A warm welcome to this fantasy sleep saga,
Where you are the main character.
Throughout this bedtime story series,
You will be guided on an epic adventure,
All the while accompanied by soft,
Soothing music,
Helping you to sink into an effortless sleep.
Here,
There is magic,
Wonder and mystery waiting round every corner.
Before we begin,
We will do a short,
Guided breathing pattern called 3-4-5.
This will allow you to slow down and relax,
Preparing your body and your mind for a wonderful,
Peaceful rest.
When you are ready,
Breathe in through the nose for three,
Hold for four,
And breathe out for five.
Let all of it go now.
Again,
That's in for three,
Hold for four,
And release,
Blowing away the thoughts of yesterday,
Today and tomorrow.
Again,
In for three,
And let it go.
Continue to breathe in this way in your own time,
And with each breath out,
Allow your body to sink just that bit deeper.
And,
Gradually,
Allow your breath to fall back into a natural rhythm.
Enjoy this new peace flowing through your body.
And now,
Let us begin your fantasy sleep saga,
And enjoy episodes of sleep.
Episode 1.
A Cozy Morning in the Rolling Hills You are standing in the middle of a small field filled with fresh strawberries.
Their crops are in long rows at each side of you and stretch as far as you can see.
Summer birds glide across the clear blue above you,
And the midday sun beats down on your skin.
In your hand is a small wicker basket lined with a blue and white cloth and filled with glowing red strawberries.
As you lift the basket to your nose,
You take a nice,
Deep breath.
And smell this beautifully sweet scent.
You have just finished a morning's work for the local farmer,
And they have allowed you to fill your basket with as many strawberries as you can.
You pick one or two more and finish your last bit of foraging.
With the basket filled to the brim,
You begin to stroll down the dirt track between the crops and head towards your rowing boat,
Which is tied up by the river at the end of the road.
You fold the remaining blue cloth over the strawberries and close the lid,
Giving them a little more protection.
You arrive at the grassy green bank of the river,
And a little way off in the distance,
You can see the rolling hills of home waiting for your return.
You notice that the river runs through the middle of a small forest,
Which is always an enchanting part of your return journey.
You settle in the boat and gently row away from the shore.
The water is calm and peaceful,
And you are surrounded by long grass and wildflowers on each side of you.
Soon enough,
You come to the entrance of the forest,
And you begin to row through the tall archway of trees,
Which provides a cooling shade from the hot afternoon sun.
As you gently row down the river back towards your village,
You notice small rabbits in the bushes and red squirrels climbing the thin trees.
It's as if they are guiding you back home and keeping you safe along the way.
The rays of sunlight beam through the open patches in the leaves above you,
And onto the lake falls a glimmering gold shimmer.
As you row around a corner of trees,
You can see the wooden dock and the first few houses of your homeland.
There are three small cottages with perfectly round doors and picket fences of white,
Brown,
And blue.
These are nestled under the shallow green hills on the borders of your village.
One of these houses sits on the bank of the river by the dock,
And a large wooden mill slowly turns in the water as a gentle steam rises from the small brick chimney.
As you approach the dock,
You tie up your boat and bid a good afternoon to the halfling dockmaster,
And you begin to head towards the main village down a thin gravel track,
Your basket of strawberries safe in your hand.
Butterflies and bees cross your path excitedly,
As if they have been waiting for your return.
On the borders of the village,
You come across a fresh water spring filled with crystal clear blue water.
You cup your hands in the cool water and take a refreshing drink.
You wander over a small wooden bridge and through a tall corridor of green,
Until at last,
Your eyes feast upon the magical heart of the shire opening up in front of you.
There is a far green country of shallow hills like waves upon the sea,
And you can see many more houses built inside the hills.
The doors are again perfectly round,
And no two houses share the same color.
At the top of each house sits a tiny chimney shrouded in grass which lets out wisps of gray smoke.
The people here live a simple life,
And a simple life is celebrated.
There is no desire for piles of riches or hoarded treasure.
Jewels and diamonds are almost unheard of.
No,
This is a place of comfort and of peace,
Of family and friendships filled with cheer and song,
Of wonderful food and a warm home.
A land of immortal beauty,
There is no sight more perfect.
One or two halflings sit in their gardens enjoying the sun,
And others busy themselves gathering firewood,
Doing the laundry,
Or cleaning the windows.
They have thick curly hair of brown,
Black,
Or blonde that covers the tops of their heads,
And of course,
The tops of their feet.
Your eyes follow the long dirt road in front of you as it winds between the hills and curves upwards,
Until at the very top you can see a single house under the hill,
Where from the wooden gate there are small stone steps leading up to the round front door of dark green.
This is the home of a very famous halfling.
As you walk between the emerald hills down the gravel track road,
You pass many more of these cozy cottages.
There are washing lines with freshly cleaned laundry,
Shirts,
Trousers,
And dungarees,
And waistcoats of many colors swaying in the breeze.
Outside each house there are small wooden postboxes,
Some with many letters stuffed inside,
And others are quite empty.
It is said that you can always tell a halfling's popularity judging by the size of their postbox.
As you walk past one or two halflings,
They greet you with a warm and welcoming smile,
As they speak your name in a hearty voice and bid you a pleasant day.
For you are well known throughout these lands and a dear friend of the little folk.
You even have your very own little cottage under your very own little hill.
There are colorful flowerbeds in the gardens,
And perched in front of the round porthole windows,
For all who live here share a love of the natural world,
Of plants,
Trees,
And animals of all kinds.
They all live as one here,
And they are connected.
Down the track,
You see a halfling leading a pony that is pulling a small cart.
And as it gets closer,
The pony seems to recognize you,
And gently strokes its head against your shoulder,
As you pet its furry ears and trace your fingers through its soft mane.
You see that the cart is full of vegetables,
All of which are ripe and fresh.
The halfling is now sat on top of a giant pumpkin in the cart,
And as the cart trundles away down the road,
The halfling tips their straw hat to you,
As they puff on their long wooden pipe,
A mischievous grin across their face.
It has clearly been a great harvest.
In the fields to your left,
There are many goats,
Cows,
And sheep,
And a few more ponies.
They graze away at the healthy grass,
As they roam freely across their shared land.
The warm breeze drifts over to you from the fields beyond,
And the smell of flowers,
Meadows,
And the summer air are a comfort to you,
Reminding you that this is where you belong.
As you arrive at the middle of the village,
You enter through a rickety old gate into a large field,
Where the grass is freshly mown.
It is important to keep this field in the best condition,
For this is the party field,
Where halflings and guests celebrate important birthdays and all sorts of exciting festivals,
For which there are almost too many to count.
In the middle of the field stands an enormous tree,
10 times the size of any other tree across this land,
And it is the centerpiece not only of this field,
But of the entire village.
It is said that the Elves of Old planted this tree,
And it has stood for over 10,
000 years.
Its trunk is thick and strong,
With bright green leaves that pulse in the sunlight.
Legend has it that the roots reach all the way to the core of the earth,
Giving life to this enchanting world around you.
You sit for a moment with your back against the tree,
And enjoy the wonderful surroundings,
And this fresh,
Pure air.
As you sit,
You feel a warmth radiate from the tree,
And as this warmth runs into your body,
You feel yourself becoming light and free,
As all of your muscles relax.
The tree is absorbing all of your tension,
And you feel any worries and thoughts leave your mind and melt into the tree behind you.
You have found a new sense of peace.
You think this old legend might be true after all.
