The Mouse And The Windmill's Secret: Meditation Sleep Story

So just take a moment to allow your eyes to close and allow yourself to begin to relax.

And as you begin to comfortably fall asleep.

I don't know whether you'll drift asleep faster to the sound of my voice or whether it'll be to the spaces between my words.

And as you comfortably drift asleep I'm just gonna tell this bedtime story in the background.

And as twilight falls gently over a meadow.

The sky turning shades of purples and fading golds.

A light breeze carries a gentle scent of sage through the air.

Which lingers on the wind.

And a small mouse named Milo,

With fur the color of autumn leaves,

Stands at the edge of a meadow.

His eyes curiously fixed on a windmill ahead.

And the windmill stands so tall and ancient.

Its stone body weathered by time and the seasons.

Yet its blades are turning steadily in the breeze.

Creaking softly with each rotation.

There's something almost hypnotic about the rhythm of its turning.

As if this windmill is caught in an endless peaceful dance with the wind.

And Milo has seen this windmill many times.

But tonight it feels different as if something about this windmill is beckoning him closer.

His whiskers twitch as he takes in some deep breaths.

The evening air filling his lungs.

That rich scent of damp soil.

The sweetness of wildflowers.

There seems to be an energy floating in the air tonight.

Something making his fur tingle with anticipation.

He knows that something awaits him at the windmill.

Something hidden beyond the surface of the ordinary world that he knows.

He walks forward towards that windmill.

His paws padding silently across the gentle grass.

The windmill's shadow stretching long across the meadow in the final hint of the fading light.

The blades growing louder as he gets closer.

Creaking,

Turning,

Gently,

Softly with its own rhythm.

Once he reaches the base of the windmill,

He pauses and looks up at how tall it looks from down here.

He can see the stars overhead.

Just beginning to appear in the darkness.

He starts to head into that windmill.

And in the windmill,

He can see that there's a stone slab.

And on that stone slab,

There's a stone wheel turning slowly and cogs working their way up the center of the windmill.

And tucked against the inside wall of the windmill is a spiral staircase.

And so Milo climbs that spiral staircase.

Having to reach up to climb up each step,

Walk along the step,

Reach up to climb on to the next step,

And the next step,

And the next.

Working his way up those steps.

Finding his way around that spiral staircase.

Ascending higher and higher within the windmill.

Until the spiral staircase finds its way out onto a wooden beamed platform.

Like a small room right at the top of the windmill.

And stretching through the wall and into the center of this windmill.

Is the first pull of the mechanism that makes the windmill turn that stone wheel at the base.

And on a small table up here in this tiny room,

Milo finds a box.

And in that box he finds a golden key.

And he knows this key must be for something.

But he's unsure what.

And attached to the key is an old frayed bit of string.

With a label attached to that string.

And the label seems to be a small drawing like a map.

With a winding path and an X.

And near that small drawing is a circle with a narrow X.

And a double line weaving near that circle.

And Milo recognizes that that circle with the narrow X must be the windmill because the double line and the way it weaves resembles the path of the nearby river.

And the line drawn leading to that X that marks the spot of something seems to weave its way over and across the double line at the point where there's a bridge.

And Milo is curious and so decides to take the key and see what's at that X.

And they descend those spiral stairs again.

All the way down to the base of this windmill.

Leaving the windmill.

And following that tiny map.

And they head down through meadows.

Through those wildflowers.

Along the edge of the river.

To the stone bridge which passes over the river.

And then follow that path as laid out on that tiny map weaving their way into a nearby forest.

And the deeper they walk into the forest the more the sound of that windmill in the distance and the sounds of the meadow fade.

With the sounds of rustling leaves overhead.

The sound of an owl off in the distance somewhere here in the forest.

The dim light of the moon creating gentle silver shards of light.

Dancing before Milo.

As he feels the excitement of this adventure.

Curious what's going to be at the end of this path.

And as he walks following this path.

Eventually he can hear the sound of a crackling campfire.

And see the faint orange glow of a fire dancing through the trees.

His pace slows so that he can see what he's approaching.

As he gets closer he can just about feel the slightest hint of the warmth from that fire even though it's some distance off.

And he notices the fire is in a small clearing within this forest.

And sitting beside the fire in that clearing is a fox.

Its fur shimmering in the firelight.

And this fox is cooking some chestnuts over this fire.

And Milo works his way out from the edge of the forest into the clearing.

And the fox looks up.

Watching Milo approaching.

Looking on with the most friendly gaze.

And the fox invites Milo to sit with them by the fire.

Enjoying the warmth of this fire.

Offering some food to Milo.

And they share the food together.

And then Milo is offered a drink.

Which tastes a lot like hot chocolate.

So rich and smooth and creamy.

With a hint of mint.

That brings clarity to his senses.

And Milo explains that they had found a key.

And they're on a journey to see if the X that marks the spot on the tiny map attached to the key is anything of interest.

They're driven by deep curiosity.

And the fox listens.

And tells them perhaps they should rest for the night.

Rather than making all that journey in the dark.

And so Milo puts up a small tent.

And as the fire burns down to embers.

So the fox goes into their tent.

Milo goes into his tent.

They settle down and drift to sleep.

And the next morning.

Milo says goodbye to the fox.

Thanks them for the food and drink the night before.

And the fox says I hope you enjoy your journey.

And find what you're looking for.

And Milo sets off following that path.

Through the clearing.

Back into the forest.

On the other side of the clearing.

And as walking through this forest.

The trees arch overhead.

The dappled sunlight dancing around them.

There's a slight coolness to the air.

But the breeze can be heard at the tops of the trees.

But barely makes it down to the ground.

Small feet padding gently through the undergrowth.

Leaves rustling.

The sounds of birds echoing through the forest.

And between the bird sounds.

Is the most pleasant silence.

And he continues through this forest.

Following that small map.

And he's walking so long.

He has to stop to take a break.

Have something to eat.

And then carries on walking.

And eventually he finds he's walking in the dark again.

As the next night sets in.

And the journey turns out to be longer than he'd expected.

And as he walks and night sets in.

So he sees small glowing dots moving around him.

Weaving through the trees.

The sight to flickering fireflies.

And what looks like some glowing orbs.

And he continues on.

Deeper and deeper into this forest.

Aware he'll have to stop for the night again soon.

And as he continues.

He comes across an ancient oak tree.

And this oak with its roots tangled and thick.

Its trunk gnarled and rough.

And he feels like this tree contains some wisdom.

And Milo climbs up onto the trunk of the tree.

Walks around the trunk of the tree.

And then finds nestled among the roots.

Around the base of the tree.

A small wooden door.

That seemed to be almost hidden.

And he knocks on the door.

Doesn't get any answer.

And so he gently pushes that door open with curiosity.

And as he pushes the door open.

He's surprised that a soft amber glow seems to emanate out from within that door.

And he steps into this illuminated space.

The scent of the oak surrounding him.

And finds himself in a cosy rustic den.

And the room is small and intimate.

Lit with a few flickering candles.

Their flames dancing gently in the still air.

Wooden shelves filled with books and trinkets and jars of strange colorful powders lining the walls.

And in the center of the room is a hedgehog with a neat curled mustache.

Wearing a tie-dye shirt that's a patchwork of bright colors.

Standing out vividly against the earthy tones of the room.

And that hedgehog is sitting calmly at a wooden chessboard.

Studying the pieces as though so deeply lost in thought.

And Milo realizes this is why the hedgehog didn't answer the door.

They're so lost in this game.

They're unaware of the sound of the knocking.

But as Milo approaches the hedgehog notices.

And initially is a little startled but then invites Milo over to join in the game.

And the hedgehog sets up the chess pieces for a brand new game.

And Milo asks,

Weren't you in the middle of something?

And the hedgehog responds they've memorized where the pieces were.

When Milo goes they'll just place everything back how it was and continue the game from before.

And as they play the pieces tap softly against the wooden board.

There's something deeply relaxing about the experience.

And Milo talks with the hedgehog while they're both focused on the game.

The hedgehog sharing stories of living in this forest.

In the heart of this ancient tree.

Of their ancestors living here and their ancestors' ancestors.

And eventually the hedgehog wins the game.

And Milo never really expected to win against a hedgehog who seems to know how to play chess.

And the hedgehog invites Milo to spend the night.

Saying that it's dark and late outside.

It's best to rest.

Continue your journey in the morning.

And shows Milo through to the coziest room.

With the most comfortable bed.

And deep in the heart of this ancient oak tree.

Milo falls asleep.

Sleeping deeply and so soundly relaxed.

Awakening the next morning.

Feeling so refreshed and revitalized.

Setting off from the hedgehog to follow that tiny map.

Deeper and deeper into this forest.

And while walking deeper and deeper into the forest.

Milo notices a strange glow.

Growing brighter and larger overhead.

That seems to be descending towards them.

He's curious what this glow is.

And is surprised to notice a flying car floating down.

Seemingly from the stars.

It seems to be hovering down so silently.

So gently and smoothly.

And it stops hovering just above the ground.

And a window opens in the car.

And Milo's curious who is the other side of that window.

And then he sees a friendly face.

Lean towards the open window.

Leaning into view.

Smiling at him.

And it's a rabbit with its fur as white as snow.

And eyes twinkling with a certain level of mischief.

And the rabbit offers to give Milo a lift.

And with curiosity and never wanting to miss a chance for an adventure and an experience they'll probably never have again.

Milo heads around the vehicle.

Climbs up into the flying car.

And with a soft hum.

And a slight whir.

The rabbit presses a button.

The car lifts effortlessly higher into the air.

And begins to head off.

Above the forest.

And from up here for the first time ever Milo gets to see what the landscape looks like from overhead.

Can see in the distance that far off windmill.

The weaving river.

The forest he's traveling through.

He explains to the rabbit he's trying to find his way to the end of this path shown on this map.

And the rabbit says I'll take you all the way there if you'd like.

And so the rabbit glances at the map.

And takes Milo all the way to that destination.

Landing near the destination.

And Milo thanks them for the help.

He wonders how long it would have taken to walk this distance.

And whether he'll be walking all the way back.

And he looks at the map.

And he looks around him.

And he finds the path he's supposed to be on.

And continues along that path.

Until eventually he comes to a grand tree.

He heads around that tree.

And sees an entrance into the tree.

And the entrance is locked and needs a key.

And he places the key into the lock.

And with a clunk he twists the key and the lock releases.

And with a squeak the door opens.

He walks inside.

Closes the door behind him.

And finds himself at the top of a spiral staircase.

He begins to descend that spiral staircase.

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

Going deeper and deeper.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

Four.

All the way.

Three.

Two.

One.

And he finds himself at the base of the spiral staircase.

Stood before a door.

He opens the latch on the door.

Pushes the door open.

Walks into a chamber deep beneath this tree.

And in the center of this chamber.

There's a chest on a pedestal.

He heads over to that chest.

Opens up the chest.

And inside the chest,

Encased in velvet,

Is a ornate bottle containing a glowing potion that radiates a soft blue luminescence.

Shimmering like starlight captured in a bottle.

The note on the bottle says drink me.

He doesn't hesitate for long.

Before popping the cork on the bottle.

Bringing that drink to his lips.

Having a small sip of that cool smooth liquid.

As it flows so pleasantly down his throat.

And almost instantly he discovers the world around him shifting.

As if the air has become lighter.

As if everything around him becomes weightless.

The ground beneath his feet gives way for something softer.

Almost like he stood on the surface of a cloud.

Everything around him begins to blur.

And the landscape begins to transform.

Slowly at first.

As if the reality is bending.

Reshaping.

Changing into something else.

And as the world around him begins to settle again.

He feels like he's now walking on clouds.

His paws sinking very slightly into the ground.

Before springing back.

And all around him.

He finds he's in an environment where he can see mythical creatures wandering peacefully.

Through this strange new dreamlike realm.

He can see unicorn grazing on dewy emerald grass.

The silvery coats shimmering under a surreal sky.

They seem to almost glow with an inner light.

Their peaceful presence adding to the sense of magic filling the air.

It's as if he stepped into the heart of a dream.

Where anything is possible and everything is gentle and serene.

The air seems to hum with the most wonderful melody.

Like a sound of distant wind chimes.

Moving softly in a breeze.

And that sound seems to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

Helping Milo feel like they're drifting deeper and deeper into a reverie.

Time seems to be stretching and bending.

Each moment flowing and moving differently to how they've experienced it before.

And Milo explores this landscape for a while.

And discovers a lantern hanging in a tree.

He lights a fire in the base of the lantern.

And watches it floats from the tree up high into the sky.

Drifting so lazily through the air.

He follows that lantern as it floats.

Curious where it's leading him.

He can see dragons flying in the distance.

He sees a phoenix rising from smashes.

And a griffin lands before him and offers to show him around this land.

And he climbs up onto that griffin.

Struggles up onto its back as it takes off.

Flies around.

Soaring over the landscape.

Which looks so different to anything Milo is used to.

And the griffin explains about this land.

This being a land of dreams and make believe.

A land created by the wishes of others.

And the griffin lands in the most beautiful meadow.

And around the outside of this meadow are bushes containing berries which seem to shimmer and change in colour.

Like looking at oil on water.

And the griffin explains the berries of this bush can be crushed and turned into a blue liquid.

Which when drunk can transfer you through from one reality to another.

And Milo is sure he's already encountered this liquid in that jar.

And he takes some of those berries.

He mixes up a small amount of that liquid.

The griffin offers to take him back.

To where he started.

He drinks that liquid.

The reality around him shifts.

He finds himself back in that chamber.

He leaves the chamber.

Ascends a spiral staircase.

Seals the door behind him.

And begins to make his journey back to that windmill.

And as he journeys back to the windmill.

He stops and takes some breaks and camps a night here and a night there.

Pondering the experience he's had.

Eventually making his way all the way to the windmill.

Over many days of travelling.

And once back at the windmill.

He heads to the top.

Places the key back where he found it.

Curious if anyone else in the future will travel here.

Ascend those steps.

Find that key and decide to investigate.

And heads back to his home.

As night is setting.

Enjoys a good meal.

And relaxing for a while.

Before heading to bed.

Feeling so comfortable.

Sleeping in his own bed for the first time in many days.

And resting down in that bed.

Still pondering over his experience and what he's learned from it.

As he drifts and floats so peacefully.

So relaxed into slumberland.