The Marble Inn: A Cool Night In Sugar Hollow | Sleep Story

Spend the day exploring a swimming hole in a marble quarry that is a haven for locals in the mystical village of Sugar Hollow. Reflections on the Bahamian blue water have been known to reveal future visions of one's potential. You walk through the woods at sunset and enjoy the salve of cool night air. You return to the historic Marble Inn and spend the evening fireside reading the great works of Robert Frost in the library. As tiredness takes over, you retreat to your cozy sweet and fall asleep.

Transcript

Fall into a deep sleep with this calm bedtime story for grownups.

You are listening to The Marble Inn.

Return to Sugar Hollow,

A mystical town in New England that invokes the spirit of the past and inspires hope for the future.

You stay at a historic inn on a cozy street lined with white marble sidewalks.

You spend the afternoon at a marble quarry swimming hole,

Soothed by the brilliant turquoise water.

Sunset brings a crisp evening.

As you walk through the woods to the inn,

You spend the evening in the library,

Curled up by the fire,

As you revel in the words of Robert Frost.

The day is like a gentle and needed sigh,

And the night brings deep,

Healing sleep.

It's time to dream away.

I would like to welcome you to Michelle's Sanctuary.

I am Michelle,

And as you listen,

Think of me as a dear friend and advocate for peace.

In the sanctuary,

You may feel the most relaxed and safest you have felt all day.

This is your time to shut out the world and go to places deep within.

No judgment,

No worries,

No concerns.

Dedicate all your energy to feeling good and using your creative mind to take a mental vacation.

Modify,

Customize,

And enhance this story to meet your needs.

You may fall asleep at any point.

Wiggle and settle into your bed.

Open the four walls of your room and your ceiling and floor.

Create a haven where you are free to be yourself and let down your guard.

Open your mouth and let out a theatrical sigh.

Make a sound and let everything go.

Then sip in fresh air slowly through your nose.

Smells of spruce trees,

Fields of summer grass,

And the smell of stones covered in dew.

When your lungs are full,

Open your mouth and yawn.

Welcome the tired sensation that comes with each yawn.

Enjoy two more rounds of breathing at your own pace.

You can yawn,

You can sigh,

You can do whatever you like.

But make this moment delicious and special.

Let this breathwork remind you of all the things that are going right for you to be alive,

Relaxed,

And in this wonderful place for peace.

As Eckhart Tolle expressed,

Every conscious breath is a meditation.

It's that simple.

As you note how much better you feel now than minutes ago,

Your mind and body prepare to soar on your imagination.

Find stillness,

Return your breath to normal.

It's time for the story to begin.

Sometimes travel can feel more like a dream than reality,

And your experiences silence the worries of daily living.

As you catch each new moment with an element of surprise and openness,

You often feel light and easy when you come to Sugar Hollow,

Drifting into town carefree and surrendering like a scarf on the breeze.

The front desk manager at the Marble Inn has a sophistication and level of sass one might not expect to find in a historic town in a spiritual setting.

Of all the folks encountered in Sugar Hollow,

Riker Walb is the most present and perceptive one will meet.

His uniform is tailored perfectly to his slight frame,

And his fingers gracefully slide between cream linen envelopes in a sapphire jacquard box.

He plucks an envelope bearing your name,

Written in calligraphy,

And places it in your hand.

It contains a skeleton key,

Not often found in modern hotels.

The envelope is heavier than you expected,

And as you open it,

You discover a smooth marble keychain engraved with the name of the hotel.

It's not the first time you will encounter marble treasures on this journey.

Riker passes you a map of Sugar Hollow with more detailed roads and notes than you could ever find on Google.

The map was hand drawn by a long time resident in her 80s,

And has personal annotations and historic mentions.

Many of these things only the locals know about.

Riker recommends that you visit the marble quarry before the weather changes.

It's a popular gathering spot that offers a refreshing swimming opportunity during the dog days of summer.

He leans forward conspiratorially and establishes a sense that he has a long time friend who will always be direct and honest.

Just a note of advice.

Be open to the experiences that may happen at the quarry.

Marble is the stone of potential.

There's a reason artists choose a block of marble to create sculptures.

It offers cleansing and purity.

Not that you have to be pure,

Riker says with a wink.

Just know if you want to feel cleansed and see a glimpse of your potential,

The quarry can make it happen.

You thank him and smile as an afternoon without a plan has now been given direction.

You leave the mahogany check-in desk to walk through the stone walled lobby and pass a small restaurant off to the side.

The marble inn was erected in the 18th century and over the decades it received many additions as the popularity of Sugar Hollow grew.

But even with the added bar and restaurant and a white porch that wraps around the entire building like a halo,

The original charm remains.

Pillared candles on the fireplace mantle in the lobby aromatize the room with notes of vanilla,

Molasses,

And cinnamon.

Their sweet and homey aroma faintly covers the smell of old wooden floors and aged books.

The ceilings are low and comforting in a building full of nooks,

Bow windows,

And cozy sitting areas.

You walk down a hallway lined with paintings of Sugar Hollow,

Captured in various seasons.

You get a sense of all of them,

And exploring the inn has the fluidity of a dream.

You feel as if you are floating through time as you pass the library with wall to ceiling books,

Jewel-toned chairs,

And silk upholstered settees staged around a marble fireplace.

The multi-paned windows run floor to ceiling.

Luxurious curtains with golden metallic accents reflect opulent patterns of light on the walls and wood floors.

The sunlight this time of year brings a heavenly presence to Sugar Hollow,

And the interior design of the marble inn enhances this wondrous energy.

Your suite is on the second floor,

And you carry your small weekender bag on your shoulder.

You ascend the stairs to your room.

Press sconces in shades of turquoise and amber alternate down the carpeted hallway.

The dreamy sensation continues as your feet step on the white carpet with a sapphire design woven into the fabric like marble lines.

You come to your room and insert the key into the lock.

As it turns,

You feel empowered.

It requires a certain amount of attention and precision to unlock the door.

Your mind drifts to all the souls throughout the history of the inn that have unlocked these doors and found solace in these rooms.

The heavy wooden door opens into the room,

And you feel at home.

The air smells familiar,

Yet different at the same time.

The energy is clean,

The temperature is cool,

And the sun pours through sheer curtains onto the velvet and satin comforter of the four-poster bed.

The room is classy,

With blue silk wallpaper and richly-hued oil paintings depicting Sugar Hollow.

Two mahogany nightstands hug the bed with table tops made of local marble.

You freshen up in the bathroom and change into swimwear and clothes suitable for a walk in nature.

You tie a hoodie around your waist or shoulders,

Anticipating that the weather will change.

The bathroom floors and sink are made of cloud-white marble that feels cool and grainy beneath your bare feet.

The overwhelming sensation accompanying this return to Sugar Hollow is one of coolness,

Of reprieve.

The tactile experiences are a salve from the heat of long summers.

You feel refreshed,

Renewed,

And clean.

You take the key,

The map,

And your favorite water bottle with you as you leave the room for an afternoon of unplanned adventures.

It feels so wonderful to be without electronic devices,

Unreachable and free from all the noise and distractions of modern life.

Once back in the lobby,

You fill your bottle with water infused with locally grown cucumber and mint that the in-purchase from the farmer's market has indicated in the gold-cursive message on a play card before the glass pitcher.

In Sugar Hollow,

The community supports one another,

And the synergy is often noted.

Ryker wishes you a wonderful afternoon as he checks in a couple traveling with their dog,

And promises he will be there when you return.

You smile.

It feels good to be acknowledged by someone who seems genuinely concerned that every guest feels welcome.

You walk out into the village of Sugar Hollow,

On a side street you have not walked before.

White marble sidewalks sparkle in the shower of afternoon light,

And they seem surreal.

Never had you imagined such a beautiful stone would be used for something so seemingly utilitarian.

The heat is tempered by a persistent breeze that rustles the lush periwinkle and purple-pink blossoms of hydrangea bushes that harmoniously line the lane.

Grand,

Historic houses have been fashioned into quaint restaurants and saloons,

Where one may dine in an 18th century bedroom or parlor.

Children run through prismatic sprinklers that water velvety emerald lawns rife with oak and maple trees.

In the residential houses,

As you walk farther,

The homes become more spread out,

And you come to a quiet highway that weaves through a wooded area.

Monarch butterflies touch down on the tall blades of grass along the shoulder of the winding road.

Black-eyed Susans,

With their velvety brown centers and delicate queen-annes lace sprout out of the earth and stir a childlike desire to touch them.

You run your fingers across the satiny and lace-like blossoms.

These flowers are timeless,

And you can imagine how they offered the promise of summer.

To all who ever experiences Sugar Hollow in August,

You hear the sounds of laughter and splashing in the distance.

The joyous voices become louder as you round the bend to encounter the crushed marble path to the quarry swimming hole.

Evergreen trees form a shadowy canopy overhead as rocks crunch beneath your feet.

A blue jay flies in front of you,

And you recall once hearing that this is a sign of good luck.

But no signs are needed today.

You feel the luck of being alive,

Of being able to experience the pleasures of nature in a place where people pride themselves on living harmoniously with it.

The path ascends a hill,

And you feel grateful for your feet and strong leg muscles as they carry you to the summit.

The trees open up into a clearing of marble,

Dappled with tiny islands of grass and wildflowers.

You walk towards naturally formed marble steps that lead to the swimming hole.

The water is a brilliant shade of Bahamian blue,

Made possible by the minerals and gases released.

The scene is something out of an impressionist painting,

And you feel like you're coming upon a Hawaiian lagoon in the heart of New England.

Decades have passed since the quarry was in use,

And the people of Sugar Hollow turned the area into a natural preserve and park.

You carefully walk down the dusty stone steps across the swimming hole a group of teens is packing up for the day.

They shout out hello and welcome you,

And you wave in return as you come to a perfect overhang for sunbathing.

You remove your shoes and dangle your feet into the cold water.

At first your toes tingle,

But they soon become numb.

The soles of your feet are offered deep relief as tension releases that you didn't even know you were carrying.

You open your mouth and take a breath so deep you feel like a vibrant hot air balloon that could float with the powdery white clouds in the crystal blue sky.

The rich shades of the blue water and sky are atonic.

They offer an inexplicable experience that feels like a sigh after holding your breath too long.

The release that comes is significant when your muscles have been tense,

When life has been chaotic,

And when you have been pushing so hard for so long that you have forgotten what peace feels like.

But now you remember,

This afternoon is the deep sigh you didn't know you needed.

And now that you have experienced it,

You recognize there is no going back to the grind in the same way.

Deep down you know this day will prompt you to focus on your health and to embrace tranquility when you depart Sugar Hollow.

You remove your clothes and wrap the arches of your feet around the smooth edge of the rock.

You gaze into the deep water and choose to jump without fear.

Perhaps this is a version of you that you have not experienced in a long time or even met before.

Confident and strong,

You feel the water beckoning you to merge with its refreshing splendor.

You jump into the swimming hole in the way that feels most natural to you.

You explore the freedom you feel mid-air just before you splash into the otherworldly hue of the water.

The sensation is complex as the chill of the water snaps you out of your mind.

It makes you feel alive and aware of every part of your body.

It offers an awakening to parts of yourself that you have forgotten at times when your mind and thoughts have taken center stage.

As you rise to the surface,

The air feels warm on your face.

You flutter your arms and legs as an involuntary smile forms on your lips.

You are exactly where you need to be,

And it happened naturally,

Completely unplanned.

It feels fantastic,

Invigorating,

Empowering.

You swim until your muscles tire and your body becomes numb from the cool temperature.

Floating on your back,

You look at the cloud formations and imagine it must feel similar for them to float across the sky.

The late day sun pours over you and warms the half of your body that floats above the water.

The other half remains cool,

Numb,

And complacent.

The water flows over you like chiffon scarves,

The sediment and minerals cause the water to feel thicker and richer than any water you have swum in before.

You glide your arms and kick your feet as you navigate toward the rocks.

Part of you longs to stay in this moment of self-realization and awareness.

Yet the inner tug at your solar plexus warns it is best to get out and dry off before the sun disappears behind the mountains.

And with that tug,

You recognize that you are more in tune with your intuition in this quiet landscape.

This sixth sense has been present in you all along,

Buried beneath the noise of life,

Waiting for you to reconnect.

You pull your body onto the warm rocks and feel the strength in your arms as you pause for a moment.

You smile and bring your legs out of the water.

Water droplets and streams fall off your body,

And the dusty rock shines when wet.

You settle on the edge and peer at the sky,

Welcoming the warmth that puts the goosebumps on your skin to rest.

You feel heavy as you settle on the rock and look down into the aquamarine water.

This is a color you long to remember as you capture it in the photo albums of your mind.

The blue jay appears for a second time and lands next to you.

You look into its eyes,

And when the bird is certain it has your attention.

It takes flight and glides down towards the water.

The blue jay flies in circles around the water below.

As you lean forward to see your reflection,

Ripples form on the surface and slowly reveal a future version of you.

This version is the person you may become should you stay on a path toward healing inspired by your dreams and desires.

In this reflection you are happy,

Confident,

And doing something you deeply enjoy.

So much may be energetically gleaned from this rendition of you in the aquamarine reflection.

Your heart swells and you feel grounded as you firmly believe you are on the right path to becoming this version.

You recognize that opportunities will present themselves to you.

That all things will align when you are open to the purpose of your life.

When you recognize that you have and always will deserve the wonderful things that come your way.

The sun dips toward the silhouette of purple grey mountains and shadows are cast across the water in willowy black figures.

You come out of the daydream brought on by the reflection and watch the blue jay soar away.

You are unaware of how much time has passed but it has been much longer than it felt.

You rise and notice you are now dry and get dressed.

You are grateful for the fleece comfort of your hoodie against your cool skin.

You pause to take in the fiery orange sun reflecting on the ultra blue water and the awe inspiring marble peaks that rise around it.

You begin your return to town,

This time choosing to follow a mulch path through the woods drawn on the map.

The evening plays out in suspended animation.

In a dreamy state of contentment,

So hypnotic that you lose track of many details and only a few stand out.

The cool dampness of the forest and sweet pillowy mulch beneath your feet.

The white spotted orange mushrooms that scatter around tree trunks like fairy tale villages.

You focus on the rustling limbs,

The crispness of the breeze,

And the polarity of this chilly night air compared to the warmth of the day.

It warns that soon fall will arrive.

You feel the awe of how quickly mother nature can change.

The woods feel enchanted as fireflies dance over mossy patches and crickets passionately chirp as if they know summer nears its end.

Your arms brush against the feathery branches of pine trees that offer a refreshing olfactory elixir that purifies you.

The golden lights of mason jars strung across the backyards of local restaurants illuminate the night.

The sky is a sparkling purple tapestry of hope as a crescent moon centers over the village of Sugar Hollow.

Soon you find yourself in the lobby of the Marble Inn.

Greeted by Riker as if you have known each other for years rather than hours,

He says there is a fire going in the library if you wish to unwind.

Most hotel guests are out on the town,

But you are drawn to the allure of a night inn.

The cool night air lingers on your hoodie and bare legs,

And you look forward to the warmth of the fire.

You walk down the hallway,

Feeling as if you have floated through it many times before today.

You walk beneath the wooden archway of the library and enter it to peruse the books on the shelves,

Hearing your fingers across the weathered spines.

A collection of works by Robert Frost causes your fingers to tingle and a tug of longing as if a string is tied to your heart connected to this volume.

Again your intuition leads you.

You take the heavy volume of works written a century ago by a wistful New Englander.

You settle into a deep armchair and the armrests wrap around you like an upholstery fortress.

You feel safe and grateful as the orange-gold flames illuminate the delicate pages of the book.

You slip your finger randomly to a page and come upon one of Frost's most meaningful works,

The Road Not Taken.

A passage appeals to you.

I shall be telling this with a sigh,

Somewhere ages and ages hence,

To roads diverged in a wood and I.

I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference.

In the written words of a man gone long before you would ever arrive in the sacred mystique of Sugar Hollow,

There comes the mention of a sigh,

For this day has been a sigh.

You took both roads,

The one most traveled and the one that wove through the woods.

You suddenly realize the potential you discovered in your reflection at the quarry offers insight to the road that appeals to you most and appeals to you alone.

Fire burns down into embers and you sleepily gaze at the pile of ash and magenta fragments that remain.

You hear the soft murmurs of guests returning to their rooms and the melodies from the grand piano in the lobby.

The moment offers a level of privacy and intimacy with ambient sounds that bring connection to fellow travelers.

You've sat so long your body leaves an impression in the cushion and you are so comfortable you could spend the night in this room.

Surrounded by pages of brilliant words,

Hope and knowledge,

The books also make you feel less alone.

As if you are tied to all the other accounts of the human experience through time.

The allure of soft pajamas and bed prompt you to slowly rise and return to your room.

You pass an antique mirror and pause for a moment,

Once again seeing your potential future self reflect back to you.

The future you offers the encouragement to be brave,

To be resolute and to be yourself in every way.

Back in your room,

The sheets and comforter have been turned down.

A handwritten note on the marble top of the nightstand wishes you a beautiful night.

You change into your pajamas and then climb into the bed.

Your skin feels soft and smooth against the crisp sheets.

The satin and velvet comforter is heavy and helps your nervous system to relax as it wraps around you like a hug.

Gratitude runs to your bones for this trip and self exploration.

If you weren't so tired,

Surely you could stay up for hours going through the list of experiences that conjure appreciation.

But tiredness takes over.

Your eyes close and in the safe,

Quiet room at the marble inn,

You drift towards sleep.

As you float across the bridge to your sleeping life,

You remember the mesmerizing hue of the swimming hole,

The fresh air and the enchanted woods.

You reflect on how perfect this day has been,

Letting these images travel with you to your sleeping life.

You look forward to them manifesting in your dreams as you drift down,

Down,

Down to sleep.

Finding rest,

Finding respite,

Finding solace,

Finding sleep.

It's time to dream away.

Good night You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You

Reviews

I love your storys, and I would love a story that you go to sugar hollow and go to a crafts hit. At the crafts hut, the teacher says we will be making jack-o'-lanterns and scarecrows. After that, you put a sented candle of our choice and dress the scarecrow and bring it home. Set it up in the front lawn, then fall asleep on the couch listening to the crackling fire. Please!!!

Once again! Yes, I truly appreciate you and the story.

Thank you 🙏

Only heard a bit of story then fell asleep 😴 💤💜 love it thank you 🙏🏻

Great to return to Sugar Hollow. I barely made it to the swimming hole before falling asleep. All the lovely marble references were very soothing. Thank you, Michelle!🙏❤🙏