Sleep story · travel, anonymous
Sleep story: a hotel room somewhere, when you are short on time — for a restless night
A room you did not choose, in a city you do not have to know.
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
Your case is open on the luggage rack, half unpacked. A tram goes past below, and you hear it before you see it. There is a small card on the desk with the breakfast times on it, which do not matter tonight.
The carpet is the colour of weak coffee and absorbs every sound. The curtains are heavy and close properly, which is rarer than it should be. The bathroom light is off, and the fan has finally stopped.
Let your forehead go cool and smooth. Feel your heels sink a little into the mattress.
Let your thighs be as heavy as they want to be. Let your thumbs rest where they landed.
The pillow is slightly too soft, and you fold it in half, which fixes it. Nobody in this city knows where you are, and that is restful.
Feel one shoulder go heavy, then the other. Your jaw can drop slightly. Let your teeth part.
Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal. Notice any part of you that wants this to be over.
Notice the places where your body touches the bed, and let them be heavy. Let your forearms get heavy and warm.
Let the sound of this go soft at the edges. Let the breath be the only thing you are doing.
Stay with the weight of your body. Almost nothing to do now. You can stop listening properly.
Pick this one when you are short on time.
That is the end of the story. Sleep is the next part, and it does not need instructions.
12 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for travel, anonymous.