Sleep story · still, water
A lake before dawn (a sleep story), after a long day — for jet lag
Flat water, no wind, and light that has not arrived yet.
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
There is a wooden jetty a few metres out, with one plank that has gone grey and soft. The sky is the colour of unpolished pewter. The water makes a small sound against the posts, once every few seconds.
The lake is completely flat, the way it only gets in the hour before the light comes. The far shore is a dark line with no detail in it yet. Nothing on the lake is in a hurry, including you.
Feel your wrists loosen. Feel the back of your knees soften into the bed.
Your fingers can stop doing anything at all. Notice the places where your body touches the bed, and let them be heavy.
Your boat is tied up and moving just enough to be noticeable. There is a coil of rope on the deck, still damp from yesterday.
Feel one shoulder go heavy, then the other. Notice how much of you has already stopped moving.
If you feel numb, that's a valid thing to feel. Nothing to fix. If your mind is quiet, don't grab at it. Quiet comes and goes too.
Feel the top of your head relax into the pillow. Feel the weight of your head on the pillow.
Let the sound of this go soft at the edges. Leave it there.
Just the weight. Stay. They will find their own way out.
Use it at the end of a long day, not at the start of one.
Goodnight. There is nothing left to do.
12 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for still, water.
If this story does not settle you, try Sleep story: a boat at anchor, when you need to stop thinking about work — for a restless night, A caravan by the sea (a sleep story), if you are new to this — for a restless night or The house after everyone is asleep (a sleep story), when you are too tired to try hard — for the hours after a late shift.