Your Fantasy Sleep Saga (Season 2 Episode 10)

A warm welcome to Season 2 of your fantasy sleep saga, where you are the main character! This is Season 2 Episode 10: 'The Winter Markets'

You are journeying back home to the land of the Shire, with your trusty wizard. You ride along snowy hillsides and eventually arrive back in your homeland, where preparations are beginning for the festive celebrations. You will wander through the Christmas markets, and enjoy a relaxing morning with your Wizard.

Tune in to Episode 11, coming soon, where the adventure continues!

All of these stories will be accompanied by soft, meditative music, helping you to sink into an effortless sleep.

Music by Liborio Conti

Transcript

A warm welcome to season two of this fantasy sleep saga,

Where you are the main character.

Throughout this bedtime story series,

You will spend autumn and winter in the rolling hills of your homeland,

Celebrating all of the festivities.

You will also delve into the deep dwarven kingdoms,

Embark on another adventure with the wizard and the ranger,

And visit an enchanted little village that is hidden away from the rest of the world.

Here,

There is magic,

Wonder,

And mystery waiting around every corner.

But first,

Let us take a moment to relax.

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.

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 our fantasy sleep saga,

And enjoy Season 2,

Episode 10,

The Winter Markets.

You find yourself traveling by horse and cart through a beautiful,

Flat countryside,

Topped with a fresh layer of snow.

The morning blizzard has finally settled,

The sky is clear,

And you are left with an untouched white haven all around you,

As far as the eye can see.

Thick trees pepper the land and gently wave in the wind,

Their bare branches are dusted with snow.

A handful of robins and blackbirds dart across the winter sky.

You are accompanied by a tall,

Proud wizard,

Known back home as the Grey Pilgrim,

And a very dear friend of yours.

He has a stoic posture,

But a warmth and kindness radiates from his gentle heart,

Giving him a subtle,

Magical glow.

He wears a long,

Grey cloak and a wide-brimmed,

Pointy hat that casts a shadow over his eyes.

Below the shadow falls a thick beard,

Traced with silver and white.

A wisp of smoke rises from the long pipe tucked firmly in the wizard's mouth.

Nestled under his arm is a crooked wooden staff,

With small branches creating a tulip shape at the top.

As you ride,

The wizard mutters a low spell under his breath.

In the next moment,

The snow covering the track road begins to part effortlessly,

Providing you with a smooth and comfortable passage across the vast,

White landscape.

The sky is marbled with turquoise and sapphire,

Backed by the golden light of the late afternoon sun,

And a refreshing winter breeze is brushing your cheeks.

You are wrapped in a thick fleece jacket and a woolly hat,

With warm snow boots that come up to your knees.

All of your clothes are lined with enchanted wool from the sheep of the shire,

And they give off a pulsing heat that echoes throughout your body.

Your thoughts turn now to the rolling hills of the shire,

And you picture all the tiny little houses peppered through the hills and along the river,

No doubt already decorated for Christmas.

You imagine yourself back inside the local tavern,

Enjoying a wonderful feast and sitting by a warm fire,

Surrounded by laughter and friendship,

Not a care in the world and all the comforts of home.

Then,

You suddenly remember that the wizard is famous in this land for his enchanting fireworks,

And while his eyes are fixed on the road ahead,

You turn and peek under the thick blanket covering the cart.

A wave of excitement runs through you as you glimpse an endless array of colorful,

Magical fireworks ready for tonight.

Your journey takes you through a small woodland grove packed with thin,

Gangly trees.

As you enter the wood,

A canopy of branches forms above you.

A winding track road guides your way through the trees and is bordered by rich green grass dotted with odd patches of snow that has sieved its way through the canopy.

Lining the road are colorful flowers curled up tight,

Shielding themselves from the winter breeze,

A dusting of frost on their petals.

Huge icicles droop down from the bare branches of the trees,

And to your left,

A small stream has completely frozen over,

Creating a wonderful,

Swirling pattern on the surface.

Different shades of blue are mingling together,

With jagged silver rocks protruding from the ice.

It is quiet and peaceful here.

Even the bird song of the countryside has faded now behind the dense cover of the grove.

Usually in spring,

Summer,

And autumn,

This woodland is filled with many beautiful animals peacefully coexisting in this mini-paradise,

But all have migrated now or are hibernating for the winter,

Resting in comfort with their families.

The empty woodland appears to enjoy this quiet respite while it lasts.

As you travel side by side with the wizard,

You are filled with a deep comfort and a quiet reassurance.

You can allow yourself to completely relax and let go,

Knowing that you are protected under his watchful eye.

You turn to him,

Admitting that you are glad he is with you today.

The kind old wizard lifts the brim of his hat,

And his soft blue eyes give a radiant glow as his beard twitches with a smile.

He puts his arm around you and whispers that there is nowhere else he would rather spend his Christmas.

In the next moment,

You emerge through the end of the grove,

And you are met by a small bridge arched in cream-colored stone over the frozen river below.

Beyond the bridge,

In the distance,

You see the rolling white hills of the Shire.

Here is a land of eternal beauty,

Untouched by the outside world.

A land of hope and friendship,

Of laughter and love,

Of warm food and a comfortable life.

It is the most wonderful place in the world,

And it is your home.

Perfect white hilltops sweep the horizon,

Coupled with a silver glitter reflecting the low sun.

Underneath the hills are little wooden cottages,

Each with a perfectly round door in different colors and two porthole windows on either side,

All illuminated by a soft yellow light from within.

Poking through the snow are small brick chimneys,

All puffing away in their own steady rhythm and covering the village with an enchanted silver haze.

As you make your way over the bridge and through the borders of your village,

You see Christmas trees in each garden,

Decorated with homemade trinkets,

Baubles,

And fairy lights.

There is a holly wreath on every door,

And the houses are lined with yellow lights along their fence,

Giving their gardens a soft golden glow.

One or two halflings tend to their gardens,

Shoveling snow and hanging up final decorations.

As you ride by,

They tip their hats to you,

Wishing you a wonderful day and a Merry Christmas Eve.

With a slow,

Deep breath,

You take in every little detail of this beautiful village.

You are finally back right where you belong.

The wizard turns the cart to the right now,

Down a thin gravel track.

And just down the road,

You can see your front garden peeping out,

Backed by your very own little house under the hill.

The familiar old apple tree rests in one corner,

Its now bare branches dusted with frost.

As you get closer,

You notice that the local halflings have planted your very own Christmas tree,

Decorated with baubles,

Candy canes,

And festive toys,

All wrapped up in golden fairy lights.

The perfectly round door is painted in your favorite color,

And topped with a holly wreath over the brass handle in the middle.

And then,

Perched on your fence,

You spot a baby red squirrel looking at you with their innocent eyes,

An impatient wiggle in their tail.

As the cart rolls past your garden,

The squirrel leaps onto the side of it and climbs up along the wooden panels.

They clamber over your shoulder and curl up in your lap.

You greet them with a gentle stroke on their head and they sniff your hand affectionately.

With a happy heart,

You remember your first encounter with this fluffy animal.

One morning,

Before your journey with the wizard to the hidden elven valley,

You rescued this creature from the apple tree in your garden when they slipped and nearly fell.

After feeding them from your hand and welcoming them to your home,

They quickly became a permanent resident in your garden.

And now,

Whenever you return from an adventure,

Your little friend is waiting,

Ready to welcome you home.

The wizard leads you on through the rolling hills,

Backed by the now setting sun.

A golden red shimmer reflects on the snow,

Bathing this land in a heavenly light.

As you round a corner,

You see halfling children sledging down a long sweeping hillside,

All laughing together as their different colored bobble hats flap in the wind.

A few of the children are building a snowman on top of the hill.

You watch them twist a carrot into place before stepping back to reveal a very happy snowman,

Wrapped up in a red and green scarf and enjoying the blissful innocence that surrounds him as he overlooks the golden white hills.

Then the halfling children spot the wizard and they run down the hill giggling with excitement.

Their little legs follow your cart,

Desperately trying to keep up as they shout at the top of their voices,

Begging for some magical fireworks.

With a smile,

You turn and give the wizard a nudge with your elbow,

But his face is stern and his eyes are fixed forward.

Just then,

His lip begins to quiver and his eyes brighten with mischief.

Instantly,

There is a burst of small firecrackers behind you in all the colors of the rainbow.

The children give a cheer of approval as they jump up and down with glee,

And the wizard gives you a subtle wink.

There are huge Catherine wheels and sparklers of gold and silver erupting from the back of the cart.

The magic of Christmas and the innocence of childhood is captured perfectly in this moment,

And right now you cannot help but feel seven years old again.

Your journey takes you down a shallow hill now,

Towards the very heart of the village.

It is not yet five o'clock,

But night comes early at this time of year,

And as the last light of the sun falls behind the horizon,

The cart trundles over another stone bridge and into the main square at last.

There are endless wooden market stalls lit by wonderful lights of red,

Gold,

Blue,

And green,

And the village square is busy with the hustle and bustle of many halflings.

In the middle sits an enormous Christmas tree – a deep,

Dark emerald filled with golden red baubles,

Soft yellow lights,

And handcrafted trinkets.

Atop the tree sits a bright silver star turning by itself and pulsing with a magical glitter.

It is made from pure stardust gathered by the elves,

The wizard explains,

And as a token of friendship,

Was gifted to the little folk of this land.

As the wizard brings the cart to a stop,

You place your squirrel in the top pocket of your jacket,

And they peep out over the top,

Sniffing the air inquisitively.

You wander over to the wizard,

Who is tying up his horse,

And he gives you a bright red apple.

You approach the trusty steed and feed them from your hand,

Giving them a gentle scratch behind the ears.

You thank them for bringing you home just in time for Christmas.

In the next moment,

The wizard places a hand on your shoulder,

And you begin to wander together through the markets.

The sky has darkened now into a deep,

Rich blue,

And the marketplace twinkles with a trail of fairy lights,

Casting a protective glow above you.

There are two long rows of wooden stalls,

Each with a curved roof topped with snow.

The huts are filled with everything from handcrafted clothes,

Trinkets and toys,

To homemade sweets,

Gingerbread and pastry,

Fresh hot chocolate and mulled wine coupled with orange or cinnamon.

There is the sound of a halfling brass band just outside the market that only completes this wonderful,

Festive atmosphere.

As you meander through the busy markets,

There are children running through the crowds,

Laughing and playing together.

Many halflings are trading or selling their wares,

And there is friendly bartering going on.

Some of the little folk are buying last-minute gifts or indulging in a homemade snack.

One stall has a long trestle table outside,

With barrels of fresh beer at each end.

Already,

A few of the older halflings are swaying happily at this table,

Sharing stories and enjoying the festive merriment.

Suddenly,

The smell of melted chocolate begins to wash over you as you approach a green and red market stall.

It is decorated in golden lights with a large candy cane outside,

And a gentle steam rises from its little wooden chimney.

The tantalizing smell only tempts you further,

And before you know it,

You are inside the hut,

Standing directly over a huge pot of bubbling hot chocolate,

As if by magic.

You look suspiciously at the wizard,

Who only shrugs innocently.

The halfling shopkeeper gives you a knowing smile,

And you watch with bated breath as she pours a thick,

Creamy hot chocolate into a small clay mug,

A light steam rising from it.

You take the warm mug in your hands,

And the wizard pays the shopkeeper,

Ordering another for himself.

As the hot chocolate touches your lips,

A smooth,

Warming sensation begins to fill your mouth,

Softening your lips and your tongue.

It trickles down your body,

Relaxing each and every muscle,

And a soft,

Warm vibration begins to pulse through you.

This enchanted drink is melting away any remaining thoughts,

And releasing all the tension from your body.

You are relaxed,

Weightless,

And free,

As if you are floating just above the ground.

A beautiful warmth rests in your stomach,

And spreads out down your legs,

All the way into your toes.

A deep comfort runs through your arms,

Into your hands,

And your fingers.

You savor these wonderful sensations,

And simply enjoy this magical,

Festive drink.

With the last mouthful of hot chocolate,

You place your mug on the table with a deep,

Satisfied sigh.

You give the halfling a smile and a bow,

Bidding them a Merry Christmas,

Before making your way out of the hut and back through the winter markets.