Hello dear listeners,
Welcome to Drift Off,
The podcast that gently eases you into sleep with soothing bedtime stories.
I'm your host Joanne and I'm so glad you're here.
Tonight's story is a quiet little gem called The Golden Windows,
Written by Laura E.
Richards.
This heartfelt fable reminds us that sometimes,
The beauty we seek is already around us if we only pause to see it through fresh eyes.
It's a lovely tale of perspective,
Gratitude and quiet discovery and I hope you enjoy it.
Since The Golden Windows is a shorter tale,
I'll be reading it twice,
Like a soft echo at twilight,
While gentle music lingers a little longer to carry you peacefully into sleep.
Now,
Before we begin,
Let's take a moment to unwind and settle in.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in,
And softly breathe out.
Feel your body beginning to relax.
Let those shoulders drop.
Allow your jaw to loosen.
Let your hands rest gently at your sides.
Now imagine you're standing on a gentle hillside at sunset.
The sky is painted in warm gold and dusky rose,
And far away,
Tiny cottage windows flicker with a golden glow.
Everything is still,
Peaceful,
As evening settles in around you.
Let this calm,
Dreamy feeling fill your body and soften your thoughts.
And when you feel ready,
Just let those eyes grow heavy,
And give yourself permission to relax,
Unwind,
And drift off as you listen.
All day long,
The little boy worked hard,
In field and barn and shed,
For his people were poor farmers and could not pay a workman.
But at sunset,
There came an hour that was all his own,
For his father had given it to him.
Then the boy would go up to the top of a hill,
And look across another hill that rose some miles away.
On this far hill stood a house with windows of clear gold and diamonds.
They shone and blazed,
So that it made the boy wink to look at them.
But after a while,
The people in the house put up shutters as it seemed,
And then it looked like any common farmhouse.
The boy supposed that they did this because it was supper time,
And then he would go into the house and have his supper of bread and milk,
And go to bed.
One day,
The boy's father called him and said,
You have been a good boy,
And have earned a holiday.
Take this day for your own,
Son,
But remember that God gave it,
And try to learn something good.
The boy thanked his father and kissed his mother,
Then he put a piece of bread in his pocket and started off to find the house with the golden windows.
It was pleasant walking.
His bare feet made marks in the white dust,
And when he looked back,
The footprint seemed to be following him and making company for him.
His shadow,
Too,
Kept beside him,
And would dance or run with him as he pleased,
So it was very cheerful.
By and by he felt hungry,
And he sat down by a brown brook that ran through the alder hedge by the roadside,
And ate his bread and drank the clear water.
Then he scattered the crumbs for the birds,
As his mother had taught him to do,
And went on his way.
After a long time,
He came to a high green hill,
And when he had climbed the hill,
There was the house on the top,
But it seemed that the shutters were up,
For he could not see the golden windows.
He came up to the house,
And then he could well have wept,
For the windows were of clear glass,
Like any others,
And there was no gold anywhere about them.
A woman came to the door,
And looked kindly at the boy,
And asked him what he wanted.
I saw the golden windows from our hilltop,
He said,
And I came to see them,
But now they are only glass.
The woman shook her head and laughed.
We are poor farming people,
She said,
And are not likely to have gold about our windows,
But glass is better to see through.
She bade the boy sit down on the broad stone step at the door,
And brought him a cup of milk and a cake,
And bade him rest.
Then she called her daughter,
A child of his own age,
And nodded kindly at the two,
And went back to work.
The little girl was barefooted like himself,
And wore a brown cotton gown,
But her hair was golden like the windows he had seen,
And her eyes were blue like the sky at noon.
She led the boy about the farm,
And showed him her black calf with the white star on his forehead,
And he told her about his own at home,
Which was red like a chestnut with four white feet.
Then,
When they had eaten an apple together,
And so had become friends,
The boy asked her about the golden windows.
The little girl nodded,
And said she knew all about them,
Only he had mistaken the house.
You have come quite the wrong way,
She said.
Come with me,
And I will show you the house with the golden windows,
And then you will see for yourself.
They went to a knoll that rose behind the farmhouse,
And as they went,
The little girl told him that the golden windows could only be seen at a certain hour,
About sunset.
Yes,
I know that,
Said the boy.
When they reached the top of the knoll,
The girl turned and pointed,
And there on a hill,
Far away,
Stood a house with windows of clear gold and diamond,
Just as he had seen them.
And when they looked again,
The boy saw that it was his own home.
Then he told the little girl that he must go,
And he gave her his best pebble,
The white one with the red band,
That he had carried for a year in his pocket,
And she gave him three horse chestnuts,
One red like satin,
One spotted,
And one white like milk.
He kissed her,
And promised to come back,
But he did not tell her what he had learned.
And so he went back down the hill,
And the little girl stood in the sunlight and watched him.
The way home was long,
And it was dark before the boy reached his father's house,
But the lamplight and firelight shone through the windows,
Making them almost as bright as he had seen them from the hilltop.
And when he opened the door,
His mother came to kiss him,
And his little sister ran to throw her arms about his neck,
And his father looked up and smiled from his seat by the fire.
Have you had a good day?
Asked his mother.
Yes,
The boy had had a very good day.
And have you learned anything?
Asked his father.
Yes,
Said the boy.
I have learned that our house has windows of gold and diamond.
All day long,
The little boy worked hard in field and barn and shed,
For his people were poor farmers and could not pay a workman.
But at sunset,
There came an hour that was all his own,
For his father had given it to him.
Then the boy would go up to the top of a hill and look across another hill that rose some miles away.
On this far hill stood a house with windows of clear gold and diamonds.
They shone and blazed so that it made the boy wink to look at them.
But after a while,
The people in the house put up shutters as it seemed,
And then it looked like any common farmhouse.
The boy supposed that they did this because it was supper time,
And then he would go into the house and have his supper of bread and milk and go to bed.
One day,
The boy's father called him and said,
You have been a good boy and have earned a holiday.
Take this day for your own son,
But remember that God gave it and try to learn something good.
The boy thanked his father and kissed his mother,
Then he put a piece of bread in his pocket and started off to find the house with the golden windows.
It was pleasant walking,
His bare feet made marks in the white dust,
And when he looked back,
The footprint seemed to be following him and making company for him.
His shadow,
Too,
Kept beside him and would dance or run with him as he pleased,
So it was very cheerful.
By and by he felt hungry,
And he sat down by a brown brook that ran through the alder hedge by the roadside and ate his bread and drank the clear water.
Then he scattered the crumbs for the birds,
As his mother had taught him to do,
And went on his way.
After a long time,
He came to a high green hill,
And when he had climbed the hill,
There was the house on the top,
But it seemed that the shutters were up,
For he could not see the golden windows.
He came up to the house,
And then he could well have wept,
For the windows were of clear glass,
Like any others,
And there was no gold anywhere about them.
A woman came to the door,
And looked kindly at the boy,
And asked him what he wanted.
I saw the golden windows from our hilltop,
He said,
And I came to see them,
But now they are only glass.
The woman shook her head and laughed.
We are poor farming people,
She said,
And are not likely to have gold about our windows,
But glass is better to see through.
She bade the boy sit down on the broad stone step at the door,
And brought him a cup of milk and a cake,
And bade him rest.
Then she called her daughter,
A child of his own age,
And nodded kindly at the two,
And went back to work.
The little girl was barefooted like himself,
And wore a brown cotton gown,
But her hair was golden like the windows he had seen,
And her eyes were blue like the sky at noon.
She led the boy about the farm,
And showed him her black calf with the white star on his forehead,
And he told her about his own at home,
Which was red like a chestnut with four white feet.
Then,
When they had eaten an apple together,
And so had become friends,
The boy asked her about the golden windows.
The little girl nodded,
And said she knew all about them,
Only he had mistaken the house.
You have come quite the wrong way,
She said.
Come with me,
And I will show you the house with the golden windows,
And then you will see for yourself.
They went to a knoll that rose behind the farmhouse,
And as they went,
The little girl told him that the golden windows could only be seen at a certain hour about sunset.
Yes,
I know that,
Said the boy.
When they reached the top of the knoll,
The girl turned and pointed,
And there on a hill,
Far away,
Stood a house with windows of clear gold and diamond,
Just as he had seen them.
And when they looked again,
The boy saw that it was his own home.
Then he told the little girl that he must go,
And he gave her his best pebble,
The white one with the red band,
That he had carried for a year in his pocket,
And she gave him three horse chestnuts,
One red like satin,
One spotted,
And one white like milk.
He kissed her and promised to come back,
But he did not tell her what he had learned,
And so he went back down the hill,
And the little girl stood in the sunlight and watched him.
The way home was long,
And it was dark before the boy reached his father's house,
But the lamplight and firelight shone through the windows,
Making them almost as bright as he had seen them from the hilltop.
And when he opened the door,
His mother came to kiss him,
And his little sister ran to throw her arms about his neck,
And his father looked up and smiled from his seat by the fire.
Have you had a good day?
Asked his mother.
Yes,
The boy had had a very good day.
And have you learned anything?
Asked his father.
Yes,
Said the boy,
I have learned that our house has windows of gold and diamond.
And now that our story has come to a close,
Just let the quiet linger.
There is no need to think or do anything.
Let your breath be slow,
And your body feel even heavier,
Sinking deeper into rest.
And imagine the soft glow of those golden windows still shining somewhere in the distance,
Warm and peaceful,
A gentle reminder that all is well.
Feel the comfort of your pillow,
The stillness of the room around you,
And the calm that's settling in with every breath.
You are safe,
And everything is okay.
Let yourself drift off,
Fully and deeply.
Sweet dreams,
My friend.
Sleep well.
