Sleep story · water, slow
A boat at anchor (a sleep story), after eating too much — for the hours after a late shift
A small harbour, a rope that creaks, and a boat that moves about a metre in the night.
Lights off. Press begin and let the story read itself to you, at the pace of sleep.
Screen on or off — we suggest dimming it, or simply closing your eyes after the first paragraph.
The story, in full
The boat is anchored in eight metres of water, and the chain makes a sound as it moves. The cabin is low, and you have to bend your head to get into the bunk. Nothing out here is in a rush, and neither are you.
The bunk is narrow, and you have the whole of it. There is a torch hanging by the hatch, and a chart folded on the table. Through the hatch you can see one star, and then the mast crossing it.
Let everything you were holding today stay on the floor beside the bed. Let the space between your eyebrows smooth out.
Your jaw can drop slightly. Let your teeth part. Let the mattress take all of it.
Everything in the cabin is stowed, so nothing rattles. The hull moves against the water in a slow, regular way.
Let your forehead go cool and smooth. Let your shoulder blades spread out and drop.
Let your thumbs rest where they landed. Notice your hips, wide and settled.
The harbour is behind you, with three lights still on and the rest dark. The water slaps against the side in twos and threes.
Notice any urge to check something. You can wait two more minutes. If you're irritated, that's allowed. Irritation is just weather.
Feel the weight of your head on the pillow. Your elbows can stop being hinges for now.
Stay. Slower.
They will find their own way out. Just the dark. Let your attention settle somewhere low, like your feet.
Do this sitting up, not lying down, if you have just eaten.
Let this be the last thing you listen to.
14 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for water, slow.
If this story does not settle you, try A lake before dawn — a slow story for the end of the day, if you have five quiet minutes — for jet lag, A field under snow (a sleep story), when you feel restless rather than tired — for a restless night or A field under snow (a sleep story), if you are fitting this around other people — for a restless night.