Sleep story · quiet, books
A library at closing time (a sleep story), when you have more time than usual — for a racing mind
The last hour, when the lights go down row by row.
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 library closed twenty minutes ago, and the staff are working along the far shelves, switching off sections. There is a trolley of returned books beside the desk, waiting to be put back. Your own book is heavy in your hands, and you have stopped reading it.
The windows are dark enough now to reflect the room back at you. The clock above the door is the old kind, with a second hand that moves in small jumps. A book lies open on the next table, face down, which is technically not allowed.
Notice how much of you has already stopped moving. Let your thighs be as heavy as they want to be.
Let your palms open if they were closed. Feel your heartbeat somewhere far away.
The carpet has flattened every sound in the building down to nothing. Everything here will still be here tomorrow.
Let your hands be completely still. Notice your hips, wide and settled.
If you're thinking about the next thing on your list, that list will still be there. Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal.
Let your lower back sink down into the mattress. Let the pillow take the whole weight of your head.
You do not have to count them. Let your attention settle somewhere low, like your feet.
Let the quiet be boring. Let the sound of this go soft at the edges. Slower now.
This is the longer version, for a day with some slack in it.
The room is dark, the day is finished, and nothing is required of you.
12 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for quiet, books.
If this story does not settle you, try A library at closing time — a slow story for the end of the day, when you want to be left alone — for jet lag, A kitchen late at night, when you are not sure this will work — for an overtired night or A hotel room somewhere (a sleep story), when you cannot concentrate on anything else — for jet lag.