So just take a moment to allow your eyes to close and allow yourself to Begin to relax.
And as you begin to.
Comfortably.
Drift asleep.
I don't know whether you'll drift asleep faster to the sound of my voice.
Or whether it'll be to the spaces between my words.
And as you comfortably fall asleep.
You can take a moment to allow yourself to get comfortable and Imagine a healing light.
Softly.
Slowly and gently.
Passing down from the top of your head.
The tips of your toes.
Relaxing gently down through you as I Count down from ten to one.
And with each count your mind can quieten and calm.
As the muscles soften and relax.
And you can begin the process of drifting peacefully asleep.
From 10.
Healing light relaxing the muscles or in the top of the head.
Are in the back of your head.
Gently.
Carefully.
Relaxing the muscles around the side of your head.
Around your temple,
Your forehead.
And with each out breath that relaxation can deepen so peacefully,
So comfortably as it flows down around the eyes and around the ears.
Nine.
That relaxation moving down around the jaw,
Relaxing that jaw.
Allowing the tongue to relax.
The lips,
Relax the nostrils.
Gently relax.
With that relaxation moving carefully.
Slowly.
As that healing light passes down.
The back of the neck.
Softening and calming those muscles.
Around the side of the neck,
The front of the neck.
Down from the head.
Gradually.
Moving that calming.
Healing light.
Out across the shoulders.
Shoulder blades.
Relaxing.
Those muscles.
Like a deep massage passing.
Through your mind and body.
Eight.
That relaxation begins to move down those arms.
And I don't know which arm the relaxation will move down fastest.
Whether it'll be the right arm or the left arm.
But you can be aware of that healing light spreading gently down those arms,
Around the biceps,
Triceps down into the forearms.
Seven.
Moving all the way down to the wrists,
The palms of the hands.
Down to the fingertips and perhaps as that relaxation continues through those arms with each out breath.
The arms begin to feel heavier or lighter or some other sensation as relaxation sets in.
And you know the process for sleep is that the body begins to relax and while the body becomes physically relaxed so the mind.
Begins to drift and dream,
Initially to brief reveries.
Before settling on the first dream of the night.
6.
And that healing light can spread down from the shoulders.
Down around the chest,
The upper back.
Softening and relaxing those muscles gently.
Calming the breathing.
Helping you drift deeper and deeper into the experience.
Five,
The healing light.
Moving down towards the stomach,
The lower back.
The sides.
Relaxing those muscles as it goes,
Bringing a deep sense of peace and calm to your upper body.
Releasing any tension,
Perhaps occasionally finding yourself shifting just a little or to get more comfortable.
Four,
With that relaxation spreading down around your buttocks,
Down into the upper parts of your legs.
Three,
Passing that relaxation down towards the lower part of your legs.
Perhaps those legs feeling heavier and heavier.
Maybe as the body becomes deeply relaxed and your focus drifts inside more on what's going on for you in your mind.
You lose some awareness of the body as it becomes incredibly still.
Too.
The relaxation spreading down to your feet,
Calming,
Softly relaxing all the way down to the tips of your toes.
And one as a final wave of relaxation pulses gently through you from the top of your head down through your body all the way down to the tips of your toes as your mind begins to drift and dream and wander into tonight's sleep story and you wake up one morning in a far away cottage,
Slumber resting in the bed beside you.
You say good morning before getting out of bed.
Making your bed and tucking your teddy slumber comfortably into the bed.
And the daylight is gently glowing through the closed curtains.
You head over to the cartons.
Reach forward and open those curtains.
First lightly taking hold of one curtain,
The fabric between your fingers,
The weight of that curtain hanging down.
And as you pull the curtain slowly and gently open it slides across the curtain pole.
The rings tapping softly against each other.
Ones open.
You place a magnetic curtain tie around the curtain.
And take a moment to neaten the carton up.
Before opening the curtain on the other side,
Repeating the process slowly and carefully.
Sliding the curtain open,
The sound of the curtain sliding across the curtain rail,
The rings tapping against each other,
Placing a magnetic curtain tie around the curtain before smoothing and neatening it up.
The light of day filling your bedroom.
You head downstairs to the kitchen to make yourself something to eat and drink.
Carry that through to the living area where you sit in the most comfortable chair to have your breakfast.
And this is your first morning living in a faraway cottage here in Valwyn,
On the northern coast of Taramacere.
Songbirds sing softly in the early morning sun just beyond an open window.
The net curtain over the window,
Waving gently in the slight cool breeze.
As it finds its way into faraway cottage.
After eating breakfast,
You prepare to head outside.
You arrived at your new home here in Velwyn yesterday,
So you haven't really explored the area.
You walked through the forest valley and across the meadows down to the coast to get to Valwin,
Arriving at the town centre,
Finding your way from the town centre to your home.
A short walk from the centre of Valwen.
But you haven't explored anywhere else yet.
You say goodbye to Slumber before picking up your bag and heading out of your cottage.
Walking through your front garden to the gate.
Opening the latch on the gate.
The gate clanking as it closes behind you.
Then setting off to explore for a while.
You look at a map of the area and see that there's a nearby lake.
So you turn left out of your gate.
Following the road around in the opposite direction.
You look at a map of the area and you see that there's some nearby countryside.
So you turn left out of your gate,
Following the road around in the opposite direction to the walk into town.
You meander along this road,
Passing other cottages.
Each one well spread out from each other and each with their own unique style.
After a short war.
You reach the end of the road where you see a stile.
You climb over that stile following a path into open countryside.
An eagle gracefully circles high overhead,
Its wings spread,
The tips moving slightly in the air currents as the scent of wildflowers wafts through your senses.
Each footstep slicing delicately.
Through the grasses.
Butterflies and bees.
Flitting from plant to plant.
Songbirds singing in the bushes.
The warmth of the morning sun tingling gently on your cheeks.
The tree,
Standing tall in the middle of the meadow,
Draws your attention to its shade and you continue to walk through the meadow over to the tree.
The leaves rustling softly overhead.
Shadows dancing underneath.
The bark of the tree is smooth,
Cool and dark brown.
With a slight spongy texture.
Perfect for resting back against.
You sit on the ground at the foot of the tree.
Noticing some vibrant green songbirds with triangular yellow beaks darting around among the branches of the tree,
Singing the most melodious tunes in their moments of pause,
When they settle for a while on a branch.
Before flitting around some more,
Occasionally dropping down to the ground,
Picking up a twig or two.
For a beak full of grasses before flying that up into the tree to work on their nest.
Resting your back against the tree.
You take a book from your bag,
Shift about a little to make sure you're as comfortable as you can be.
And begin to read.
You read a tale about a girl and her unicorn friend.
The girl Esmeralda.
Befriended the unicorn a few months earlier.
She'd set off from her home carrying a wicker basket.
Foraging for fruit.
Skipping joyfully into the dark wood.
She always found herself mesmerized by the dancing shards of light piercing down through the canopy overhead.
With particles floating and glinting in the light.
Within the dark wood were small patches of wildflowers and grasses.
Where ancient trees once stood but had now fallen and returned to the air.
Some cases,
Trunks of trees.
Could be seen in various states of decay.
As nature reclaims the trees.
Other times the trunks had recently fallen and so she could sit on the trunks.
When she takes a break from exploring.
And other times the trunks had completely disappeared.
Leaving a beautiful small meadow looking space within the dark woodland.
These areas were like oases of colour.
Within an otherwise dark wood.
The light in these spaces was almost magical.
A soft,
Almost ethereal glow.
Where the edges of the light were frayed by the myriad of leaves on the trees around the outside of the spaces.
And shimmering slightly as that light passed through water vapour rising from the surrounding trees.
With the lighting often indirect due to the height of the trees.
Only catching direct sunlight at certain times of the year when the sun was high overhead.
In one day.
In one such clearing.
Esmeralda saw a unicorn grazing in the glow of the sun.
Its hair glistening like a million diamonds.
She noticed that this unicorn had a damaged and blunted horn.
With the end third of the horn hanging off still attached to the rest of the horn.
Like a snapped branch hanging from the rest.
Of the branch on a tree.
The injury exposing the nerves and flesh which grows on the inside of a unicorn's horn.
Esmeralda slowly and carefully walked into the clearing,
Each footstep a gentle crunch underfoot.
The unicorn looked up slightly,
Still chewing on a mouthful of grasses,
But it didn't run.
It let her get closer and closer,
To the point she was able to rest her hand on the side of its neck.
She carefully touched its horn.
The unicorn flinched.
Did an instinctive sympathy flinch as if she felt some of the pain that unicorn felt.
Esmeralda said softly.
Let me help you.
She carefully reached for the horn.
Cutting the end of it fully off.
And the outside of the horn is like dense intertwined strands of hair forming a tough structure and so removing the bit of horn that was hanging off is no different than cutting your hair or fingernails.
The bigger issue was the open wound at the end of what was left of the horn.
Esmeralda gathered up some plants and herbs from the surrounding area.
And broke off the bark of a specific nearby tree.
With another tree,
She pierced the bark and gathered some of the thick,
White,
Gloopy sap which flowed from the hole in the bark.
She placed all of this into a small pot.
Heated it gently over a campfire which softened the sap.
Before removing it from the heat.
Resting the pot on a large stone.
And using a pestle.
She crushed and ground up the mixture to turn it into a paste.
Before returning it to the heat.
As the mixture heated up so it thickened again.
Giving off the sweetest scent.
She removed it from the heat.
Let it cool just a little.
Before asking and gesturing for the unicorn to lower its head.
The unicorn seemed to know what was going on.
And did as they were asked.
Allowing Esmeralda to apply the ointment to the wound.
She carefully smeared it over the end of the horn,
Over the open wound.
The unicorn flinched in pain but allowed her to continue.
She applied the white paste fully within the wound and around the edges of the horn.
As the mixture continued to cool,
So it firmed up and stuck fast to the unicorn's horn.
Taking on the texture of rubber,
Protecting the end of the horn with that healing ointment.
It would take a few weeks for the unicorn's horn to grow over the wound.
Before gradually taking back its shape.
But in the meantime.
The wound would be protected and healing promoted by the mixture.
Esmeralda gently petted the unicorn on the side of the neck.
While reassuring them that they'd be fine.
She named the unicorn Flint.
Esmeralda continued to gather fruit,
Now joined by Flint.
Wherever Esmeralda went,
Flint followed,
And the two of them became best friends,
Having many adventures together.
Esmeralda was still often expected to head out to gather fruit and herbs,
But Flint would often join her.
There are times when they'd get distracted by a mystery and go explore.
Unknown to most,
But unicorns can grow wings and fly.
They just need to breathe in pixie dust.
Breathing in pixie dust sends a pulse of sparkling light down through the unicorn's body which gathers near the shoulders of the unicorn before the light spreads out,
Initially forming the scaffold of the wings.
Like a skeleton made of light which then fills in to be wings of light which feel as soft to the touch as bird wings and feathers.
As unicorns set off to fly,
They pick up speed to a gallop and then launch into the air on an ever-changing bridge made from specks of light which appear before the unicorn and fade behind it.
You read their latest adventure as you rest beneath the tree.
Losing awareness of your surroundings.
As you delve deeper and deeper into the book.
As you read,
So the sun continues its journey across the sky,
With the clouds telling their own stories,
Marching slowly and quietly as they blend from scene to scene.
As the sun bathes the meadow in the golden light of the afternoon.
So you stop reading,
Place a bookmark into the book.
Grab a snack and drink from your bag.
While eating.
Some inquisitive songbirds drop down to the ground a short distance away from you.
Cocking their heads and hopping about a little.
As if to try to get your attention and food.
Their eyes looking at the food.
As you bring it up to your mouth,
Take a bite and then lower it back down again.
You break off a bit of the food.
And throw it for the birds.
They tentatively hop to the food.
Taking off some of that food.
Before hopping back away from you again.
You smile gently.
As those birds nibble at the food,
Continuing to eat your food.
And after eating you wipe your hands and prepare to continue reading.
Birds getting a little more brave now,
Hopping closer to you.
You softly apologise to them,
Stating you don't have any more food left.
And open the book,
Removing the bookmark.
Placing that bookmark into the front of the book and continuing to read.
The birds potter around you for a while in the hope of getting some more food.
And when this isn't forthcoming,
They eventually disperse back into the trees and bushes.
By the time you finish the final pages of the book.
The sun is creeping below the horizon and the inky darkness of night is filling the sky.
You pack everything away into your bag and head home.
And once home,
You say hello to Slumber.
Place the book onto your shelves and decide to wander into town to Grandpa's bookshop to find another book to read before bed.
The streetlights glow the most delicate orange.
The light reflecting off of damp cobblestones.
Horse and cart clopping over the cobbles.
The sounds of people milling around,
Most heading to the taverns.
You walk to Grandpa's bookshop.
Front of the shop emitting a cozy glow,
The bell above the door tringing as you enter.
Each footstep within the shop.
As the quietest dull pat on the rugs.
Dust motes hanging in the air around the soft lamplights.
Stared by your movement through the shot.
Grandpa relaxing,
Reading a book in a comfy seat near the till.
Grandpa welcomes you back,
Asks how you're settling in to your new home.
You share how peaceful and pleasant it is over at Far Away Cottage.
You talk about wandering into the nearby meadow today.
Sitting underneath the old tree.
And reading the book you picked up from here yesterday.
You've now finished reading that book and so you want to find something else to read.
You look around the shop,
Checking the different sections.
You find a curious book in memory of water.
Grandpa explains that this is a really interesting and curious book.
It's about a hilltop village where water contains memories that can be revealed in puddles.
You decide to purchase that book.
Grandpa is excited for you to read it and looks forward to discussing the book with you in the future.
You pack the book into your bag and head home.
Once home,
You place the book on the kitchen counter and begin to make some food for dinner.
The sense of the food wafting through your home,
Making your mouth water.
You sit in the living space eating that food,
Listening to some soft music and feeling deeply relaxed.
After eating,
You carry the book over to your chair.
You sit in the chair and begin to read that new book and it doesn't take you long to start to feel sleepy.
For your eyes to want to gently close.
So you tidy up downstairs and turn the lights off.
You head upstairs and get ready for bed.
Head into your bedroom.
Sit on the bed,
Move slumber over a little.
Tuck yourself into the bed.
Sitting back against the cushions for a while as you read in bed for a bit before sleep.
Begins to descend upon you and so you close the book,
You place that down on a small table beside the bed.
You tuck yourself down into the bed.
Turn off the light.
Say goodnight to Slumber.
And drift so peacefully,
So relaxed asleep.
Into slumberland.
