Sleep story · rain, green
A garden in the rain (a sleep story), when you are too tired to try hard — for jet lag
Steady rain on leaves, and a chair under an awning that stays dry.
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 earth smells the way it does after a long dry spell. The watering can by the tap is full and nobody needs it. Under the awning it is dry, and the sound is a steady, unhurried patter.
The rain on the roof of the awning is a lower sound than the rain on the leaves. There is nothing to do about any of it, which is the good part. The path has gone darker where it is wet, and there are two small puddles near the step.
Your elbows can stop being hinges for now. Let your palms open if they were closed.
Feel your heartbeat somewhere far away. Now feel your whole body at once, lying here, being held up.
A snail is making its way along the bottom of the wall, going nowhere in particular. Somewhere in the hedge, a bird is sitting it out.
Your jaw can drop slightly. Let your teeth part. Feel the back of your knees soften into the bed.
Notice whether you're breathing or holding. Start breathing again. Notice if you're being hard on yourself about any of this.
Let your hands be completely still. Feel one shoulder go heavy, then the other.
Just the dark. The words can start to blur now.
Nothing here needs following closely. Let the next part go past without you. Let them.
Too tired to try hard is exactly the right amount of tired for this.
No more sentences. Just the weight of you in the bed.
12 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for rain, green.