When you are ready,
Please lie down.
Wiggle your body,
Your fingers,
Your toes.
Scrunch up your shoulders towards your ears and release.
Find a comfortable position.
And begin to breathe.
Inhale.
Inhaling deeply into your stomach.
Holding at the top.
And exhaling.
Again,
Inhaling a deep breath.
Holding at the top.
And exhale.
All the stale air out of your body.
Inhaling once more.
Holding.
And release.
Continue this cycle of breath.
Inhaling.
Holding.
And releasing.
Begin to imagine in your mind's eye a tall,
Ornate building in front of you.
Large white columns surround its entrance.
Unable to sleep and seeking help for the matter,
You begin to walk up the stairs to the entrance of the building.
In letters bigger than you are tall,
The word library hangs above the door.
The word library hangs above the door.
Reaching to the top of the stairs,
You grab the wooden handle of the door and pull it open.
The smell of old,
Musty books greets you.
You take your first step in.
Your body becomes calm.
Like a wave from an ocean of softness,
Of stillness,
Of calmness.
The library is lined with tall bookshelves filled to the brim with books.
But you haven't come to read today.
You continue to walk into the heart of the library,
Past the shelves of books,
Past the reading chairs and tables.
You walk straight to the back of the library and to the corner where no one ever goes.
The books are old and dusty here.
No one has touched them in a long time.
Likely no one will.
However,
If anyone were to get lost back here,
They are not likely to notice that amongst the dusty books,
There is one book that is slightly out of place.
Its cover is not worn and its pages have not yellowed with age.
There is no dust on this book.
Turning behind you to check that no one has noticed you,
You quickly take this book out of its position and then put it back into place.
A soft pop sound is made and a door is revealed in the corner.
The door is skinny and short.
Skinnier than most modern doors are now.
The door was made long,
Long ago.
You move towards the door,
Open it and step inside the darkness.
The soft pop noise is made again from behind the door,
Covering your entrance.
The darkness feels pliable.
The air is cold and moist,
Like an old basement.
Your eyes begin to adjust to the dark and look up to see that there is a skylight above.
The window is just allowing enough light to see that there is a light above.
You can see that there is a skylight above.
The window is just allowing enough light so that you can see the spiral staircase in front of you.
With your first step,
You begin your descent.
Each step down,
You are further and further away from the light.
From what you can see,
It looks like the staircase goes on forever.
Each step,
It becoming darker and darker.
Your footsteps echo as you take each step.
But each step down,
You feel calmer and calmer,
Despite any fears you may have had in the darkness.
Each step down,
Your body becomes heavier.
10,
9,
8,
7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
The feeling that has eluded you,
The feelings of a body so relaxed it must sleep wash over you.
The last stare ahead of you,
You crawl into the waiting bed.
Its soft pillows and warm blankets meet you.
Your eyes already heavy,
Your body barely makes it to the bed before sleeping deeply.
Your body grateful to rest recharge.
Your consciousness floats away as your deep sleep envelopes you.
