Sleep story · still, water
A lake before dawn — a slow story for the end of the day, before you go back to something hard — for a restless night
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
The far shore is a dark line with no detail in it yet. Somewhere behind you, a gate opens and closes. There is a wooden jetty a few metres out, with one plank that has gone grey and soft.
Your boat is tied up and moving just enough to be noticeable. The sky is the colour of unpolished pewter. Nothing on the lake is in a hurry, including you.
Feel your wrists loosen. Let your palms open if they were closed.
Your eyelids can be too heavy to open, and that is fine. Let the back of your neck lengthen out.
There is a coil of rope on the deck, still damp from yesterday. The mist sits about a foot above the surface and does not move.
Let the space between your eyebrows smooth out. Let your calves spread out and flatten.
If you're bored, stay with the boredom for a moment. It's usually thinner than it looks. Notice if you're waiting for something to happen. Nothing is scheduled.
Feel the top of your head relax into the pillow. Feel your heels sink a little into the mattress.
Let each breath be a little smaller than the last. Just the dark.
You can stop listening properly. Follow the breath out, and let the next one arrive by itself. Let the breath be the only thing you are doing.
Five minutes here is cheaper than an hour of grinding.
No more sentences. Just the weight of you in the bed.
12 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for still, water.
If this story does not settle you, try A fire dying down (a sleep story), if you are doing this instead of scrolling — for an overtired night, Sleep story: a caravan by the sea, when nothing else has worked today — for jet lag or The night train (a sleep story), on a low-energy afternoon — for jet lag.