Sleep story · travel, anonymous
A hotel room somewhere, when you are on your own — for a restless night
A room you did not choose, in a city you do not have to know.
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
Your case is open on the luggage rack, half unpacked. There is a bottle of water on the bedside table with the cap already loosened. The room is on the fourth floor, and the window looks out onto a street with one lit shop.
The air conditioning makes a low sound that you will stop noticing within a minute. The bathroom light is off, and the fan has finally stopped. The bed has been turned down, and the sheets are cool on the side you have not been lying on.
Let your feet get heavy first. Heavier than they need to be. Let your ribs stop working so hard.
Feel one shoulder go heavy, then the other. Feel the weight of the blanket on your legs.
The curtains are heavy and close properly, which is rarer than it should be. The carpet is the colour of weak coffee and absorbs every sound.
Your ankles can go loose now. Let your thumbs rest where they landed.
If a song is stuck in your head, let it play in the background. Notice the difference between a thought and the space around it.
Feel your cheeks let go. Your eyelids can be too heavy to open, and that is fine.
They will find their own way out. Let the room get slightly further away.
Let the dark be ordinary. Let your attention settle somewhere low, like your feet. Leave it there.
Being on your own is not required, but it does make this simpler.
The end. Sleep well.
12 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for travel, anonymous.