My Moomin Headcanon

On finding out that you deserve to be loved

The morning after their visit to Count Fuzzy's mansion, Snerf woke up William and lead him downstairs for breakfast.

"What's the big hurry, nephew?", asked William sleepily.

"This afternoon Mrs. Fillyjonk and The Mymble are having a big picnic lunch on the beach, followed by a game of Mymbleball! Most of the children in Moominvalley will be there! I can't wait to introduce you to everyone! We need to get you ready!", said Snerf.

"I'm afraid that I'm not at all good at games that involve physical exercise. I wouldn't want to disappoint you. What if I make your team lose?", said William nervously.

"Mymbleball doesn't work like that! No one ever wins, or loses! And sometimes there aren't even teams. Even if there are teams this time, I want you on mine for sure! It's going to be fun!", said Snerf.

As they sat down for breakfast, The Snork and Sniff explained Mymbleball to William. He had never heard of such an odd game before in his life.

"We'll both be there as well, William! Sniff and I will help show you the ropes. I know, let's form a team with the four of us at the very start!", said The Snork. Sniff and Snerf nodded in agreement. William was honestly still confused and didn't know what to say. After breakfast, Snerf lead William down the path towards the beach.

As they walked past Moominhouse, they saw Snork Maiden, Moomintroll, and Snufkin sunning themselves on the shore of the stream closer to Moominhouse. William said hello and the three of them crossed the footbridge to join him. Tayberry and Moomin rushed out of the front door of Moominhouse and crossed the bridge immediately after them.

"Hey! Wait up! We're coming too, you know!", said Tayberry.

"Don't worry, you two. We wouldn't dream of leaving without you!", said Snufkin cheerily, patting Tayberry's head.

William was forcibly reminded that his sister's family was also completely unconventional. From what he understood of Mrs. Fillyjonk and The Mymble's relationship, they were a very unconventional family as well. Snork Maiden and Moomintroll had done their best to familiarize William with the diversity of lifestyles lived by the beasts in Moominvalley through their correspondence with him. His parents had taught him a very rigid view of morality and ever since he first met Snork Maiden and Moomintroll face to face, he had found that view of life constantly challenged.

The group made their way down to the beach, chatting and walking in time to Snufkin's harmonica playing. William felt out of place until he felt Snerf's paw in his. He looked down at his nephew's face and was reassured by his kind smile and returned his grip warmly.

The lunch at the beach was a very happy, chaotic affair. Children and adults alike went freely back and forth between the feast at the top of the beach and the surf, where they would cool off and play around to warm up for the game of Mymbleball. When the Mymble and Mrs. Fillyjonk called everyone together for the game, The Mymble held up a volleyball and announced that the game would start as a game of hot potato. The ball had to be kept in the air. Any team that dropped the ball would earn a point. The point of the game was to not earn any points.

The Mymble tossed the ball high in the air and everyone quickly called out their teams. There was a mad scramble for the ball and The Mymble's children were the first to lob the ball back into the air. William tried to keep up with The Snork, Sniff, and Snerf, but he quickly got out of breath and he tripped over everyone's tails constantly and wound up on the ground more often than he was upright. As various players shouted out new rules, William lost all track of the game and became totally confused. Finally, he simply walked away from the game and sat down at the edge of the surf and began to cry uncontrollably.

Suddenly, two small scaly arms wrapped around him from the front. William looked up in surprise to find Snerf giving him a powerful, loving hug. Snerf cried openly with William and they just sat like that for what felt like a good while, letting their tears flow.

"Why?", William finally asked Snerf, when he could speak through his tears, "Why do you care for me so much? I can't be a good uncle to you. I can't be a good brother. I can't be a good friend. I don't belong here in Moominvalley. I'm a terrible beast." His crying became worse again.

Snerf simply held his uncle close and shared his tears. Snork and Sniff stood at a distance and watched the pair, holding paws and leaning against each other. William was finally able to stand and Snerf led him by the paw back to his fathers. The four of them held each other in their first hug as a family. Snork Maiden, who had just caught up with them, joined in their hug. Then, they all helped William get back to The Snork's house. There would be plenty to talk about once William was ready.

On finding a kindred spirit unexpectedly

After breakfast on the first morning of William's vacation, Snerf immediately led his uncle in a westerly direction. They passed the castle of the Moomin Knights and then went through the heart of the village, waving to the villagers as they passed. William had to forcibly stop himself from taking over the expedition and asking questions. He wanted to build up his ability to trust others by letting Snerf be his guide. Besides, there would be plenty of time to talk about their adventures when they got back to The Snork's home.

"I want you to meet my best friend in the world and his family, uncle William! It's quite a walk, but you'll get to see a lot of the valley and we can have lunch once we get there!", said Snerf eagerly.

"Lead the way!", said William, trying to sound just as eager and not entirely succeeding.

As they went through the western forest of Moominvalley, William was awestruck by the untouched natural beauty all around him and the overwhelming atmosphere of peace and quiet. The sounds of birds above and the smaller beasts going to and fro through the trees and across the forest floor only deepened the peaceful feeling. He could feel a serenity seeping into him that he had rarely felt before. Snerf, on the other hand, was bubbling over with happiness and enthusiasm. He switched frequently from skipping merrily by William's side and leaping from tree to tree. Before they knew it they were standing before the gates of Count Fuzzy's mansion.

William walked towards the front door with his mouth agape, taking in the mansion in disbelief. Snerf was too excited to notice how stunned William was and knocked loudly on the door. A Fuzzy butler answered the door and without missing a beat, he welcomed Snerf warmly.

"Ah, Snerf. I shall fetch Gerard directly. Please come in, both of you.", said the butler.

William was just beginning to overcome his disorientation as he gazed around the mansion's huge foyer and was about to ask Snerf the many questions swarming around in his brain when Count Fuzzy, Gerard, Peter, and Martin entered the room.

"Gerard!", said Snerf, leaping over to the boy Fuzzy in the front of the family group and giving him a warm, friendly hug, "I want you to meet my uncle, William! Oh, you too, Mr. Fuzzy, Peter, Martin!"

"Pleased to meet you. Your reputation precedes you, William Harris Snork. It's a pleasure, and a pleasant surprise to see you defying that reputation. I can tell that you have a lot of questions. Come, lunch is ready. You'll probably find it easier to ask them if you're more comfortable.", said Count Fuzzy, shaking William's limp hand.

The group sat down to a sumptuous vegetarian lunch in the grand dinning room of the mansion. The children talked animatedly and cheerily amongst themselves as they all ate. It took several minutes for William to regain his composure enough to address his questions to Count Fuzzy.

"How? When? Why? I...I realize now who you are. Your family is actual royalty, something even my parents haven't been able to buy....not that they don't try to play the part.", said William.

"There's not much to my story, really. From my boyhood, I never fit in with the royal court. I thought that I would never find an escape from my family's world. At twenty I resigned myself to an arranged marriage to a Dutch princess. To my surprise, we fell in love within the first year. Caroline was a lot braver than I. She helped us find a way out. Moominvalley was our family's feudal domain in the ancient past. All that was left of our claim to this land was this mansion. It had fallen into extreme disrepair. Caroline made me see that all I had to do was offer to restore it to its former glory, restore our family's influence in the area, and my parents would set us both free. We started a new life and began raising three wonderful boys....I'll leave it up to Gerard, Peter, and Martin whether to tell you the rest. It's been more their story for a long time. I keep getting saved from myself by the people who care about me. They keep telling me that I'm worth it. I think that I actually believe that now.", said Count Fuzzy.

"I'm very much beginning on the same journey to find my own definition of happiness myself. My sister has been trying to come to my rescue. I....I once thought that I was the one who had to rescue her from Moominvalley. I said a lot of cruel things to her to try to get her to see things my way. She's forgiven me, but I'm still not sure how I feel about the differences between us. There's something about Moominvalley and the beasts that live here that draws those in need of healing and a new start in life. I just hope that I'll get some clarity from my vacation here.", said William.

"Please feel free to visit at any time during your vacation. I would very much like you to think of me as a friend.", said Count Fuzzy.

"Thank you! I appreciate it.", said William, who then turned towards his nephew, "Snerf, if you would prefer to spend the afternoon with your friends, I can find my own way home. Remember to get home before dinner time."

"Thanks uncle William! I promise to be home by five p.m. Take care not to get lost on the way back.", said Snerf.

"I'll be fine. I have an excellent sense of direction.", said William.

As William made his way back to The Snork and Sniff's home after lunch was over and he had said his goodbyes, his mind raced with thoughts about his encounter with Count Fuzzy and his family. If the Count could make such a drastic change in his life, maybe he....no, it was too soon to think that far ahead. He would continue to let this vacation play out at its own pace. He would continue to let Snerf be his guide. For the first time in his life he understood what it meant to have all the time in the world and he really liked that.