Sleep story · water, slow
A boat at anchor — a slow story for the end of the day, when you have woken up too early — for an overtired night
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
Nothing out here is in a rush, and neither are you. The water slaps against the side in twos and threes. The rope to the anchor creaks as the boat turns very slightly.
There is a torch hanging by the hatch, and a chart folded on the table. The cabin is low, and you have to bend your head to get into the bunk. The boat is anchored in eight metres of water, and the chain makes a sound as it moves.
Let your toes stop holding on to anything. Let your breathing get slower without deciding to slow it.
Your jaw can drop slightly. Let your teeth part. Now feel your whole body at once, lying here, being held up.
Everything in the cabin is stowed, so nothing rattles. The blanket smells faintly of salt and diesel.
Your chest can be still now. Let your feet get heavy first. Heavier than they need to be.
Feel your cheeks let go. Let your tongue sit heavy in your mouth.
The bunk is narrow, and you have the whole of it. Through the hatch you can see one star, and then the mast crossing it.
Notice how you're sitting. Adjust if you need to. Then settle again. If you feel numb, that's a valid thing to feel. Nothing to fix.
Your ankles can go loose now. Your eyelids can be too heavy to open, and that is fine.
You do not have to count them. Let it all get further away.
Slower. Let the sound of this go soft at the edges. Let the next part go past without you.
Waking too early is a specific kind of frustrating. This helps with the frustration.
The room is dark, the day is finished, and nothing is required of you.
14 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for water, slow.
If this story does not settle you, try Sleep story: a hotel room somewhere, when you feel restless rather than tired — for a restless night, A boat at anchor (a sleep story), after eating too much — for a restless night or A library at closing time, after eating too much — for jet lag.