The Misty Wood: Bedtime Tale

This is a bedtime story about you wandering through a cold and misty wood. You hear a curious bird song and begin to journey towards that song. As you do, so your body disperses into the ether with the mist, leaving you travelling through the woods as consciousness. You find a yellow bird who creates a portal to another realm using the power of dance and music.

In that new realm as a consciousness, you fly over a meadow before descending into the depths of an ocean, where you encounter an octopus, who turns out to be called Max Headroom. You see what looks like a ghost town, only to discover it is Victorian London. Max Headroom turns into a person wearing a tuxedo and tells you to see one of the market sellers.

You visit a potato-selling alien, who concocts a liquid that expands your consciousness. You then head back to the yellow bird. You settle by a tree and experience your mind and body reconnecting before leaving the woodland.

Transcript

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 fall asleep faster to the sound of my voice or whether it'll be to the spaces between my words.

And as you comfortably drift asleep,

I'm just going to tell this bedtime story in the background.

And the woodland has the most gentle fog weaving and creeping its way around the foot of the trees.

The delicate sound of birds waking up and chirping for the morning.

And each footstep that you take through that fog pushes through that fog like parting the seas.

And gently crunching on slightly frosty undergrowth.

And while walking softly through this woodland,

The rising scent of ferns,

The smell from the bark of the trees,

The calm rustle of leaves.

It's almost as if you can feel the coolness from the fog seeping softly into your legs with each step that you take.

And that softness working its way up through the legs up to your waist weaving its way through your body,

All the way up through your stomach,

Your lower back,

To your upper back,

Then down those arms,

Softening and relaxing like a gentle coolness setting in through the body,

Like a numbness or a nothingness as the mind gets drawn into the experience.

Hearing unusual curious bird call in the distance and steering gently and unconsciously in the direction of that unusual sounding bird,

Interested to discover what it is.

And as you veer off the path,

Crunching through longer undergrowth,

The hands leaning on the bark of trees,

The coolness from the bark,

Settling gently into the fingertips,

The palms,

Weaving through your body,

Passing a cool numbness as if it's moving through you,

Like sand in an hourglass,

Gently pouring from the top to the bottom,

Grain by grain,

As the sensations within your body begin to fade away,

So deeply and so comfortably,

Filling your mind with curiosity,

Where your focus is solely filled with a curious bird song,

As if your body is dissipating,

Evaporating into the ether so calmly,

So gently,

Leaving nothing but consciousness,

Traveling through the forest,

Weaving so whisperly around those trees,

The coolness having sapped the body away and as just a consciousness,

You float on a cushion of light through the trees,

Glowing with the most gentle blue,

As if traveling on the sands of time,

Getting closer and closer to that curious bird sound,

And as you always keep in mind that comfort of the body,

Evaporated into the ether,

Your consciousness spies in a tree,

A yellow bird,

And it's as if that yellow bird spies your consciousness,

And your consciousness flows towards that yellow bird,

With the gentle sound of wind,

The gentle touch of breeze through the leaves of the trees,

Weaving,

Relaxing on a branch near the bird,

And the bird stops singing,

And the bird introduces itself as banana,

And the bird understands what you are,

That you're just a consciousness,

And as just a consciousness,

So you're capable of things you're not capable of while in a body,

And the bird starts doing a dance on the branch,

Almost like breakdancing,

And starts singing curious,

Fast-paced song,

And with its feet,

Starts beating out a rhythm on the branch,

Like the sound of a beating drum,

That echoes and reverberates through the tubular,

Hollow branch the bird's dancing on,

And then,

At the peak of its dance,

While it's flailing its tail,

Bopping its head,

Chattering its beak,

Wiggling its legs,

It flicks out its wings in a flourish,

Whips them around,

Spins,

Jumps,

And lands,

As a small yellow explosion forms around the bird,

And with each flap of its wings,

A yellow portal opens wider and wider,

Until it's much larger than the bird,

And the bird then stops singing,

And says that this flick and flourish of its feathers is called the banana peel,

And with each flap of its wings,

A yellow portal opens wider and wider,

Until it's much larger than the bird,

And with each flap of its wings,

A yellow portal opens wider and wider,

Keep ticking gently down,

You can pass through this portal,

Into this alternative realm,

And in this alternative realm,

This portal will remain open,

As long as those sands of time continue ticking down,

And so as a consciousness,

You head through the portal,

And once through the portal,

The bird continues dancing,

Now dancing a swing on the tree,

As the portal closes too,

Just leaving a tiny dot,

And you'll have to return to this dot,

To trigger the portal,

To open that portal and return back,

To where you came from,

And in this realm,

As a consciousness,

You find yourself above a meadow,

Stretching out with different colored grasses,

Blowing gently in the wind,

Whipping up those grasses across this meadow,

Atop a cliff,

And you head across this meadow,

You see some flowers,

Drawing in butterflies and bees,

You see birds flying high overhead,

Wispy clouds,

Trekking gently across the sky,

And as a consciousness,

You weave your way down,

To the top of the grasses,

And you fly through those grasses,

The grass parting gently for you,

You weave all the way,

To the edge of the cliff,

You fly off the edge of the cliff,

Over a vast ocean,

With the white horses,

Crashing at the foot of the cliff below,

Before diving down,

Descending,

Into the water,

And as you pass as a consciousness,

Into the ocean,

There's a slight fizzle,

As the energy of the consciousness,

And its ethereal nature,

Passes into the water,

And your consciousness,

Gives off a faint and delicate glow,

Gently illuminating the space around you,

And you can see shoals of fish,

Swimming,

In synchronized fashion,

You can hear the distant call of humpback whales,

A distant gentle rumble,

Coming from within the ocean,

And you head down deeper and deeper,

And the deeper you head,

The more calm and still the environment seems,

And the darker and darker the environment gets,

Until it's just illuminated by bioluminescence,

Of different fish,

Meandering around here,

At the foot of the ocean,

And you see a pulsating,

Patch of color in the distance,

And as you approach,

You spot a psychedelic octopus,

Wearing white gloves,

Resembling the kind of gloves,

You'd see on Mickey Mouse's hands,

And this psychedelic octopus,

Pushes its way through the water,

And you follow that octopus,

And its psychedelic colors,

Flash across,

The sea floor,

Illuminating,

That pure white sand and silt,

Before you notice,

A light blue glowing in the distance,

And out of the darkness,

You can see,

What looks like a ghost town,

Here under the sea,

You can see creatures,

Swimming around,

Among different buildings,

All ethereal,

Deep under the ocean,

And as you get closer and closer,

You notice that these aren't fish,

Swimming around,

They look like people,

And this ethereal,

Undersea ghost town,

Seems to resemble,

Victorian streets,

You can see an ethereal,

Ghostly horse and carriage,

Ambling along,

A cobbled road,

Between rows of crooked houses,

Some bars,

Some hotels,

And rows of shops,

You can see people,

Walking up and interacting with market traders,

All ethereal and ghostly,

And as you get closer and closer,

So you reach that ghost town,

And you start to hear,

A sound resembling pan flutes,

Echoing and reverberating from that ghost town,

And as you reach the ghost town,

And you pass into the town,

So it starts to take on a physical form,

And crossing the barrier between the sea,

And the town,

Is crossing that pan flute sound,

As if there's a frequency,

Vibrating around the outside of the ghost town,

And as a consciousness you pass through,

And instantly find yourself,

Glowing above the cobbled streets of Victorian London,

Listening to the clip-clop of the horse,

The sound of the carriage wheels,

Rolling and bouncing along those cobbles,

And while you drift around,

This Victorian London,

You notice that psychedelic octopus following you,

And as they pass through,

And land into this Victorian London,

So they take on a physical form,

They're still wearing the same white gloves,

They have the same psychedelic skin,

Only they now look like a person,

And are wearing a tuxedo,

And they introduce themselves to you as Max Headroom,

They say they called themselves that,

After finding a sign years ago,

With that name written on it,

Sticking out of the ocean floor,

They thought it was a suitable name,

For them,

They thought it was a cool sounding name,

And Max Headroom,

Tells you that,

They're aware you're here just as a consciousness,

And that this isn't your regular universe,

You've come from a land,

That's taken you here,

You swam down and seen this place,

And there was a portal,

Through time,

Like a bubble in the ocean,

And through that bubble,

You enter a section of Victorian London,

And they tell you that,

You should head through the markets,

There's someone you should meet,

They'll be able to explain more about what's taking place,

And you head through the markets,

Smelling the different spices,

And the different herbs,

Passing stalls of flowers,

Stalls of fruit and veg,

Butchers and bakers,

Until you turn down a side alley,

And down this side alley you encounter,

An unusual seller,

An alien selling potatoes,

And this potato selling alien,

Offers you,

A blue cupcake,

With black rose petals on top,

And tells you,

You should follow them,

And perhaps,

You should eat that blue cupcake,

And you say that you don't have a physical body,

You're unable to even take the cupcake,

Let alone eat it,

And they guide you to a back room behind,

Their market stall,

And in this room,

They sit beside a cosy,

Comfortable crackling fire,

They tell you that you're just a soul,

Floating in space,

And they can give you,

A temporary body,

And they take their pet mole rat,

And it gives,

The most gentle squeaks,

And they place it on the ground,

In front of the fire,

And they ask the mole rat,

If they're okay,

To temporarily share their body,

To have your consciousness within their body,

For a short period of time,

And the mole rat acknowledges,

That'll be fine,

And they squeeze some lemon juice,

Into a cup,

They gently mix in some milkweed,

They sprinkle in a little stardust,

And a dab of,

Mixed fruit juices,

Using copper tongs,

They hold the drink,

Over the fire for a while,

Until it starts bubbling,

Emitting a sweet and gentle scent,

And as it starts bubbling,

And thickening up slightly,

Becoming ever so slightly syrupy,

They take that off the heat,

They pour the drink,

Into a glass,

And that drink is a bright fluorescent yellow,

And a little steam,

Is emanating off the top of the drink,

And they give the mole rat,

Just a little bit of that drink,

And as the mole rat drinks the drink,

So they begin to turn yellow,

And the yellow begins to emanate from their skin,

And a yellow mist seems to form around them,

And that yellow mist,

Wafts up,

Towards you as consciousness just floating there,

And begins to infuse within you,

As if you're breathing that,

Yellow mist in,

And you feel yourself traveling on the yellow mist,

Into the soul of the mole rat,

And everything fades to black for a moment,

Before fading back into view again,

Only you find yourself really small,

Resting on the rug,

With some of your thoughts being mole rat thoughts,

And other thoughts being your own,

And they once again,

Offer you that blue cupcake,

They tell you the effects of this drink,

Will only last a short period of time,

And so you gnaw down on that cupcake,

Eating the black rose petals,

Consuming the blue cupcake,

Feeling that electric blue,

Pass through you,

Feeling a tingling forming,

Through your mind and body,

And as you finish that cupcake,

So the potion wears off,

You drift out of the mole rat,

Back as a consciousness,

Only this time you notice something has shifted,

It's as if your consciousness has expanded,

You're no longer aware of just being you,

But you're aware,

Of being connected to everything around you,

And this alien,

Talks to you,

About how they're one of the creators,

Of these portals,

They draw like minded people together,

Those who are curious,

And seeking something greater than themselves,

And while you're here,

You're here as a consciousness,

So it means you can be anywhere you like,

There is no physical you,

You're not just in the ether,

You are the ether,

You're the energy of the universe,

And in the same way that,

The spoon doesn't bend,

When you understand that,

You understand the connection,

On a much deeper level,

And there's only limited time to teach you this,

Before you have to return,

To your body,

In your own time,

And what you want is to return,

With your consciousness upgraded,

Like upgrading,

The software of a computer,

To something far more advanced,

And that's why they had to break,

With tradition,

And work fast to meet you,

And you can feel,

That new learning and understanding,

Weaving,

And passing through your consciousness,

Swimming among,

The channels of thought,

Expanding your being,

Your awareness,

Helping you learn and understand,

That your consciousness is quantum,

That it is here and everywhere,

All at the same time,

And this alien,

Shows you back out,

To the streets,

You begin to find your way,

Back the way you came,

You see Max Headroom,

Standing,

Almost like a bouncer,

At the end of the street,

They guide you back,

Through that portal into the ocean,

And as they pass through the portal,

So they become that psychedelic octopus again,

And you follow them,

Through the ocean,

Now noticing in the darkness,

The patterns in the undulating and pulsing lights,

And you feel almost mesmerized,

By those lights,

You head back,

Towards the shore,

You leave the water,

Fly through the meadow,

You head back to that dot of yellow,

You have a sense,

Of reaching for that dot,

As a portal opens up,

And you pass through,

To where you came from,

And the bird tells you,

That the sands of time,

Are continuing to flow,

And as the sun continues to burn off the mist,

So your body,

Will return,

In peace and comfort,

And deep relaxation,

As if it's been renewed,

And repaired,

Like taking a car into a repair shop,

For an MOT,

Getting it all checked over,

Making sure it's all fit and healthy,

And in working order,

And then receiving it back,

In tip-top condition,

And some things can be a pain,

When things go into repair,

But they come back,

Smooth and calm,

In good condition,

Exactly as you want them,

It was a pain back there,

In the repair shop,

Not where you are,

And the bird tells you,

To rest beneath the tree,

As the sun rises and the mist burns off,

And as you rest beneath the tree,

So your body will find you,

And your consciousness,

Will reintegrate with the body,

Like a delicate game of chess,

Working out the best moves,

Like the pattern found in a seashell,

That follows the perfect mathematical formula,

Like the gentle ticking of a clock,

And while you rest beneath that tree,

So you feel like you're drifting into a reverie,

And as you drift deeper and deeper,

Into the reverie,

So you feel like your consciousness,

Is swimming lazily,

Among the neurons of the mind,

Exploring each path,

Working out what's best,

Melting gently,

Into the comfort of your heart,

And you can feel your body returning,

Your mind relaxing deeper and deeper,

And then in the heart of your mind,

Right in the center of your mind,

Like in the heart of a maze,

You discover a small,

Delicate jewelry box,

And you think of it as being,

So much like Pandora's box,

And you feel yourself slowly approaching that box,

Deep in the heart of your mind,

Hearing the soft sound of music,

Playing within that box,

As you reach out,

And carefully open the box,

And finding inside that box,

A tiny scroll of hope,

Carefully unraveling that scroll of hope,

And reading that scroll,

And feeling that the reading,

Takes you deeper and deeper,

Into an understanding of consciousness,

Of comfort,

And deep relaxation,

Of a connection to those things,

Greater than yourself,

And a mission,

Of discovery,

And it's only as you have a sense,

Of sealing that box again,

That you feel like it's sealing,

An acorn deep withinside you,

An acorn that will be nurtured,

And watered,

And grow into something greater,

Than it starts,

And you feel the warmth of the sun,

Tickling across your face,

As you open your eyes gently,

Seeing the last of the mist,

Evaporated by the warmth of the day,

As you stand up,

You continue on among the trees,

Passing out into a beautiful meadow,

With the most beautiful,

Blue stream flowing through that meadow,

The clearest water,

Bubbling along so delicately,

Almost tickling the stones beneath,

And you feel that,

Something great is growing within you,

A deep understanding,

Something growing so rapidly,

Almost exponentially,

Like bamboo growing in a forest,

Everywhere you look,

You see patterns,

Like the pattern of the seashell,

That mathematical pattern in nature,

In every leaf,

Looking out over the landscape,

Looking at a large scale,

Down to the smallest scales,

And you follow this stream,

All the way to its source,

And at its source,

Is the most delicate,

Bubbling mineral spring,

Having absorbed millions of years of minerals,

Pouring gently down the mountains,

Seeping into the earth,

Navigating through cracks,

Filtering through the earth,

Before rising gently up here,

And you take a drink of that natural spring water,

Feeling the coolness of the water,

As it passes down your throat,

Bringing peace and calm,

And you sit,

Beside the stream,

Reading a book for a while,

With your mind partly lost in thought,

Constantly drifting to thoughts of your experience,

To thoughts forming,

As if being aware of the surroundings around you,

On a whole new level,

As if something around you is forming deeper,

And deeper within your mind,

Like the tendrils of your mind,

Are stretching out,

To reality around you,

As if you're a small part of a giant cosmic web,

And when one string of that cosmic web is played,

You feel it in your heart,

And understand it in your soul,

And you just think to yourself,

About your experience,

As that mole rat,

And a thought comes to you,

If life gives you lemons,

Melt them down and make gold,

And it's a thought,

That on one level doesn't make sense,

But with your experiences,

Makes perfect sense,

And you sit on the grasses for a while,

Continuing to read and listen to the stream,

Bubbling gently beside you,

As the sun gently,

Meanders across the sky,

And settles down to sleep,

Over the horizon,

And the stars,

Sparkle softly to life,

And you head over to the tree line,

You tie up a hammock,

Between the trees,

Wake yourself up into the hammock,

And rest yourself down,

And gently rocking,

As the trees very gently,

And delicately sway,

Almost like a parent,

Gently rocking a baby's crib,

Almost as if the wind,

Is singing a lullaby,

You feel this sense,

Of drifting peacefully,

And comfortably asleep,

The breeze gently tickling your face,

Your consciousness still processing,

Still learning and updating,

A deep sense of comfort,

Through your mind and body,

As you rest there as a mind,

While you sleep deeply as a body,

Aware of all your attention,

Lost in your thoughts of your mind,

Wrapped up in the maze,

Of curiosity,

In the cosmic cobweb,

As you explore that maze,

In search of finding yourself,

In a whole new way,

Of gaining a deep,

Understanding,

Of Pandora's box in the heart of your mind,

And as you rest there,

Swinging gently to the sands of time,

In that hammock,

Falling deeper and deeper asleep,

Your consciousness swimming,

Through inner discoveries,

Your mind eventually quietens,

As it learns its next steps,

And as the mind,

Becomes fully quiet and calm and relaxed,

So you instinctively,

Automatically and effortlessly,

Drift and float,

So peacefully asleep,

Into slumberland.