Your Fantasy Sleep Saga (Season 1 Episode 10)

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 3,

Hold for 4,

And breathe out for 5.

Let all of it go now,

Again that's in for 3,

Hold for 4,

And release,

Blowing away the thoughts of yesterday,

Today and tomorrow,

Again in for 3,

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 continue your fantasy sleep saga and enjoy episode 10,

Hiking with the ranger.

As you begin to wake up from a short rest,

You feel a new light on your eyelids,

And when you open them,

There is a new world stretched out before you.

The elven kingdom deep within the forest has faded into a beautiful memory,

And now a new adventure awaits.

You are sitting in the back of a large cart pulled by two enchanted stacks,

The last reminder of the golden wood,

And you are wrapped in a thick blanket placed over you by your newest companion,

The ranger.

At the front of the cart,

Still at the reins and humming one of his familiar happy tunes is,

Of course,

Your wonderful wizard.

Outside,

The air is perfectly cool.

The sun is high in the sky now,

But covered by a layer of thick white cloud.

Occasionally,

Its golden beams seep through and create little spotlights on the eternal green landscape around you.

Eventually,

You arrive at a fork in the road,

And the wizard brings the cart to a stop,

Giving a low whistle.

You sit up,

Enjoy a nice,

Big stretch,

Before stepping out of the cart with the help of the rugged ranger.

The wizard hops down from his perch with a surprising nimbleness,

Giving you a subtle wink as he lands.

This is where I leave you,

My friends,

For the time being at least.

There are urgent things a wizard must see to.

And then he brings you in for a warm embrace,

Telling you how proud he is of you,

And with a gesture to the ranger,

Reminds you that you are in the best company that you could ask for.

And this is not the end of our adventures together,

He adds.

Look for my coming back to your homeland when autumn arrives.

Until then,

Be good.

And before you know it,

The wizard has climbed back up into the cart and is away.

You watch him slowly fade into the distance as the ranger stands behind you,

A comforting hand on your shoulder.

Silence follows.

A slight hesitation and uncertainty lingers in the air,

That is,

Until the ranger speaks Do not fear,

The wizard will return,

And for the time being,

He has asked me to be your keeper.

Will you join me?

You turn to your new companion with a smile and gesture for him to lead the way.

The ranger hands you a thick cloak,

Its enchantments will protect you from all the elements.

This way,

He says,

Tracing his fingertips through the meadow.

A storm is coming,

But I know a place we can take refuge for now.

You step off the beaten track and follow the ranger through the thick grass of the countryside meadow and down a shallow hill.

There are little white flowers all throughout this meadow,

And around the countryside,

There are single oak trees dotted along the horizon.

Your new cloak envelops you like a soft,

Soothing blanket,

And there is a warmth running through your body.

It pulses in your head,

Your neck,

And your shoulders.

It fills your chest and your stomach.

It trickles down your arms and hands,

Your legs and your feet,

Reaching all the way to your fingers and into the tips of your toes.

You walk side by side with your companion now,

And you begin to talk more comfortably.

He tells you that he is a ranger from the kingdoms in the north.

Many years ago,

Long before his time,

His ancestors were banished from this part of the world,

And they fled into exile to the north.

But now those lands have been ravished by war and neglect,

And so he has come back here at the request of the wizard in the hopes of rebuilding his name and his house and place and bringing peace to his people at last.

You notice that he has a soft glow about him,

Slightly ethereal,

And you ask him if he is in fact a descendant of the elves.

The ranger gives a subtle smile.

Not quite,

He admits.

I am bound to one by love,

He gestures to the shimmering silver pendant on his chest.

And it is true that my ancestors were blessed with long life,

And in turn so am I,

But I am still mortal.

Before you know it,

You have reached a new landscape entirely,

Where a thicket of brown and green bushes thrive.

They are dense with berries of different colors,

Glistening in purple,

Yellow,

Sapphire,

And crimson.

The ranger kneels down and offers you a small pouch,

Telling you which berries are safe to pick.

Leave the others for the birds,

He says,

And only take what you need.

You follow his lead,

Carefully picking the same berries and gradually filling your pouch.

You study the ranger's movements,

Learning all the time.

You shuffle on through the bushes and eat a few berries as you go,

Enjoying the sweet and sour variety.

There is a tartness on your tongue,

And the juice from the berries stains your fingertips.

You cannot help but chuckle as a big blueberry bursts in the palm of your hand,

And for the first time since your meeting,

You hear the ranger laugh.

It is a kingly laugh,

One that seems to echo across the whole land and fills your heart with hope and gladness.

Above,

You notice the clouds grow steadily darker with the promise of rainfall,

And your ranger turns to you with a gesture.

Quickly now,

You rise to your feet and follow behind his light and nimble footsteps,

Weaving through a small tunnel of trees.

The path creeps up a gentle hill,

And slowly you emerge into a large field filled with tall golden grass that blows in the breeze.

There are corn cockles and dandelions,

Bluebells,

Daisies,

Poppies,

And tansies,

And despite the gloomy sky above,

The landscape ahead is like a perfect palette of paint swirling together in one enchanting dance of nature.

In the next moment,

You come to a narrow stream with silvery white rocks on each side.

The water is as smooth as silk and seems to glide effortlessly over the stone.

The ranger stops for a moment,

Kneels down and cups his hands in the stream,

Taking a few gulps of the fresh water.

You follow his lead,

And the cool,

Crisp water is refreshing and healing.

To your left,

A family of dragonflies hover along the banks of the stream.

Your ranger fills two small flasks with water,

And you continue on your journey,

Crossing over the stream and following a new path.

Your damp boots leave their mark on the track road that guides you now.

A distant thunder begins to murmur on the wind,

And a few specks of rain are tapping on your hood.

The ranger leads you around a corner,

And you arrive at a small,

Hollow cave tucked away on the hillside.

The entrance is hidden behind hanging moss and tall rocks.

Your companion gestures for you to follow,

And together you enter the cave just as the heavens open and the rain starts to hammer down relentlessly.

Inside the cave is dry and warm,

But even so,

The ranger kneels down and begins to build a small fire with sticks and leaves from a small knapsack.

Sparks dance up like fireflies,

And before you know it,

A wonderful heat greets you,

And the cave is illuminated with a soft orange hue,

One that makes your eyes feel heavy and your body relaxed.

You put down your cloak and roll it into a pillow,

Basking in the warmth of the fire as you lie back,

Safe and sound in this little cave,

Protected by the ranger.

Before you know it,

You are met by a wave of tiredness and fatigue,

And are in much need of a nap.

Once the storm passes,

You can continue on your adventure,

But for now,

At least,

It is time to rest.

You ask the ranger if he can tell you a tale of these lands,

Something to ease your mind and drown out the noise of the encroaching storm that rolls through the valley.

Through the flames,

You see the ranger smile,

And he shuffles closer to you,

Placing his healing hand upon your forehead.

Long ago,

He says,

In an age before this one,

The trees used to speak,

Not just by creaking and groaning,

But through a deep,

Ancient language.

Their roots would connect to one another,

And over thousands of years,

They learned to talk,

To communicate,

And even move.

There are stories that tell of entire forests walking as one.

The trees had names,

Then,

And were shepherded by the oldest and wisest.

They even learned to sing in their own way,

And made songs for the moon and the stars,

Blessings for the rain and for the first morning light.

You listen to the story,

Enjoying all the little details,

And smiling peacefully as the fire crackles steadily.

Outside,

The thunder rolls on.

And in those times,

The ranger adds,

Fairies lived among the trees.

They had kingdoms that spread across entire forests,

And many of them would make their homes in the trunks of the trees.

They would use glowworms for lanterns,

Silk thread for curtains,

And the scales of pine cones for their little doors.

But,

One by one,

Over the years,

The trees began to fall asleep,

And entire forests descended into a deep slumber,

And so,

The fairies disappeared.

It is said that no mortal has ever seen a fairy,

And for that reason alone,

They simply do not exist.

And never did,

But I know different.

How do you know,

You ask the ranger?

Because I have seen them with my own eyes,

So has the wizard.

And perhaps one day,

If fate will allow,

We can take you there,

To the last kingdom of the fairies.

It is another world entirely,

Like nothing you have ever seen.

And what of the trees,

You ask?

Well,

In many of the woods,

If you're quiet,

Extremely quiet,

You might hear echoes of their ancient language drifting through the air.

The cracking of their roots,

The creaking of their trunks,

Their sighs on the wind.

The ranger's words fade now,

And you are left with the comforting crackle of the fire enveloping you in warmth and heaviness.

Outside,

The storm rages on,

And rain slams against the hillside,

But here,

You are safe.

Gradually,

You allow the heaviness to take over,

And your eyes gently close.

The ground beneath you is soft and inviting.

Your cloak is the perfect pillow,

And the ranger places a small blanket over you,

Before settling down himself at the other side of the cave.

The stories of the trees and the fairies flick through your mind,

And you hope that one day,

Perhaps,

You might meet the fairies,

And sit in a silent forest to listen to the ancient language of the trees.

The power of sleep is taking over,

And you give yourself final permission to surrender,

And to succumb to this beautiful feeling.

And,

In your sleep,

The fairies will sing to your soul,

And the trees will whisper to your dreams.

It is safe to rest now.

It is safe to rest now.

It is safe to rest now.