Tucked In: Northern Lights

Tuck in and drift away listening to the story of Allison’s magical journey under the winter sky. After a cozy dog sled ride through a snow-covered forest, she arrives at a remote glass-domed cabin, designed for witnessing the stunning Aurora Borealis. As the night unfolds, Allison watches the colorful lights ripple and dance across the sky, feeling a deep connection to nature, history, and the wonder of the universe. A peaceful, breathtaking experience that lulls her—and the listener—gently into sleep.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to this tucked in tale on Insight Timer.

My name is Mike and I invite you to get comfortable under the covers.

Take a few deep breaths in and out and settle in as we listen to a soothing bedtime story.

This one entitled Northern Lights.

Sweet Dreams Allison's breath hung in front of her,

Almost crystallized from the cold air encircling her.

She tugged the ends of her new woolen scarf and wrapped it snugly one more time around her neck before tucking her gloved hands deep into her pockets.

The boots she had bought especially for this trip were keeping her feet warm as the salesmen in the outdoor supply store claimed they would.

And she was glad they did as she stood waiting here for what seemed like forever,

Looking across the packed snow at her transport for her adventure tonight.

The huskies tethered to the sled didn't seem to mind these sub-zero temperatures.

Though their frames looked slender,

Their thick bushy coats insulated them well.

So they exhibited nothing but eager delight to begin their work this evening,

Pulling her through this winter wonderland to a cabin miles away from city lights where she could observe the splendor of the northern lights.

This was definitely a bucket list trip for her.

But right now,

The sky was still and quiet.

The bits of it she could see between the jagged silhouettes of the spruce trees stretching above her were that particular shade of blue somewhere between cobalt and navy,

Between dusk and night.

Silvery illumination from the half-moon cast an ethereal glow across the snow,

Which was layered high under the permafrost forest and highlighted the glistening mounds that weighed heavy on the branches.

The scene was Christmas card perfect.

Allison's guide,

A tall,

Lean figure in rugged snow gear and a knitted mask that hid his face,

Silently motioned with his hand for her to climb into the sled.

And as she settled herself all the way in the back,

She found it surprisingly comfortable.

The guide covered her with heavy blankets,

Tucking them in all around her.

And she was amazed at how warm and cozy she immediately felt now that she was somewhat protected from the frigid air.

After checking his leads one final time,

The guide stepped on to the back of the sled and signaled his faithful team to take off.

Two by two,

They started at an easy pace,

But then quickly picked up speed.

After only a few minutes,

The dogs' excited barking hushed,

And the only sound was the whooshing of the sled's runners through the powdery drifts and the occasional thunk when a clump of snow dropped from the trees.

Each time,

They dispersed a flurry of flakes that speckled the covers that enveloped Allison.

With innate agility,

The pairs of dogs followed a path that meandered through the forest of trees and up and down gentle slopes.

Allison took in the surrealness of the experience,

And she felt her body muscles loosen.

Without realizing it,

She had been shivering,

Tensing her legs and arms,

Her jaw,

As she usually did when she was cold.

But she actually didn't feel cold at all,

Only exhilarated by this trek into a world completely new to her.

By now,

The sky had deepened to ebony,

The stars overhead twinkled brightly.

As the sled glided along,

The forest gradually thinned until they were mushing over an arctic expanse of pure white.

The guide caught her attention and pointed out a small herd of caribou,

Or reindeer.

She couldn't tell the difference from this far away.

Other than the herd,

It was just snow and more snow as far as she could see.

She was beginning to wonder if there really could be anything civilized or man-made out this far.

When in the distance,

She saw a string of lights low on the horizon.

That must be the cabin,

She thought.

And soon,

She could see the outline of a row of one-story buildings.

Little peaked boxes,

Each topped with a layer of snow,

And designed with a glass dome jutting out from one side.

The dogs slowed,

Bringing the sled to an easy stop in front of the first cabin.

The guide trudged through the knee-deep snow,

Up to the little covered porch,

Opened the door,

And disappeared inside.

And as he had not indicated that she was to get out yet,

Allison waited,

Alone except for the fidgety dogs,

On the edge of this vast wilderness.

She counted seven log houses.

Five showed signs of life inside,

Tendrils of smoke rising from their chimneys,

And the few windows,

Yellowish squares penetrating the darkness.

It was reassuring to know there would be other adventurers here,

In this remote,

Frozen place.

She heard the door creak open,

And the guide emerged,

Holding a glowing lantern,

That instantly made the scene feel more inviting.

He had removed his mask while he was inside,

And as he approached her,

He could see that his face was mostly covered by a wiry,

Full beard,

Typical of most of the men,

Young or old,

That she had encountered in this polar cap of the world.

He helped her out of her cozy cocoon,

And carefully led the way into the cabin.

As she took off her gloves and heavy jacket,

She appreciated the rustic minimalism inside.

The room was sparsely furnished,

With pieces that looked to be crudely but charmingly crafted,

From native tree trunks,

Bark,

And branches.

The walls were made from hewn logs,

And were bare of any artwork.

And facing the stone fireplace,

A sofa with plump brown cushions dominated the room.

She sunk into it,

Pulling a nubby chenille throw that had been casually draped over the back of the sofa around her.

Her guide was a curious sort,

Except for a mumbled greeting when she had arrived at the outpost to fill out the necessary paperwork for her trip.

They hadn't shared any conversation.

She watched with amused interest as he expertly arranged kindling in the fireplace,

And then stacked well-seasoned logs in layers on top.

He was definitely the strong,

Silent type,

She decided.

And after he lit the wood,

He stood and waited until the first flames caught hold before he went back outside,

Again without saying anything to her.

Allison unlaced her boots,

Pulled them off,

Drew her feet up under her on the sofa,

And listened to the crackling and popping sounds that promised to be her warm companion for the night.

The guide returned with a box of provisions,

Which he placed on a small table.

He showed Allison the door to the attached glass igloo,

And with a minimum of words,

Explained that the best time to see the Aurora Borealis was after midnight.

The northern light's forecast for the night was good.

He expected she'd see a spectacular show,

And with a nod and a slim smile,

He bid her goodnight and told her he'd be back in the late morning.

Allison listened at the door until the chorus of barks and yelps trailed away.

Then,

She slid the latch to the locked position,

Turned around,

And made her way to the table and the box of provisions.

She rummaged through it,

And among the crackers,

Bars of chocolate,

A can of nuts and homemade jerky,

Found a large thermos of hot,

Spiced tea.

Carrying it back to the sofa,

She resumed her curled-up position and poured herself a full cup.

Holding it up to her face,

She closed her eyes and let the steam gently caress her cheeks.

It was warm and moist and felt so comforting.

She breathed in the sweet scent of cinnamon,

Cloves,

And a hint of orange and savored the exotic aroma for a few seconds before bringing the cup to her lips and tasting it.

Perfectly content for the moment,

She continued to sip the hot tea,

Mesmerized by the flickering tango taking place in front of her.

The orange,

Yellow,

And red flames in the fireplace intertwined with each other,

Intensifying and then diminishing in a syncopated rhythm.

She had grown up in a little Florida town where fireplaces were rare,

So for her,

Sitting in front of a blazing fire was a real treat.

An hour passed,

But it seemed like only minutes,

So fascinating was the show of burning logs in front of her.

Rising from the sofa,

She set her cup down and crossed to the door leading into the glass igloo.

She slowly opened it with anticipation and peered inside.

The space was small,

Probably only a little over six feet across.

A bed of soft pillows and cushions was spread over the floor,

And to one side lay a pile of luxurious furs and thick blankets.

The walls and ceiling were composed of triangular shaped panels of clear glass,

Forming a geodome that offered such a panorama that it made her feel as though she were standing outside in the middle of a snowy landscape instead of inside a shelter.

She shut the door and began her preparations for the night.

When she had taken off a few more layers of her clothing and brushed her teeth,

She grabbed a few snacks and the thermos of delicious tea and re-entered the glass room.

Allison arranged the pillows and lay down,

Selecting a soft,

Supple fur coverlet.

She pulled it over her and snuggled into her bed for the night.

As she lay nestled and thoroughly cozy,

She gazed up through the glass at the black canopy overhead,

Pierced by thousands of pinpoints of light.

And she thought about what she had learned about the natural phenomenon she was expecting to see tonight.

The Aurora Borealis,

Or Northern Lights,

Were named for Aurora,

The Roman goddess of the dawn,

Who was believed to traverse the skies from east to west.

Occurring about 60 miles above the earth,

The polar light display is caused by electrically charged particles which traverse from the sun's atmosphere and collide with gaseous particles found in the earth's atmosphere.

Solar winds blow the charged particles towards earth,

And because the magnetic fields surrounding the planet are weaker above the poles,

Some particles are able to enter the atmosphere,

Where they essentially bump into the gas particles,

Resulting in a wondrous display of dancing lights.

Lost in her thoughts,

Allison felt her body relax even more,

Almost as if she were melting into the softness under her.

The weight of the fur which she had pulled up to her chin made her feel safe and secure,

And totally at ease.

Outside,

A gust of wind stirred the snow,

Causing a myriad of flakes to flutter around her igloo.

She smiled,

Thinking how she was,

In essence,

Inside a life-sized snow globe,

And some unseen hand had just given the globe a gentle shake.

As she watched the last of the flakes float away,

She wasn't quite sure,

But she thought she saw a dim greenish glow appear and then quickly disappear.

Allison stared at the spot in the sky where she'd seen the flicker and held her body still,

Barely breathing,

As though any movement inside the glass dome might affect the heavenly scene hovering above.

Moments passed,

She focused on her breathing,

Taking the opportunity to breathe in and out slowly and calmly.

A few more breaths,

And she saw it again,

This time the almost fluorescent green took the shape of a ray of light from low on the horizon that rose and shimmered as it expanded,

Creating ripples that repeated across the sky.

The movements were fluid and languorous.

She imagined some supernatural brush painting a watercolor abstract on the canvas of sky.

Slowly,

Hints of purplish red crept in and blended into a curtain of light.

They were undulated in the same flowing rhythm.

The green,

Red,

And violet rays then transformed to look more like wisps of cloud that eventually dissipated,

Leaving a magical mist of faint color behind.

It was one of the most beautiful and breathtaking things Allison had ever experienced.

As she lay marveling at the wonder of it all,

Another glimmer caught her eye.

She watched as clearly defined swirls of an even brighter green began spiraling across the sky.

As the spirals grew larger,

The emerald hue intensified to a golden white that reflected gloriously on the snow.

The lights waved and danced.

They bent and curved away and towards the earth.

The show continued for several more minutes,

With swaths of unearthly colors gracefully unfolding like celestial blooms.

Allison found the mystical display to be enchanting and inspiring,

Filling her with nothing but awe for Mother Nature's artistry and wonder.

She realized it was because,

As someone living in the 21st century,

She understood they were a natural phenomenon,

With science to explain their composition and the intricacies of their origins.

But what if she were from another time and place?

Long ago,

Before the laws of nature were discovered,

And science provided explanations and logical reasons for things like thunder and lightning,

Morning dew,

The ocean's tides,

Changing seasons,

Coral reefs,

And these unexpected rolling swells of fantastic lights shining in the winter night sky?

What if she had been out hunting for food or traveling back to her village,

And she witnessed this strange occurrence in the sky?

She couldn't imagine that the lights would have made her feel uneasy.

There was something gentle and loving about them,

Even soothing.

Maybe she would have thought that the gods were trying to communicate with her somehow.

She supposed it would be comforting to believe like the ancients did,

That the mysterious lights were beings from the spirit world who were building fires.

Or as the Dene people of North America believed,

That the lights were the spirits of their lost loved ones who were happily dancing in the afterlife.

Except for the millions of stars,

The sky had been dark for a while now.

The performance seemed to be over.

Allison lingered in the igloo,

Selfishly hoping for an encore.

But if the lights had truly turned off for the night,

It would be enough.

She was more than satisfied.

The whole journey,

From the moment she snuggled into the dog sled,

To sitting in front of a toasty fire,

To this,

This beautiful,

Incredible sight,

Was etched forever in her memory.

She felt grateful and humbled to know that throughout history,

People from various parts of the world had also witnessed the northern lights,

Much like she did tonight.

With a different understanding of them,

But certainly with a shared appreciation and awe.

She was beginning to feel sleepy.

The trip,

Although everything she had hoped it would be,

Had been a long one.

She yawned and one more time looked straight up through the glass to the reaches of the universe.

Snowflakes swirled through the air.

Faintly,

A shooting star arced across the sky,

As though it were pronouncing the end of the evening's show.

Allison whispered a soft thank you.

She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.