Sleep story · sea, simple
Sleep story: a caravan by the sea, when you want to finish something — 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
You can hear the shingle moving as the waves pull back. Everything you need is within two metres of where you are lying. The sea is about fifty metres away, over a bank of shingle.
The bed folds out of the seating area and takes up most of the floor. There is a gas ring, a kettle, and two cups, one of which is a different pattern. The curtains are thin, and the moon makes a pale rectangle on the floor.
Let your calves spread out and flatten. Feel the top of your head relax into the pillow.
Let your thumbs rest where they landed. Feel your cheeks let go.
The wind pushes against the side of the caravan in long, slow gusts. The whole caravan smells of salt, gas and clean bedding.
Let your lower back sink down into the mattress. Feel the back of your knees soften into the bed.
Notice any urge to check something. You can wait two more minutes. You might be planning something. Notice the planning, then come back.
Let the pillow take the whole weight of your head. Feel your heartbeat somewhere far away.
Sleep. Let the sound of this go soft at the edges.
Stay with the weight of your body. Nothing needs deciding tonight. Just the weight.
Wanting to finish something is a better motivation than wanting to relax.
The end. Sleep well.
12 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for sea, simple.
If this story does not settle you, try A hotel room somewhere (a sleep story), when you want to be left alone — for waking too early, An attic room (a sleep story), when the weather has kept you inside — for a restless night or A field under snow, when you have tried everything else — for jet lag.