Driftwhistle Harbor
Pip
“A round gray seal pup about 30 cm long, with wet black eyes, whiskers, and a flipper tangled in a green ribbon.”
Pip is a tiny seal pup who fits in a child’s backpack and likes to flop into everyone’s business with shining, curious eyes. He is playful and affectionate, but he never seems to notice when his own games make a mess for other creatures.
4 stories feature Pip
Where you've met them
The Harbor of Geese
A flock of restless snow geese lands in the harbor just before dawn and refuses to leave, crowding the piers, rooftops, and drying nets. They are not mean, but they are in the way everywhere, and every time people try to move them, the birds scatter something important or block a new problem from being fixed.
The Snow Sculpture Trade
Someone has been borrowing tiny pieces from around the harbor—a spoon from the cookhouse, a bell from the dock, a red ribbon from a coat rack—and leaving behind neat little snow sculptures in their place. The trade seems fair at first, until one important tool disappears and the snow sculpture left behind is shaped like a clue.
Seals in the Harbor Gate
A whole family of seals decides to nap right across the harbor entrance on the same day the fishing boats need to leave. The boats cannot pass without waking the seals, but the seals seem much too cozy to budge.
A Warm Spot in the Ice
In the middle of the frozen harbor, one round patch of ice stays warm to the touch and never gathers snow. The warm circle keeps expanding each night, hinting that something below the water is waking up.