Sleep story · sea, simple
A caravan by the sea — a slow story for the end of the day, when the house is busy — for a racing mind
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. There is a torch by the door in case you need to walk to the toilets in the night. You can hear the shingle moving as the waves pull back.
A clock on the wall ticks with a slight rattle on every second. The bed folds out of the seating area and takes up most of the floor. The wind pushes against the side of the caravan in long, slow gusts.
Feel the weight of the blanket on your legs. Feel one shoulder go heavy, then the other.
Your fingers can stop doing anything at all. Let your lower back sink down into the mattress.
The curtains are thin, and the moon makes a pale rectangle on the floor. There is a gas ring, a kettle, and two cups, one of which is a different pattern.
Your ankles can go loose now. Notice how much of you has already stopped moving.
Let your hands be completely still. Feel your wrists loosen.
The sea is about fifty metres away, over a bank of shingle. The window over the sink has a small crack in the corner that has been there for years.
Notice the tone of your own inner voice. Is it kind? If you feel numb, that's a valid thing to feel. Nothing to fix.
Let your shoulder blades spread out and drop. Notice your hips, wide and settled.
Let the next part go past without you. Let the room get slightly further away.
Softer. Just the breath. Leave it there.
It works with other people in the house. You do not need silence.
The room is dark, the day is finished, and nothing is required of you.
14 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for sea, simple.
If this story does not settle you, try The night train, when you have just finished work — for a night when you do not want to think, A bus at night (a sleep story), before something difficult — for a racing mind or A kitchen late at night (a sleep story), when you have more time than usual — for jet lag.