Sleep story · travel, anonymous
A bus at night — a slow story for the end of the day, when you are somewhere unfamiliar — for a racing mind
Upper deck, front seat, a city going past that you do not have to join.
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
You do not have to get off for another twenty minutes. The city goes past below you, shopfronts and bus stops and people waiting for other buses. The heating comes through the floor and makes your feet warm.
There is a long stretch of road ahead with nothing on it. The driver takes the corners slowly, as if the bus were full. A streetlight passes across the ceiling every few seconds.
Feel one shoulder go heavy, then the other. Let your hands be completely still.
Feel your heartbeat somewhere far away. Let the space between your eyebrows smooth out.
There are four other people downstairs and nobody up here. Your ticket is on the seat beside you, already used.
Let the pillow take the whole weight of your head. Feel your belly rise and fall without any help from you.
Your fingers can stop doing anything at all. Let your feet get heavy first. Heavier than they need to be.
You are on the top deck of the last bus, in the front seat, with the whole window to yourself. The bus stops and starts with a slow, heavy movement.
Notice any urge to check something. You can wait two more minutes. If you're judging your performance, that's the same habit as judging everything else.
Notice how much of you has already stopped moving. Feel the weight of your head on the pillow.
Sleep. Let the thoughts come and go without you getting up to answer.
Let the sound of this go soft at the edges. Let your breathing do the rest. Slower now.
It travels well. Hotels, spare rooms, other people’s sofas.
The end. Sleep well.
14 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for travel, anonymous.
If this story does not settle you, try A bus at night, when you want something simple — for an overtired night, A kitchen late at night (a sleep story), when you have already had a long week — for waking too early or Sleep story: a field under snow, when you have just finished work — for an overtired night.