Sleep story · rain, green
A garden in the rain, when you need to stop thinking about work — for a restless 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
Water runs off the gutter in a thin, continuous line. There is a wooden bench that nobody has sat on for an hour. Somewhere in the hedge, a bird is sitting it out.
The path has gone darker where it is wet, and there are two small puddles near the step. The rain has settled into the kind that will last all afternoon without getting heavier. Under the awning it is dry, and the sound is a steady, unhurried patter.
Your eyelids can be too heavy to open, and that is fine. Let the pillow take the whole weight of your head.
Let your thighs be as heavy as they want to be. Your ankles can go loose now.
The watering can by the tap is full and nobody needs it. A snail is making its way along the bottom of the wall, going nowhere in particular.
Now feel your whole body at once, lying here, being held up. Feel your belly rise and fall without any help from you.
Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal. If you're bored, stay with the boredom for a moment. It's usually thinner than it looks.
Feel your wrists loosen. Let your palms open if they were closed.
They will find their own way out. Let your breathing do the rest.
Just the weight. Slower. Let the thoughts come and go without you getting up to answer.
Work thoughts are allowed to be there. They just do not get to drive.
The room is dark, the day is finished, and nothing is required of you.
12 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for rain, green.
If this story does not settle you, try Sleep story: a boat at anchor, after a difficult conversation — for a restless night, A caravan by the sea — a slow story for the end of the day, when you only have a few minutes — for winding down or A library at closing time, when you feel fine and want to stay that way — for an overtired night.