A warm welcome to part three of this sleep story trilogy set in an enchanted world of wizards and magic.
Where you are the main character.
In part three,
You and your best friend will take part in the potions festival while the lovely elf Daphne watches on as an official judge.
I hope you brought your competitive spirit for tonight's adventure.
Before we begin,
We will do a short relaxation session,
Preparing you for a good night's sleep.
Please remember that there is no right or wrong here,
And there is no particular way that you should feel in these moments.
Each experience is as unique as us all,
So try to let go of any pressure you might be putting on yourself to feel certain things,
Or perhaps to fall asleep quickly tonight.
It doesn't matter if you do or you don't.
If you simply follow my voice and allow this story to wash over you,
Then you will enter a world of deep relaxation.
Where you can rest and recover.
So,
When you are ready,
Just feel the eyelids becoming heavier and heavier with each passing blink,
Until they gently close.
Remind yourself that this is your time to relax.
There is nothing left to do and nothing left to think about.
The day is done now.
Whatever has happened is already in the past.
And here,
In this moment,
The future is beyond our reach.
So,
If thoughts arise about the day or the week that has been,
Or the days ahead of you,
Then acknowledge that these thoughts are completely normal and valid.
They are part of what makes us human,
Which is a wonderful thing.
But also,
Kindly remind yourself that these thoughts or concerns are of no use to us now.
There is no need to engage with them.
They are simply thoughts,
As fleeting as shooting stars across a night sky.
You are safe tonight.
And you are protected.
You can be reassured by the fact that my voice and this story will never take you anywhere that is unpleasant.
Your sleepy cat is simply here to guide you on your own twilight adventures and to help you enter a world of magic and peace where you can be completely free.
And now,
We will do a short,
Guided breathing pattern called 3-4-5.
This will allow you to slow down and relax,
Preparing your body and your mind for a wonderful,
Peaceful rest.
When you are ready,
Breathe in through the nose for three,
Hold for four.
And breathe out for five.
Let all of it go now.
Again,
That's in for three.
Hold for 4.
And release,
Blowing away the thoughts of yesterday,
Today and tomorrow.
Again in for three.
.
.
Home.
And let it go.
Continue to breathe in this way in your own time and with each breath out allow your body to sink just that bit deeper.
And now,
Allow your breath to fall back into a natural rhythm.
Feel this new relaxation and peace flowing through your body.
Allow your mind to soften.
And your imagination to come alive.
As you enjoy the festival of potions.
You wake to the low,
Gentle crackle of a small fire still bubbling away in one corner of your room.
The midnight rain has finally subsided.
And outside you can hear the distant chirp of morning birds.
And you feel the soft glow of sunrise on your eyelids.
You stir and shuffle under your covers,
Allowing your eyes to open as you take in this familiar room inside the wizard's tavern.
You have stayed here many nights before.
Each time on some different adventure.
And as you gaze around the creaky,
Wood-paneled room,
You reminisce on how you arrived here on your most recent one.
It all started with a letter from your best friend,
Telling you about a secret midnight bus that could take you wherever you wanted to go.
You summoned this bus from the local park at the end of your village.
And you journeyed through your hometown all the way to London as the rain hammered on the windows.
After a short nap.
You woke up at five minutes to midnight and had arrived at this tavern.
Upon entering,
You were reunited not only with your best friends,
But also with Daphne the Elf.
And the black and white sleepy cat.
Two of your nearest and dearest companions in this world.
And the latter of whom is currently curled up at the end of your bed And now,
Here you are,
Waking up in this magical tavern.
Ready to take part in the International Potions Festival.
With a burst of excitement.
You shuffle out of bed and dress yourself for the day ahead.
As you finally pull on your socks,
There is a knock on your door.
As you open it,
You are met by your best friend's beaming smile and,
Of course,
The lovely Daphne.
Ready to go,
Your friend asks as you slip on your shoes.
You move back over to the sleepy cat on your bed and gently scratch their head letting them know that they are free to roam the tavern today,
But not to stray too far.
It's been a long time since you have seen each other and you would love their company today The cat gives a wide yawn and blinks at you with a hint of sassiness,
Possibly at being woken up.
They stretch and roll over.
Climb to their feet.
And jump down off the bed.
They circle your legs in their figure-eight pattern as if bidding you good morning.
Before trotting happily out of the room.
Perhaps in search of breakfast from the kindly barman.
You leave your room.
And lock the door behind you.
With a deep breath.
You put your arms around Daphne and your best friend.
Ready for the potions festival.
Daphne tells you she has officially been assigned as your mentor today.
And all mentors are permitted to offer one cryptic clue to help with this challenge nothing outright of course Daphne leans in to both of you and whispers with a mischievous giggle,
Trust in the shine.
And then,
In a sudden twist,
She disappears out of sight.
Trust in the shine.
You share a blank expression with your friends.
Well,
They say with a sigh,
That's about as helpful as eating soup with a fork.
Instantly,
You both burst into fits of laughter,
Joking together about what on earth Daphne must mean.
You know,
However,
That this wonderful elf would never let you down.
So,
With a reassuring pat on your friend's shoulder,
You tell them that perhaps you should just wait and see what the challenge is first.
You start to walk across the landing now,
Gradually venturing down the rickety wooden stairs.
The atmosphere below growing louder with each step.
As you emerge into the tavern,
You are met by a sea of witches and wizards,
All dressed in different colored robes.
The room has been transformed,
And somehow it seems to have doubled in size.
The solo musician is still perched in the far corner and they underscore this bustling atmosphere.
The huge fire pit still gurgles away,
But it has been relocated from the center of the tavern off to one corner.
Replacing the fire is an enormous trestle table stretching across the middle of the room.
And you see 12 different potion stations with 12 different countries' flags hovering above.
Your best friend squeezes your arm in excitement as they point to the flag above your station.
A little flutter of nerves greets you now,
As this competition just got very real indeed.
Around the tavern and across the bar are rows of bubbling cauldrons,
Giving off many peculiar but not unpleasant smells.
All along the back wall are potions and vials in all the colors of the rainbow.
A collection of tall glass jars house all sorts of interesting ingredients,
With smaller jars in front holding a variety of spices.
And over by the front door is a huge herb garden with a wide array of herbs that are all moving and wiggling on their own.
You shuffle over to your station now,
Giving a brief smile and a nod to some of the other witches and wizards.
And it reassures you to know that yes,
It might be a competition,
But this is all in good spirits.
The atmosphere is fun.
Jovial and friendly.
At your station rests a single black cauldron full of only water at the moment,
With a mini stove underneath,
Flickering in green flames that keeps everything at a gentle simmer.
There is a large sieve,
One small empty vial and a set of old weighing scales.
Over to your right is the judges table with seven judges all sat in conversation.
On the left hand side is a proud stoic centaur.
He does not engage with anyone around him,
But instead surveys the room,
Examining each partnership carefully.
Further along is a tall,
Thin witch with strong,
Dark features and a kindly face.
She is deep in conversation with Daphne next to her.
Both are laughing as Daphne offers her another cup of her enchanted elven tea.
Next to Daphne,
And in the middle of the row,
Is a portly old wizard with a round belly.
A balding head.
And a big grey moustache that covers his lips,
And with which he has a habit of twiddling the ends between his thumbs and fingers.
Next to him is another witch in a full three-piece suit,
Looking very orderly,
With not a strand of hair out of place.
You recognize from the gold trim of her suit that she's from the ministry itself.
Next to her is none other than the wandmaker,
The old fellow from whom you received your very first wand when you began your adventures here.
And then to your disbelief.
You see the alchemist from last night at the end of the row,
The one with the sooty nose and fingers.
He is much more alert today and not looking the least bit batty.
He has cleaned himself up,
Trimmed his hair,
And appears almost ten years younger as his sharp eyes sweep the room with interest.
All of a sudden you feel a brushing on your shins and you look down to see your black and white sleepy cat licking their lips and purring softly.
They have clearly enjoyed an indulgent breakfast.
They flop down and curl up by your feet.
Giving another yawn.
And you cannot help but smile at this very special cat.
In the next moment,
The portly old wizard stands up from his seat.
And waddles over to the head of the trestle table.
He gestures politely for the noise to die down a little,
And for all eyes to focus on him now.
The music fades,
Along with the bustling conversations as the old wizard begins.
Merlin's Beard.
There are so many of you here today.
Thank you,
Thank you one and all,
For your participation in the annual Potions Festival.
It is of course my pleasure to be this year's head judge,
And to be joined by this fabulous panel sitting behind me.
Now,
Today's potion is simple to make.
Easy to get wrong and almost impossible to perfect.
The draft of lullabies is your challenge today.
The simple version allows for an unbroken 30-minute nap.
Perfect this draft,
However,
And the subject will enjoy the most wonderful nine hours of sleep.
Be warned though,
Friends and competitors.
Should you make a mistake,
You will be left with a potion that will put you to sleep for over a year.
We are still waiting for my dear brother harold to wake up I'm joking,
I'm joking,
Of course,
" he adds after a deafening silence from the crowd.
We have all the necessary antidotes and counter spells to address any slight mishaps,
Shall we say.
So,
Now the timer will begin.
And your loose instructions shall appear in a moment.
Something about his emphasis on loose makes you wonder if there is more to this challenge than meets the eye.
And remember,
No wands today.
Off you go.
Suddenly,
A single piece of parchment appears on your table with a list of ingredients and instructions.
As you lift it up,
The page glistens somewhat.
And then you remember.
Trust in the shine.
You turn the paper slightly,
Twisting your head to read it at an angle.
And there,
Written in a secret,
Shining calligraphy,
Is an altered set of ingredients and instructions.
You steal a quick glance at Daphne,
And she gives you the subtlest of winks.
You and your friend share a smile,
Knowing that Daphne would never let you down.
You notice a few other pairs have spotted something peculiar about their instructions too.
However,
Quite a lot of them are rushing ahead,
Apparently not noticing anything unusual at all.
Your new ingredients list reads as follows.
45 grams of emerald dragon scales.
22 milliliters of joyful fairy tears.
One cup of lavender,
Ground with a pestle and mortar.
Eight pebbles from the lake of serenity.
Five stalks of fresh rosemary snipped into flakes.
A full bottle of the sleeping giant berries.
Four tablespoons of singing honey.
Fifteen petals respectfully plucked from a lullaby lily.
Quickly and quietly,
You delegate the tasks between you both.
Checking around the room to see which ingredients are close by.
And so begins your potion making.
You start by heading straight for the plants and herbs.
Carefully,
Now,
You snip several stalks of lavender.
Collecting them in a small mesh bag ready for grinding.
You trim five stalks of rosemary,
And the two smells are already swirling around you as you feel a lovely peace washing over you.
Gradually,
Your nerves settle and excitement takes over.
It's here that you also find a collection of lilies spread out over different shelves.
You listen carefully now.
Blocking out any external noise,
Waiting to see if any of them make a sound.
And then,
You hear a slow,
Soothing hum,
Pulsing from the lily with sapphire leaves.
And you know that this must be the one.
You peel away fifteen petals,
Remembering the word respectfully.
And you thank the lily for offering their petals today.
Their stalks stand up proudly before giving you a short bow.
Over to your right,
You hear a strange squealing song coming from the direction of your friend.
And you look to see them wrestling with the jar of singing honey.
They are chuckling quite uncontrollably now as they try to subdue the jar.
You quickly place your ingredients at your station and run over to help them Together,
Through tears of laughter,
You manage to squeeze the lid back on the singing jar of honey and screw it tight.
You joke with your friend that for a moment,
You thought they had decided to bless the tavern with their extraordinary voice.
I'll take that as a compliment,
" they reply,
Still laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of honey that sings.
Your friend takes their tray back to your station.
It is filled with eight perfect pebbles.
A vial of joyful fairy tears.
The bottle of the sleeping giant berries,
And a small ramekin of thick honey.
Thankfully,
After being removed from its jar,
The honey seems to have lost its voice.
You tell your friend to make a start on the brew now,
And you will fetch the final ingredient.
You weave through the flustered crowd and arrive at a wall of huge glass jars,
Scanning the labels at rapid speed.
Dragon scales,
Dragon scales,
Sapphire,
Ruby,
Diamond,
There,
Emerald.
You carry the jar back to your station.
Place 45 grams of counterweight on your scales and pour the pulsing emerald flakes onto the other side.
42 43 44 45.
You take the jar back to the wall before returning to your station.
All of the ingredients are ready now.
Your friend has been brewing successfully so far,
Starting with the joyful fairy tears and the pebbles from the Lake of Serenity.
They stir ten times clockwise and six times anticlockwise.
You follow the glowing instructions with precision.
Sprinkling in the dragon scales in three batches,
Your friend now stirring in figure eight patterns.
Next comes the honey.
You are required to drizzle all of it into your potion in exactly five seconds.
Your friend checks their watch,
And you ready the honey to pour.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
You stare at the bubbling emerald liquid,
Quite amazed that you were able to time that perfectly.
Your friend gets to work on halving the sleeping giant berries and placing them one by one into the cauldron.
You take the stalks of rosemary and a pair of scissors,
Snipping them as finely as you can and setting them aside for your friends.
Then you place the mesh bag of lavender in the pestle and mortar next to you.
Grinding it steadily into a powder as the smell completely envelops you.
As you grind the lavender,
You have a quick look around the tavern.
And you notice that the pairs who didn't see the shining instructions are really struggling now.
One pair in particular is finding it difficult to stir the brown cement in their cauldron.
Another duo seem to have sampled the honey,
And now they are both singing at the top of their lungs,
Incredibly out of tune.
You see the centaur walk over to them,
Giving an exasperated sigh.
He escorts them away from the table and into the remedy room at the back of the tavern.
This is the first elimination from the competition.
Just then,
Another pair throws down their ingredients in despair,
As their bubbling cauldron seems to be laughing at them hysterically.
Another one down.
But still,
Ten pairs remain.
Your lavender is a fine powder now.
And straight after your friend adds the rosemary,
You sprinkle the lavender into your potion.
Enjoying the hypnotic smell now radiating from it.
So far,
So good.
Two more pairs withdraw from the competition.
There are 8 left.
And you can almost taste the victory as you move to the final instruction.
You gently tear the lily leaves in half and carefully place them in your cauldron.
Each leaf hisses and turns into specks of sapphire starlight.
But then.
.
.
As the last petal goes in,
Something happens.
The potion suddenly turns into a yellow sludge,
And you hold your nose at the rancid smell now bubbling from it.
In a panic.
Your best friend looks at the instructions again.
Checking line by line.
You have done everything right.
How is this happening?
Three more pairs are eliminated now.
And with only five left.
You are so close.
But something is very wrong.
Suddenly,
You are struck by a thought.
You take the instructions from your friends.
And you lean under the table to scratch your sleepy cat on its head.
As you do so,
You secretly check the other side of the parchment.
Sadly,
All you see is a blank page.
But then suddenly appearing in the bottom corner.
Written in the tiniest handwriting,
Is the final piece of the puzzle.
Three drops of liquid starlight will complete the whole thing.
You emerge from under the table and give a nod to your friends.
They pretend to keep stirring the potion,
Holding their nose at the same time,
And you sneak away to the collection of vials hidden around the back of the bar.
The chief judge stands up now and announces,
30 seconds left everybody,
30 seconds left.
As quick as you can,
You scan the potion vials.
And there it is,
Liquid starlight.
You run back to your station.
Grab a pipette from the table and carefully add one,
Two,
Three drops into your cauldron.
Gradually,
The color swirls from a murky yellow into a deep,
Shimmering purple.
Dotted with flecks of silver and sapphire.
You take a ladle and your sieve and pour a portion of your potion into a clear bottle next to you as you hear the final countdown.
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Step away from your cauldrons,
Please.
The smell that greets you now is a beautiful blend of lavender,
Rosemary,
And honey.
With a sigh of relief.
You and your friend share an exhausted hug.
You catch a quick look to the judges' table and see that Daphne is positively beaming.
Including yours,
There are only four potions worthy of a place in the final.
And to be honest,
All of them look very accomplished.
As the judges observe the potions in front of them,
There is only the sound of the crackling fire filling the tavern.
All of the judges,
Including Daphne,
Are expressionless,
And they give absolutely nothing away.
They mutter to each other and point at the different potions.
The Ministry Witch is taking copious amounts of notes on a floating clipboard.
Time slows down.
And you take a deep breath.
Suddenly,
The portly old wizard bellows out,
Ladies and gentlemen,
And all creatures magical,
We have our winner.
And he points straight at you.
You stand in disbelief as the tavern erupts in a chorus of cheering and applause,
And many of the other contestants come over to congratulate you.
You hear the musician strike up again as a jovial atmosphere fills the tavern once more.
Daphne comes running up to you now,
And the three of you share a warm embrace as she keeps repeating,
I knew you could do it,
I knew you could do it.
And now,
You tell your companions that after that very intense competition,
You want nothing more than to relax with your friends,
Away from the crowds and away from the noise,
And to take a cozy nap by the fire.
Daphne lifts the sleepy cat in her arms and holds out her hand to both of you.
You place your hand on top of the little elf's palm,
And all of a sudden,
The room around you starts to blur.
The guitar fades to a distant muffle,
And the conversations that once surrounded you are almost silenced now.
Gradually.
You find yourself perched in a huge armchair in a hidden room of this tavern.
You are sitting in front of your own personal fire It is small but powerful and sends a pulsing warmth through your body.
Your best friend sits in the chair next to you and your sleepy cat is on your lap again.
Your ever faithful guardian.
They purr softly and settle down comfortably.
You take a slow,
Deep breath and allow a new relaxation to trickle throughout your entire body You are entering the most perfect state of tranquility and of peace.
You give yourself permission to let go of the day,
To release any holding on,
And to simply smile at your victory.
Daphne emerges once more,
Carrying a small wooden chest.
This,
She says,
Is your prize.
A collection of some of the most popular potions around.
She opens the chest and begins to explain them to you as you drift.
In and out of her sleepy days.
There is the honeysuckle helper which cures the common cold in a matter of seconds.
The Four Leaf Potion.
It will bring you nothing but good luck for the entire day.
The chef's confidante,
Turning even the worst cook into a culinary champion.
The Academic Aurora.
It is known to brighten your brain,
They say.
Enabling you to learn something new at lightning speed.
There is the tastebud tantalizer.
It amplifies the flavors of even the most delicious foods.
And finally,
The herbal hypnotic.
It is a potion to calm the nerves,
To heal your mind and to soothe your body from all fatigue.
You thank Daphne with a smile as she closes the chest now.
And you tell her that you will take a proper look,
And perhaps even a sample of one later.
Faintly to your left now,
You hear your best friend telling you that coming up this evening,
There will be an international feast with a buffet of food from around the world.
You let your thoughts drift to the delicious feast that awaits you tonight.
As you allow yourself to sink even deeper now.
Giving yourself permission to find rest.
You have so much to look forward to in this magical land,
But now it is time for you to sleep.
You allow all the memories of this incredible adventure to flick through your mind as you reminisce on all of the details.
You feel so lucky to be here,
Surrounded by some of your closest friends,
And guarded by this enchanted kingdom.
It is safe for you to rest now.
It is safe for you to rest now.
It is safe for you to rest now.
