gently brushing the sand. There was no wind, making the waves harmless. The sea was a radiant blue making it warm and inviting. It stretched far as the eye can see, making 90% of the scene blue. The sea sparked like sapphires as the sun's powerful rays were reflected off of it. The only part of the sea that wasn't sparkling was where the silhouette that the bathhouse made.
The group of friends didn't stop running at all. Their feet pounded on the soft sand. It was hot from the sun, giving the friends more of a reason to speed up their pace and go to the sea. Grains are kicked up before settling back down again. Obvious tracks are made by the pounding feet, making indentations on the smooth sand. Eventually, the dry sand became damp, making the feet cooler and the footprints more clear. The only one that topped at that point was Sniff, skidding to a sudden halt. Moomin, Snorkmaiden and Little My continued their sprint the sea. The salty water splashed as they stepped into it. White light foam bubbles up and disappeared with every step. Droplets of kicked up water sprayed about. Once deep enough Moomin took a deep breath and dived under the waves.
The cool sea surrounded him. It made him feel refreshed and almost made him forget about the heat wave. The sun lit up the underwater world. It made the sea bright and vibrant with many colours and life. Fish swam past him, some even going as close to touching his nose. They made bubbles with every movement they made. Sea weed swayed gently from the soft currents. In between each plant, a crab or two could be seen skulking along the sand. Fish waded in and out of the mixes of greens and browns as well.
Moomin heard a muffled splash near him. He looked up to see Snorkmaiden swimming down to join him, her blonde fringe trailing behind her. Her ankle bracelet sparkled in the sun's rays. Little My was seen at the service, climbing onto a piece of drift wood that was large enough for her small body. Both trolls swam in the water together, almost daring each other to a game to see who could hold their breath the longest. Eventually Moomin had the desire for air and swam up to the surface. He took deep breathes, letting his tight chest relax. He looked over to the each to see where Sniff had gotten to. The animal was seen on the sand. He wasn't in deep, bu Moomin could see that he was up to his ankles in the water. 'I guess Sniff couldn't take much of the heat.' Moomin thought. He noticed that Little My was still on her piece of drift wood. She had her feet in the water, lightly kicking it. Moomin suddenly caught the eye of something on the rocks. He swam cautiously a little closer to it, when he noticed that it was Snufkin sitting on the rocks. He was sitting in the shade, laying back, knees bent with one crossed over the other and his fingers laced together at the back of his head. His hat rested on his face, making it hard to tell if he was awake or asleep. His fishing rod was perched beside him, its line cast into the water with a bright red float bobbing up and down on the waves.
Snorkmaiden came up to the surface with a gasp. She took deep breathes just as Moomin did. Moomin looked over to her and pointed at where the vagabond was sitting.
"Look! Snufkin's here too." Moomin said excitedly.
"Oh yes. It looks like his fishing." Snorkmaiden gasped a little, still trying to catch her breath.
"River's dried up. I guess he came here to have a better chance of catching something." Moomin pondered, treading water to stay on the surface. "Want to come over with me and say hello?" Little My turned her head towards the trolls, hearing their conversation. She spotted Snufkin sitting peacefully on the rocks.
"Hey, slaves! Push me to shore will you?! I want to see him too!" She shouted as the trolls were making their way to the shore. Moomin rolled his eyes, but he grabbed the driftwood and started to gently push the girl to shore. Snorkmaiden helped him out, making it seem faster and easier for him if he had a helping hand.

The group of friends made their way towards the rocks. Snufkin was in the same position as Moomin saw him, perfectly still, almost like a statue. The only thing that was moving was his chest was slowly rising and falling, showing that he was taking slow and steady breathes. He seemed to be asleep. Little My grinned a little. She slowly crept along the rocks. She was careful not to make a sound. Snufkin was still sitting there, seemingly oblivious to the small girl creeping towards him. Little My didn't stop until she was right next to him. She took a huge lungful of air, opened her mouth and-
"Hello Little My." Snufkin suddenly said, without even taking off his hat to look at her. Little My, not knowing what else to do, let out her breath by blowing a raspberry.
"How'd you know it was me?!" She demanded, a little surprised that Snufkin knew it was her.
"I've known you for a while now, I know your tricks." Snufkin explained briefly as he took his hat off of his face and sat up. He smiled as he over looked the group with a smile. "Hello everyone. Come to cool down have you?"
"Well, all except Sniff since he's too much of a scaredy cat to go in the water." Little My ginned.
"Shut up! I got in up to my ankles! That's something isn't it?" Sniff shouted.
"Ehhhh...not really!" Little My smirked before letting out a cackle.
"Don't listen to her Sniff. You know how Little My is." Moomin said, patting the animal's shoulder. He them scrambled up onto the rocks to sit next to Snufkin. "Anyway, yes, we came here to try to escape the heat. It's become quite unbearable."
"I will have to agree with you on that one. The river being as shallow as it is right now has now made it hard for me to fish there." Snufkin said, leaning back to assume the position that he was in a minute ago.
"It's not just that but the plants are drying up as well. Even Mama is a little fed up because the roses are dying." Moomin said.
"And this heat makes my hair go crazy." Snorkmaiden spoke up, trying to sort out a tangle in her fringe.
"Your hair looks okay to me Snorkmaiden". Moomin said, trying to make her feel better.
"Still..." Snorkmaiden huffed, leaving her hair alone, deciding that it would be better if she brushed her hair at home.
"Well, chances are that the storm will make the weather cooler." Snufkin said, his speech slightly muffled by his hat.
"What storm?" Moomin asked.
CRASH!
Moomin jumped out of his skin as he heard a sudden crash. Snufkin sat up, a little surprised by the noise as well. The group looked right up at the sky to see that the sun had been hidden away by a curtain of dark clouds. It almost looked like it was night time. The blue sky had been covered by a blanket of dark, angry, storm clouds, making it seem like summer was only a thing of the past. Lightning streaked across the sky, making bright lines lighting up the darkness. The wind howled and roared down everyone's ears. Snufkin gripped his hat tightly, in fear of losing it if the wind had it trapped in its unforgiving grip. The tide of the sea turned monstrous. Waves bashed against the beach, rocks and bath house, almost threatening to destroy them.
"Does that answer your question?!" Little My yelled, glaring at Moomin. Moomin sheepishly chuckled before shrugging his shoulders. There was another clap of thunder. Sniff let out a scream and thought he died of fright. Rain started to pelt it down from the heavens. Snufkin looked to see the rough waves reaching out to grab the three that were on the rocks. He stood up and picked up his fishing rod and bucket.
"We better get off the rocks before we get swept out to sea! Believe me, that's the last thing we want to happen out here in a storm!" He shouted over the wind. Moomin and Little My started to make their way back onto the sand. Snufkin carefully followed, making sure not to slip. "It's too late to get back to Moominhouse now! Get inside the cave!"
"Why?! Why not take shelter in the bath house?! It's closer!" Snorkmaiden shouted, her fringe flailing about by the wind.
"With the waves as they are at the moment, I think it's best if we don't risk it!" Snufkin yelled glancing at the bathhouse. Everyone followed his gaze. He was right. The waves battered and bashed the wooden hut. Goodness knows how long it would last if the storm carried on like this. Hurriedly, they all dashed towards the cave. The sand had become hard from the rain and stuck to the bottom of everyone's feet. Rain fell sharply on them, the strength of the wind making the impact almost painful (A/N I have been in rain like that before, it's not fun). The rain was so heavy that it was hard for Moomin to see what was in front of him. He could make out the outline of the bath house and the cliffs but that was about it. He carefully watched Snufkin who seemed know where he was going. He kept shouting to make sure everyone was still there and haven't strayed away. Moomin didn't know how Snufkin was able to navigate through the storm, but he was doing it. It was like he had a sixth sense or something like that. It was a little strange, but at the same time exciting.

Eventually, the group of friends made it to the cave. It was far enough from the waves and it sheltered the group from the wind and the rain. It reached far into the cliff so the group were far from the rain. The sand was soft and dry, just as it was before the storm came. The only difference is that it wasn't hot like the sand in the Sahara desert. It was cool, but not too cold either. It was just right. Thunder clapped and lightning flashed. The bolts lit up the cave and the boom noise echoed in the cave. Another noise that filled the cave was Sniff yelping in fright.
"Stop being a wuss!" Little My shouted, finally having enough of Sniff's whining about the noise.
"I can't help it! It's the noise!" Sniff protested before another clap of lightning echoed. The poor, petrified animal let out a yelp and curled up into a quivering ball. Moomin looked around. Snorkmaiden was sitting next to him, holding his arm. Like Sniff, she was scared by the lightning and thunder too, but not as bad as the animal. Little My was pacing around, kicking a small stone absentmindedly, not knowing what else she could do to amuse herself. Her clothes were a little damp, leaving a trail of wet sand behind her. She had her usual scowl on her face, but she looks even more frustrated because she was cooped up in a cave with nothing better to do. Snufkin, however, seemed to be calm about the situation. He was sitting quietly with his back against the wall. He was holding his knees to his chest with his chin resting on them. Like Little My, his clothes were also damp. His hat was absent from his head and was perched next to him along with his scarf. His hair had droplets of water dripping down slowly either on him of in the sand around him. He was watching the storm with a look of fascination on his face. He had been silent the whole time, just watching the weather.
"RRRRAAAAHHHHHH!" Little My suddenly screamed, hopping up and down in rage. Everyone was looking at her with a mixture of shock and surprise. "HOW LONG DO WE HAVE TO BE HERE?! I'm losing my mind right here! I'm bored stiff!"
"Calm down, Little My. The storm will be over soon." Snufkin finally said ever since they got to the cave.
"How do you know that Mr I-Know-Everything?!" Little My yelled, getting up in Snufkin's face.
"I just do, Little My. In the mean time, just try to stay calm and be patient." He said calmly, shrugging his shoulders a little bit.
"You! Telling me to stay calm?! You're not the boss of me!" Little My shouted jumping up and down on the spot. She started to pace around a bit again. "I'm telling you! If I have to spend one more minute in here, I'll-" Suddenly, the small girl was cut off by the sound of music. Everyone looked to see that Snufkin had pulled out his harmonica. As he played, everyone listened to the tune. The more they listened, the more drowned out the noise of the storm became. The music drowned out the storm so much to everyone, that even Sniff stopped shaking and focused only on the music. Little My eventually sat down and listened. As everyone listened, any sound that the storm made and the lightning flashes seemed to fade away like a forgotten memory.

About 20 minutes later, the storm eventually dispersed. The clouds parted, revealing the hidden sun. The rain stopped slowly before coming to steady stop. The storm has giving the valley the cooling day it desperately needed. The river was returned to its normal water level, flowing freely through the valley. A cooling breeze finally swept throughout the land, giving the residents the satisfaction that they need. Children jumped up and down in puddles, finally being able to do something else to entertain them for a while. People started to walk around without needing to hide much in the shade. The flowers rejoiced as they drank up the water. Their petals spread and seemed to be more alive. The grass became a luscious green once more, their dried brown colour faded away. The whole of Moominvalley was finally refreshed and became alive once more.
On the beach, the sand was cool and a little damp. It was slowly being dried out from the sun. The waves had calmed down, resuming their calm stokes on the bay. Foam stuck to the sand, only to be swept up and little by the sea. Many things were washed up by the storm. Most of it was pieces of drift wood, but there were other peculiar objects scattering the bay: seaweed, shells, small boxes and other wonderful and peculiar objects. The small group of friends stepped outside of the cave, relieved to finally go outside. Little My was so rejoiced that she actually did a cartwheel. Snufkin climbed up onto some rocks. He carried his fishing rod and bucket with him. He casted the line and made sure that the rod wouldn't fall into the water. He took out his harmonica and played it again. As the music traveled across the beach, Moomin and his friends explored the treasures that were washed up on the beach. Sniff looked around in most of boxes. He opened each one and looked in them for some gold coins. He kept coming up with nothing, but nonetheless he kept trying. At least until Little My started to tease him by soaking him by shaking the salt water off of some seaweed. Snorkmaiden was picking up many shells that she found beautiful and perfect for her collection. Moomin suddenly turns around to her with a small treasure of his own. In his paw was a small golden comb. It was studded with tiny gemstones and it was the right size for one to carry in a purse. Snorkmaiden blushed lightly and smiled. She kindly accepted the gift and started to brush it through her fringe, getting rid of any angles and frizz. Moomin looked out at the waves while she was doing so. He wondered what it was like beyond the sea, further than he and everyone he knew and loved had gone. He smiled as a refreshing sea breeze blew past him, finally relieved that the heatwave had come to an end. And it was all thanks to a sudden storm.