Welcome to this sleep story.
There is nothing you need to do right now,
Nowhere you need to be,
Nothing to fix,
Solve or think through.
Tonight you are simply here and that is more than enough.
Taking a slow deep breath in as we begin our journey to sleep together.
Exhaling and feeling your entire body relax as you listen.
1.
The Night Train The platform was quiet,
The kind of quiet that only exists late at night.
No crowds,
No rush,
Just soft lights glowing along the edge of the tracks and the faint hum of the city resting somewhere far away.
A train arrived without much sound at all.
It didn't announce itself or demand attention.
It simply appeared,
Slowing until it came to a gentle stop.
The doors opened and inside the carriage was warm and dim.
Lit by the small amber lights that made everything feel calm and unhurried.
The seats were wide and soft,
As though they had been designed for people who were particularly tired and finding it hard to fall asleep.
Penelope joined the train and chose a seat near the window.
The moment she sat down,
Her body seemed to understand that it was allowed to rest.
Her shoulders dropped,
Her hands softened in her lap.
The day,
With all of its small efforts and lingering thoughts,
Suddenly felt far away.
And as the doors closed quietly,
The train began to move.
It didn't travel fast.
It didn't need to.
The gentle rocking and the steady hum of the tracks created a lullaby for every passenger on board the night train.
Outside the window,
The lights blurred into long golden lines as the train glided forward through the night.
Every passenger on the night train was completely safe.
They all sat quietly in their seats.
No one speaks.
No one stares.
Everyone seems wrapped up in their own peaceful stillness.
Each of them travelling somewhere safely.
The train eventually entered a tunnel and the lights inside the carriage dim.
In this part of the journey,
Everything slows down even more.
Penelope rested her head back against the seat.
Her breath became steady without her noticing.
Her legs felt heavy and warm.
Her arms loose and comfortable at her sides.
The train moved smoothly and predictably.
There were no sudden lurches or sudden stops to anticipate.
The night train knows exactly where it's going,
Even if the passengers don't.
Another tunnel passes and this one seems longer.
The darkness outside the windows has softened inside the carriage even more.
The thoughts that had followed Penelope all day begin to drift away,
One by one,
Like the scenery disappearing behind the train.
There was no need to hold on to them.
They would exist tomorrow if they needed to.
When the train emerged again from the tunnel,
There were no lights to be found except the stars in the sky.
The world outside is vast and quiet,
While inside the carriage everything is small,
Contained and safe.
Time seems to loosen its grip.
Minutes pass,
Or maybe hours.
It doesn't matter.
The train continued on,
Humming gently beneath the floor,
Its motion steady and reassuring.
Penelope's eyes grew heavy and she didn't fight it.
The seat held her.
The steady tracks carried her.
And the night wrapped itself around the train like a soft blanket.
Where the train was going was not important.
What mattered was that it was going somewhere safe.
And as the train moved on through the quiet night,
Penelope slept.
And whilst Penelope sunk into that deep,
Deep sleep,
At the far end of the carriage a small shape appeared,
So quietly that no one noticed at all.
It was the night train cat.
Nobody knew his name,
But what they did know is that he was the guardian of everyone that slept on the night train.
The cat's fur was dark and soft,
Blending easily in the shadows between the seats.
His eyes reflected the low amber lights,
Not bright or sharp,
But gently aware.
A comforting presence that if you woke up at any point during the night,
He would be there to remind you that you're safe,
So you can settle back to sleep.
He walks slowly down the aisle,
Pause silent against the carpeted floor.
He pauses between each passenger,
Checking on them in his careful,
Delicate way.
A soft blink here,
A slow tail flick there.
The cat understood sleep.
When he reached Penelope,
He stopped,
Observing her deep breathing and the way her hands rested loosely in her lap.
Satisfied,
The cat jumped lightly into the empty seat beside her.
He curled into a small,
Warm circle,
Close enough to be comforting,
But not close enough to disturb.
His purring was barely audible,
More of a vibration than a sound.
A steady,
Soothing rhythm that matched the movement of the night train.
Outside,
The tracks continued their quiet song,
And inside the carriage felt even safer now.
The cat closed his eyes,
But he wasn't fully asleep.
He never was,
So long as there were passengers on the train.
He listened.
He sensed.
He made sure everything was as it should be.
A few seats away,
Another passenger shifted slightly in their sleep.
His ears twitched,
And the cat opened one eye,
Watching until the movement settled again.
All was well.
After a while of providing that comforting reassurance to Penelope,
The cat stretched and stood,
And continued down the aisle.
He checked every seat,
Every sleeping body,
Every quiet breath.
If someone stirred,
The cat paused a moment longer,
Staying until calm returned.
There was no rush.
The night train always ran on its own time.
The train carried on.
The night holding everything in place.
Nothing needed attention.
Nothing needed fixing.
Everything was exactly where it belonged.
And under the watchful care of the night train cat,
Sleep came easily.
And without effort.
