A warm welcome to this fantasy sleep saga,
Where you are the main character.
Throughout this bedtime story series,
You will be guided on an epic adventure,
All the while accompanied by soft,
Soothing music,
Helping you to sink into an effortless sleep.
Here there is magic,
Wonder and mystery waiting round every corner.
Before we begin,
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 four,
And release,
Blowing away the thoughts of yesterday,
Today and tomorrow.
Again,
In for three,
And let it go.
Now,
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,
Gradually,
Allow the breath to fall back into a natural rhythm.
Enjoy this new peace flowing through your body.
And now,
Let us continue your fantasy sleep saga,
And enjoy episode three,
A Journey with the Wandering Wizard.
You find yourself waking up in your four-poster bed,
Wrapped in a thick white duvet that gives off a soothing warmth.
You are in your house under the hill in the corners of the shire.
The sun has not risen yet,
But outside the round porthole window,
You see trees and bushes swaying in the breeze,
And the soft,
Cool light of the morning drifts into your room.
You stumble out of bed,
Dress yourself for the day ahead,
And wander into the kitchen.
The wooden floor has a warmth of its own,
Which sends a soft vibration through the soles of your feet.
In the kitchen,
You take the cast-iron kettle,
Fill it with water,
And place it on the rack above the cobbled stone fire.
You take a small blue mug from the shelf,
And put your favorite tea leaves into a tiny sieve that you rest on top of the mug.
Through the open window,
You notice a few stray leaves and branches from your garden are beginning to creep inside.
You take your garden scissors from the drawer,
And trim back the imposing greenery.
From your garden,
The smell of roses and lavender drifts into the kitchen,
Coupled with the cool morning breeze.
Behind you,
The water begins to bubble away,
And you take the nearest tea towel,
Remove the pot from the stove,
And pour it through the tea leaves into your mug.
On the table,
You spot the wicker basket filled with the remaining strawberries from yesterday's foraging.
You carry the basket in one hand,
And your freshly made tea in the other,
As you wander down a tube-like corridor and out of your perfectly round front door into the crisp morning air.
Your garden is full of beautiful spring flowers of many colors that sit in flower beds around the edge of your garden,
Surrounded by a brown picket fence,
And the apple tree sits on your right.
You walk over to the wooden table and chair on your left,
And place down your strawberries and your tea.
You notice in the apple tree,
A baby red squirrel carefully walking along a thin branch.
As you approach the tree,
The tiny squirrel seems to lose its balance,
And is now holding on tight to the branch as its legs dangle below.
Instantly,
You place your hand under the animal,
And in complete trust,
The squirrel lets go and lands safely in your palm.
The tiny red ball of fluff looks up at you,
Its nose twitching ever so slightly as it sniffs its new surroundings.
You reach your free hand into your pocket,
And remove a few nuts and seeds that you normally leave for the birds,
And begin to feed the squirrel in your hand.
As you take a seat,
You place the squirrel at the other side of the table,
And pour a few more seeds into a small pile in front of it.
The sun begins to rise over the distant hills now,
And a warm golden light washes over you.
You gaze across the eternal green in front of you,
With the rolling hills filled with many cottages underneath.
And a crystal blue river running through the middle.
As you sip your morning tea and devour the sweet strawberries,
The squirrel sits nearby,
Nibbling on their seeds as you both enjoy the sunrise.
The world is beginning to wake up,
And you can see a few halflings plowing in the fields,
Or planting new vegetables.
Ponies and sheep roam the grassier fields nearby,
And birds of many colors sweep across the morning sky.
In the distance,
You hear the sound of a horse and cart approaching,
And the faint sound of someone humming a happy tune.
Faint though it may be,
You recognize the voice immediately,
And a smile creeps across your face.
As the brown and white horse comes into view,
You see the old wizard perched in the cart,
Wearing his long bluey-gray robe with specks of dirt along the bottom,
And a big pointy hat,
Looking like the pilgrim he is so often called.
His thick gray beard flows down his chest,
And he puffs on a long wooden pipe.
At first,
The wizard does not seem to notice you,
But then,
Under the brim of his hat,
You see his piercing blue eyes flick to meet yours,
And he gives you a mischievous wink,
With the twitch of a smile.
He asks in an airy sort of way if you are ready to leave.
You stand up with a smile,
Run indoors,
And grab your rucksack,
Before heading back outside,
And proudly holding it up for the wizard.
He nods his head in approval,
And gestures for you to pop it in the cart next to his staff.
You look back to the table,
Where your new friend is watching you curiously.
You take another handful of seeds and place them in front of the squirrel,
To let them know that they are welcome in your garden anytime.
You stroke the top of their head,
And they sniff your hand affectionately,
Before they are distracted by this second breakfast in front of them.
You place a small cloak over your shoulders,
Close your door,
And pick two of the ripest apples from the tree.
You throw one to the wizard,
And jump into the cart.
His tall,
But gentle figure looms over you,
And you feel safe in his presence.
The wizard gives a low whistle,
To the horse,
And you set off down the gravel track road in front of you.
As you pass by a few halflings,
Some bid you a wonderful adventure,
And some look at the wizard disapprovingly,
For it is seen as unnatural for Shire-dwellers to venture beyond their own borders.
But you are no ordinary Shire-dweller.
You are a friend of elves,
Men,
Dwarves,
Halflings,
And wizards alike,
And you have many adventures coming your way.
You cross over the wooden bridge on the borders of your homeland,
And journey into the wild.
The rolling hills of home grow faint on the horizon,
And the world is ahead of you.
You ride through a small woodland filled with tiny streams,
Where the water runs steadily through a jagged labyrinth of rock.
You arrive at a small town fortified by a wooden wall,
And filled with thatched roofs,
Old stonework,
And smoky chimneys protruding over the top of the wall.
It is an old town,
And used as a place of trade for surrounding villages,
Or a place of rest for many a wandering traveler.
As you ride around the borders of the town,
And further on your adventure,
The wizard tells you of his journey to meet you,
And how in the midst of a thunderstorm,
He took shelter in an old inn within these walls.
In that moment,
You begin to feel the early droplets of rain.
The wizard casts a quick spell,
And a small canopy extends from the back of the cart all the way over your head,
Keeping you warm and dry.
Your journey takes you over a series of flat meadows in yellow and green squares,
Dotted with tall oak trees standing proudly.
It is only just full morning now,
And the sun stands low but bright,
Casting long shadows across the meadows,
As the rain continues to tap against the canopy above you.
The wizard puffs upon his pipe,
Never removing it from his lips,
As you watch the smoke seep out the corners of his mouth in a silky ripple.
He tilts his head to you,
And with a smile as warm as the sun,
He tells you just how well you are looking,
And that he is delighted to be with you today.
His presence is a comfort like nothing else.
It's as if he gives off a very gentle glow,
And when he places a comforting hand on your shoulder,
There is a warmth that radiates from him.
This warmth from the wizard begins to soothe and relax your shoulders,
Before it spreads up into your neck and head,
And all the way down through your body,
Into the tips of your toes.
You feel yourself becoming heavier,
And your mind becomes clear and free from all concerns.
There is a new peace within you now,
And you feel completely safe.
You think you may have fallen into a short sleep,
Because when you open your eyes,
What stands before you now are large,
Snow-capped mountains a little way off in the distance,
And you are riding along a grassy plain filled with many rocks.
Some are only small,
But others tower high above you,
And seem to have hidden nooks and crannies.
The wizard tells you that there are many secret paths along this road,
And he just needs to find the right one.
You arrive at a clearing surrounded by three huge rock formations,
Whose distance to each other forms a perfect triangle.
You begin to sense something very different about the air around you.
It has become light and clear,
As if full of magic and wonder.
You share a look with the wizard,
And the twinkle in his eye suggests what you already know.
This is the place.
With a soft,
Low voice,
The wizard casts a spell with his staff.
The rock in front of you seems to have separated in half,
Creating a doorway through the middle.
At the end of this doorway is a warm yellow light,
And it seems to call out for you to journey forward,
Elf friends,
For you are most welcome here.
The horse sets off without a prompt from the wizard,
For it is as eager as you to visit this place,
And the cart begins to roll through the doorway and into the narrow corridor between tall white rocks that is filled with an enchanting air.
You are entering a secret world,
Hidden away from all evil,
And open only to those who bring with them peace.
