Listen. All day long, the house was full of sounds. Now, one by one, they are going to sleep.
The kettle in the kitchen whistled all day. It was hot and had somewhere to hurry to.
Shhhhh… shhh… sh.
And silence. Good night, kettle.

The spoon clinked in the cup all day. Stirring, stirring, stirring.
Clink… clink… clink.
Now it lies on the table and isn’t stirring anything anymore. Good night, spoon.

The little dog’s tail tapped against the floor all day. Whenever someone came in — tap, tap, tap!
But now the dog is curled up in a little ball, warm as a loaf of bread.
Tap… tap… tap.
And silence. Good night, little tail.

The clock on the wall hurried all day. Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, come on, come on.
Now there’s nowhere to go.
Tick… tock… tick…
Even the clock is moving more slowly. Good night, clock.

The rain drummed on the window all afternoon. There was so much of it, thousands and thousands of drops.
Now there is just one single drop left.
Drip… drip… drip.
And silence. Good night, rain.

The wind raced around the house all day. It tugged at the leaves, banged the shutters, and blew down the chimney.
Now it is tired. It has lain down in the grass beneath the window.
Whoooo… whooo… who.
And silence. Good night, wind.

The kettle is asleep. The spoon is asleep. The little tail, the clock, the rain, and the wind are all asleep.
There is only one last sound left in the whole house.
It is very small. It is warm. It is right here.
It is your breath.
Hiiii… whoooo…
Hiiii… whoooo…
Hiiii… whoooo…

That is the only one allowed to stay awake all night. It will gently blow here while you sleep. It will rock you, just as the wind rocks a little leaf.
You don’t have to listen to it. It remembers all by itself.
Good night.

Commentary