Sleep story · sea, simple
A caravan by the sea — a slow story for the end of the day, before you go back to something hard — for waking too early
Thin walls, wind outside, and the sound of shingle about fifty metres away.
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
Everything you need is within two metres of where you are lying. You can hear the shingle moving as the waves pull back. The sea is about fifty metres away, over a bank of shingle.
A clock on the wall ticks with a slight rattle on every second. The whole caravan smells of salt, gas and clean bedding. The wind pushes against the side of the caravan in long, slow gusts.
Let your tongue sit heavy in your mouth. Let the pillow take the whole weight of your head.
Let the space between your eyebrows smooth out. Let your hands be completely still.
The curtains are thin, and the moon makes a pale rectangle on the floor. The window over the sink has a small crack in the corner that has been there for years.
Let your breathing get slower without deciding to slow it. Feel the top of your head relax into the pillow.
Now feel your whole body at once, lying here, being held up. Let the back of your neck lengthen out.
The caravan rocks very slightly in the wind, which is more comforting than it sounds. The bed folds out of the seating area and takes up most of the floor.
Let your upper arms fall wherever gravity puts them. Let your thighs be as heavy as they want to be.
There is a gas ring, a kettle, and two cups, one of which is a different pattern. There is a torch by the door in case you need to walk to the toilets in the night.
Feel your wrists loosen. Let your lower back sink down into the mattress.
A clock on the wall ticks with a slight rattle on every second. The wind pushes against the side of the caravan in long, slow gusts.
Notice how much of you has already stopped moving. Feel your heartbeat somewhere far away.
Everything you need is within two metres of where you are lying. You can hear the shingle moving as the waves pull back.
If you're sleepy, sit up a little. Or let the sleepiness be there. Notice whether you're breathing or holding. Start breathing again.
Your jaw can drop slightly. Let your teeth part. Feel the back of your knees soften into the bed.
Slower now. Stay with the weight of your body.
Let the dark be ordinary. Nothing here needs following closely. Let the next part go past without you.
They will find their own way out. Just the weight. Just the dark.
Five minutes here is cheaper than an hour of grinding.
The end. Sleep well.
21 paragraphs, roughly 3 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for sea, simple.
If this story does not settle you, try A caravan by the sea — a slow story for the end of the day, when you are doing this for the first time — for winding down, A library at closing time (a sleep story), when you have woken up too early — for a night when you do not want to think or A caravan by the sea, if you have done this a hundred times — for waking too early.