The Buried Moon: An Enchanting Bedtime Story
Welcome to another enchanting episode of Drift Off Premium, the sleep podcast dedicated to helping you relax and unwind with soothing bedtime stories for grown-ups. In this special episode, we invite you to embark on a magical journey with the story of The Buried Moon by Joseph Jacobs. As you settle in for the night, let the calming narration of this timeless tale guide you into a peaceful slumber. The Buried Moon is a captivating story that weaves together elements of mystery, magic, and folklore, perfect for creating a tranquil and dreamy atmosphere. Sweet dreams! Attributions: All music in this track via Epidemic Sound The Buried Moon by Joseph Jacobs (resides in the public domain)
Transcript
Welcome to Drift Off,
Your haven for peaceful and relaxing bedtime stories.
I'm your host Joanne,
And I'm so glad you've decided to join me tonight.
In this episode,
We'll be journeying through a magical and enchanting tale by Joseph Jacobs called The Buried Moon.
But before we dive into our story,
Let's take a moment to unwind and relax.
Find a comfortable position,
Whether you're lying in bed or sitting in a cozy chair.
Close your eyes if you feel comfortable doing so.
Let's start with a few deep breaths.
Inhale deeply through your nose,
Filling your lungs with fresh,
Calming air.
Hold it for just a moment.
And then gently exhale through your mouth,
Letting go of any tension or stress from the day.
Let's do this a couple more times.
Inhale deeply.
Hold it.
And exhale slowly,
Feeling more relaxed with each breath.
One last time.
Breathe in deeply.
Hold it.
And release,
Feeling any remaining tension melt away.
Now,
Let's imagine a peaceful night sky.
Picture the soft,
Gentle glow of the moonlight bathing the landscape in a silvery,
Soothing light.
Feel the moonlight gently caressing your skin,
Bringing a sense of calm and tranquility.
The moonlight wraps around you like a soft,
Warm blanket,
Protecting you and filling you with a deep sense of peace.
Imagine the moonlight flowing through you,
Washing away any worries or stress.
With each breath you take,
Feel the moonlight filling your body with a serene,
Comforting energy.
Let this light guide you to a place of complete relaxation where only calm and restful thoughts exist.
Now,
Let this peaceful feeling of moonlight stay with you as we begin our story.
Tonight's tale is a charming,
Mystical story called The Buried Moon by Joseph Jacobs.
So snuggle up under those cozy blankets and let's begin.
Long ago in my grandmother's time,
The car land was all marshland with big pools of dark water,
Streams of green water,
And squishy mud that squirted when you stepped on it.
Well,
Granny used to say that long before her time,
The moon herself was once dead and buried in the marshes.
As she told me,
I'll tell you all about it.
The moon up in the sky shone and shone,
Just like she does now.
And when she shone,
She lit up the bog pools so you could walk around almost as safely as in the daytime.
But when she didn't shine,
Out came the creatures that lived in the darkness and went around causing trouble and harm.
Vogels and creepy horrors all came out when the moon didn't shine.
The moon heard about this and,
Being kind and good,
Shining for us at night instead of taking her natural rest,
She was very troubled.
I'll see for myself,
She said.
Maybe it's not as bad as people say.
Sure enough,
At the end of the month,
Down she stepped,
Wrapped up in a black cloak and a black hood over her yellow shining hair.
Straight she went to the bog edge and looked around.
Water here and water there,
Waving tussocks and trembling mud,
And big black snags all twisted and bent.
Before her,
Everything was dark.
Dark except for the glimmer of the stars in the pools and the light that came from her own white feet peeking out of her black cloak.
The moon pulled her cloak tighter and trembled,
But she wouldn't go back without seeing everything there was to see.
So on she went,
Stepping as lightly as the summer wind from tuft to tuft between the greedy gurgling waterholes.
Just as she came near a big black pool,
Her foot slipped and she almost fell in.
She grabbed with both hands at a snag nearby to steady herself,
But as she touched it,
It twisted around her wrists like handcuffs and gripped her so she couldn't move.
She pulled and twisted and fought,
But it was no good.
She was stuck and had to stay stuck.
As she stood there,
Trembling in the dark,
Wondering if help would come,
She heard something calling in the distance,
Calling and calling and then fading away with a sob until the marshes were full of this pitiful crying sound.
Then she heard steps floundering along,
Squishing in the mud and slipping on the tufts,
And through the darkness,
She saw a white face with great fearful eyes.
It was a man lost in the bogs.
Crazed with fear,
He struggled towards the flickering light that looked like help and safety.
When the poor moon saw that he was coming closer and closer to the deep hole,
Further and further from the path,
She was so mad and so sorry that she struggled and fought and pulled harder than ever.
And though she couldn't get loose,
She twisted and turned until her black hood fell back off her shining yellow hair and the beautiful light that came from it drove away the darkness.
Oh,
But the man cried with joy to see the light again,
And immediately all evil things fled back into the dark corners,
For they cannot stand the light.
So he could see where he was,
Where the path was,
And how to get out of the marsh.
And he was in such a hurry to escape from the quicksand,
Bogles and creatures that lived there,
That he barely looked at the brave light that came from the beautiful shining yellow hair,
Streaming out over the black cloak and falling to the water at his feet.
The moon herself was so focused on saving him and rejoicing that he was back on the right path that she completely forgot she needed help herself and that she was held fast by the black snake.
So off he went,
Exhausted and gasping,
Stumbling and crying with joy,
Running for his life out of the terrible bogs.
Then it occurred to the moon that she would very much like to go with him.
So she pulled and fought as if she were mad until she fell on her knees,
Exhausted from tugging at the foot of the snake.
As she lay there,
Gasping for breath,
The black hood fell forward over her head.
So out went the blessed light and back came the darkness with all its evil things,
With a screech and a howl.
They came crowding around her,
Mocking and snatching and beating,
Shrieking with rage and spite,
And swearing and snarling,
For they knew her as their old enemy,
Who drove them back into the corners and kept them from working their wicked wills.
Curse you,
Yelled the witch creatures,
You've ruined our spells this year,
And you sent us to hide in the corners,
Howled the boggles.
And all the creatures joined in with a great ho-ho,
Until the very tussocks shook and the water gurgled and they began again.
We'll poison her,
Poison her,
Shrieked the witches,
And ho-ho,
Howled the creatures again.
We'll smother her,
Smother her,
Whispered the crawling horrors,
Entwined themselves around her knees,
And ho-ho,
Mocked the rest of them.
And again,
They all shouted with spite and ill will,
And the poor moon crouched down and wished she were dead and done with.
They fought and squabbled about what they should do with her,
Until a pale grey light began to appear in the sky and it drew near to dawn.
When they saw that,
They were afraid they wouldn't have time to do what they wanted,
So they grabbed her with horrid bony fingers and laid her deep in the water at the foot of the snag.
The boggles fetched a strange big stone and rolled it on top of her to keep her from rising.
They told two of the Will-of-the-Wisps to take turns watching on the black snag to make sure she stayed safe and still and couldn't get out to spoil their fun.
And there lay the poor moon,
Dead and buried in the bog,
Until someone would set her loose,
And who would know where to look for her?
Well,
The days passed,
And it was time for the new moon's coming.
The folk put pennies in their pockets and straws in their caps to be ready for her,
And looked about,
For the moon was a good friend to the Marsh Folk,
And they were glad when the dark time was gone and the paths were safe again,
And the evil things were driven back by the blessed light into the darkness and the waterholes.
But days and days passed,
And the new moon never came,
And the nights were always dark,
And the evil things were worse than ever.
And still,
The days went on,
And the new moon never came.
Naturally,
The poor folk were strangely scared and confused,
And many of them went to the wise woman who lived in the old mill,
And asked if she could find out where the moon had gone.
Well,
Said she,
After looking in the brewpot and in the mirror and in the book,
It's very strange,
But I can't rightly tell you what's happened to her.
If you hear anything,
Come and tell me.
So they went their ways,
And as days went by,
And the moon still didn't come,
Naturally they talked,
My word,
I reckon they did talk.
They talked at home,
At the inn,
And in the yard.
But one day,
As they sat on the great bench in the inn,
A man from the far end of the Boglands was smoking and listening,
When all at once,
He sat up and slapped his knee.
My goodness,
He said,
I'd completely forgotten,
But I think I know where the moon is.
And he told them how he was lost in the bogs,
And how,
When he was nearly dead with fright,
The light shone out,
And he found the path and got home safe.
So off they all went to the wise woman and told her about it,
And she looked long in the pot and the book again,
And then she nodded her head.
It's still dark,
Children,
Dark,
She said,
And I can't rightly see,
But do as I tell you,
And you'll find out for yourselves.
Go,
All of you,
Just before night falls,
Put a stone in your mouth,
And take a hazel twig in your hands,
And say never a word until you're safe home again.
Then walk on,
And fear not,
Far into the middle of the marsh,
Until you find a coffin,
A candle,
And a cross.
Then you won't be far from your moon.
Look,
And maybe you'll find her.
So the next night,
Just before dark,
They all went out together.
Every man with a stone in his mouth and a hazel twig in his hand,
Feeling,
You can imagine,
Very scared and creepy.
They stumbled and staggered along the paths into the middle of the bogs.
They saw nothing,
Though they heard sighing and fluttering in their ears,
And felt cold,
Wet fingers touching them.
But all at once,
Looking around for the coffin,
The candle,
And the cross,
They came near the pool,
Beside the great snag where the moon lay buried.
All at once they stopped,
Quaking and amazed and scared,
For there was the great stone,
Half in,
Half out of the water,
Looking like a strange big coffin,
And at the head was the black snag,
Stretching out its two arms in a dark,
Gruesome cross,
And on it,
A tiny light flickered like a dying candle.
They all knelt down in the mud and said,
Oh Lord,
First forward,
Because of the cross,
And then backward,
To keep off the bogles,
But without speaking out,
For they knew the evil things would catch them if they didn't do as the wise woman told them.
Then they went closer,
Took hold of the big stone and pushed it up.
For a tiny moment,
They saw a strange and beautiful face looking up at them happily from the black water,
But the light came so quickly and was so white and shining that they stepped back amazed by it.
The very next minute,
When they could see again,
There was the full moon in the sky,
Bright and beautiful and kind as ever,
Shining and smiling down at them.
She made the bogs and the paths as clear as day,
And her light reached into every corner,
As though she would have driven the darkness and the bogles completely away if she could.
And as this story now comes to an end,
Your journey towards restful sleep now begins.
And you can enjoy this moment of quiet and peace before drifting off.
And as you do,
A feeling of deep rest and relaxation naturally flows through you,
Because your mind is much more quiet and still now,
And it feels so much easier to let go and give way to this sleepy feeling.
In fact,
With each breath you take,
It gets easier and easier.
And just resting here,
Resting and enjoying this pleasant feeling of sleepy relaxation.
Just let it wrap around you like a cozy blanket.
And you feel so safe,
Resting and relaxing here in your bed.
It just feels amazing to let go,
To let go of the day,
To let go of thoughts,
To let go of tension,
And allowing yourself to just drift.
Drifting down,
Deeper and deeper down into that slow brainwave state that leads to restful sleep.
That's right,
Slower and slower,
Deeper and deeper,
Relaxing and letting go.
And so in your own time and in your own way,
You can drift off into a restful,
Sound sleep while enjoying a full night's rest.
And you'll awaken feeling refreshed and wonderful in every way.
Sweet dreams,
My friend.
Sleep well.
