Good evening and welcome.
I'm Mark and tonight I'm going to be reading a classic story that has soothed readers for generations.
There is no need to follow every word.
No need to stay alert to all the details.
You may like to simply let the sound of the story carry you.
This is a tale of springtime,
Of a river,
And of small discoveries and quiet companionship.
If at any point you find sleep comes,
Allow it to.
There is nothing to hold on to,
Nothing to remember.
Just the steady rhythm of language and the gentle unfolding of a world by the water.
So settle in now,
Let your body grow heavy,
Allowing your breath to soften,
And we shall begin.
The Wind in the Willows Chapter One The Riverbank by Kenneth Graham,
1908 The Mole had been working very hard all the morning,
Spring-cleaning his little home,
First with brooms,
Then with dusters,
Then on ladders and steps and chairs,
With a brush and pail of whitewash,
Until he had dust in his throat and eyes,
And splashes of whitewash all over his black fur,
And an aching back and weary arms.
Spring was moving in the air above,
And in the earth below,
And around him,
Penetrating even his dark and lowly little house,
With its spirit of divine discontent and longing.
It was small wonder,
Then,
That he suddenly flung down his brush on the floor,
Said,
And,
And also,
And bolted out of the house,
Without even waiting to put on his coat.
Something up above was calling him imperiously,
And he made for the steep little tunnel,
Which answered,
In his case,
To the graveled carriage-drive,
Owned by animals whose residence are nearer to the sun and air.
So he scraped and scratched and scrabbled and scrooged,
And then he scrooged again,
And scrabbled and scratched and scraped,
Working busy with his little paws,
And muttering to himself,
Up we go,
Up we go,
Until at last,
Pop!
His snout came out into the sunlight,
And he found himself rolling in the warm grass of a great meadow.
This is fine,
He said to himself,
This is better than white-washing.
The sunshine struck hot on his fur,
Soft breezes caressed his heated brow,
And after the seclusion of the cellarage he had lived in so long,
The carol of happy birds fell on his dulled hearing,
Almost like a shout.
Jumping off his four legs at once,
In a joy of living and the delight of spring without its cleaning,
He pursued his way across the meadow,
Till he reached a hedge on the further side.
Hold up,
Said an elderly rabbit at the gap,
Sixpence for the privilege of passing by the private road.
He was bowled over in an instant by the impatient mole,
Who trotted along the side of the hedge,
Chaffing the other rabbits as he went.
On he ran,
His nose to the ground,
Following the track,
Until suddenly he stood by the edge of a full-fit river.
Never in his life has he seen a river like this before.
This sleek,
Sinuous,
Full-bodied animal,
Chasing and chuckling,
Gripping things with a gurgle,
And leaving them with a laugh,
To fling itself on the fresh playmates that shook themselves free,
And were caught up and held again.
This was a thing to stare at and muse upon.
He was bewitched,
Entranced,
Fascinated.
He trotted along the bank,
As one trots,
When very small,
By the side of a man who holds one spellbound by exciting stories.
At last he sat on the bank,
While the river still chatted to him.
A babbling procession of the best stories in the world.
As he sat there on the grass and looked across the river,
A dark hole in the bank opposite,
Just above the water's edge,
Caught his eye.
Out of the hole came a little face,
A brown little face with whiskers,
A grave round face,
With the same twinkle in its eye that had first attracted his notice.
Small,
Neat ears and a thick,
Silky hair.
It was the water rat.
Hello,
Mole,
Said the water rat.
Hello,
Rat,
Said the mole.
Would you like to come over,
Inquired the rat presently.
Oh,
It's all very well to talk,
Said the mole,
Rather pettishly,
Being new to a river and riverside life and its ways.
The rat said nothing,
But stooped and unfastened a rope and hauled on it,
Then lightly stepped into the little boat,
Which the mole had not observed.
It was painted blue outside and white within,
And was just the size for two animals.
The rat sculled fastly across and made fast.
Step in,
He cried cheerily,
And the mole,
To his surprise and rapture,
Found himself actually seated in the stern of a real boat.
This has been a wonderful day,
Said he.
Do you know,
I've never been in a boat before in all my life.
What,
Cried the rat open-mouthed,
Never been in a boat.
What,
Never?
Well,
I've never been in a boat,
Nor on the river.
The rat stared at him.
There is nothing half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats,
He said dreamily.
And so the two friends sculled about,
Talking and laughing,
And the mole learned to row.
At last,
The rat said.
Now then,
Off you get and we will go and have lunch.
The mole begged as a favour to be allowed to unpack the luncheon basket.
It was stuffed with food.
Pickles,
Salad,
French rolls,
Cress sandwiches,
Ginger beer,
Lemonade,
And a great many other things.
When they had finished,
The rat lay back and told stories of the river.
The mole was so absorbed that he had no thought for anything else.
And so the afternoon passed in gentle companionship.
When evening began to fall,
And the shadows lengthened across the meadow,
They returned to the rat's hold.
The rat lit a lamp,
And the mole watched,
Enchanted as a small room glowed warmly in the dusk.
Later,
When the mole found himself alone for a moment by the river's edge,
He felt a stirring in his heart.
But he was not unhappy,
For he knew that something new had begun.
And that was enough.
And now the river grows quiet.
The light fades from the water.
The reeds stand still.
You may let the images drift now.
There is no need to follow the story further.
Just the sense of warmth,
Of companionship,
Of gentle movement.
Feel the surface beneath you.
Feel the weight of your body resting.
Allowing your breath to simply move in its own rhythm.
If sleep has not yet visited,
It may arrive soon.
And if you wake in the night,
You may remember the riverbank waiting patiently for you.
Still.
Unhurried.
Soft.
In the dark.
But for now,
Simply rest.
Good night.
