Sleep story · sea, simple
A caravan by the sea, when you feel restless rather than tired — for winding down
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 wind pushes against the side of the caravan in long, slow gusts. 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. Everything you need is within two metres of where you are lying. The sea is about fifty metres away, over a bank of shingle.
Let your hands be completely still. Notice how much of you has already stopped moving.
Let your thumbs rest where they landed. Feel the back of your knees soften into the bed.
The whole caravan smells of salt, gas and clean bedding. The caravan rocks very slightly in the wind, which is more comforting than it sounds.
Feel your wrists loosen. Let everything you were holding today stay on the floor beside the bed.
Let your forehead go cool and smooth. Feel the weight of your head on the pillow.
The window over the sink has a small crack in the corner that has been there for years. 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. Notice if you're being hard on yourself about any of this.
Feel the top of your head relax into the pillow. Your elbows can stop being hinges for now.
Follow the breath out, and let the next one arrive by itself. Let the room get slightly further away.
Slower now. Let the thoughts come and go without you getting up to answer. Just the breath.
Restless is different from tired, and it needs a different approach.
I will stop here. The quiet will carry on without the words.
14 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for sea, simple.
If this story does not settle you, try A field under snow (a sleep story), when you feel restless rather than tired — for jet lag, A library at closing time, when you feel fine and want to stay that way — for an overtired night or A garden in the rain — a slow story for the end of the day, if you are new to this — for the hours after a late shift.