Tilibou
The Fog of the Lost Cove
This morning, on the bluest sea in the world, a fog has settled so thick that Moustache cannot even see his own arms. Tom holds out a hand and they hold on tight, so as not to lose one another. Then a map arrives, damp with mist and almost impossible to read. Where the fog hides the sea and the sky, close your eyes, listen, and you will find what counts. A family of seals has got lost in the fog of the Lost Cove, and little Pilou has been separated from his dad. With their eyes no use to them, Tom and Moustache edge forward by ear, and eventually catch Pilou's small voice, calling out as he goes round in circles. The first idea is to shout the father's name as loudly as possible. But in fog, sound bounces off everything and you can no longer tell where anything is coming from. The more everyone shouts, the more lost the father seal becomes. They need something else: a sound that Pilou and his dad would know among a thousand others. So Tom asks Pilou to sing, not his father's name, but the low little song that belongs to just the two of them, the one a dad picks out from every other sound in the world. And the old lighthouse, who is never asked for anything, is delighted to be useful: his light cannot cut through the fog, but his foghorn sends out a long, low, steady note, always from the same spot, like a heart beating in all that white. Guided by his child's song and by the horn that never moves, the father seal swims closer and closer, until they are together again. Pilou leaves a fine baby seal whisker for the chest: the eleventh keepsake. A reassuring story for children who are a little afraid of the dark. Even when you cannot see a thing, you are never truly on your own. You only have to listen: the sea, the wind, the breathing of the people you love, right there beside you. The whole adventure is solved by listening, without seeing a thing. A screen-free bedtime story for children aged 3 to 5, good to share at bedtime, in the car, or before a nap. As always with Tilibou, the ending stays soft and quiet, with no music, so your child feels safe before falling asleep. All the Tilibou bedtime stories at
