Sleep story · travel, cozy
The night train, before something difficult — for jet lag
Somewhere between two cities, in the dark, where nobody needs anything from you.
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 heating is on low, and the air smells faintly of clean metal and old upholstery. The rhythm underneath you is steady enough to lean on. The train left a quarter of an hour ago, and the carriage has already settled into its own quiet.
Outside, the fields go past without anything in them you need to see. Your bag is wedged under the seat in front, out of the way of your feet. The seat reclines one notch further than you expected it to.
Your fingers can stop doing anything at all. Let your breathing get slower without deciding to slow it.
Feel the weight of the blanket on your legs. Your elbows can stop being hinges for now.
There is one other person in this carriage, four rows up, asleep with a coat over their knees. The lights along the aisle are dimmed to the colour of weak tea.
Your jaw can drop slightly. Let your teeth part. Notice the places where your body touches the bed, and let them be heavy.
Feel the top of your head relax into the pillow. Let everything you were holding today stay on the floor beside the bed.
Somewhere ahead of you, a door opens and closes with a soft, deliberate sound. The window is cool against the side of your face.
Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal. If you've lost track of where we were, you haven't lost anything important.
Your ankles can go loose now. Let your toes stop holding on to anything.
Softer. Let the dark be ordinary.
Nothing here needs following closely. You can stop listening properly. You do not have to count them.
It works best in the hour before something difficult.
Let everything get quiet, including this.
14 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for travel, cozy.
If this story does not settle you, try A garden in the rain (a sleep story), when your attention is scattered — for a restless night, A library at closing time, if you are doing this in the middle of the day — for a racing mind or A kitchen late at night — a slow story for the end of the day, when you are at home and cannot settle — for the hours after a late shift.