Sleep story · sea, simple
A caravan by the sea, when you feel restless rather than tired — 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
There is a gas ring, a kettle, and two cups, one of which is a different pattern. 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.
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 bed folds out of the seating area and takes up most of the floor.
Your fingers can stop doing anything at all. Notice your hips, wide and settled.
Let the pillow take the whole weight of your head. Feel one shoulder go heavy, then the other.
There is a torch by the door in case you need to walk to the toilets in the night. The whole caravan smells of salt, gas and clean bedding.
Let the space between your eyebrows smooth out. Feel the weight of your head on the pillow.
Your eyelids can be too heavy to open, and that is fine. Let your toes stop holding on to anything.
The wind pushes against the side of the caravan in long, slow gusts. 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. If you're replaying a conversation, let it play. It'll finish on its own.
Feel your cheeks let go. Let your tongue sit heavy in your mouth.
Almost nothing to do now. Let the next part go past without you.
You do not have to count them. Stay. Let the dark be ordinary.
Restless is different from tired, and it needs a different approach.
There is nothing more to follow. Let the rest happen on its own.
14 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for sea, simple.