Sleep story · winter, still
A field under snow, when you have tried everything else — for jet lag
Everything muffled, everything white, and no tracks but yours.
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 sound of your own boots is the loudest thing for half a mile. There is a gate at the far end of the field, half buried and not going anywhere. The snow on the branches is holding, and every so often a small amount slides off.
A single crow crosses the field and lands on the fence, then thinks better of it. The light is flat and grey and does not cast shadows. The farmhouse at the top of the hill has one window lit.
Feel the back of your knees soften into the bed. Your eyelids can be too heavy to open, and that is fine.
Let your ribs stop working so hard. Feel your heartbeat somewhere far away.
There are no footprints anywhere except the ones behind you. The fence posts are capped with snow and look shorter than they are.
Feel the weight of the blanket on your legs. Let your lower back sink down into the mattress.
If you feel emotional, you don't have to explain it to anyone, including yourself. If you're judging your performance, that's the same habit as judging everything else.
Let your breathing get slower without deciding to slow it. Notice the places where your body touches the bed, and let them be heavy.
Nothing needs deciding tonight. Stay with the weight of your body.
Just the weight. Let the breath be the only thing you are doing. Slower.
This assumes you have already tried the obvious things.
The end. Sleep well.
12 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for winter, still.
If this story does not settle you, try A bus at night, if you are fitting this around other people — for a restless night, Sleep story: a hotel room somewhere, before something difficult — for the hours after a late shift or A garden in the rain (a sleep story), when you are somewhere noisy — for winding down.