Sleep story · sea, simple
Sleep story: a caravan by the sea, when you are cold and want to be warm — for an overtired night
Thin walls, wind outside, and the sound of shingle about fifty metres away.
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
A clock on the wall ticks with a slight rattle on every second. There is a torch by the door in case you need to walk to the toilets in the night. Everything you need is within two metres of where you are lying.
The wind pushes against the side of the caravan in long, slow gusts. There is a gas ring, a kettle, and two cups, one of which is a different pattern. You can hear the shingle moving as the waves pull back.
Your ankles can go loose now. Notice the places where your body touches the bed, and let them be heavy.
Feel the weight of your head on the pillow. Feel one shoulder go heavy, then the other.
The sea is about fifty metres away, over a bank of shingle. The caravan rocks very slightly in the wind, which is more comforting than it sounds.
Feel your wrists loosen. Let the space between your eyebrows smooth out.
Let your toes stop holding on to anything. Your eyelids can be too heavy to open, and that is fine.
The curtains are thin, and the moon makes a pale rectangle on the floor. The bed folds out of the seating area and takes up most of the floor.
Notice the difference between a thought and the space around it. Notice the tone of your own inner voice. Is it kind?
Feel your belly rise and fall without any help from you. Let your forearms get heavy and warm.
Let the breath be the only thing you are doing. Nothing here needs following closely.
Let the dark be ordinary. Let the room get slightly further away. Let them.
Get a blanket first. Being cold defeats the point.
I will stop here. The quiet will carry on without the words.
14 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for sea, simple.
If this story does not settle you, try A hotel room somewhere — a slow story for the end of the day, when you want to finish something — for jet lag, A lake before dawn — a slow story for the end of the day, before you go back to something hard — for waking too early or The house after everyone is asleep (a sleep story), when you are on your own — for an overtired night.