Tilibou
The Treasure of the Sniffly Mermaid
Tom the Pirate is like no other pirate. Aboard his tiny Royal Sardine, he is not after gold: he looks for lost treasures so he can hand them back to whoever is missing them. This morning a soaking wet map floats up from the bottom of the sea, drawn in fish scales, its letters blowing little bubbles as they go. The sail shivers, and the map sings its song: dive straight down where the sea turns blue, listen to the silence, and you will find something better. It comes from Marée, a mermaid who has lost her voice just before the great Concert of the Waves, the evening when the dolphins, the whales and the baby fish all wait for her to sing the highest, loveliest note in the world. Tom and Moustache go down to where everything turns blue and calm. They head first to the crab pharmacist, who mixes a potion with a pinch of sea pepper. Bad idea: Marée sneezes so hard that every jar in the shop goes flying. You cannot bottle a voice, sighs the crab. So Tom listens to the map properly. If Marée's voice is not lost but simply worn out from singing too long in the cold, then what she needs is gentleness, not effort. Moustache's eight arms bring a warm herbal tea, wrap her in a scarf of seaweed and give her a little massage, and the whole ocean goes quiet to let her rest. In that great hush, a small humming comes back. At the Concert of the Waves, Marée finds her finest note again and gives Tom a fish scale that goes ting like a tiny bell: the sixth keepsake. A tender underwater adventure that reassures small children about something they meet every winter. When you have a cold or you are very tired, you do not force your voice: you rest, you stay warm, and it all comes back after a good night's sleep. And it is Moustache who says so out loud, because he knows better than anyone that his own voice always comes back if he gives it time. A screen-free adventure and 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 the little aches and sniffles of the evening lose their sting and sleep can come. All the Tilibou bedtime stories at
