A caravan by the sea — a slow story for the end of the day, before you go back to something hard — for an overtired night

The caravan rocks very slightly in the wind, which is more comforting than it sounds. The sea is about fifty metres away, over a bank of shingle. You can hear the shingle moving as the waves pull back.

There is a gas ring, a kettle, and two cups, one of which is a different pattern. The whole caravan smells of salt, gas and clean bedding. There is a torch by the door in case you need to walk to the toilets in the night.

Feel the back of your knees soften into the bed. Let your tongue sit heavy in your mouth.

Feel your cheeks let go. Your ankles can go loose now.

The wind pushes against the side of the caravan in long, slow gusts. Everything you need is within two metres of where you are lying.

Let your forearms get heavy and warm. Let your toes stop holding on to anything.

Your fingers can stop doing anything at all. Feel your belly rise and fall without any help from you.

The bed folds out of the seating area and takes up most of the floor. The window over the sink has a small crack in the corner that has been there for years.

Let everything you were holding today stay on the floor beside the bed. Let your breathing get slower without deciding to slow it.

The curtains are thin, and the moon makes a pale rectangle on the floor. A clock on the wall ticks with a slight rattle on every second.

Feel one shoulder go heavy, then the other. Let your ribs stop working so hard.

There is a gas ring, a kettle, and two cups, one of which is a different pattern. The whole caravan smells of salt, gas and clean bedding.

Feel your wrists loosen. Let your calves spread out and flatten.

A clock on the wall ticks with a slight rattle on every second. You can hear the shingle moving as the waves pull back.

If you're distracted by a sound, let the sound be the object for a moment. Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal.

Let your thighs be as heavy as they want to be. Let your lower back sink down into the mattress.

Let the room get slightly further away. Let it all get further away.

You can stop listening properly. Let your breathing do the rest. Softer.

Let the breath be the only thing you are doing. Sleep. Let the sound of this go soft at the edges.

Five minutes here is cheaper than an hour of grinding.

Let this be the last thing you listen to.