Sleep story · rain, green
A garden in the rain — a slow story for the end of the day, if you are fitting this around other people — for an overtired night
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 path has gone darker where it is wet, and there are two small puddles near the step. The watering can by the tap is full and nobody needs it. The rain has settled into the kind that will last all afternoon without getting heavier.
A snail is making its way along the bottom of the wall, going nowhere in particular. The earth smells the way it does after a long dry spell. There is nothing to do about any of it, which is the good part.
Let your feet get heavy first. Heavier than they need to be. Feel the weight of your head on the pillow.
Feel your belly rise and fall without any help from you. Your eyelids can be too heavy to open, and that is fine.
The leaves in the border are dark and glossy and moving slightly. Under the awning it is dry, and the sound is a steady, unhurried patter.
Let your shoulder blades spread out and drop. Your jaw can drop slightly. Let your teeth part.
If nothing much is happening, that's not a problem. Nothing much is often the point. If a song is stuck in your head, let it play in the background.
Let your hands be completely still. Feel the top of your head relax into the pillow.
You can stop listening properly. Nothing here needs following closely.
You do not have to count them. Let the room get slightly further away. Slower.
It is designed to fit around other people’s schedules.
The end. Sleep well.
12 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for rain, green.
If this story does not settle you, try The house after everyone is asleep — a slow story for the end of the day, when you are short on time — for a restless night, A caravan by the sea (a sleep story), when you have been on screens all day — for a night when you do not want to think or Sleep story: a kitchen late at night, if you have five quiet minutes — for jet lag.