Sleep story · warm, home
A kitchen late at night — a slow story for the end of the day, if you have done this a hundred times — for a restless night
One small light on, a cooling cup of tea, and the rest of the house dark.
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 kitchen is warm, and the small light over the hob is the only one on. Someone upstairs turns over, and the ceiling creaks once. Your chair is pulled out slightly, the way you left it.
There is a cup of tea beside you that has gone past drinking temperature. The fridge motor stops, and the room gets even quieter. The tea towel is folded over the rail, still slightly damp.
Notice your hips, wide and settled. Let your forehead go cool and smooth.
Feel your cheeks let go. Feel your heartbeat somewhere far away.
Through the window you can see the back garden, which is doing nothing at all. There is a bowl of fruit nobody has touched since Tuesday.
Let your thumbs rest where they landed. Feel the weight of your head on the pillow.
If you're replaying a conversation, let it play. It'll finish on its own. Notice the tone of your own inner voice. Is it kind?
Let your lower back sink down into the mattress. Let the pillow take the whole weight of your head.
Slower. Slower now.
Let each breath be a little smaller than the last. The words can start to blur now. Let it all get further away.
If you have done this a hundred times, change one small thing tonight.
That is the end of the story. Sleep is the next part, and it does not need instructions.
12 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for warm, home.