Sleep story · travel, anonymous
A hotel room somewhere, when you are somewhere unfamiliar — for winding down
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
The room is on the fourth floor, and the window looks out onto a street with one lit shop. The carpet is the colour of weak coffee and absorbs every sound. Nobody in this city knows where you are, and that is restful.
The pillow is slightly too soft, and you fold it in half, which fixes it. The bathroom light is off, and the fan has finally stopped. The curtains are heavy and close properly, which is rarer than it should be.
Let the back of your neck lengthen out. Notice the places where your body touches the bed, and let them be heavy.
Let your shoulder blades spread out and drop. Feel the top of your head relax into the pillow.
There is a bottle of water on the bedside table with the cap already loosened. The air conditioning makes a low sound that you will stop noticing within a minute.
Let your feet get heavy first. Heavier than they need to be. Let your forearms get heavy and warm.
Feel your cheeks let go. Let your ribs stop working so hard.
The bed has been turned down, and the sheets are cool on the side you have not been lying on. A tram goes past below, and you hear it before you see it.
Notice the difference between a thought and the space around it. Notice any urge to check something. You can wait two more minutes.
Let your hands be completely still. Your ankles can go loose now.
Sleep. Stay with the weight of your body.
Let the room get slightly further away. Almost nothing to do now. Let the thoughts come and go without you getting up to answer.
It travels well. Hotels, spare rooms, other people’s sofas.
Let everything get quiet, including this.
14 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for travel, anonymous.
If this story does not settle you, try A library at closing time — a slow story for the end of the day, when you have been meaning to start — for a restless night, 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 or A kitchen late at night — a slow story for the end of the day, when the weather has kept you inside — for winding down.