A warm welcome to season two of this fantasy sleep saga,
Where you are the main character.
Throughout this bedtime story series,
You will spend autumn and winter in the rolling hills of your homeland,
Celebrating all of the festivities.
You will also delve into the deep dwarven kingdoms,
Embark on another adventure with the wizard and the ranger,
And visit an enchanted little village that is hidden away from the rest of the world.
Here,
There is magic,
Wonder,
And mystery waiting around every corner.
But first,
Let us take a moment to relax.
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 the breath to fall back into a natural rhythm.
Enjoy this new peace flowing through your body.
And now,
Let us continue our fantasy sleep saga,
And enjoy Season 2,
Episode 3,
An Enchanted Fall Afternoon.
Before you know it,
Bill comes to a stop at the end of the track road on the borders of a small grass clearing,
And you are greeted by the sound of lapping water once again.
A large winding river carves delicately through the land,
And the water is completely transparent.
You can see tiny orange fish,
Large rocks covered with moss,
And pure white sand at the bottom.
There are lily pads with flowers of pink,
White,
And blue drifting along the surface of the river.
Perched in the water,
You spot a little rowing boat swaying back and forth on the gentle waves,
Painted in a rusty red.
You step off the cart and give Bill a warm hug and a scratch behind his ears,
Thanking him for bringing you this far.
Samwise offers him an apple and a big bowl of fresh water from the river.
Fully fed and hydrated,
Bill the Pony turns around and begins to trot back towards the village square,
Where he will be duly cared for while you cross the river,
Bound for the pumpkin patch.
With a shared smile,
You follow Sam's lead and hop aboard his rowing boat.
Your halfling companion takes the oars,
And the only thing left for you to do is lie back,
Bask in the afternoon sun,
And completely relax.
In the next moment,
You feel a gentle jerk and your boat begins to move,
Gliding along the water as you delve deeper and deeper into this world of magic.
Right now,
You are approaching the borders of the Shire and drifting through vast farmlands.
You are entirely surrounded by rich green hills dotted with little white daisies,
Where baby rabbits are racing along the riverbank and playing together in the long grass.
There is no sign of anybody out here.
You have completely left the hustle and bustle behind you as you drift at one with nature in a peaceful silence.
This is your time to completely let go.
You cannot believe that this perfect land is your home.
There is a wonderful warmth washing over you,
And you can feel your entire body soften.
The beating sun is melting away any remaining tension,
And the gentle lapping of the water has become its own little lullaby.
With your eyes closed,
You feel a gentle orange glow illuminating your eyelids.
There is a new softness flowing through your face,
Your neck,
Your shoulders,
Your arms and hands.
This softness and warmth fills your chest and stomach,
And with each breath in,
You can feel your entire body expand as you release any holding on tonight.
And as you breathe out,
You let go of any remaining thoughts.
Right now,
There is nothing left to do and nothing left to think.
There is a wonderful freedom and warmth trickling down your legs,
From your thighs,
Across your knees,
Down into your calves and through your feet.
This enchanting land is healing your body,
Your mind and your soul,
And you are guarded by your wonderful companion,
Surrounded by the simplicity of nature.
In the next moment,
You feel shade covering your eyes,
And the breeze becomes a fraction cooler.
As you gently open your eyes,
You see that you are drifting through a woodland grove,
Surrounded by tall,
Thick trees,
Each one wrapped with a magical gold dust.
Above you,
The sunlight pierces through the infinite leaves,
Peppering the woodland with a collection of tiny golden spotlights.
In the trees,
You see deer and stag peacefully grazing and occasionally looking over at you.
One by one,
These majestic animals approach the riverbank and begin to drink from these enchanted waters.
Before you know it,
You are surrounded by at least thirty stag and deer,
All welcoming you to this hidden paradise of magic.
And just then,
Peeping out from behind their parents,
You see tiny fawns gazing curiously at you,
And you are sure that they cannot be more than a week old.
Their little legs can barely hold them up,
And you smile with a full heart as you watch them enjoying some of their first sips from the river,
Being carefully watched over by their mothers and fathers.
You take in this beautiful sight and bathe in the magic and wonder of this land as you continue to gently glide along the winding river,
Guarded by these majestic creatures.
Right now,
You are completely free.
You allow yourself to give in to the magic.
This is your haven and your sanctuary.
It is a place where you can return whenever you need to.
As you reach the end of this mysterious woodland,
Your animal guardians give you a low bow,
Bidding you a fond farewell.
And in unison,
They rear up together and gallop away into the depths of the trees.
But the enchantment doesn't end here.
As soon as you leave this tunnel of trees,
You are met by the rich smell of lavender and a golden-orange glow washes over you as the late afternoon sun greets you once more.
Very gently,
Your boat drifts to the shore,
And over to your right,
You can see endless fields of fresh lavender ready for harvest,
And the hypnotic smell grows stronger.
There is clearly more magic at work here,
As all of a sudden,
You and your lovely halfling feel yourselves being lifted very gently out of your boat and placed down effortlessly in the soft,
Long grass on the edge of the lavender fields.
You let out a deep,
Satisfied sigh and smile from ear to ear.
Right now,
You have never felt more at peace.
Samwise sleepily admits that actually,
You have plenty of time before the festival tonight,
And now would be the perfect time for a little nap.
After all,
You will need your strength to wheel the prized pumpkin all the way back to the shire,
He adds with a mischievous chuckle.
And who are you to argue?
You are completely relaxed here,
And if there is some time to spare,
Then a little siesta wouldn't hurt.
Your entire body is heavy and filled with a beautiful warmth.
Here you are,
Lying back in total tranquility and simply bathing in the beauty of the shire.
What more could you wish for?
And then,
As if this enchanted land can hear your thoughts,
A double rainbow begins to paint itself across the sapphire sky in one gentle brush stroke.
It is a magical sight,
And one that you have seen before in the shire.
It is usually a sign that a certain wizard is not too far away,
Likely plotting his next moment of mischief.
And with that thought,
An involuntary smile creeps across your face.
Soon you will be reunited,
But now is the time for rest.
You allow the hypnotic smell of lavender to just drift around you and soften any remaining thoughts.
One by one,
You watch them fade out of sight before being washed away down the river.
You allow the warmth of the sun to soften your body and to relax all of your muscles.
A wonderful heaviness is trickling through you,
And you are drifting deeper,
Deeper,
And deeper into a world of complete comfort.
Underneath the magic and beauty of this double rainbow,
You are completely protected.
You give yourself final permission to let go of everything,
To become one with the wonderful shire,
And to enjoy a peaceful rest.
