Sleep story · sea, simple
A caravan by the sea — a slow story for the end of the day, if you are doing this instead of scrolling — for the hours after a late shift
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
The curtains are thin, and the moon makes a pale rectangle on the floor. There is a torch by the door in case you need to walk to the toilets in the night. The bed folds out of the seating area and takes up most of the floor.
The sea is about fifty metres away, over a bank of shingle. The caravan rocks very slightly in the wind, which is more comforting than it sounds. The whole caravan smells of salt, gas and clean bedding.
Let the pillow take the whole weight of your head. Let everything you were holding today stay on the floor beside the bed.
Your eyelids can be too heavy to open, and that is fine. Now feel your whole body at once, lying here, being held up.
The wind pushes against the side of the caravan in long, slow gusts. The window over the sink has a small crack in the corner that has been there for years.
Let your thighs be as heavy as they want to be. Let your calves spread out and flatten.
Let your upper arms fall wherever gravity puts them. Feel your belly rise and fall without any help from you.
A clock on the wall ticks with a slight rattle on every second. You can hear the shingle moving as the waves pull back.
Your mind will leave about a hundred times. Come back about a hundred times. If your body wants to move, let it move, then come back.
Let your feet get heavy first. Heavier than they need to be. Let your shoulder blades spread out and drop.
Follow the breath out, and let the next one arrive by itself. Let the thoughts come and go without you getting up to answer.
Almost nothing to do now. Let your attention settle somewhere low, like your feet. You can stop listening properly.
Choosing this over scrolling counts as a good decision, even a small one.
No more sentences. Just the weight of you in the bed.
14 paragraphs, roughly 3 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for sea, simple.
If this story does not settle you, try A boat at anchor — a slow story for the end of the day, if you are tired of apps — for an overtired night, Sleep story: the night train, if you are doing this instead of scrolling — for winding down or A caravan by the sea — a slow story for the end of the day, when you cannot concentrate on anything else — for a night when you do not want to think.