Sleep story · sea, simple
Sleep story: a caravan by the sea, when you want to finish something — for a racing mind
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
Everything you need is within two metres of where you are lying. A clock on the wall ticks with a slight rattle on every second. The whole caravan smells of salt, gas and clean bedding.
The window over the sink has a small crack in the corner that has been there for years. The caravan rocks very slightly in the wind, which is more comforting than it sounds. There is a torch by the door in case you need to walk to the toilets in the night.
Let your breathing get slower without deciding to slow it. Let your toes stop holding on to anything.
Feel your cheeks let go. Let the mattress take all of it.
You can hear the shingle moving as the waves pull back. The sea is about fifty metres away, over a bank of shingle.
Now feel your whole body at once, lying here, being held up. Let your feet get heavy first. Heavier than they need to be.
If you're bored, stay with the boredom for a moment. It's usually thinner than it looks. Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal.
Notice your hips, wide and settled. Let your thumbs rest where they landed.
Follow the breath out, and let the next one arrive by itself. Let the next part go past without you.
Stay with the weight of your body. You can stop listening properly. Let the room get slightly further away.
Wanting to finish something is a better motivation than wanting to relax.
No more sentences. Just the weight of you in the bed.
12 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for sea, simple.
If this story does not settle you, try The house after everyone is asleep, if you have five quiet minutes — for waking too early, A lighthouse at the end of a long day, when you are waiting for something — for jet lag or 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.